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Thread: Christopher Virdell's (18) remains were found more than two years after he went missing

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    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Christopher Virdell's (18) remains were found more than two years after he went missing

    http://mydeathspace.com/article/2014...e_went_missing

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-F...90873877687947

    On the morning of Thursday, February 9th, 18-year-old Christopher Virdell was going to catch a Pierce Transit bus to get to his job at the South Hill Safeway on 13308 Meridian East. Chris never arrived for his shift. He was last seen between 9 and 10 in the morning in the area of 224th and 42nd in Spanaway.

    Chris is not known for disappearing and his family is worried. He is 5?5?, 120 lbs. He often wore a fluorescent orange hunting type hoody and a ball cap.

    If you have any information, not matter how insignificant you think it might be, please call the Pierce County Sherriff?s Office at 253-798-4721. His friends, family, and coworkers are very worried about him.

    http://tacomastories.com/2012/02/15/...ll-is-missing/

  2. #2
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Still missing - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-...90873877687947

    Sunday will mark the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of 18-year-old Christopher Virdell of Spanaway.

    His family will hold a candlelight vigil at 4 p.m. at Bethel Station, 22303 Mountain Highway E. in the Spanaway area. The vigil will be open to the public.

    His family says there have been no arrests or recent updates in the case from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

    Sheriff’s spokesman Jerry Bates said the department is actively investigating the case and following leads. Investigators have said before that they believe Virdell was killed, but declined to provide details on the status of the case because it is an ongoing investigation.

    He was last seen about 10 a.m. Feb. 9, 2012, when he left a friend’s house on 223rd Street East in Spanaway to go to work. He never showed up for his shift, and his parents reported him missing when he did not come home that night.

    Virdell is described as white, about 5 feet 6, 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a bright orange hunting jacket, a black Safeway T-shirt, black pants and black sneakers with glow-in-the-dark shoelaces.

    The teen was a model employee at Safeway, his parents said. He was especially proud of a letter from the company, honoring him after a customer wrote to say Virdell had gone above and beyond by offering him a motorized shopping cart when he saw he had a medical boot.

    He never missed a day of work, said his father, Paul Virdell Sr.

    The younger Virdell volunteered at a local farmers market to raise funds for a local youth center, where his father said he did his homework.

    Melanie Virdell, his mother, said she hoped “that somebody will come forward and tell us where we can find our son’s remains, and also that some suspects will be arrested in this case and that anyone rendering criminal assistance will be charged in this case.”

    Anyone with information can call Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. Tips are anonymous and can result in a reward.

    Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/0...#storylink=cpy

  3. #3
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    From charleyproject.org (article links on here are no longer active)
    http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/...ristopher.html

    Virdell was last seen in Spanaway, Washington on February 9, 2012. He left a friend's residence on 223rd Street east to catch a Pierce Transit bus to work. He was due to start his shift as a cashier at Safeway at 11:30 a.m., but never arrived there. He has never been heard from again.

    Michael Bourquin is the prime suspect in Virdell's disappearance; a photo of him is posted below this case summary. Bourquin was shot dead by Pierce County sheriff's deputies in February 2014, after he fought back when they tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant for drug offenses and identity theft. He was 21 years old. Investigators haven't disclosed why they believe Bourquin was involved in Virdell's case.

    Virdell is described as a reliable, "perfect" employee and it's uncharacteristic of him to miss work or leave without warning. Foul play is suspected in his case, which remains unsolved.

    Michael Bourquin's Photo

    Article about Bourquin being the prime suspect in Christopher's death.
    http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/man-...prime-s/ndFNs/
    Man shot by Pierce County sheriff?s deputy was prime suspect in unsolved murder

    By Kevin McCarty
    Roy, Wash. ?
    When a Pierce County sheriff's deputy shot and killed Michael Bourquin, the 21-year-old was wanted on an arrest warrant in connection with a drug and identity theft case. But sources tell KIRO 7 he was also the prime suspect in the disappearance and possible slaying of Christopher Virdell, a Spanaway teenager who vanished nearly two years ago.

    Bourquin was shot Saturday when deputies stopped a truck he was riding in in Roy. They say when they tried to arrest him Bourquin fought back, spraying the two deputies with bear Mace and struggling with them on the ground. ?And then a minute after that you heard three rounds, a pause and then a fourth round,?, said eyewitness Mike Doiel. ?And Michael was laying flat right here dead as you can be.?

    Investigators won?t say why Bourquin was suspected in the Virdell case. Virdell, 19, was last seen Feb. 9, 2012, leaving for work from his home in Spanaway. His disappearance was first handled as a missing person case. But detectives soon became convinced Virdell had been killed and his body dumped in rural Pierce County.

    Virdell?s father Paul Virdell said he has been convinced Bourquin was his son?s killer since the summer of 2012. Asked why he thought Bourquin killed Christopher, Paul Virdell said, ?I have no clue.? Paul Virdell added that Bourquin?s death could turn the investigation into his son?s disappearance and death upside down and make it even more difficult to solve. A Sheriff?s Department spokesman said he could not confirm or deny Bourquin?s possible role in Christopher Virdell?s disappearance, saying it was still an open and active investigation.
    Last edited by portia; 06-16-2014 at 08:57 AM. Reason: Bourquin Article

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    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    In a post made on June 10th on his "Help find Chris Virdell-Family Page" facebook, it says he was murdered...it's a poster of him with the words "Murdered. Chris Virdell was brutally murdered in Spanaway, WA on 2/9/12. Chris was a kind, gentle soul who thought he had many friends. Where are his friends now? You won't know peace or safety until those that committed this horrific crime are behind bars! Tell what you know!" But he's still missing, right? So I'm guessing they are searching for his body and know he is already dead....

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-...90873877687947


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  5. #5
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by portia View Post
    From charleyproject.org (article links on here are no longer active)
    http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/...ristopher.html




    Michael Bourquin's Photo

    Article about Bourquin being the prime suspect in Christopher's death.
    http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/man-...prime-s/ndFNs/
    Why won't they say why they believe Michael Bourquin to be Chris Virdell's killer? I mean, he's already dead, so what harm could it do? Also, did the 2 know each other? And I had to roll my eyes at Chris Virdell's father's comment about him being sure that Michael Bourquin is his son's killer. When he was asked why he was sure, he says "I have no clue." Oooookayyyyyyyyyyy...


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  6. #6
    Senior Member hamdinger125's Avatar
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    Sounds like he was a pretty nice kid. I too wonder why they are so sure the other kid was involved in his death, and why they won't release the info now. It's not like they can put the dead guy on trial.

  7. #7
    Member painappuru's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    Why won't they say why they believe Michael Bourquin to be Chris Virdell's killer? I mean, he's already dead, so what harm could it do? Also, did the 2 know each other? And I had to roll my eyes at Chris Virdell's father's comment about him being sure that Michael Bourquin is his son's killer. When he was asked why he was sure, he says "I have no clue." Oooookayyyyyyyyyyy...
    https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...90873877687947

    Many people keep asking how we know Chris was MURDERED, in case you missed the new story covering Chris' disappearance, over a year ago the Pierce County Sheriffs Dept stated:
    ?We?ve also believed from the beginning that he came into foul play,? Troyer said. ?We have used cadaver dogs. We?ve done full-day search and rescue -- operations with hundreds of volunteers with multiple locations -- and nothing has provided us with any evidence.?


  8. #8
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    I wonder what was in his text messages and phone calls that makes them so sure he was murdered.

  10. #10
    Senior Member bermstalker's Avatar
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    But Troyer implied that others may have been involved in Virdell's death.

    "Now that we have discovered the body we'll be needing to talk to some other witnesses," he said.

    http://www.komonews.com/news/local/H...277114371.html

    Then this comment on another article http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/0...lia.html?&rh=1

    Lisa Rivera ? Works at Self-Employed
    To the woman who found my juggalo brothers remains......thank you so much.....i been walking poleline/pipeline. Everyday for the past several monthes when i was told he was buried there.....40+ miles everyday with my. Husky sasha hoping i might find him....now i can stop and rest knowing he was found. I love yoh chris.........crystal rivera
    Reply ? Like ? 2 ? Follow Post ? 11 hours ago

    Darren Ho ? Follow ? Top Commenter
    Oh he was a Juggalo? Probably why he died then.
    Reply ? Like ? 8 hours ago

  11. #11
    Senior Member bermstalker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    I wonder what was in his text messages and phone calls that makes them so sure he was murdered.
    This is an old article from 2012, but it talks a little about the text messages

    Message and social media postings are riddled with theories about Christopher Virdell’s disappearance. They range from him simply running away, with possible sightings in Seattle and Bremerton, to being robbed and killed.

    His father says those runaway ideas are all cases of misidentification. Christopher Virdell apparently looks much like his brothers Paul Virdell, Jr., 24, and Michael Dean Virdell, 20.

    Left with few answers, theories abound. The father believes his son is dead, and has been from the start.

    “I knew it from day one,” he said. “I just knew it.”

    Paul Virdell believes that robbers were targeting another person and kidnapped his son either by mistake or out of desperation. The robbery became a homicide when Christopher Virdell struggled around 9:48 a.m. that day. The timeline was apparently established because Christopher Virdell had texted his friends six times between 9:42 a.m. and 9:48 a.m.

    “Then it all stopped,” Paul Virdell said, believing that his son was stabbed as well as shot.

    What followed was a reported flurry of some 60 text messages in the next hour that were likely sent by his attackers, he said, noting that he believes the killers then had his son’s body buried. A psychic has apparently created a map to where the body was dumped outside of Wenatchee. This working theory, Paul Virdell said, came reportedly from a man in Virginia who was involved in the robbery turned homicide who has since suffered burns in a car fire that sent him to the hospital where he confessed.

    “I’m a firm believer in karma coming back,” Paul Virdell said. “I am not looking for a conviction. I just want Chris back. I want his remains. I want his body.”

    Searches by family and friends around the abduction scene have yielded nothing. More searches are in the works as new leads come in and volunteers organize walks around the area.http://www.tacomaweekly.com/news/vie...mains-mystery/

    Not that any of this could be true........there are some interesting comments at the bottom of this article.

    http://empathysinsights.blogspot.com...s-virdell.html
    Last edited by bermstalker; 09-26-2014 at 03:53 AM.

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    RIP Chris. I'm so glad we now have physical evidence of his death and possible murder. Being originally from the Pacific Northwest, I thought he was never going to be found considering how much uninhabited forest was available to discreetly dispose of a body. I'm so sorry and sad to hear of the loss of a boy who sounded so kind.

    Let's move this to Article Discussion now that death is confirmed?

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