WA IAN ECKLES: Missing from Cle Elum, WA - 16 May 2020 - Age 41 *ARREST*

Search for hunter missing near Cle Elum takes a frightening turn

The mystery behind the disappearance of a hunter last seen near Cle Elum more than a week ago deepened after searchers reported spotting the man's SUV being driven by someone else.

Law enforcement alongside volunteers are looking for Ian Eckles of Kent, who was last seen May 16.

Friends say Eckles, 41, was going to meet friends for a hunting trip in the woods near Cle Ellum, but hasn’t been heard from since.

This missing person’s search took a turn when friends say they saw Eckles' Toyota FJ Cruiser being driven by another man. That unknown man was last seen driving away from law enforcement in Eckles' vehicle.

According to law enforcement, there is now a search for the missing hunter and a man hunt for the person who may have been driving his car.

Friends describe Eckles as a family man and a lifelong hunter who had recently become a grandfather. Dan Linn a friend says Eckles planned to solo camp on May 17 and then meet his hunting party the following morning but he never showed up.

“It’s also not unusual for him to skip the first morning hunt. Sleep in. So they weren’t concerned yet,” Linn said.

When he didn’t come back, friends and family knew something was wrong.

“Monday when he didn’t show up to work. That’s when we all knew something was really bad.”

Kittitas County Sheriff's Office is launching a multi-agency search by air and by land, and is asking the public to stay out of the area.

According to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office the suspect is believed to be a Hispanic or Native American male, 20s to mid-30s. He’s described as heavy set, with a chubby face, round nose, and short cropped black hair.

Search for hunter missing near Cle Elum takes a frightening turn

Friends say searchers saw an unknown man driving an SUV belonging to Ian Eckles of Kent, who was last seen more than a week ago.

www.king5.com

MEDIA - IAN ECKLES has been missing from Cle Elum, WA since 16 May 2020 - Age 41

 

[Tresir]

This video is worth watching as it explains a lot about how they know who the suspect is in this case. 28 minutes.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Welcome to America where moe people get murdered because someone let someone go. At least he was deported but you know one side fought against securing the borders too. And judges them out or do not sentence harshly and you name it.

 

[GrandmaBear]

This video is worth watching as it explains a lot about how they know who the suspect is in this case. 28 minutes.

Annie always does a good solid video. I watch her, not always but plenty.

 

[Tresir]

Another article that has details of an elderly Falls City woman found dead and the perp was driving her vehicle when he supposedly encountered Ian in his vehicle.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/search-continues-for-missing-kent-man-after-massive-kittitas-county-manhunt-leads-to-arrest-in-his-apparent-homicide/

From the article.

Ian Eckles was supposed to meet a buddy in May to go turkey hunting north of Liberty, a tiny community in unincorporated Kittitas County.
Eckles, 41, never met up with his friend, and the following Monday he didn’t show up for his job as a warehouse manager in Kent. Six days later, what Kittitas County Sheriff’s deputies initially thought was a search for a lost hunter morphed into a 23-day manhunt for a presumed killer, deep within the southern woodlands of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Jorge Alcantara Gonzalez, 34, was captured June 14 in Teanaway, a rural settlement 5 miles east of Cle Elum. He was booked into the Kittitas County Jail, charged with second-degree murder in connection with Eckles’ death and 22 other crimes, including burglaries and being in possession of stolen vehicles and firearms, jail and court records show. Alcantara entered not guilty pleas to all 23 counts when he was arraigned June 19, and he remains jailed in lieu of $3 million bail.
During the investigation into Eckles’ disappearance, detectives in Kittitas and King counties learned Alcantara was allegedly in possession of a stolen vehicle that belonged to an 80-year-old Fall City woman, Nancy Holste, who was found dead at her home five days before Eckles disappeared. Holste’s and Eckles’ SUVs were hidden near each other in the woods, with items inside tying both vehicles to Alcantara, investigators said.
Ellensburg defense attorney Paul McBride is representing Alcantara but said he knows very little about the state’s case against his client and is awaiting discovery, so he could not speak meaningfully about it.
For just over three weeks, residents of the Cle Elum, Teanaway and Liberty areas were on high alert during the manhunt, and the arrest allowed them to breathe a collective sigh of relief. For Eckles’ family and friends, who plastered the area with missing-person posters and scoured forest roads for any sign of his Toyota FJ Cruiser, the anguish of his apparent homicide will remain until his body is found and brought off the mountain.
“We just want to bring him home so we can have closure and evidence and proof of what happened so (investigators) can put the pieces together,” said his sister, Stefanie Eckles, 39.
After the manhunt ended, more than 100 volunteers from six counties spent six days looking for Eckles’ remains, but the organized search effort was called off June 28.
“We couldn’t maintain that kind of operational intensity,” said Kittitas County Sheriff’s Inspector Chris Whitsett. “We looked everywhere we knew to look. Now the search will be a blanket search. We have to have intelligence (about where to search) and we’re looking for that now.”
[COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]

[/COLOR]
The investigation
Eckles left Kent around 4 p.m. on May 16, a Saturday, his car packed with a shotgun, a handgun and camping gear. Cellphone tower pings that evening indicated he was headed toward Liberty and an area further north, where he had hunted before.
He also sent his friend a text message, saying he was in the Liberty area, according to his sister.
When Eckles and his friend went turkey hunting last year, they parked and camped off the side of Spur 130, off Forest Service Road 9738, and it’s believed that’s where Eckles bedded down for the night. When his friend arrived on May 17, Eckles wasn’t there.
According to evidence in the case, Eckles likely died the night of May 16 or in the early morning hours of May 17.
Eckles was supposed to be at work May 18 back in Kent, but he was a no-show for the first time in three years on the job.
Concerned by his absence, Eckles’ boss and friend reached out to his family and ex-girlfriend, who Eckles lived with even after their breakup in early 2018.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Smh. At least he is on a 3m bond now.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'He led a really good life' | Family continues to search for Ian Eckles 5 years after he went missing

Ian Eckles went camping solo on the night of May 17, 2020, with the intention to meet up with friends the next day, but he never made it.

www.king5.com

'He led a really good life' | Family continues to search for Ian Eckles 5 years after he went missing​

Nearly five years to the day after Ian Eckles went missing near Cle Elum, his family organized another search on Friday before gathering to honor his life.

"Sometimes you get on that cloud thinking maybe he'll be back. But the reality is it's just not going to happen in the physical sense," said Nate Eckles, Ian's older brother.


"It would be a huge weight lifted off my shoulders knowing he's where he needs to be, getting the honor and respect he deserves. He led a really good life," Nate Eckles said.

A group of searchers combed wooded areas surrounding Cle Elum on Friday, but declined to share what, if any, evidence they found.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said it is actively searching for Eckles' body and evidence. This year, a total of 20 dates have been selected for crews to conduct targeted searches.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.koin.com/am-extra/true-crime-tuesday-disappearance-murderof-ian-eckles/

True Crime Tuesday: The disappearance of Ian Eckles​

It’s been more than five years since Ian Eckles went missing after leaving his home in Kent, Wash., to go deep into the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Ian was planning on meeting up with some friends for a turkey hunt on May 16, 2020. It was the last time he was seen alive.

Ian wanted to have a night in the woods to himself before the hunt, so he had a solo hiking and camping trip the night before his friends were set to arrive. When Ian didn’t show up for the hunt the following morning, his friends became concerned, and a search began.

Twenty-three days into the search, Ian’s car was found, and it was clear something nefarious had occurred.

Strangely, Ian’s vehicle had reportedly been spotted prior to this discovery, but it was being driven by a stranger. That stranger, Jorge Alcantara, has since been arrested and charged with other crimes.

The investigation into Ian’s disappearance led to forensic evidence that told authorities Ian was a victim of a homicide, and Jorge was the perpetrator. That warrant led to a massive manhunt with Jorge seeking refuge in the heavily forested area of Mineral Springs, Washington.

Eventually, Jorge was spotted lurking in a home, and a neighbor called for help. Jorge was arrested and charged with possession of two stolen vehicles, numerous burglaries and thefts, including stealing firearms, throughout Kittitas County.

Jorge was sentenced to 96 months in prison. He remains the number one suspect in Ian’s presumed murder.

It is believed Jorge murdered Ian inside Ian’s Silver Toyota FJ Cruiser, and his body was disposed of in the woods and has not yet been found. There are 20 searches scheduled to take place this year.

If you were in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in May 2020 or saw Ian’s Silver Toyota FJ Cruiser — which had a back window blown out — or you noticed anything unusual like clothing, blood, or anything out of place in the forest, please call the Kittitas Sheriff’s office at 509-925-8534.