Rachael Leigh Anderson, a 40-year-old mother of four from Clarkston, Washington, was last seen on April 16, 2010, in Moscow, Idaho, and has not been heard from since. Her two daughters reported her missing on the following Monday when she failed to appear for her job at a pathology lab. The vehicle she had been borrowing, a white 1997 GMC Yukon, was discovered on April 21 at a Dynamart station in Lewiston, Idaho, situated near the Greyhound bus station.
Inside the vehicle were her purse and cell phone.
In the three months leading up to her disappearance, Anderson had filed multiple police reports concerning harassment and stalking by an unidentified individual. These incidents included her car's rear windshield being broken, her tires being slashed, her residence being watched, and receiving disturbing phone calls and text messages. Anderson expressed to police that she was in fear for her life and suspected her estranged husband, Charles A. Capone, was responsible for the harassment. On the very day she went missing, she had spoken with law enforcement about the stalking and was advised to avoid Capone due to the potential for violence.
The investigation into Anderson's disappearance soon focused on Capone, who had a history of violent behavior towards women and a criminal record dating back to 1985. Anderson's daughter described Capone as an abusive and controlling husband, and court records indicated that Anderson had filed for divorce in January 2010, just three months into their marriage. In December 2009, Capone had been charged with second-degree assault for allegedly choking Anderson. He was arrested in May 2010 on a weapons charge, as his prior felony convictions prohibited him from possessing firearms, and was subsequently named a person of interest in his wife's disappearance. He later pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
In April 2013, a significant breakthrough occurred when Charles Capone and his friend, David Stone, were charged with Anderson's murder. Authorities alleged that Capone had murdered his wife with Stone's assistance, and that the two had disposed of her body together. The investigation uncovered a sinister plot, with an individual coming forward to claim that Capone had offered him $10,000 to kill Anderson. This witness also revealed a purported agreement between Capone and Stone to kill each other's wives; Stone's wife had a substantial life insurance policy. Forensic evidence further implicated the pair. Cadaver dogs detected the scent of human remains in the back of the GMC Yukon Anderson had been driving. Additionally, a black latex glove found in the vehicle contained blood from both Anderson and Capone. While incarcerated for the weapons charge, Capone reportedly confessed to fellow inmates that he had poisoned Anderson by putting prescription sleeping pills in her beer before burying her body.
In December 2013, David Stone pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of failing to notify law enforcement about a death in exchange for a seven-year prison sentence and his testimony against Capone. Stone testified that he witnessed Capone strangle Anderson at Capone's auto repair shop in Moscow and then helped him dispose of her body by throwing it off the Red Wolf Crossing Bridge into the Snake River in Clarkston. In September 2014, Charles Capone was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He also received a 20-year sentence for failure to notify law enforcement of a death and conspiracy to commit the same. Despite the convictions, Rachael Leigh Anderson's body has never been found.Last Seen: Apr 16, 2010
