Ravensdale man killed while walking dog may have witnessed a crime, Crime Stoppers offers $10,000 reward
RAVENSDALE, Wash. - The widow of a Ravensdale man who was killed while out for a walk with his dog is speaking to FOX 13 for the first time since his death.
While the identity of Nick Valison's attackers remain a mystery, his wife says he was checking on a large box truck that was suspiciously parked on a path in the woods at the time he was fatally injured.
"Every day we have to wake up and have that realization that he’s not coming back," says Tanie Valison, Nick's widow.
Flowers now mark the spot where Nick died, after Tanie says he potentially witnessed a crime there, leading to his death.
"It was beautiful that day, and it was the last day of summer," said Tanie.
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On Sept. 21, Nick grabbed his beloved dog, Nanuk, for their regular morning walk at around 7:20 am.
Nobody realized he was heading out the door for the last time.
"He actually said that morning, I think this is the last time I will wear these shoes because they had 625 miles on them. He logged that many miles on those shoes," said Tanie.
His wife of nearly 30 years, Tanie, was also heading out the door to drive their daughter to school. On the way she spotted a suspicious U-Haul truck at the bottom of their hill and called her husband Nick along with a neighbor.
I said, "There is something down here. You might want to take a look," said Tanie. "It just still seems like a nightmare. I still see it."
She says Nick was injured moments before the other neighbor arrived. He called 911.
"Before he could get there, they violently attacked him, and he died from his injuries," said Tanie.
Nick stopped answering calls, so Tanie drove back to the location where she spotted the truck. She arrived to find Nick on the ground, paramedics working on him, trying to save his life.
>> Family of man murdered in Ravensdale neighborhood wants answers
"They couldn’t save him. Still that’s what I see. I see my husband on the ground. That’s the last visual I have of him," said Tanie.
Just before the attack, another neighbor happened to walk by the area where the truck was parked with her dog, and Tanie says Nick motioned for her to leave.
"He actually was a hero that day, I thought he was anyway, but he told her to go back," said Tanie. "She could have been injured."
Nanuk the family pet was unharmed. A neighbor put her in their truck to keep her safe.
"He cared about people way more than anything else and the outdoors," said Tanie.
Nick leaves behind daughters Anna, 15 and Tessa,22. He loved to take them dirt-biking on the trails on the property.
"He just loved the outdoors, and he got them out there as much as he could," she said.
Tessa had also recently gotten a job at a law office in Phoenix, but has since returned to the family home in Ravensdale in the wake of the tragedy.
"The circumstances would break her dad’s heart. She was doing amazing and had just started her life there. Our youngest just turned 15 and started high school and has to figure out how to do that without her dad now," said Tanie.
The family hopes the new Crime Stoppers reward, now increased to $10,000 due to the generosity of two community members and friends, will prompt someone to come forward with information.
"Every day we have to make a decision to get up and do this and more importantly now is just to find justice for nick, that’s what keeps us going," said Tanie.
If you can help detectives solve this case, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and charge filed in the case. Tipsters will remain anonymous when they submit information through the P3 Tips App or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).