In the winter of 2006, 44-year-old Dawn R. Ruger was last seen on December 28th in Skagit County, Washington. Friends, who had grown concerned after not hearing from her, officially reported her missing in early 2007. Before she vanished, Ruger had been staying with various friends in the Sedro-Woolley and Clear Lake areas. Those close to her had expressed apprehension about her association with her former boyfriend, Benjamin Price, due to his history of domestic violence.
Despite their warnings, Ruger continued her relationship with Price, a man who would later be at the center of her disappearance and death.
The case took a significant turn in May 2008, approximately 17 months after Ruger was last seen, when Benjamin Price walked into the Bellingham Police Department and confessed to killing her. Price, then 30, led investigators to a remote logging road east of Bellingham, later identified as Paradise Valley Rd., where he had left her body in a shallow grave. He admitted to breaking her neck on New Year's Eve of 2006. At the time of his confession, partial remains were recovered, and Price was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System to aid in the potential discovery of additional remains.
Price's legal proceedings revealed a troubled history of mental health issues, including a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and methamphetamine abuse. His defense attorney stated that at the time of the murder, Price was experiencing hallucinations and delusions, believing Ruger was a witch and that the CIA was instructing him to kill her. In a plea agreement that considered his mental state, Price pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, a decision that disappointed Ruger's family. The overview of this case reveals a tragic story of a woman who was failed by the systems intended to protect her. Her association with a man with a known history of violence and severe mental illness ultimately led to her death. The subsequent legal outcome, a reduced charge and a 12-year sentence for taking a life, left her family feeling that justice had not been fully served.Last Seen: Dec 28, 2006
