Man accused of killing Orting mom charged with murder

TACOMA -- Prosecutors charged a 29-year-old Graham man with second-degree murder for the death of 28-year-old Nicole White Tuesday.

According to Pierce County prosecutors, White picked up Jonathan Daniel Harris from his home on June 6 and went to Jeepers Country Bar and Grill in Spanaway. Witnesses saw the two leave the bar several hours later. White never made it home, and she was reported missing on June 7.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and a volunteers searched for the missing mother for nearly two weeks.

On June 20th, a K9 from a volunteer search-and-rescue team discovered White's body at the bottom of a wooded ravine south of Lake Kapowsin. Officials said her body, wrapped in a green tarp, was severely decomposed.

Detectives believe Harris beat White to death at his home after leaving the bar. They say he wrapped her in the tarp and left the body at the bottom of the ravine, and then drove her car off the side of the road near his home.

Neighbors allegedly told investigators that they heard screams coming from his house sometime around 4 a.m. on June 7.

According to charging documents, detectives found blood on a sweatshirt at Harris' home. They tested the DNA and determined it matched the victim.

Documents state that Harris' vehicle is equipped with an ignition interlock device which takes a photo of him when he blows into it to start the vehicle. On June 7, investigators say the device took an image of Harris that revealed he was in a wooded area.

Detectives used Harris' phone records to find the location of his vehicle when that photo was taken. They discovered a body near that cell tower on June 20.

The medical examiner ruled White's death a homicide, but the cause of death is still pending.

Harris will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in a Tacoma courtroom.

Friends and family held a candlelight vigil for White on Monday.

This is a developing story and will be updated.