A family’s search for justice in the murder of a 78-year-old Marine veteran and retired U.S. Forest Service worker is in its fifth year.
Investigators are hoping renewed attention and a $25,000 reward will finally bring answers.
A routine morning turned deadly
On the morning of April 10, 2021, Ivan Maik, 78, followed a familiar routine in Snohomish County.
Maik, who was on dialysis, stopped at a local bank ATM before heading to the parking lot of the clinic where he received treatment. What happened next was both brazen and chilling.
“Maik pulled into the lot and was sitting in his vehicle when another car pulled up alongside him. The suspect opened Maik’s car door and executed him inside his vehicle,” Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound Executive Director Jim Fuda said.
Two employees at the business heard the gunfire and saw what was happening. As the suspect fled, he fired at the witnesses, but missed. They ran back inside and called 911, triggering an investigation that, years later, has still not led to an arrest.
The suspect vehicle in Marine veteran’s death
Detectives have released surveillance video and descriptions of the suspect vehicle.
Fuda said witnesses and video indicate it was a dark-colored, older model SUV. It is believed to be either a Land Rover/Range Rover or possibly a dark-colored Jeep and is described as having silver wheels.
Despite that information, the killer has not been identified.
“It’s amazing that to this point the suspect has not been caught,” Fuda said.
Robbery or targeted attack?
Early in the investigation, law enforcement explored the possibility that Maik had been followed from an ATM to the dialysis center parking lot.
Fuda said that theory made sense: if the suspect’s vehicle was seen at the bank and then followed Maik, it could have been a robbery attempt. But investigators with the Arlington Police Department ultimately did not believe robbery was the clear motive at that time.
What remains clear is that someone was lying in wait and was willing to open fire, not only on an elderly man sitting in his car, but also on witnesses who might identify them.
A daughter’s plea and a $25,000 reward
Nearly a year after the murder, Maik’s daughter stepped forward with a powerful gesture — she added $24,000 of her own money to the existing reward fund.
That brought the total offered through Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and charge of the person responsible.
“It takes a village. Somebody knows who did this,” Fuda said. “There’s a $25,000 reward waiting for that information that gets this person taken into custody and charged with a homicide.”
How to help
Investigators believe there are people in the community who know something about this case. Whether it’s recognizing the vehicle, recalling a suspicious comment, or knowing someone who suddenly changed behavior around the time of the killing.
You can report tips anonymously.
If you have any information about the murder of Ivan Maik, no matter how small it may seem, you are urged to contact Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).
You can choose to come forward for the reward or simply because it’s the right thing to do for Maik’s family and for a community still without answers. One tip could finally bring justice.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
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