Body found identified as missing Mountlake Terrace woman



MOUNTLAKE TERRACE - It appears the search for a missing Mountlake Terrace woman may be over. Police say the body of a woman was found, in the area where friends and family had been searching for 54 year old Cheryl DeBoer.

DeBoer’s employer put out a statement Sunday night, confirming that it was her. Police and her family are not ready to make that conclusion. They say they’re still investigating and there are a lot of questions to be answered.

All week, friends and family of Cheryl DeBoer have been putting up posters and searching Mountlake Terrace for the 54 year old woman who went missing Monday morning.

Police tell us this afternoon, one of those volunteer searchers found the body of a woman in a culvert on Cedar Way and 244th Street SW. It’s less than a mile and a half from where police found Cheryl’s car, near the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center.

“It’s too early to determine anything,” says Commander Kevin Pickard. “At this time, we've just started our investigation.”

Police say the medical examiner will have to identify the body and determine the exact cause of death, but a spokesperson for Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, where Cheryl worked issued a statement saying DeBoer has been found, adding:

”Cheryl has been in the hearts and minds of many friends and coworkers, and we are deeply saddened by this tragic news.”

Jeri Ragsdale lives just down the street from where searchers found the body. She didn’t know Cheryl, but says this case has shaken her.

“I go to the Park-and-Ride myself every now and then. My daughter also catches the bus early in the morning while it's still dark.”

She’s not sure if that’s safe anymore, since police still haven’t said how Cheryl went missing or what may have happened to her.

“I don't know if there's a killer out here on the streets in our little town, I feel so unsafe for my kids.”

Cheryl DeBoer’s family says they want to wait for more information before making any statements. Mountlake Terrace police say they have called in the Washington State Crime Lab to assist in the investigation.