Deceased/Not Found CA - Tracy Sue Zandstra, 29, Stirling City, 15 Nov 1991 *former boyfriend Not guilty in 2022**

[Gardener1850]

Demographics
Missing Age 29 Years
Current Age 56 Years
First Name Tracy
Middle Name Sue
Last Name Zandstra
Nickname/Alias Tracy Sue McAfee

Sex Female
Race/Ethnicity White / Caucasian
Height 5' 7" (67 Inches)
Weight 112 lbs

Hair Color Blond/Strawberry
Eye Color Green

Tattoo
Butterly tattoo on right breast

Circumstances of Disappearance
Tracy was last seen leaving her home on the 17000 block of Pine Street in Stirling City at approximately 2:00 a.m. on 11-16-1991. She hasn't been seen or heard from since and her remains haven’t been located. Foul play is suspected.
Circumstance Notes

http://www.buttecounty.net/Portals/24/Forms/missing.pdf

Missing Person Case

 

[Archangel85]

According to Charley Project, she lived with her boyfriend and her two young children.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An arrest has been made in connection with the slaying of a 29-year-old woman who vanished 27 years ago, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said.

Richard Pyle, 55, of Stockton was arrested Thursday in connection with murder of Tracy Zandstra.

Zandstra was reported missing from her Stirling City home in November 1991. At the time of her disappearance, she was living with Pyle and the two were romantically involved, the sheriff's office said.

Her body was never found, but the sheriff's office said detectives uncovered evidence showing she was murdered and her body had been disposed of.
Arrest made 27 years after Butte County woman vanished

 

[Gardener1850]

An arrest has been made in connection with the slaying of a 29-year-old woman who vanished 27 years ago, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said.

Richard Pyle, 55, of Stockton was arrested Thursday in connection with murder of Tracy Zandstra.

Zandstra was reported missing from her Stirling City home in November 1991. At the time of her disappearance, she was living with Pyle and the two were romantically involved, the sheriff's office said.

Her body was never found, but the sheriff's office said detectives uncovered evidence showing she was murdered and her body had been disposed of.
Arrest made 27 years after Butte County woman vanished

Wow! I hope he tells where her body is located.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In August 2019 the Butte County Sheriff's Office and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Pyle. Law enforcement agencies from Stockton assisted in locating Pyle, who was listed as a transient, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office.

He is now behind bars in the Butte County Jail, with bail set at $1,000,000.

Pyle is expected to be arraigned Monday, Aug. 19, 2019, at 3:00 P.M. in the Butte County Superior Court.

Sheriff Kory Honea spoke out about the efforts of investigators, saying “I am proud of the persistent determination of the many Detectives and Investigators who have worked throughout the years to bring justice to Tracy and closure to her family.”
Butte County Sheriff's Office arrests suspect in 1991 cold case murder

 

[nohopehere]

I'm really happy they eventually caught this monster...now I hope the criminal justice system works (I have some doubts anyway... )

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Zandstra’s body was never found, but detectives have uncovered evidence indicating she had been killed and her body disposed of, sheriff’s officials said. A Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, however, declined to say what that evidence was.

“She was a mother of two young children,” Megan McMann, the spokeswoman, said of Zandstra. “We didn’t think that a mother would just up and leave.”

Zandstra also left behind her purse and other belongings, McMann said.

Detectives have continued to investigate the case over the years and last week worked with the district attorney’s office to obtain an arrest warrant for Pyle, sheriff’s officials said.
Former boyfriend arrested 27 years after mother of two goes missing, and other nation and world news in brief

 

[JerseyGirl]

Man found not guilty in 1991 cold case murder in Butte County

The district attorney said a 58-year-old man was found not guilty to murdering a woman in Butte County in 1991.

www.actionnewsnow.com

 

[HopeRains]

Snip from article posted above:

The jury also heard a prior testimony from Robert Zandstra, who was 12 when his mom was murdered. Robert said he was forced by Pyle to chop up Tracy’s body and put it in a bag to be buried, according to Ramsey.

Robert’s testimony was not live as he was murdered in Yuba County two weeks before the trial started.

 

[HopeRains]

Stirling City is a census-designated place in Butte County, California, located on Paradise Ridge in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

 

[LouLou74]

Snip from article posted above:

The jury also heard a prior testimony from Robert Zandstra, who was 12 when his mom was murdered. Robert said he was forced by Pyle to chop up Tracy’s body and put it in a bag to be buried, according to Ramsey.

Robert’s testimony was not live as he was murdered in Yuba County two weeks before the trial started.

I wonder how they found him not guilty?
Do you think the son was murdered so he wouldn't testify live?

 

[MadMcGoo]

Tracy Sue Zandstra – The Charley Project

It seems like her son’s tragic murder was unrelated. Linda man found guilty of murder in 2022 fatal shooting

I’m very curious as to how and why he was found not guilty. That’s baffling IMO. He was apparently a violent man. Butte County Press Release

Enterprise-Record 13 Jan 1992, page 2 - Newspapers.com This article mentions another tattoo; a rose on her right shoulder.


Paradise Post 28 Jul 1992, page 21 - Newspapers.com (This article is a couple of pages long, I’ve snipped the key points and an additional photo)

Aug 21, 2019, page A4 - The Sacramento Bee at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Sacramento Bee dated Aug 21, 2019, page A4.

www.newspapers.com

A few interesting articles about Pyle.

Apr 23, 1992, page 1 - Paradise Post at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from Paradise Post dated Apr 23, 1992, page 1.

www.newspapers.com

Feb 04, 1986, page 4 - Paradise Post at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from Paradise Post dated Feb 04, 1986, page 4.

www.newspapers.com

Jul 31, 1987, page 8 - Enterprise-Record at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from Enterprise-Record dated Jul 31, 1987, page 8.

www.newspapers.com

 

[Caring1]

4 Unidentified Person Exclusions