In March of 2021, the life of 31-year-old Vance Lakey was tragically cut short. His body, along with that of his 59-year-old father, Michael Goeman, was discovered in a remote, overgrown area off West Valley Highway in Algona, Washington. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later determined that both men had been victims of a homicide. Vance Lakey had died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, while his father had sustained a single fatal gunshot wound to the head.
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investigation into their deaths uncovered a sinister plot orchestrated by a man named Richard Walter Bradley, who was 40 years old at the time. Prosecutors allege that Bradley lured his victims with a fabricated story about buried gold, promising them a share of the treasure if they helped him excavate it. It is believed that this was the ruse he used to lead both Vance Lakey and his father to the secluded location where their lives were ended. This same deceptive tale was reportedly used by Bradley in other murders he is accused of committing.
Vance Lakey was last seen on March 15, 2021, driving his father's Dodge Durango after leaving a grocery store in Kent. This vehicle later became a key piece of evidence in the investigation. Richard Bradley's wife was identified as the driver of the Durango during a traffic stop, raising suspicion. Further implicating him, Bradley allegedly attempted to have the vehicle destroyed. He reportedly offered an associate money to break into an impound lot and set fire to the Durango, specifically requesting that the front seats be burned.
Richard Walter Bradley was arrested in May 2021 and has since been charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder, including the deaths of Vance Lakey and Michael Goeman. He also faces charges of second-degree arson and illegal possession of firearms. Bradley is accused of a string of killings, with prosecutors stating he targeted individuals who had recently come into significant amounts of money. He is currently being held without bail as he awaits trial.
