Two people who left little footprint in the world became connected by a tragic event that remained unsolved for four decades. Now, advances in DNA technology have finally provided answers.
On May 14, 1986, the body of 35-year-old Carol A. Traicoff was discovered behind the Stanley Civic Center in Wenatchee, Washington, approximately 238 kilometers east of Seattle. The homeless woman had been murdered, but the case quickly went cold.
Killer Identified Through DNA
For 40 years, the murder of Carol Traicoff remained unsolved until investigators identified Henry B. Leland, a Canadian man from Kamloops, British Columbia, as the killer using DNA evidence. Leland died in December 2007, freezing to death in a snowbank after years of homelessness. Ironically, a supportive housing building in Kamloops now bears his name.
"We had no answers for 38 years, and here we are two years past that at the 40-year mark where we get to recognize and give that little bit of closure," said Sgt. Det. Joe Eaton of the Wenatchee Police Department.
Investigation Details
Leland's only known living biological relative, a sister, cooperated with detectives and provided a DNA sample. Investigators believe Leland and Traicoff were alone at the time of the killing, and they had been seen together before the murder. The motive remains unclear.
"It would have been great if he was still alive and we could locate him and see if he would tell us the answers to that," Eaton said, adding that the pair apparently had a disagreement that escalated into a fatal assault.
The Wenatchee Police Department conducted an extensive investigation over two years, pursuing leads, conducting interviews, administering polygraph tests, and working with FBI forensic analysis, but no suspect was identified. Periodic reviews of the case over the years yielded no new information.
DNA Technology Solves the Case
In January 2023, Det. Sgt. R. Weatherman initiated a new review and, working with the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, located DNA linking a man to the crime. In July 2024, the DNA was submitted to Ortham, a Texas-based genetic genealogy company. By December 2024, a family lineage spanning both sides of the Canada-U.S. border was identified, leading to Leland as the killer.
"As this case is closed, we would also like to thank the victim's family for never giving up and for remaining determined in their pursuit of justice for their loved one. She would have been 75 years old," the police department stated.
"Based on the investigation, it is believed that on or around May 14, 1986, Henry B. Leland killed Carol Traicoff. There is no current evidence to suggest another suspect and it is believed that Leland and Traicoff were alone at the time. This investigation is officially closed."
