Body Of Missing Seattle Woman Found, Recovered From Trunk Near Tacoma

A body was found in the trunk of a vehicle near Tacoma last month, and now it's been confirmed to be that of a 41-year-old Seattle-area woman who disappeared last November.

The body was discovered at a Graham auto yard last month, and on Tuesday, the Pierce County Medical Examiner identified it as Patricia Soto, reported Fox 13 Seattle. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reported her missing for weeks.

On Dec. 16, deputies said that the woman, who was also known to use the last name of Licata, was last seen on Nov. 7, 2021 at her Burien home.

At the time, the Sheriff’s Office detectives were seeking help from the public to locate Soto, who used to frequently visit the Granite Falls and Everett areas. But she was known to be in the Des Moines and Burien areas. Last month, deputies said that her relatives were worried about her safety as it was not usual for her to not be in touch with her family for such a long period of time. Later in December, Sergeant Darren Moss with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said that the department’s deputies were assisting in an investigation when they found the body.

The cause and manner of her death are still pending, and the King County Sheriff’s Office, which later took on the case, is investigating it as a homicide. According to The News Tribune, a spokesperson with the King County Sheriff’s Office didn't share too many details about the case, but said Tuesday that the investigation was still going on.

In a similar but separate incident, a dead body was found inside a truck that was reported stolen last month after which cops in Washington state started a homicide investigation Friday morning.

A person had reported the 2016 Ford F-150 being stolen on Dec. 19, 2021, and police said that an officer with the Tacoma Police Department found it parked on North D Street last week, reported Fox News. More officers arrived at the scene then they approached the truck and found the body inside. The body was of a man, who was not immediately identified. His death was being investigated as a homicide, said cops.