Trail killings: Hundreds of tips leading nowhere

In the three months since a beloved Seattle school librarian and her daughter were shot to death in the woods near Mount Pilchuck, Snohomish County sheriff's detectives have come to know nearly everything about Mary Cooper and Susanna Stodden.

They've talked to relatives, co-workers and friends, in some cases more than once. They've memorized the women's habits, their hobbies and virtually every other aspect of their lives, Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart said. What they still don't know: who killed the women and why.

Several times a week, investigators have read the case they have put together since the July 11 slayings. The department has turned to the FBI and other police agencies that have investigated similar slayings and is seeking help from police agencies outside the U.S.

Investigators recently presented the case to a team of FBI criminal profilers, the sheriff's office said.

Bart concedes investigators are frustrated.

"It's difficult when you realize you're at the end of your string," Bart said. "What they [detectives] are struggling with is the 'why.'

"If we knew this, the case would already be solved."

Cooper, 56, and Stodden, 27, were slain in Mount-Baker Snoqualmie National Forest while they were on a day hike on the Pinnacle Lake Trail. They both were shot in the head, the sheriff's office said.

The slayings struck deep in the region's hiking community. Hiking groups, which had always advocated safety by exploring the woods in pairs, suggested going out in larger groups. The U.S. Forest Service said crowds dwindled near the Pinnacle Lake area immediately after the shootings.

"That's a special place for me. Why would somebody kill somebody there?" said Bart, who as a child often hiked with his family near Pinnacle Lake. "I have every confidence in the world we'll solve the case."

Cooper was a popular librarian for Seattle's Alternative Elementary School No. 2 at Decatur for 15 years and was well known in the Green Lake neighborhood, where she lived with her husband David.

Susanna Stodden had recently left a job with Seattle Audubon and had planned to start a job this fall as a teaching intern at the University Child Development School.

In the days following the slayings, sheriff's investigators received hundreds of tips. But those 300-plus tips, as well as recent information that has come in since the reward money was increased to $26,000 last month, haven't produced much, authorities said.

David Stodden has maintained that he believes the slayings were random, done by someone who didn't know either woman. Sheriff's investigators have also said they're investigating the slayings under the assumption they may have been random.

Stodden has recently said he is frustrated with the investigation and has heard no new information from investigators. He worked with CrimeStoppers to increase the reward in the hope of finding witnesses.

Bart said he understands Stodden's frustration.

"They want resolution and they want it now," Bart said about the family. "I want it resolved for the family."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com