The murder of Michella Welch
Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington · 1986
Overview
Michella Welch, a 12-year-old girl, disappeared on March 26, 1986, after taking her younger sisters to Puget Park in Tacoma, Washington; she was killed, and her body was found in a nearby gulch. The case stayed cold for more than three decades until investigative genetic genealogy through Parabon NanoLabs identified Gary Charles Hartman, who was arrested in 2018 and convicted in 2022.
How it was solved
In 2006 forensic experts developed a male DNA profile from the original evidence, but it matched no one in police databases. In 2018 a genetic genealogist built a family tree from the crime-scene DNA and ran it through a public database, getting a significant match that narrowed the suspect to two brothers who had lived in north Tacoma in 1986. Detectives covertly collected a brown paper napkin Hartman discarded at a restaurant, and the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed his DNA matched the crime-scene profile, leading to his arrest.
Sources
- Court file: DNA on restaurant napkin led to suspect in 1986 killing of Tacoma girl
“Michella and her two younger sisters were visiting Puget Park...when Michella left on her bicycle at about 10 a.m.”
- Tacoma police arrests suspect in 1986 child murder case of Michella Welch
“In 2016, using technology called DNA phenotyping, Tacoma police and the Virginia based company Parabon Nanolabs produced computer-generated composites using evidence found after the murders.”
- A 12-year-old Washington girl's murder went unsolved for decades. Police just used a napkin to find a suspect.
“Arrested June 20, 2018 during a traffic stop in Lakewood; a genetic genealogist matched the DNA to two brothers who had the correct amount of shared DNA, both living in north Tacoma in 1986.”
- 'I'm so sorry,' Gary Hartman apologizes after conviction in 1986 death of Michella Welch
“Conviction Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022; bench trial; charges: rape and murder of 12-year-old Michella Welch; Judge: Stanley Rumbaugh.”
- Nurse Convicted in 1986 Rape and Murder of 12-Year-Old Girl
“320 months in prison (26+ years); Judge Stanley J. Rumbaugh stated Hartman would likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
- Gary Hartman Convicted Of Michella Welch Murder In 1986
“Gary Hartman...convicted Tuesday, March 22, 2022 in a bench trial...sentenced to 26 years and 6 months; DNA analysis by Parabon Nanolabs in 2018.”
- Police make arrest in 1986 child murder
“Gary Charles Hartman, age 66, arrested and booked into Pierce County Jail; Michella Welch, 12, disappeared March 26, 1986 from Puget Park, Tacoma; body found in a gulch.”