As of Monday, it has been one month since 53-year-old Cheryl DeBoer’s body was found in a wooded area near Cedar Way. The investigation into what happened to her continues, but there have not been any new updates since Mountlake Terrace Police received computer and phone records from analysts about two weeks ago.
Deputy Police Chief Pete Caw said Monday the department is waiting for a full report from the Snohomish County medical examiner. There is no timeline for when that could happen, but Caw said they expect the report to come in “soon.”
The Snohomish County medical examiner says the cause and manner of her death is still “pending further investigation.”
What police have shared so far is blood was found in DeBoer’s car on the front passenger seat and inside the door. Also, DeBoer’s family has been cooperative with the investigation and her husband has been ruled out as a suspect. Both of those elements were shared in mid-February.
Small cuts were also found on Cheryl DeBoer’s hands, specifically on two of her fingers. The Snohomish County medical examiner said those cuts appear to be self-inflicted.
A Celebration of Life was held on Feb. 20 for family, friends, coworkers and community members to remember the lifelong Mountlake Terrace resident.
Mountlake Terrace Police have said they don’t believe there is a public safety concern at this time.
Sad and suspicious that they haven’t released more information. You know they know more but are holding back. I wish I understood why they release the little items they do and not others.
So agreed why aren’t they giving any updates?
This is disturbing. So many unanswered questions, suspicious circumstances, of the last day of this womans life.
Its been over a month, and whatever information the public has, that could be of value, is slipping away, and contorting due to time.
Im actually angry, cause I cannot believe this woman passed away on her own. What, she texted that she would be 10 minutes, to get her work badge and walked towards home, when her car is right there? Does anyone see this as ridiculous?
Should we just go on with our daily lives, and not worry someone is out there that may have harmed her, and could do this again?
Her family and friends deserve answers. Our community deserves answers. Either she did it to herself (doubtful), or someone did this and needs to be removed immediately from our community and punished, instead of enjoying waking up and drinking coffee, when Cheryl cannot anymore.
Cannot agree with you more. This really erks me I look every other day or so for any kind of update but nothing. I did not know Cheryl personally but I have lived in mlt my whole life almost and I feel hurt by her death & we have a right to know what’s going on in our community, I understand withholding info for the sake of the case but still no cause of death? No suspects? Anything? Its been a month and I think about Cheryl everyday. I hope she and her family will get justice.
I stopped myself from writing this several times, but oh heck! I’ll say it. I bet ANYTHING that if this had happened on Mercer Island, the police department there would have been far more responsive to that community, perhaps because people would demand information more than we have.
I know that all of my neighbors have been nervous since this happened, and I’m annoyed that the limited information we’ve received is dubious (“no reason to worry, but here is a list of ways to stay safe while you’re not worrying”). WHY shouldn’t we worry?
I agree. There should be more details. Cheryl lived just blocks from me, I have a wife and daughter. Damn right I’m concerned that someone is still on the loose in our little community. Then that woman in Edmonds just 2 weeks ago, they say “no relation” to what happened to Cheryl.. Odd they were found in the same manner.. Just scratching my head.
I agree with all of the comments above. I think the residents of MLT need to put pressure on both the police and the news sources. We deserve more information.
Good evidence takes time. Thank you to the medical examiner for being thorough. Thank you to the MLT Police for following the evidence. Justice depends on it.
As for those who think there is a connection between this death and that of the woman in Woodway, if you review the publicly available information you would see that the only connection is that they were women in southwest Snohomish County that died under tragic circumstances within several weeks of each other. Beyond that they are unrelated.
As a retired LEO with 23+ years experience with a well-known law enforcement organization, I would like to make two comments:
1) The public’s perception of criminal investigations has been skewed by television crime dramas. Not all cases are wrapped up within an hour or a network’s TV season.
2) The police are under no legal or professional obligation to keep the public informed of every detail of an investigation. In some cases premature release of information to the public may impede the investigation, tip off a suspect, or jeopardize a future defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Everyone understands investigations aren’t wrapped up as on TV shows. But if the public doesn’t think that the information provided does not give logical explanations, then the public will demand more info. When someone dies in such a tragic and mysterious way, it causes everyone to feel afraid. When the cause of death can’t seemingly even be determineded, that creates more fear. The police have given out conflicting info – the public is safe, but take security precautions. I think the concern voiced in the comments above reflects a concern that this story has gone silent when there is a potential killer in our community possibly placing others at risk. We need to know if we are at risk or not, yet we don’t have enough I found to make that determination.