Rest Stop 1 - A Quick Pause Between Exits

Not every stop along the road is a major destination.

Welcome to our very first REST STOP, a shorter episode where we step away from our investigations to share updates, answer questions, discuss topics related to true crime, or catch our breath before the next exit. 

Today we're easing into the format, giving you a quick stop before we get back on the road. Whether you've been with us since the beginning or you're just joining us, we're glad you're here.

Thanks for riding along with us. We'll be back soon with another story that deserves to be told. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back, passengers. I'm Sarah L, along with ML Browning, and this is Corridor of Crime. Today we're making a quick rest stop before we get back on the road. Every journey has its rest stops, a place to catch your breath, stretch your legs, and prepare for whatever lies around the next bend. This week is one of those rest stops. Instead of a full investigation, we're pulling over for just a few minutes to share updates from previous cases, answer a few questions, and let you know what's coming down the road. Because the stories we tell don't always end when the episode does. So settle in. This is your Corridor of Crime rest stop.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Today's episode is brought to you by CNC Tires Inc. in Central Point, Oregon, serving Southern Oregon and Northern California since 2002. Moving with fleets, passengers, and providing alignments, brakes, and custom wheels, because getting stranded on the side of the road should only happen in our stories. This episode discusses homicide, violent crime, and the loss of human life. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome, passengers. This is ML, and we are at our first rest stop. There are some cases that catch your attention simply because of the mystery that surrounds them. This is one of those cases. Today we're traveling up the corridor to the forest near Mineral, Washington. Mineral, Washington is located about 80 miles south of Seattle, Washington. We will be traveling back to the mid-1980s where two separate mysteries occurred within months of each other. Three bodies would eventually be found relatively quickly and one victim would remain missing for decades. For more than 40 years now, investigators have tried to determine whether these cases were connected or whether a serial killer was responsible. These murders unfolded during the heights of the Green River Killer Investigation, a case that dominated headlines throughout Washington state. As a result, the Tube Sock killings were never received at the same level of public attention.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Okay, wait. I actually found these trivia decks from Fun Fact Company that are kind of addictive. It's just random fun facts, weird history, stuff you didn't know you didn't know. I grabbed the Party Mix one. It's their bestseller, but they also have a would you rather I almost got. But it's a version that's honestly kind of chaotic, my favorite, which is a classic if you have kids. It says ages 10 and up, but it's more like thoughtful fun, not super basic. I linked the one I got in the show notes if you want to check it out. And they're running a deal if you grab two decks. So if you're already there, I almost did, but you may as well make it a problem.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Washington State is known for its incredible natural beauty. Evergreens, winding mountain roads, remote lakes, and endless stretches of wilderness make it a paradise for campers, hunters, and hikers. But the same wilderness that offers peace and escape can also provide isolation. In 1985, that isolation would become part of a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. Our story begins with two people looking forward to a camping trip. On Saturday, August 10th, 1985, Stephen Harkins was 27 years old and his girlfriend Ruth Cooper, 42, headed out to a remote camping spot near Thule Lake in Pierce County. The couple had been dating for three years and lived in Tacoma, Washington. Friends described Stephen as someone who enjoyed spending as much time outdoors as he could. When they failed to return home and loved ones could not reach them, family members became concerned and reported them missing. Soon after, a search began. Four days later, the search took a heartbreaking churn. Stephen's body was discovered by hikers, still lying in his sleeping bag at the campsite. Investigators determined that he had been shot in the head while sleeping. Nearby, it was found that their dog had also been shot and killed. Ruth Cooper was nowhere to be found. Searchers continued for weeks as investigation combed through the rugged terrain looking for Ruth. It was more than two months later, on October 26th, that Ruth's skull was located approximately a mile and a half from where Stephen had been found near their campsite. A white tube sock had been tied around her neck. Two days later, the rest of her remains were found along with her purse about fifty feet away from where they located her skull. At the time, investigators did not know that this strange tube sock detail would become one of the most defining features of a much larger mystery. Four months later, another family would find themselves at the center of another tragedy. On December 12, 1985, 36-year-old Mike Reimer and 21-year-old Diana Robertson left their Tacoma home with their two-year-old daughter Crystal to head to the Nisqually River wooded area to find a Christmas tree. Mike also had some animal traps in the area that he needed to check on. The area was located only about 20 miles from where Stephen and Ruth had disappeared months earlier. Hours later, Crystal was found wandering alone outside a Kmart in Spanaway, Washington, which is about 30 miles away from where Diana and Mike were headed. Crystal was unharmed. Imagine being a shopper arriving at Kmart on a cold December afternoon and spotting a toddler wandering the parking lot completely alone, no parents and no explanation. Just a frightened two-year-old nearly 30 miles from where her family had gone to cut a Christmas tree. This caused authorities to realize quickly that something was very wrong. Family members have said Crystal later made a chilling statement that mommy was in the trees. As investigators searched for answers, the similarities to the earlier case became impossible to ignore. On February 18th, 1986, Diana's body was found near a logging road by a man walking his dogs. She was partially buried in the snow on a logging road in Elbe, Washington. She had been stabbed multiple times. Like Ruth, a tube sock had been tied around her neck. The knot had been tied in the exact same manner as Ruth's had been. Mike's red Plymouth truck had been found nearby as well. Investigators believed the tube sock was more of a signature rather than the cause of death. Mike, however, was still missing. At first, investigators wondered if he had killed Diana, dropped crystal off, and disappeared on his own. Mike was known to carry firearms, and he knew the words well, and his body had not been found. Investigators also learned that Mike had a history of included allegations of domestic violence involving Diana. Because of that and because of Mike missing, detectives had to consider the possibility that he was involved. But investigators couldn't explain one detail why Diana had a tube sock tied around her neck, just like Ruth Cooper. However, if Mike was a victim, this would have made four deaths in the span of four months, potentially making this a serial killer case. The mystery of Mike came to an end 24 years later in March of 2011. Hikers found a partial skull that was identified as Mike Reimer. The discovery shifted Mike from a potential killer to the fourth victim. Authorities were unable to determine his cause of death because the remainder of his body has never been found. Investigators were able to link the four deaths because of several unusual circumstances. The victims were couples, the crimes occurred in the remote area near Mineral, Washington. The female victims were found with a tube sock tied around their neck. The murders happened within only a few months of each other, and there was no robbery or personal motive established. No DNA, fingerprints, or forensic evidence has publicly identified a suspect. Since 2011, there have been no further developments in these cases. They remain unsolved to this day. Four people left home expecting ordinary days in the outdoors. Stephen, Ruth, Diana, and Mike never got the chance to come home. Until someone provides the answers the family needs and have waited for for decades. The Tupsock Killings remain one of the Pacific Northwest's most haunted, unsolved cases. The Tupsock Killings is one of those cases that feels like it should be far more well known than it is. It has all the elements of a story that would normally dominate headlines for decades: murdered campers, a missing man who wasn't found for years, a toddler discovered wandering alone, the possibility of a serial killer, and a mystery that has remained unsolved for more than 40 years. Was there a serial killer hunting isolated couples in the forests surrounding Mineral in 1985? Or were these two separate incidences that occurred? Does someone still living in the Pacific Northwest know exactly what happened in those woods during the winter of 1985? Until those questions are answered, the Tube Sock Killings remains one of Washington's most unsolved chilling mysteries.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

So that brings us to the end of this rest stop. Because we wanted to keep today's episode brief, we've only touched on part of this story. If you'd like to learn more, we've linked an article in the show notes that does an exceptional job researching and documenting this case in far greater detail. We encourage you to give it a read. While this case has gone cold, it has not been forgotten. A detective remains assigned to the investigation, continuing to pursue new leads as they emerge. One of those leads is DNA evidence that has yet to be tested. The results could help investigators determine whether these crimes are connected as part of a serial killer case or whether they point in another direction entirely. Until those results are known, that question remains unanswered. We'll continue to follow this case and share any significant developments with you here on Corridor of Crime, as well as in our blog spot on our website. Thank you for taking this short rest stop with us. Until next time, travel safely, passengers, and always check your blind spot. And we'll meet you at the next exit.