Family, detectives seek tips in WA mom’s 2021 trunk murder case

Major Crimes Detectives with the King County Sheriff's Office are asking for the public's help to solve the murder of 41-year-old Patricia 'Tricia' Soto. The mother of three was found tied up and dead in the trunk of a car at an auto yard in Graham on Dec. 21, 2021.

Tricia had been reported missing from Burien by her mother more than a month earlier.

Family photos shared by her mother show a woman filled with joy, laughing with her children and cheering on the Seattle Seahawks.

"She had a huge heart and she was a beautiful soul. She had a free spirit," said Karen Zuehl.

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Tricia Soto (Courtesy of Karen Zuehl)

Zuehl said her daughter struggled with addiction after getting hooked on pain pills following surgery on her foot. By Nov. 2021, she said Tricia was ready for a change. 

"She wanted to get her life back on track," her mother said.

Tricia was scheduled to begin inpatient treatment on Nov. 9. She packed her bags and left them with her mother in Snohomish County, then made one last trip to visit friends at an apartment in Burien.

"I said, ‘Don’t go out there, you won’t be back,’" Karen recalled. "I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, ‘You’re not gonna come back, you’re gonna stay out there and then you won’t go to treatment.’"

That would be the last time she saw her daughter.

When Tricia stopped responding to text messages, Karen filed a missing person's report. "I didn’t know what to think. It was just radio silence all of a sudden," she said. The last confirmed sighting of Patricia was at her friend’s apartment in Burien during the early morning hours of Nov. 8, 2021.

"The last time that she was seen alive was in the City of Burien, at her friend's apartment, and that would have been late on November 7 of 2021 or in the early morning hours of November 8," said King County Major Crimes Detective Aaron Thompson.

Weeks passed without any sign of Tricia.

"It was horrible. I was crying daily. My heart was broken. I was scared to death. Her kids were scared. Nobody knew what happened to her," said Karen.

On Dec. 21, 2021, a grim discovery was made at a tow yard in Graham, where Tricia was found tied up in the trunk of an Acura TL, which had a gold-colored hood. She had been driving the car that belonged to her boyfriend, who was in jail at the time of her disappearance.

"The Pierce County Sheriff's Office had been dispatched there to investigate an odor […] and they saw what they believed to be a deceased person in the trunk of the car, kind of through the rear seat, armrest pass through," said Det. Thompson.

"Isn't that terrible? She didn't deserve that. I can't even think about it. It makes me sick," said Karen. 

The Acura had been found abandoned in Roy, Washington on Nov. 8, just hours after her disappearance.

"They called the police, because it was on private property. The police wouldn't come tow it, so eventually, to get this abandoned car off their property, they called and donated it, donated it to a local charity, and then the tow yard came and picked it up, and that's how it ended up at the tow yard in Graham," said Det. Thompson.

Crime scene technicians processed the vehicle for DNA, but as of now, no matches have been found, and all those closest to her have been ruled out as suspects. "A lot of those people have either alibied out. They've given DNA samples to be compared against the DNA in the case. They have given interviews, and we haven't been able to tie any of those people to her case," said Det. Thompson.

He believes more than one suspect was involved in her kidnapping. She left the apartment in Burien at 1:00 a.m. to go outside and meet someone.

"I think that whoever did this, Patricia definitely knew [them]. She felt safe meeting them, and they took advantage of that," he added.

Det. Thompson says he is certain there are people who know who was involved.

"I think everybody that we know about who is tied with her we've spoken to, and what we're really looking for is for information on someone that we haven't yet interviewed or collected DNA from that might be involved," he said.

He says Tricia had a core group of friends who cared about her.

"A lot of the people that we've interviewed have previously been pretty uncooperative with the police, but they have cooperated and given consensual interviews, and DNA," said Det. Thompson.

For the first two years after her daughter was found dead, Karen says she couldn't be at home during Christmas. It reminded her of the day on Dec. 21, 2021, when detectives came to her door to tell her what happened.

"This was the first year that I was at home, and it was emotional," said Karen.

She believes her daughter knew her killers and is hoping allegiances have changed and that somebody will come forward.

"I want the person or persons who did it to be behind bars. They don’t deserve to be walking the streets and living their life," said Karen.

If you have any information that could help solve Patricia 'Tricia' Soto's murder, you can submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. They are offering a $1,000 cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Tips can be sent through the P3 Tips app or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Crime and Public SafetyKing County