Anderson and Backstrom say they had creepy encounters with Tim Bass around the time of Stavik's murder, but they had never come forward with their suspicions. Mandy expressed her admiration for him in a card. There are 2 public schools in Acme with an average Homefacts rating of D+. Peter Van Sant: Why did you stay with him? Investigators believed she had been sexually assaulted, knocked out and placed in the river to drown. Kevin Bowhay: We developed this list we called it a DNA sweep. "Then why would your DNA be inside her? It took a whole community. In 2013, investigators went to Bass workplace, a bakery outlet store, in the hopes of obtaining a DNA sample from his delivery truck. "I don't know what it was about her. A scholarship fund has been set up in Mandy Stavik's name at Mount Baker High. Gerber said he didnt know Sather or her friends, the records show. [pauses, emotional] Sorry. However, after hearing each other's stories, Anderson decided to talk to police. Tim Bass' ex-wife Gina Malone testifies that she witnessed Tim ask his mother to lie for him to point the finger at his own dad. Det. A number of neighbors, including Judy Strachila, Brad Gorum, and Jeremy Anderson, testified they saw Mandy during different parts of her run, according to the Bellingham Herald. It was updated on July 18, 2020.]. Ron Peterson: We're upstream from where I recovered her. It was after a softball game in the summer of 1989, a few months before Mandy's murder. 20/20 airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. And we know that she was kidnapped, she was raped, and then she was killed. You're 15 years old. Sheriff Bill Elfo, who was appointed top cop in 2003, described it as a place where residents don't lock their doors and leave their keys in the ignition. She was the girl that they found on the river." 2013 of aggravated first-degree murder for the murder of Correctional Officer Jayme Biendl on Jan. 29, 2011 while she was on duty at the Washington State Reformatory Unit of the Monroe Correctional Complex in Snohomish County. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew on flight to space station, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother. And we went through everything. Kim Wagner, part of that trio of women, credits Mandy's hometown of Acme. And, so, this time my heart was like, "Ohh." Peterson, and so many others in the small community of Acme, Washington, are still emotional even 30 years later. The conversation shifted to the Stavik murder. Kyra, her German shepherd, bolted off with her. Det. Backstrom said she had a similar experience with Bass a few months before Staviks murder when she was just 15 and Bass was 21. It is 1005% greater than the overall U.S. average. Gerber said after Sather gave Mulryan money, Mulryan yelled at him to drive away. Gerber said Mulryan asked him for a ride to the park in Acme so Mulryan could meet with a girl who had apparently done something to him in the past, court records state. Mandy's sister Molly was overwhelmed, too. A home less than two miles from Mandy's house, right along her running route. By. Put simply, law enforcement officers cannot use private citizens to obtain evidence without a search warrant where a search warrant would otherwise be required, the defence wrote in one motion filed in August, the Herald reported. Never ever. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropria. JUDGE OLSON: For 30 years you have lived free from the responsibility for your acts, but that life has been a lie and tragically it has caught your family, your mother, your brother, your ex-wife and your children in its web. "So, you didn't even kiss her or anything?" The last person to see Mandy alive was a man in a pickup truck. Housing density: 6 houses/condos per square mile Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses and condos in 2019 in this county: $202,929. Kevin Bowhay: You hear 'em, but you're not sure it's almost like, "I'm dreaming. Kevin Bowhay: We got the right guy. TIM BASS INTERROGATION: Are you trying to get me to admit to something I didn't do, is that what you're trying to do right now? Did you sleep the night before? Peter Van Sant: When you lifted her out of the water as a father, did you say anything to her? Det. Anderson had never told anyone in law enforcement of her suspicions. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. And that's what I thought. She handed over the information the police wanted even though her bosses had previously declined to assist. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. Peter Van Sant: You'd empty the garbage so it would be empty , Peter Van Sant: in case he dropped a cup or a bottle . Suddenly Backstrom blurted out that she knew who did it and Anderson said she did too. The day after the big holiday meal at her house, Mandy set out on the last jog of her life with her German Shepard, Kyra. He says various indicators say it was much sooner. The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office is investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found at a park in Acme, according to a sheriff's office . Det. Friends of Mandy described him as a loner and an oddball. He had moved out of the area a couple of months after the murder. Investigators believe the attacker had kicked the dog into a ditch before abducting Mandy, and then sexually assaulted her about 5 miles away from where she was jogging. He was weird. The Whatcom County Sheriffs Office has identified another man wanted in a planned robbery that ended in the death of a woman in Acme over the weekend. Tom Bass: I think potentially more could've been his next victims. ''All these terrible things, all you can think is it doesn't happen to you. OKeefe is described as a white man who is 6 feet 2 inches tall, medium build with black hair and blue eyes, according to a press release, Wednesday night, April 8. Ron Peterson: It was like an assault on all of us. I'm like, "this is jackpot." Crime in Acme, Washington Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) Acme violent crime is 16.4. This week on ID, the team at 20/20 examine this tragic case that devastated this rural, tight-knit community. An autopsy revealed drowning as the cause of death; she had also received a blow to the head and had been sexually assaulted. According to CBS News, in June 2013, two women, Heather Backstrom and Merrilee Anderson, who had attended the same high school as Stavik, took their children to a local waterpark and got to talking about Staviks unsolved murder because it was something that had rocked their small, tight-knit community. Geographic Variation Among counties with 20 or more homicides in 2009- He kept to himself, and, for the most part, worked and came home. He said, "I need a strong alibi or I'm going to prison." I wasnt a strong person back then. ", Det. Back then, Detective Ron Peterson led the search team for Mandy Stavik, moving upriver in a Zodiac boat. Starck Follis: That's exactly what I'm saying. Peter Van Sant: If Tim Bass sitting in his home was lookin' out the window, could he have seen Mandy running by? Mulryan normally hangs out in Lynden, Everson and Bellingham, according to a previous sheriffs office press release. But following Basss arrest, his attorneys attempted to have the DNA evidence thrown out because they argue the search violated his Fourth Amendment rights. Bass was, by then, married and working as a driver at a bakery. Im disappointed at the appellate courts decision, his attorney told the Herald. "I'm going to lie to the judge and get the kids taken away from you" anything with my kids, I'm just like, OK. Peter Van Sant: And based on the position that she was in the water, you knew you had to get her out to preserve it. Then it just kinda grew into more of a physical thing and we didn't even really do it that much. I'm just an ordinary person. She had it all going for her; she had a bright future ahead of her.. Gerber told investigators he remembered the passenger door opening and Sather falling to the ground. Peter Van Sant: Robin, did you ever see this? It's just she accomplished a lot in the short time that she was here. Although no one testified to ever seeing Tim Bass and Mandy together, juror Ed Beaman says they had a lot to discuss. Det. Oregon inmate arrested, charged in Bellingham womans 1987 death, Poll finds Whatcom wants a Chick-Fil-A or In-N-Out. Molly named her daughter after her sister Mandy. Forecasters: Snow accumulations expected in Whatcom County lowlands, higher elevations overnight (Sat.) I felt like I just had to agree with everything hes saying because if I dont, I could be next. The suspected shooter of a double homicide in Tacoma, Washington, could be responsible for a third deadly shooting nearby, Fox13 reported . And which, you know, whatever. The sheriff's office never gave up on Mandy [emotional]. Information was received pertaining to literally hundreds of potential suspects, and leads were followed up locally, in other states, and foreign countries, including in Asia. One of the names now on the list was Bass. Acme Map Acme is a census-designated place (CDP) in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. Det. The next day, November 27, Ms Stavik was discovered floating in the Nooksack River, three and a half miles from her family home. Det. What was that moment like? Heather Backstrom and Merrilee Anderson had both gone to Mount Baker High. Plus, Bass had lived a few houses down from the Stavik family at the time of Staviks murder. Whatcom County Sheriff Larry Mount said she was murdered. Luckily the police were able to recover male DNA from her remains, so all they needed to do was find a match. #2020 #MandyStavik #30YearsSearching #Crime #Murder #Washington #TimBass #DNA #Evidence #MissingPerson #SexualAssault #ABCNews #Investigation #DNAEvidence #ABC2020 #Documentary STREAM MORE EPISODE OF 2020, College student Mandy Stavik found dead, but case goes cold for years I Nightline, Stavik, who was from a rural town in Washington, was missing for three days before her body was found. Senator Murray Highlights Millions in Funding to Fix Water Supply Issues, Promote Drought Resilience in Central WA. Gerber is incarcerated at the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. As the nine-day trial wraps up, both sides make their final appeal to the jury. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Peter Van Sant: You weren't believing him though? Bass was sentenced to 27 years in prison. On November 24, 1989, 18-year-old Stavik was home from college for Thanksgiving when she went out for a run near her home in Acme, Washington, and did not return. The prosecution expert, the original medical examiner from 30 years ago, Dr. Gary Goldfogel, disagrees. Growing up in Washingtons Whatcom County, she was reportedly a star student and athlete at Mount Baker High School varsity basketball and softball; flute, clarinet and saxophone in the school band; an honour student who spoke Japanese and was fluent in sign language. The total crime rate for Acme is moderate , and there are 0 registered sex offenders residing in the city. Three days later, her nude body was found three miles away in the Nooksack River. His arraignment is scheduled for April 17. He married another Mount Baker graduate, Gina Malone. Ken Gates [pointing at house]: He lived right in this house right here. Kevin Bowhay: As my partner's cuffing him up, I say, "You're under arrest for the murder of Mandy Stavik.". Peter Van Sant: Where were you guys when you had this conversation? So, I grabbed it and then I was like [laughs] I threw it in my desk drawer. The co-worker had a daughter herself. But Kim Wagner knew she had one more job to do. "And I turned to her and said, 'Oh, I do, too," Merilee Anderson says. Mary and Molly were too emotional to speak, so Molly's husband Mike Brighton spoke for them: MIKE BRIGHTON: My family will never be healed, never be normal. Then, almost 25 years later, a new suspect emerged, and he had lived right in Mandy's neighborhood. Acme is also included in, and the source-name for, a larger census-designated place (CDP). Peter Van Sant: You must've been scared. The Staviks' home was on a dead-end street, a mile from the highway. It shouldn't have happened at all. Det. Police began investigating Bass, and turned to the assistance of Kim Wagner, a co-worker at the bakery where he worked. Authorities wouldn't have their main suspect until 28 years later. Kevin Bowhay: I didn't believe him. By Denver Pratt. Median contract rent in 2019: $998 (lower quartile is $923, upper quartile is $1,458) Median gross rent in Acme, WA in 2019: $995 Housing units in Acme with a mortgage: 56 (0 second mortgage, 48 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan) And, so, you'd tend to kinda stay away from people like that. Molly Brighton: Mandy, she was larger than life. This creek eventually dumps into the South Fork of . But talking to each other at the water park decades later, they finally felt compelled to say his name out loud. Merrilee Anderson: And I just said that I knew that it was Tim. Ed Beaman | Juror: When we go in and deliberate, we had to turn in to be investigators and attorneys, too. And Wagner says she experienced Tim's low regard for women. It would now be at the heart of the jury's deliberation. Det. Peter Van Sant: Any criminal record? Follow the links to read about more horrific murders profiled on 20/20 on ID. They drove ahead as the years piled up into a decade, then two decades. Peter Van Sant: As you're about to take the stand, what's going through your mind? Kevin Bowhay: So, he just looked up and was, like, "Mandy, Mandy, Mandy. Peter Van Sant: So, it's another dead end? ", Kim Wagner: at this point I'm thinking, "I'm working with somebody that potentially did this to Mandy and I gotta know.". He's trying to cover himself. "No." Over 30 years ago, teenager Amanda Mandy Stavik disappeared while out for a run in her rural Washington town. Bowhay]: How many times you driven this road? Peter Van Sant: Mandy had come home for Thanksgiving break. Brent Scott Gerber, 47, of Maple Falls was arrested Monday, April 6, by the sheriffs office on suspicion of first-degree murder. The state of Washington has a very narrow category of homicide that is age-specific. She was naked except for socks and her blue sneakers. Mary Stavik and daughter Molly Brighton were overwhelmed by the news that there was finally an arrest in Mandy's case. Gina Malone: He said, "I just want to let you know I slept with Mandy." (The US average is 22.7) Acme property crime is 50.0. David Suchy was a local drifter seen in the area that day, Bowhay says. Det. 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