Account
Aug 20, 2014
Jun 19, 2023
Rolf
Neslund
123
79
70 inches
74 inches
175 lbs
200 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the quiet island community of Lopez Island, Washington, a story of a turbulent marriage and a mysterious disappearance unfolded in the late summer of 1980. 79-year-old Rolf Neslund, a retired sea captain, was last seen at his home on August 5, 1980. A native of Norway, Rolf had a storied past, including a notable incident in 1978 when he captained a freighter that struck the West Seattle Bridge. He lived on the peaceful island with his wife, Ruth, but their life together was far from serene. Those who knew the couple were aware of their heavy drinking and the frequent, often violent, arguments that punctuated their relationship, sometimes resulting in police being called to their home. Concerns for Rolf's welfare began to mount when friends and family hadn't heard from him for an extended period, which was highly out of character for a man who kept in regular contact with his loved ones. In February 1981, months after Rolf was last seen, friends officially reported him missing, prompting an investigation by the San Juan County Sheriff's Office. When questioned, Ruth Neslund offered conflicting and suspicious accounts of her husband's whereabouts. She initially claimed he had left her on August 14, 1980, suggesting he had gone to his native Norway, possibly with a former girlfriend. However, this story quickly unraveled. Rolf's car was found abandoned at the ferry terminal in Anacortes, but there was no evidence to suggest who had driven it there. Investigators found it deeply suspicious that Rolf, a man of habit, would leave without any of his personal belongings, including his clothing, eyeglasses, and essential diabetes medication. He never refilled his prescription, and all his financial accounts remained untouched. The annual Christmas cards his friends and family had come to expect never arrived that year, deepening the mystery surrounding his sudden silence. As the investigation intensified, a much darker picture began to emerge, pieced together from the testimony of friends and family. Relatives recounted hearing Ruth make threats against her husband's life, though they were often dismissed as drunken ramblings at the time. The turning point came when Ruth's own brother, Paul Myers, came forward with a chilling confession he claimed to have heard from his sister. According to his statement, Ruth admitted to shooting Rolf twice in the head during an argument, with the help of their other brother, Robert Myers. The story became even more gruesome, with allegations that Rolf's body was dismembered in the bathtub, burned in a barrel, and the ashes scattered in a manure pile on their property. In March 1983, Ruth Neslund was charged with the murder of her husband. The subsequent trial in 1985 was a landmark case for Washington state, as the prosecution built its case entirely on circumstantial evidence, without the discovery of a body. Despite the defense's arguments that Rolf may have left on his own or taken his own life, the jury found Ruth guilty of first-degree murder, a conviction that marked the first of its kind in the state's history. Rolf Neslund's body has never been recovered, leaving a lingering sense of sorrow and an unresolved final chapter to a case that began as a missing person report and ended as one of the most infamous murders in the history of the San Juan Islands.
Aug 05, 1980
Lopez Island
Washington
San Juan County
No
23433
San Juan County Sheriff's Office
Friday Harbor
Washington
San Juan County
98250
96 2nd Street North, Washington
3603784151
County
Law Enforcement
San Juan County Sheriff's Office
Gray or Partially Gray
Unknown
Unknown
06/21/2026
