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You are here: Home / Cold Case News / Arrest in 1986 Bastian case

Arrest in 1986 Bastian case

May 11, 2018 By Alice

Jennifer Marie Bastian
Jennifer Marie Bastian

Police have arrested the man who might be responsible for the murder of Jennifer Marie Bastian in 1986. His name is Robert D. Washburn (60) of Eureka, Illinois. Police declined to talk about the suspect, other than to say he lived out-of-state and was taken into custody.

Washburn will be taken to Pierce County to face charges. He is not expected to arrive before Monday May 14, 2018. Tacoma police said that  they will discuss the case in more detail then.

Jennifer was 13 years old when she went missing from Tacoma, Washington. According to the papers, Jennifer wanted to ride her bike 30 blocks to the park and then go back home. She was training for a YMCA bicycle tour of Lopez Island. When Jennifer did not return home later that evening, her family called the police.

Jennifer’s body was found 28 days later by a group of joggers near the Five Mile Drive. She had been raped and strangled. Police found DNA near her body and submitted about 30 cheek swabs of potential suspects to the lab for comparison.

In 2013, detectives with the Tacoma Police Department’s cold case unit released what they thought was the killer’s profile. It resulted in over 60 new tips in the case. DNA was run through a national database of felons, but didn’t match any the 11 million plus DNA profiles in the database. The case was also explored by a panel of experts at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In 2016, the authorities released a suspect image based on DNA phenotyping.

We do not know whether Washburn had ever been on the police’s radar. He did live close to the park from where Jennifer disappeared so they may have spoken to him at the time. This is of course, a developing story so i will add more details as we hear more from police next week. Check here for the arrest information.

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Filed Under: Cold Case News, Unsolved Tagged With: DNA, Jennifer Marie Bastian, phenotyping, Strangulation, Tacoma, Washington

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Author Notes

On my website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more!

My database has hundreds of cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database is free to the public.

All writing suggestions for cases that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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In March 2015, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard lapointe. On Oct 2, 2015, International Wrongful Conviction Day, Richard was set free. The judge ruled that he cannot be retried for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Richard Lapointe died on Aug 4, 2020 of Covid19 complications.

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Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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