Identified! WA - Pierce County John Doe, near Tacoma, March 1978 id'd December 2024 - William "Bill" Nelson Church Jr. (20)

[summergirl1]

Pierce County John Doe (1978) is now Identified

Pierce County Sheriff's Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1978 Homicide Victim

dnasolves.com

 

[summergirl1]

Remains found in Elbe area more than 46 years ago belong to slain Washington man - The Daily Chronicle

After 46 years, human remains found in Pierce County have been identified as 20-year-old William "Bill" Nelson Church Jr. of Tacoma. Mushroom pickers found some of his remains in the …

www.chronline.com

 

[summergirl1]

https://hoodline.com/2024/12/pierce-county-detectives-seek-public-s-aid-in-1978-william-church-homicide-cold-case/

 

[summergirl1]

William Nelson “Bill” Church Jr. (1956-1977) -...

In March 1978, the partial skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in a wooded area in the Pierce County area of Ashford, Washington area. Ashford is located south of Tacoma near Mount Rainier. It was determined that the remains were that of a male individual between the...

www.findagrave.com

 

[dotr]

Seeking Information on 1978 Cold Case - Pierce County Sheriff's Department Blotter

Pierce County Detectives are seeking information for a cold case from 1978 and are asking for any information about the life of William “Bill” Nelson Church Jr. His death was ruled a Homicide. His remains were located near the Ashford/Elbe area in 1978. If you have any information about William...

blog.piercecountywa.gov

 

[summergirl1]

It's interesting that the last person to see him (that is known, that is) was his fiance..

 

[Caring1]

Detectives are asking anyone with information about William’s disappearance to contact them as this is still an unsolved homicide.

March 6, 2026

Nearly 50 years after Church vanished, investigators say identifying him is only the first step. The homicide remains unsolved.

Detectives with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to investigate and are asking anyone with information about William Nelson Church Jr.’s disappearance in 1977 to come forward.

To submit an anonymous tip to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, contact Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or visiting tpcrimestoppers.com.

Nearly 50 years after bones were found near Mount Rainier, DNA identifies victim and brings answers to son

Pierce County detectives say the remains belong to William Nelson Church Jr., a young father who vanished from Tacoma in the late 1970s.

www.king5.com

 

[dotr]

Mar 6, 2026
Pierce County detectives say the remains belong to William Nelson Church Jr., a young father who vanished from Tacoma in the late 1970s.