In the early summer of 2001, a shadow of fear crept over the communities of Pierce County, Washington, as a violent predator moved silently among them. This period of dread culminated in the tragic death of Rebecca Nash, a 48-year-old woman who was found murdered in her South Tacoma apartment on June 27, 2001. An employee at a local business, Rebecca was a victim of the serial killer Timothy Ray Burkhart, a man whose violent crimes spanned fifteen years and claimed at least four lives.
Rebecca’s death came just two weeks after the murder of 72-year-old Kathryn Coates, who was bludgeoned to death in her home in the nearby community of Summit. The proximity and brutality of the two killings escalated a sense of panic in the region, leaving residents to wonder if a serial killer was in their midst. For investigators, the race to find answers became more urgent than ever.
The breakthrough in the investigation came from an unexpected source. After police released a composite sketch of the suspect in the Coates murder, a relative of Timothy Burkhart, who also went by Kim Burkhard, contacted Crime Stoppers. The tipster noted Burkhart's resemblance to the sketch and mentioned that he had been near both the Coates and Nash crime scenes around the time the murders were committed. This crucial piece of information immediately shifted the focus of the investigation onto Burkhart.
Detectives began to scrutinize Burkhart’s activities and soon uncovered incriminating evidence. In a storage locker he frequented, they discovered blood-stained clothing. More significantly, they found a television and a VCR that had been stolen from Rebecca Nash's apartment during the burglary that accompanied her murder. Further investigation revealed that Burkhart had also pawned a ring belonging to Rebecca under his own name. The evidence was mounting, and police prepared to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Before authorities could apprehend him, however, the case took a sudden turn. On July 2, 2001, just five days after Rebecca's body was discovered, Timothy Burkhart was found dead in a relative's apartment in Parkland. He had died from a self-inflicted drug overdose, leaving behind a suicide note whose contents have never been publicly released. The manhunt was over, but justice in a courtroom would never be realized for his victims.
Forensic testing on Burkhart’s body found traces of Kathryn Coates's blood, solidifying his connection to her murder. With the evidence from Rebecca's stolen property, investigators were certain he was responsible for both of the 2001 killings. The cases were officially closed, though the lack of a trial left a void for the families and the community.
Years later, the full scope of Burkhart's evil would become even clearer. In 2010, cold case detective Gene Miller, using advancements in DNA technology, definitively linked Burkhart to the unsolved 1986 murders of two teenage girls, 17-year-old Denise Sallee and 16-year-old Kimberly Payne. His long-dormant reign of terror, which began when he was just 20 years old, was finally brought completely into the light. Though he escaped the legal consequences of his actions, the diligent work of law enforcement ensured that the truth behind the tragic death of Rebecca Nash and his other victims was ultimately uncovered.
