Lights & Sirens

The News Tribune's Lights & Sirens blog provides breaking news, updates on on-going investigations and insights into other news from the Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound criminal justice community. It also gives The News Tribune an avenue to interact with readers, answer “What was that?” questions and provides a venue for readers to ask about on-going criminal justice issues and problems in their neighborhoods. The blog aims to inform, educate and, at times, entertain with weird or wacky crime news.
The Lineup

Stacey Mulick covers Pierce County crime and safety issues for The News Tribune. She’s worked at The News Tribune since May 1998. Contact her at stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com.

Adam Lynn covers courts as part of the Crime and Breaking News Team at The News Tribune, where he’s worked since 2003. Lynn has spent nearly half of his 21-year career chronicling criminal justice matters in Washington and won reporting awards for his coverage of serial killer Robert Yates. “The Corpse Had a Familiar Face” by renowned Miami Herald reporter Edna Buchanan is among his favorite books. You can contact him at adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com.

Brian Everstine is a night breaking news and general assignment reporter for The News Tribune. The Spokane native arrived in Tacoma in the summer of 2008 and still is adjusting to life on this side of the mountains. He has written for papers in the Tri-Cities and his hometown. Contact him at brian.everstine@thenewstribune.com.

Occasional contributers:

Database reporter Ian Demsky, ian.demsky@thenewstribune.com.

General assignment reporter Mike Archbold, mike.archbold@thenewstribune.com.

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Go behind the yellow tape with the The News Tribune's Crime & Breaking News Team.
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Posted by Debby Abe @ 05:18:49 pm

Sumner school officials plan to resume classes Friday at Lakeridge Middle School.

The school sent students home this morning after diesel fumes from a backhoe began drifting into the school's ventilation system.

The fumes didn't sicken students.

District spokeswoman Ann Cook says the school will run the heating-ventilation system tonight and conduct additional air tests Friday.

About 550 students attend the middle school.

Here's the automated e-mail the district sent at 4:22 p.m. today:

=> Read more!

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Posted by Ian Demsky @ 08:37:28 am

Child Protective Services records obtained by the attorney representing the family of Zina Linnik, who was killed in 2007, shows his request for documents in the possession of the Lakewood Police department is not unreasonable.

In a story in today's paper, attorney Tyler Firkins said his request for the documents was denied on the grounds it might jeopardize another homicide case. Lakewood Police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said Lakewood wasn't involved in the 2004 referral and previous news coverage indicated it had been looked into by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

Documents provided to the TNT, however, show Lakewood is mentioned several times in the records. The girl who had allegedly been sold or traded to Zina's killer, Terapon Adhahn, was thought to have been living at a Lakewood address. "The worker let the (tipster) know that a copy of this information will be sent to law enforcement in the area that serves the above address," it says. Another FBI document from 2007 mentions that a "report was filed with Lakewood PD in January, 2004..."

Another document from the Department of Social and Health Services cleaves to previous news reports, saying "The Information Only referral was changed to a Third Party report and was sent to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office."

Friday, February 8th, 2008
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 06:00:00 pm

We've heard there is a walk/run Saturday (aka tomorrow) that's a memorial benefit for Adre'anna Jackson, the 10-year-old Tillicum girl who went missing in December 2005 and was later found dead.

The event begins at 9 a.m. at Fort Steilacoom Park's main facility, 8714 Elwood Dr. S.W., in Lakewood.

There will be a one mile route for youth and 5k and 10k routes for adults.

Click here for more information.

Categories: All, Adre'anna Jackson, Events
Monday, February 4th, 2008
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 05:00:00 pm

Lakewood police have received back results of carpet samples taken from a house where an accused child killer once worked but are no closer to solving the mysterious death of Adre’anna Jackson.

“The Lakewood Police Department is not going to comment on those results,” Lakewood police Lt. Dave Guttu said Monday. “We don’t want to do anything that would compromise the investigation.”

Investigators collected the carpet samples from a rental home on East 88th Street in late July after Terapon Dang Adhahn, 43, was charged with the kidnapping, rape and murder of 12-year-old Zina Linnik, who disappeared from outside her Tacoma home on the night of July 4.

Investigators took apart an elaborate Asian-style garden in the backyard of the house Adhahn shared with his sister. They drained a pond, removed a layer of topsoil and pulled carpet samples from the ground.

The samples were sent to an FBI lab for testing in connection with the death of Adre’anna, the 10-year-old Tillicum girl who disappeared on her way to school in December 2005. Her body was found four months later in a vacant lot.

In the weeks after Adhahn’s arrest in Zina’s death, local police agencies looked at Adhahn in connection with similar cases, including Adre’anna’s.
Lakewood police received the FBI lab results last week, Guttu said, but declined to elaborate.

Adhahn remains a “person of interest” in Adre’anna’s death. The investigation was continuing.

Categories: All, Adre'anna Jackson
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Posted by Adam Lynn @ 11:25:26 am

This is a special Lights & Sirens appearance by TNT editor David Zeeck. Here's what he had to say on his blog today about publishing Terapon Dang Adhahn's photo in the paper and online:

Since Tuesday the TNT had a photo of the man charged in several rapes of young South Sound girls. But we didn't decide to print it until late yesterday.

Why wait?

Tacoma police asked us not to print the image while they were out questioning witnesses in other cases linked to the man. They wanted to present half a dozen photos of various men and see whether witnesses picked that of Terapon Dang Adhahn, charged yesterday in two complex rape cases.

Their concern was that -- once Adhahn's photo was widely circulated in the press -- people might choose it in a photo line-up simply because it's familiar to them.

We agreed to the TPD request as long as the photo wasn't widely circulated. (It was being distributed in the Tillicum neighborhood by Lakewood police, seeking information in the disappearance of Adre'anna Jackson.)

That narrow distribution ended yesterday when all three Seattle television stations broadcast his photo from the Lakewood police flier, and when it appeared on news Web sites throughout the region.

Once the image was widely distributed, there was no further purpose in us withholding the image from our readers.

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
Posted by Adam Lynn @ 10:44:24 am

The case of Adre'anna Jackson made quite an impression on us here at Lights & Sirens, so much so that you'll notice we have a category devoted to her on this blog.

Stacey, who wrote a great profile of Adre'anna, still keeps the case file on top of her desk, more than a year after the girl's remains were found out in Woodbrook.

She was the first person I thought of when authorities announced last week that Terapon Dang Adhahn was a prime suspect in the death of Zina Linnik.

The effects of her disappearance still linger in Tillicum, too, where most residents keep a closer eye on their children now.

"My three girls are always on lock-down," Tillicum resident Vivian McMillian told us Tuesday after news broke that Adhahn now is being looked at as a person of interest in Adre'anna's death. "Some of the kids have taken to walking to school together in big groups since she died."

McMillian and others are holding out hope that Adhahn's the one who snatched up and killed Adre'anna.

"I hope it is for the fact that whoever killed her needs to be brought to justice," she said.

But McMillian also worries there will be an unintended downside.

"Some of these parents will get lax again," she said. "I wish they'd learn."

Monday, March 26th, 2007
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 02:44:14 pm

Just got back from the press conference.

Here's a look at the billboards for Adre'anna Jackson. It's quite striking and the yellow will really stand out on those grey sky days.

aj billboard 2.JPG

The event was attended by Adre'anna's mother, Yvette Gervais, and father, John Federici. They stayed in a nearby car during the talking officials and sign unveiling part of the program.

However, afterward, Yvette briefly talked to the media. She thanked everybody for their continued to support. She described the billboard as "beautiful and eerie at the same time."

Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 09:00:00 am

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers, Lakewood police and Clear Channel will unveil a new media campaign to help solve the death of 10-year-old Adre'anna Jackson.

The new campaign is in the form of five billboards that will advertise Adre'anna's photograph and the $60,000 reward for information in her mysterious death.

Adre'anna (pictured below) was reportedly last seen on the snowy morning of Dec. 2, 2005, as she headed to Tillicum Elementary School to see if there were classes. She never made it the short distance from her family's apartment to the school, where she was a fourth grader.

NWS0227 ADREANNA P.jpg

Two boys found her remains April 4, 2006, in a blackberry-choked, vacant lot about two miles from her apartment. The how and why she died remain unknown but all those involved are treating her death as a homicide.

The feds, anonymous donors and Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers have offered up to $60,000 for information leading to answers in Adre'anna's death. So far, no one has come forward with the key to unlocking the mystery.

Officials hope the billboards (made possible with $56,000 in contributions from Clear Channel) will help keep the case out in the public's eye and generate new tips.

From today through April 30, five billboards will feature Adre'anna's case. The billboards are located at:

- Union Avenue and Center Street in Tacoma.

- Steele Street and 112th Street South on the border of Lakewood and Parkland.

- South 74th Street and South Tacoma Way in Tacoma.

- Meridian South and 120th Street East on South Hill.

- Union Avenue and Orchard Street Southwest in Tillicum.

There will be a press event today at 1:30 p.m.

Friday, December 1st, 2006
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 03:10:49 pm

PX00034 9.jpg

One year ago Saturday, 10-year-old Adre’anna Jackson disappeared from her Tillicum neighborhood.

Her body was found in an overgrown lot four months later but the questions of what happened to the girl remain unanswered.

Despite a $60,000 reward, no arrests have been made. Lakewood police continue to investigate the case but have not publicly identified any suspects or persons of interest.

It also remains unknown how Adre’anna died.

“The moment we were notified that Adre’anna Jackson was missing, this became a priority investigation for the Lakewood Police Department,” Lt. Dave Guttu said in a statement Friday. “It remains a priority, evolving and active investigation today.”

Adre’anna was reportedly last seen by her father as she walked from the family’s apartment on Portland Avenue Southwest to Tillicum Elementary School about 7:45 a.m. Dec. 2, 2005. The snow from the night before hadn’t fully melted and Adre’anna headed to school to see if there were classes that day.

She never made it.

Adre’anna seemingly vanished from the area. No one spotted her getting into a vehicle or being abducted.

Police had few clues on her whereabouts for four months, then Adre’anna’s remains were discovered by two boys April 4 as they walked along a blackberry-choked path in Woodbrook.

The lot was roughly two miles from where Adre’anna lived and on the other side of Interstate 5.

Crews spent days combing through the scene, collecting evidence and chopping down the brush. Many of the items collected have been sent to the FBI labs for evaluation.

In the months since, no new information about the case has been released. Police say they continue to investigate.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers, the FBI and anonymous donors are offering up to $60,000 for information leading to arrests, charges filed and convictions in this case.

It'd be nice to one day get some justice for Adre'anna.

Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 08:37:43 am

We're going to start a new feature here on the Lights & Sirens blog.

Every week, time allowing, we'll feature an unsolved cold case from the South Sound. It could be a homicide, missing persons case, bank robbery or other interesting find we make in the archives.

We'll have photos and links and past stories about the case. We'll put them all under the new "Cold Cases" category that was created this morning.

We're launching this feature today with the spotlight on Adre'anna Jackson, the 10-year-old Tillicum girl who disappeared one year ago Saturday. Both Adam and I have been particularly touched by this story.

Adre'anna's remains were found four months after her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved. Look for a more complete story later today.

If you have suggestions about a case we should feature, add a comment to this blog post or send us an e-mail. Our addresses are on the right rail.

Thursday, August 17th, 2006
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 11:53:43 am

There are a ton of interesting angles to the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey case.

But one thing that's intriguing as a local crime reporter is why this case has made national news and not others.

In December, 10-year-old Adre'anna Jackson went missing from her Tillicum neighborhood. There were no national camera crews staked out along Portland Avenue during the search for her or when her remains were found four months later.

We've had other children who have disappeared (Teekah Lewis and Lenoria Jones are the most recent) and I don't believe they gained national spotlight either.

None were beauty pageant contestants but their disappearances were just as unsettling.

The point is, unfortunately, these cases happen in communities throughout the country.

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 08:07:12 am

Another month has passed with no new information or leads on the death of 10-year-old Adre'anna Jackson.

Eight months ago today, Adre'anna was reportedly last seen heading to Tillicum Elementary School, where she was in the fourth grade. She never made it to school that cold Dec. 2 morning. Her body was found four months later in an overgrown vacant lot across Interstate 5 from the apartment Adre'anna shared with her mother and father.

Earlier this week, Lakewood police Lt. Dave Guttu said investigators were still working on Adre'anna's case but were largely waiting for reports back from the FBI on evidence collected from the vacant lot. The hope is that the evidence will steer investigators in a direction.

The wait continues. Meanwhile, no suspects have been fingered and it doesn't appear an arrest is imminent.

Up to $60,000 is being offered for information that leads to arrests, charges filed and convictions in Adre'anna's death. Anyone with information should call Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.