In early May 2021, the family and friends of Brandi Blake, a 44-year-old Caucasian woman from Federal Way, Washington, grew increasingly concerned. Their calls and messages to her went unanswered, a silence that was out of character for the mother who was known for her kindness and great sense of humor. Blake had recently come into a significant amount of money, having won $20,000 at a casino, and was known to carry a substantial amount of cash.
She was last seen on May 5, 2021, in the company of a man named Richard Bradley Jr. Surveillance footage captured the two of them together at a Walgreens in Auburn, and she was also seen with Bradley and his wife at the hotel where she was staying.
The story Blake had told friends was that Bradley needed her help to sell some gold he had supposedly stashed after a robbery. This tale of buried treasure was a ruse prosecutors would later claim Bradley used to lure his victims. After Blake was seen leaving a hotel room with Bradley, he returned alone, driving her Ford Mustang and claiming she had given him permission to borrow it. On May 13, her car was found abandoned and wiped clean in Tacoma, its license plates removed, deepening the fears of foul play.
The investigation led police to Game Farm Park, a large wooded area in Auburn. There, in a shallow, hastily covered grave, they discovered Brandi Blake's body. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later determined that she had died from multiple blunt force injuries and ruled her death a homicide. Near her body, investigators found a shovel, a pickaxe, and a key to her hotel room.
The last person seen with Blake, Richard Bradley Jr., a 38-year-old Kent man, was arrested on May 21, 2021. A search of his RV uncovered firearms, one of which belonged to Blake, as well as a significant quantity of drugs. Bradley was charged with the premeditated first-degree murder of Brandi Blake. As the investigation continued, a more sinister pattern emerged. Near Blake's grave, investigators found the remains of another individual, leading to additional murder charges against Bradley. Prosecutors now allege that Bradley is a serial killer who used the same story of buried gold to lure multiple victims to their deaths in order to rob them. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting trial.
