In 1985 a string of murders in Mineral Washington left police baffled. What initially seemed isolated became connected by a tube sock left on some of the victims.  Piecing together suspects and looking for other connected murders has still left us with more questions than answers. Was this the work of a serial killer? Or a seeming tragic string of unconnected events? 

Audio Editing by Maxwell Holechek

References:

“Tube Sock Killer Timeline (Text Version).” KIRO 7 News, Archived 11 July 2015, web.archive.org/web/20150711025058/http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/tube-sock-killer-timeline-text-version/nFX5S/.

“Stephen Harkins and Ruth Cooper.” Unsolved Mysteries Wiki, Fandom, unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Stephen_Harkins_and_Ruth_Cooper. Accessed 4 June 2024.

“Local Woman’s ID Found with Headless Body.” The News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 29 Oct. 1985, p. 14.

“Ruth Cooper Obituary.” The News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 31 Oct. 1985, p. 41.

Dove, Pete. The Tube Sock Killings: An Anthology of True Crime. Publisher unknown, Year unknown.

Barber, Michael A. “POLICE HUNT FOR POSSIBLE LINKS IN UNSOLVED DOUBLE-SLAYINGS.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3 Dec. 1987, p. B3.

“The Unsolved Case of the 1985 Tube Sock Killings.” True Crime Articles, 23 Jan. 2018, truecrimearticles.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/the-unsolved-case-of-the-1985-tube-sock-killings/.

“Diana Robertson.” Unsolved.com, unsolved.com/gallery/diana-robertson/. Accessed 4 June 2024.

“Trapper, Wife, Daughter Missing Along Trap Line: Sheriff Appeals for Help.” The News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 14 Dec. 1985.

“Toddler Provides No Clues of Parents Disappearance.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 17 Dec. 1985.

“SEARCH FAILS TO TURN UP MISSING PAIR.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6 Jan. 1986.

Unsolved Mysteries with David Farina. Season 6, episode 20. NBC, 1992.