Several Bags of Human Remains found on Alki Point
Human remains were found in bags along Seattle’s waterfront on Friday afternoon, KOMO-TV reports. According to a statement from the Seattle Police Department, a caller notified authorities about a foul odor emanating from a bag on a beach in the West Seattle area, leading to the discovery of the remains. At least one other bag was subsequently found in the water, so officers expanded the search in the area, police said.
“Detectives are currently investigating after several bags containing human remains were located near the water in the 1100 block of Alki Avenue SW this afternoon,” the statement from the Seattle Police Department reads. Officers examined the contents of the bags and launched an investigation. Beach neighbor Steven Buty said he saw police remove two bags from the scene.
“There was a police boat and an inflatable boat and they had a hook and they took black plastic bags out,” Steven Buty told KOMO-TV. “I saw them take two bags.” Another neighbor, Steve Szekely, said he was surprised by what was happening so close to home. “It’s kind of shocking really to have something like this in the neighborhood,” Szekely told KOMO-TV. As of Saturday, it was not clear whether the bags were initially placed on the beach and then carried out by the tide, or had washed ashore. Multiple agencies are working on the Seattle investigation, including Harbor Patrol and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Various body parts have been found along the west coast in recent years. At least 15 feet have reportedly washed ashore in Vancouver since 2007; investigators say the feet do not show signs of foul play and could have been moved by currents in the Pacific Ocean after people died from various means, such as plane crashes, suicides and even the Indian Ocean 2004 tsunami, according to Fox News.
A viral TikTok video shows two teenage girls discovering a suitcase containing body parts on a Seattle beach, and police say that human remains were found. The teens used the Randonautica app, which randomly sent them to the location.
In the TikTok video, two girls are at the beach and discover a black suitcase on the rocks. When they open it, they discover a black bag inside and reveal it smells awful.
The post by TikTok user “Ugh Henry” is captioned, “Something traumatic happened that changed my life checkkkk 😐🥺 @natthecvt #fyp #viral #crime #murder #randonautica #randonauting #scary #washington.” In the video, another caption explains, “Randonaut sent us to this part of the beach… and we found this black suitcase. We were joking that maybe the suitcase would have money.” As SOON as she opened it, the smell was overwhelming.”
The girls called the police. They said they were getting scared and nervous. Pretty soon, police arrived, and it turned into a crime scene. Then it got real.
@ughhenry Something traumatic happened that changed my life checkkkk 😐🥺 @natthecvt ##fyp ##viral ##crime ##murder ##randonautica ##randonauting ##scary ##washington
♬ Creepy, scary, horror, synth, tension – Sound Production Gin
According to Wired, Randonautica “is using a random number generator to produce specific coordinates within a set radius of your current location that you can travel to as a way of exploring the world around you. People gather these coordinates through a dedicated app, Randonautica, where they can further define what they want to encounter.”
Wired explained, “The app encourages users to set a personal intention before visiting a location, in the hopes of uncovering ‘synchronicities,’ coincidences or occurrences outside usual patterns of experience.” The hashtag #radonautchallenge has taken off on TikTok in particular.
The Seattle Police Department confirmed the discovery in a news release, writing on June 19, 2020, “Detectives are currently investigating after several bags containing human remains were located near the water in the 1100 block of Alki Avenue SW this afternoon.”
“Police responded after receiving a call of a suspicious bag on the beach. Another bag was located in the water. Once the contents were determined to be remains, detectives responded to begin their investigation. Harbor Patrol is assisting on the call, and detectives will work closely with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation proceeds. This remains an active and on-going investigation.”
The identities of the human remains – and whether they belong to one person or more than one person – are not clear. The cause of death is not, either.
At first, it wasn’t clear what was in the bags. West Seattle blog noted that police found “a black plastic bag that smelled really bad.” A woman wrote on that comment thread, “My kids and I were driving Alki when we happened upon the scene. We saw SPD zipping someone (or something) into a full-size black body bag. And over the radio they talked about sweeping the scene. So much for taking the kids to the beach. My condolences to whoever it may be.”
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Posted July 1 by West Seattle Blog: One day after Seattle Police announced that the “remains” found off Duwamish Head June 19th were that of a woman and a man, their names and causes of death have just been made public. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office says both died of gunshot wounds. The woman was identified as 35-year-old Jessica Lewis; the man, 27-year-old Austin Wenner. The date of death for both was listed as June 16th, three days before a suspicious-smelling suitcase brought police to the scene. SPD told us yesterday – before the names were made public – that they had been in contact with both victims’ families. We’re working to find out more and will update with anything additional. A social-media search brought up a page for an Austin Wenner, from Kent, who posted in 2015 that he was “in a relationship” with a Jessica Lewis, from Federal Way. Continuing to research …