Arrest made in 1998 murder of 28-year-old Nguyet 'Anna' Nguyen

KING COUNTY — Deputies with the King County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that an arrest has been made in the murder of a woman in 1998 -- and the arrest happened after evidence from 1998 was reviewed.

On Nov. 9, 1998, deputies say 28-year-old Nguyet “Anna” Nguyen, who had an 11-year-old daughter, left home and told her mother she was going to visit her fiancé. Nguyen was never seen or heard from again. Detectives said they suspected foul play early on in the investigation.

Despite never finding Nguyen’s body, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office issued a death certificate for her in 2015.

Deputies said their investigation in Nguyen’s disappearance began Nov. 10, 1998, when her family reported her missing.

“Detectives learned that the day she was reported missing, Nguyen had plans to fly to Reno, NV with her fiancé to get married,” deputies said in a press release.

On Nov. 11, 1998, deputies said Nguyen’s vehicle was located in the parking lot of a Tukwila casino and an ex-boyfriend of Nguyen’s was questioned about her disappearance.

“Although he denied having any involvement in her disappearance, detectives noted that he provided ever-changing stories regarding his whereabouts during the time in which Ms. Nguyen went missing,” deputies said.

In 2019, a Detective John Free was assigned to the investigation and found surveillance footage from the Riverside Casino on and around the date Nguyen disappeared.

"Although it was known that detectives had previously viewed the footage, there was no comprehensive record to reflect what had been viewed an analyzed," according to a probable case statement.

Detective Free reviewed the footage and among the approximately 283 hours of footage from six cameras, he said her ex-boyfriend, Phan Kim Seng, is clearly seen on casino surveillance video. Seng told police he was not there, and also that he had a scratch under one of his eyes from playing basketball. But investigators believe he went to the casino after the confrontation with Nguyen, and that his scratch was made well before his story about the pickup basketball game.

In a press release, the Sheriff's Office said it reexamined the case and gathered facts that weren’t previously known to detectives.

It appears from court documents that the break came when Free reviewed and logged the 1998 casino surveillance that already was in evidence.

On Friday, deputies arrested Seng and booking him into the King County Jail. He's charged with second-degree murder.

“This is the fourth cold case our Major Crimes detectives have solved this year,” said Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht. “My Major Crimes detectives do outstanding work with limited staffing and still no funding for a dedicated Cold Case Unit. Instead, they work these unsolved murders in addition to their heavy caseloads in the pursuit of justice and closure for the families who have lost their loved ones.”

Below is KIRO 7's coverage on cold cases:

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April 23, 2019: Misty Copsey's face displayed on truck in hopes of getting new info in missing girl case

Sep. 17, 2019: Vanished: 27 years since Misty Copsey, 14, last seen in Puyallup

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May 7: 2013: Escape of women in Cleveland gives Teekah Lewis' mother new hope

Jan. 24, 2019: Trucks featuring Teekah Lewis unveiled on 20th anniversary of her disappearance

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Sept. 12, 2012: Lawyer for Sky Metalwala's father says it's time mother's family came forward