Episode 470: The Murder of Mandy Stavik

<p>In late November 1989, college freshman Mandy Stavik returned to her hometown of Acme, Washington to celebrate the holidays with her family. On the afternoon of November 24, the day after Thanksgiving, Mandy told her family she was going for a run. When she still hadn’t returned that evening, her mother became concerned and called around to her friends, but none had heard from her. When she still hadn’t returned the next morning, the panic set in, and the search began.</p><p><br></p><p>For three days, the residents of Acme, Washington undertook an increasingly desperate search for Mandy Stavik and were heartbroken when her body was eventually located in the shallow water of the Nooksack River. Local police began an intense investigation, but after months of dead ends and dwindling leads, the case wound down and eventually went cold.</p><p><br></p><p>Mandy Stavik’s death would likely have remained unsolved, were it not for a tenacious cold case detective, who in 2009 began running old DNA samples against samples collected from suspects over the last two decades.</p><p><br></p><p>Thank you to the fantastical David White for research assistance</p><p><br></p><p>References</p><p>Associated Press. 1989. "Amanda Stavik's brother also died tragically." <em>Lewiston Tribune</em>, December 1.</p><p>Ferm, Carol. 1989. "A flood of memories, a torrent of tears." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, December 3: 1.</p><p>—. 1989. "Community's sense of peace is shattered." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, November 29: 1.</p><p>—. 1989. "Family and friends keep a vigil of hope." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, November 26: 11.</p><p>—. 1989. "Loss angers, saddens classmate." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, November 29: 2.</p><p>—. 1989. "Reward offered." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, November 27: 1.</p><p>—. 1989. "Teen presumed kidnapped." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, November 26: 1.</p><p>Ferm, Carol, and Cathy Logg. 1989. "Search for missing teen continues." <em>The Bellingham Herald</em>, November 27: 1.</p><p>—.