WENATCHEE, Wash. — Thanks to forensic genetic genealogy testing, Wenatchee police have closed out a homicide investigation — forty years to the day.
On May 14, 1986, the Wenatchee Police Department responded to a report of a body behind the Stanley Center. The victim was identified as Carol A. Traicoff and was determined to have died due to “homicidal assault.”
According to Wenatchee PD, the crime scene was thoroughly processed, evidence was collected and submitted to the FBI for forensic analysis, and the surrounding area was canvassed for witnesses and additional information. Despite pursuing all available investigative leads, detectives could not identify a suspect.
Investigators continued to pursue leads, conduct interviews, and administer polygraph examinations for the following two years, but were still unable to identify a suspect. Since the initial investigation, numerous officers and detectives have reportedly reviewed the case, with little to no luck.
In January 2023, now-retired Detective Sergeant R. Weatherman began reviewing the case with the help of Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Forensic Scientist B. Wright.
Originally collected evidence was submitted for further examination with improved modern testing, which allegedly located the DNA of an unknown man.
Sergeant Weatherman worked with the Department of Justice and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office to find funding for further Forensic Genetic Genealogy testing.
In July 2024, the DNA was submitted for testing, and in December, results were provided, which identified possible family lineage and showed a main geographical genealogy within the continental United States and Canada.
The DNA results were submitted to Canada for comparison in their equivalent system of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
On February 24, 2025, the WSP Crime Lab reported that Henry B. Leland of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, was identified as a suspect.
According to Wenatchee police, Leland passed away in December 2007.
Leland’s sister, the only known living biological relative, was found and contacted in Gold Bar, Washington, and assisted with the investigation. Leland’s identity was further confirmed through comparison of her DNA.
Based on the investigation, police believe that on or around May 14, 1986, Henry B. Leland killed Carol Traicoff.
Police say there is no evidence to suggest another suspect, and they believe that Leland and Traicoff were alone at the time, leading them to officially announce the closure of the investigation on May 14, 2026.
Wenatchee PD took the opportunity to recognize and thank all prior investigators for their “dedication, perseverance, and commitment to this case” over the past four decades.
“This investigation spanned the country and extended into Canada. Without the assistance of the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Washington Attorney General’s Office, and numerous other assisting agencies, this case would not have been resolved,” wrote the agency.
Wenatchee police also pointed out that Carol A. Traicoff would have been 75 today, and thanked her family for never giving up and for remaining determined in their pursuit of justice.
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