Arrest in Seattle case where a woman’s body was found in a suitcase

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) announced Thursday afternoon that it arrested a woman on murder charges whose body was found in a suitcase at a homeless camp in Seattle last month.

In a statement to media members, including KIRO Newsradio, the state law enforcement agency said officers arrested Steven Thanh Nyguen, 57, for the murder of Shannon Marie Caslin-Reeder, 37. Nyguen was charged with second-degree murder. added the WSP.

Nyguen lived in the same camp where Caslin-Reeder’s remains were found, WSP said. Investigators determined that Caslin-Reeder visited Nyguen in the camp but had accommodation elsewhere. Investigators were able to determine that the last confirmed local sighting of Caslin-Reeder was in November 2023.

The suspect was arrested on Oct. 3 on a separate Department of Corrections warrant and was later questioned about the Caslin-Reeder case. Investigators then found evidence of the suspect’s alleged involvement in the murder, the WSP said. From there, the case was forwarded to the King County Prosecutor’s Office and charges were filed Wednesday.

Caslin-Reeder’s body was found on September 27 in a homeless camp near the Interstate 5 (I-5)-Interstate 90 (I-90) interchange in Seattle.

Previous reporting: Body found in suitcase near I-5, I-90 junction identified

That day, the workers clearing the camp first noticed a smell and then discovered the woman’s badly decomposed body. Online reports from independent journalist @PhotogSteve81 on Instagram said at the time that the body was that of a woman and that the body was found in a suitcase. However, WSP did not want to confirm the details at this time.

“Death in the open air, and especially death at the hands of someone who has done evil to another person, can cause great indignities to a human body, and this body has suffered those indignities,” WSP spokesman Chris Loftis previously told KIRO Newsradio.

Further information on the death of Caslin-Reeder

KIRO 7 reported that forensic experts, citing charging documents it acquired, determined that Caslin-Reeder “suffered multiple sharp force injuries, primarily to the neck and skull, consistent with wounds inflicted by a weapon such as an axe.” or a hatchet.”

The investigation revealed that Nyguen allegedly attacked Reeder with a sharp object during an argument, the Seattle media outlet said.

Nyguen and Caslin-Reeder apparently had an unstable relationship, KIRO 7 explained in its reporting. Witnesses reported seeing the two together in the months before their deaths, and some said there had previously been domestic disputes between the two.

The exact nature of their relationship is unclear, but prosecutors believe an argument may have led to the fatal attack.

At first, Nyguen claimed Caslin-Reeder had overdosed on fentanyl, then she claimed she fell on some rocks, KIRO 7 reported. However, investigators determined her injuries were inconsistent with that explanation. Nyguen’s story quickly unraveled after that.

According to investigators, after Caslin-Reeder’s death, Nyguen put the woman’s body in the suitcase and tried to hide it under his bed for several months.

Crime blotter: Covering crimes committed in the Puget Sound region

The suitcase was eventually disposed of at the camp, where it was discovered by residents and reported to authorities, according to KIRO 7.

Nyguen has a lengthy criminal history, which prosecutors highlighted in their request for $2 million bail.

Contributors: KIRO 7; James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio

Steve Coogan is the managing editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Keep following Steve Xor send him an email here.