On a Tuesday afternoon, November 8, 2011, 48-year-old Lorill Sinclaire Bryden was seen for the last time at the Factoria Mall in Bellevue, Washington. A resident of nearby Redmond, she was a divorced mother who was described as having shoulder-length blonde hair, green eyes, a mole on her right cheek, and a scar on her abdomen. Her loved ones grew concerned when she remained out of contact, as it was highly uncharacteristic of her to disappear without warning.
The Redmond Police Department opened an investigation into her disappearance, a mystery that would deepen when her vehicle was discovered weeks later.
Twenty days after she was last seen, on November 28, 2011, Lorill's burgundy 1991 Ford Escort was found abandoned. The car was located in the 4200 block of 124th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue, not far from the Factoria Mall where she was last spotted, and notably close to her boyfriend's apartment. There was no trace of Lorill at the scene. In the days that followed, extensive searches were conducted by authorities and volunteers. Seventy search and rescue volunteers from King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties scoured a two to three-square-mile wooded area around Coal Creek Parkway and Factoria Boulevard, but the exhaustive search yielded no clues as to her whereabouts. Despite the concerning circumstances, police initially stated there was no indication of foul play, though her case remained an active investigation.
For years, Lorill Bryden's case languished with few leads. Then, in a significant development in November 2022, a decade after she vanished, her boyfriend, Mark Raymond Frisby, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with her disappearance. Authorities revealed that Frisby had been a person of interest from the very beginning of the investigation. While Lorill's body has never been found and a definitive crime scene has not been identified, investigators pieced together a circumstantial case against Frisby. This included the discovery of DNA evidence on a knife he pawned shortly after she went missing. Additionally, it was found that on the morning after Lorill was last seen, Frisby purchased paper towels, two large boxes of trash bags, and bleach, which he claimed were for cleaning his apartment before moving out. However, his landlord later contradicted this, stating the apartment had not been cleaned. The case against Frisby, who has a criminal record including convictions for assault, is still pending trial, leaving Lorill's loved ones still searching for definitive answers and the return of her remains. The overview of the case is one of a sudden disappearance followed by a long and frustrating investigation that eventually focused on a primary suspect, culminating in a murder charge years later based on circumstantial but compelling evidence.Last Seen: Nov 8, 2011
