Report: How Olympia, WA murder suspect manhunt started

Olympia murder suspect arrested after brief manhunt in Bucoda, WA

Steven Messex was wanted for a murder that happened over a week ago, and authorities in Thurston County arrested him after a brief manhunt in the town of Bucoda.

BUCODA, Wash. - A police report released Friday tells us more about the circumstances leading up to a July 20 homicide in Olympia, and the following manhunt for the suspected killer in Bucoda, Washington.

Investigators with the Olympia Police Department say someone called on behalf of a man who said his girlfriend had been shot on the train tracks in the area of Evergreen Park Drive in Olympia.

Officers arrived on scene of the shooting and, along with first responders from the fire department, tried to save the woman's life. However, efforts were unsuccessful and she was declared dead at 5:29 a.m., 40 minutes after the initial report came in from the unnamed 911 caller.

The woman's boyfriend told officers his girlfriend was shot and that he was pistol whipped, though officers later noted they did not see noticeable head wounds on him. Investigators identified an entry gunshot wound in her chest and an exit wound in her back.

According to the boyfriend, the two were confronted by a couple as they walked along the train tracks from the Percival Creek bridge area toward Marathon Park. He says the woman started yelling at them, saying they didn't belong in the area.

The woman later told police in an interview that she and the alleged shooter, Steven Messex, did not recognize the couple. However, detectives came to realize the homicide victim's boyfriend was the man she had told to speak with Messex about a money dispute on July 19, a day prior to the shooting.

She continued, telling investigators that a physical fight broke out between the two men, adding that the victim had been waving around a knife about 3-4 inches in size. Police say the victim was shot during the altercation.

One of the officers said they knew of Steven Messex and his female partner as being "enforcers" to people in and around nearby homeless camps.

The police report states Messex had shot someone in 2023, that time in the leg, but the victim was uncooperative. Additionally, his partner had previously been arrested for assaulting someone with a baseball bat in Olympia.

Law enforcement began their hunt for 43-year-old Messex with K9 units. A phone charger labeled with Messex's name was found, along with a vehicle confirmed to have been purchased by him in March of 2024, in addition to several weapons and ammunition.