Results of FBI Analysis of Reservation Deaths Announced

The tragic deaths or disappearances of at least 16 females on or in close proximity to the 1.3 million acre Yakama Indian Reservation, all but one of which occurred between 1980 through 1992, have long and understandably been a source of great concern for members of the Yakama Nation, law enforcement authorities, and the rest of our community.  Over the past 28 years, to the present day, these deaths and disappearances continue to be reviewed and, where possible, actively investigated by the FBI, the Yakama Tribal Police (YTP), and/or the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO).  These deaths, which are listed chronologically in the table below, have led some in the community to believe that a serial killer was operating on Tribal lands.

It is significant to note that, of these 16 deaths or disappearances, ten are believed or are known to be homicides.  Of these ten homicides, murder charges have been brought in three cases.  During 2001, John Bill Fletcher, Jr. was charged with the 1987 stabbing deaths of Theresa Branscomb and Bertha Cantu based on a DNA match.  Then, during March 2009, Samuel Posada was charged with the 1987 rape and murder of Jenece Marie Wilson.  It appears that neither Fletcher nor Posada is linked to any other deaths in question. 

Relevant information regarding these deaths was entered into the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime after the Center was established in 1985.  Logical suspects were identified in three of the remaining seven known or likely homicides.  Although significant evidence regarding the identity of suspected perpetrators was developed in three of these 16 cases, the strength of the physical evidence and witness statements were not sufficient to meet the necessarily high burden of proof required in our criminal justice system.  In other cases, the recovery of only limited skeletal remains, exposed to the elements for significant periods of time before discovery, continue to serve as substantial obstacles in the resolution of these matters.

Evidence collected in these deaths has recently undergone another extensive review and analysis.  After a March 2006 meeting with then-United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on the Yakama Reservation, the FBI embarked on a comprehensive data collection project, which included the assembly of all available records from all federal, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies regarding these 16 deaths, which where then converted to digital form for a renewed, end-to-end analysis.  This data set was provided to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) for an expert evaluation of the potential for the existence of a common killer and/or previously unexplored investigative avenues. During December 2008, the BAU concluded that, based on the evidence at hand, these 16 deaths could not be linked to a common killer or killers (other than the obvious connection between the murders of Teresa Branscomb and Bertha Cantu at the hands of John Bill Fletcher, Jr.). 

Although no unexplored investigative approaches were identified by the latest BAU review, the FBI and our law enforcement partners have always been and remain committed to exploring any logical investigative lead now, and in the future, based either on the development of new information or evidence, or the availability of new investigative techniques, in these or any unsolved cases.  As an example, during the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the FBI re-examined a number of these cases based on the development of new information.  More recently, Special Agents are awaiting mitochondrial DNA test results on skeletal remains located in a remote part of the Yakama reservation in late 2008, which may be those of Daisey Mae Tallman. 

Significantly, since the early 1980s, FBI investigations of murders on the Yakama Reservation have resulted in at least 14 federal convictions and one acquittal.  These cases all require painstaking, tenacious, and in some cases, years of investigation, which the FBI has long provided to the public we serve.  The FBI is committed to improving this level of service, in part by extending the coverage of the FBI's Safe Trails Task Force national initiative.  This program provides assistance to our Tribal partners in the form of funding for vehicles, office space, specialized equipment, operational expenses, training opportunities and expenses, overtime reimbursement, and Federal deputation of task force officers. 

The Salish Safe Trails Task Force, formed in 2007, now services the Colville, Spokane, and Kalispel Reservations in Eastern Washington.  The FBI intends to extend an invitation to the Yakama Nation to forge a companion entity within the next 18 months.  These partnerships have proven to be extraordinarily productive in the fight against illegal drug trafficking and violent crime in Indian Country.  For example, during 2007, based on new information and a renewed, exhaustive investigation, the killer of Edwin Pooler was charged in Federal court with the 1991 crime on the Colville Indian Reservation, despite the fact that Mr. Pooler’s body was never recovered.  This subject was convicted and sentenced to federal prison during April 2009.

The men and women of the FBI are proud to serve the Yakama Nation and our region’s Native American communities, in concert with our tribal, local, state, and federal partners.  A vital component of this effort is community involvement, support and participation.  The FBI respectfully requests the continued assistance of the Yakama Nation as we enhance these partnerships and work together to improve our safety, security and quality of life.