A woman's body is found floating in Puget Sound
In a quiet corner of the Pacific Northwest, the story of Caucasian female Shanan Lynn Read, a 33-year-old woman, came to a tragic and mysterious end. On January 15, 2006, a resident of Manchester, Washington, spotted a plastic container floating in the Puget Sound between Manchester and Blake Island. Responding officers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife made a grim discovery inside: the badly decomposed and headless body of a woman. The investigation into her death began immediately, but it would be two months before her head was found in the same area, allowing for her identification through fingerprint analysis.
For years, the case grew cold, leaving family and investigators with unanswered questions. However, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office continued to pursue leads. The investigation took a significant turn years later, leading to the identification of four individuals believed to be involved in her death. The breakthrough came after a far-reaching and exhaustive investigation that spanned multiple states and involved several law enforcement agencies.
In August 2022, more than 16 years after Shanan's body was found, a series of arrests were made. Brian Anderson Bourquard, then 39, was taken into custody in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Brandon Michael Reeve, 42, was arrested in Sarasota, Florida, and Oscar Cash Gonzales, then 34, was apprehended in Riverside, California. A fourth suspect, Anthony Marou Martinez, was identified but had died before he could be charged. Initially, investigators believed that in August of 2005, Shanan had been struck in the head with a metal baton at a Seattle apartment, possibly as retaliation over a debt. According to this theory, she was then placed in a plastic container and transported to a cabin in Port Orchard, where she eventually died. Her body was reportedly left at the cabin for weeks, where chemicals were used to speed up decomposition before she was finally disposed of in the Puget Sound. Another individual, Michael Thomason, was later convicted for his role in the unlawful disposal of her remains.
However, as the legal process unfolded, new evidence and witness statements emerged, leading prosecutors to a different conclusion. By early 2023, the theory of a fatal beating was replaced by the belief that Shanan had been injected with a lethal dose of drugs in King County. This shift dramatically altered the case against the three men who had been arrested. Prosecutors came to believe that while Bourquard and Reeve had helped to cover up the murder, they did not participate in the fatal injection. Consequently, the murder charges against them were amended. Brian Bourquard pleaded guilty to rendering criminal assistance and unlawful disposal of human remains, receiving a suspended jail sentence. Brandon Reeve pleaded guilty to rendering criminal assistance and was also given a suspended sentence. The charges against Oscar Gonzales were dismissed entirely, as it was determined he had no involvement in her death, despite being in the vicinity. The man now believed to be responsible for Shanan's death had died in 2016, his name not publicly released by prosecutors.
