Deceased Kamloops man accused in 1986 Washington state killing: Henry Leland believed to have killed Carol Traicoff in Washington state in May 1986
A 40 year old cold case in Washington has been solved, as it has been announced the killer of Carol Traicoff has been identified as Henry Leland, through DNA evidence.
In May of 1986, 35 year old Carol Traicoff was found beaten to death behind the Stanley Civic Center in Wenatchee, WA. Her death was classified as "homicidal assault".
Unfortunately, the forensic technology available in the 1980s and 1990s was not able to provide any links to Traicoff's killer.
With the rise of online genealogy, Washington law enforcement was able to search for DNA connections to Traicoff's killer through that. They also shared the evidence with Canadian law enforcement, so a search could be done through Canada's systems, as well.
That DNA evidence and genealogy search eventually led to Henry Leland. Leland spent his final years living on the streets of Kamloops, BC, and he died there in 2007 at the age of 56. Leland's DNA and connection to the case were confirmed after detectives were able to find Leland's sister, and she gave them a comparative DNA sample.
Henry Leland House (a supportive housing building) was opened in Kamloops in 2009, and was named as such to recognize Leland's "kind soul".
However, the process to re-name the building has now begun, as the housing society executive officer has announced he will seek community input regarding a new name.