Families of loved ones missing or murdered hope Bellevue's new cold case detective will get them answers.
Tamara McAdams is hopeful. Now, 41, McAdams was 11-years-old when her mom disappeared. McAdams thinks she could finally learn what happened to her mother, Julianne Jaillet.
McAdams found out on KIRO 7's Facebook page that Bellevue Police had assigned a new detective to investigate her mother's 1985 disappearance. Jaillet's disappearance is one of 17 cases assigned to the new cold case detective. Seven of the cases are murders, 10 are missing persons.
KIRO 7's Alison Grande met with McAdams and is interviewing Bellevue police. She's putting together that video for 6 p.m. on KIRO 7 News, which you can watch on TV or livestream here.
Jaillet was 36-years-old when she disappeared in July 1985. McAdams last memory of her mom was a shopping trip to Bellevue Square and pizza at her mom's house. Jaillet had remarried and McAdams was living with her grandparents at the time.
McAdams has been hoping to find out what happened to her mother for more than 30 years. She has renewed hope that investigators will solve her mother's disappearance. McAdams believes her mother was murdered and wants the person responsible put in jail. She hopes the new cold case detective and the use of technology will help solve her mother's disappearance.
Bellevue police Maj. Patrick Spak said the new cold case detective will go through and re-examine evidence in each case. Bellevue has its own crime lab. They will use new technology to re-process evidence. "It also tells criminals even though some crimes have occurred a long time ago, especially with technology, don't rest," said Spak who will oversee cold case detective.
KIRO-7 got a look inside the Bellevue Police Department crime lab Tuesday afternoon. They showed off a device that reveals fingerprints by evaporating metals.
Brian Orr, Bellevue's forensic technician, explained how it will be used in the cold cases. "It's very sensitive that's why it works well with older evidence that's been sitting in the ground or has been wetted or it's old, been sitting in storage for a long time," said Orr who also explained the thin layer of metal coats everything but the fingerprints so it doesn't interfere with DNA. The cold case detective will decide which evidence to test.
Eugene Wekesa was 22-years-old when he disappeared the day before Thanksgiving in 2010. Wekesa was a student at Bellevue College. He told his mother he was headed to Crossroads Mall. His family says he was never seen on surveillance video at the mall. He hasn't been seen since.
His sister, Sharon Musebe, was pleased to hear her brother's case was getting the attention of a new cold case detective. "It is better to know something that to not know anything, " said Musebe, "That's what we've wanted all along -- just answers, any answer." She said she just wants him to come home.
The cold case detective will work the cases until September. That's when Bellevue's police chief will evaluate the progress and decide whether to continue with the assignment.
Bellevue's new Police Chief Steve Mylett promised to put the case of missing toddler, Sky Metalwala, on the top of his list. He even wrote the little boy's name on the white board in his office. Tuesday's announcement about the cold case detective's dedication to Metalwala and 16 other cases showed his intent to solve some of Bellevue's mysterious disappearances.
On Tuesday Solomon Metalwala, Sky's dad, told KIRO-7, "I think it's a blessing for my case and the other families. I commend the Bellevue Police Department and the chief for making it happen." Bellevue police said again Tuesday the key to finding Sky Metalwala is talking to his mother, Julia Biryukova. They want her to come talk to detectives. Investigators say she has failed to cooperate with police since she reported her son missing on Nov. 6, 2011.
New effort to solve cold cases in Bellevue
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