Account
Dec 15, 2014
May 31, 2023
Rita
Bartschot
74
40
53 inches
100 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
On a late summer morning, August 24, 1990, 40-year-old Rita Marie Bartschot was last seen tending to the yard at her deceased mother's home in the Ravenna District of Seattle, Washington. A chemistry professor at Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, she was in Seattle handling her mother's affairs. After that morning, she was never heard from again, seemingly vanishing and leaving behind a life and a career. Her sudden and complete disappearance would spark a mystery that would linger for years, leaving her family and community searching for answers. The initial discovery that something was amiss came when a neighbor checked on the house and found the television on, the cat without food or water, and a full pot of moldy coffee, suggesting that Rita's departure had been abrupt and unplanned. The investigation into Rita's disappearance began after a neighbor reported her missing. A significant break in the case seemed to come when her blue Honda, which had been missing, was discovered on September 9 near the University of Washington campus. Inside the vehicle, investigators found blood in the backseat. While DNA testing was not as advanced at the time, forensic analysis determined the blood could have belonged to Bartschot, as it was a match to only 11% of the Caucasian population, and a suspect was excluded as the source. This discovery shifted the focus of the case from a simple missing person report to a probable instance of foul play. The car's recovery provided a crucial piece of evidence, but without Rita, it only deepened the mystery surrounding what had happened to her. Further investigation into Rita's financial activities revealed that her debit card had been used two weeks after her disappearance, with a total of $3,200 being withdrawn from her accounts. This led police to an unemployed landscaper named Drew Richard Thompson, who was charged with using her card. A search of his home uncovered another of Rita's bank cards. Thompson, who had five prior felony convictions, had his fingerprints inside Rita's car and admitted to stealing and driving it after she disappeared. The case against him strengthened when two of his former cellmates testified that he had told them he killed Bartschot and that her body would never be found. In November 1991, despite his continued claims of innocence, Drew Richard Thompson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 32 years in prison. The overview of this case is one of a woman who vanished while taking care of family matters, leading to an investigation that uncovered theft and ultimately, a murder conviction without the recovery of the victim's body. The case remains a poignant example of how circumstantial evidence can lead to a conviction in the absence of the missing individual, leaving a lasting sense of loss and unanswered questions.
Aug 24, 1990
Seattle
Washington
King County
No
23692
Seattle Police Department
Seattle
Washington
King County
98104
Mike Ciesynski
Det.
610 5th Avenue, Washington
2066255011
Local
Law Enforcement
90-371336
Seattle Police Department
Brown
Brown
Brown
06/19/2026
