On a summer day in 1985, Ruth Cooper, a 42-year-old Caucasian woman, and her boyfriend, 27-year-old Steven Harkins, embarked on a weekend camping trip to Tule Lake in Pierce County, Washington. The couple, who both worked at a vocational school in Tacoma, left on August 10th. When neither returned to work the following Monday, their families grew concerned and reported them missing.
The initial search for the missing couple came to a grim conclusion four days later, on August 14th. Hikers discovered a remote campsite where they found Harkins' body inside his sleeping bag. He had been shot in the head, seemingly as he slept. Nearby, the couple's dog was also found shot to death. There was no sign of Ruth Cooper, leading authorities to believe she had been abducted from the scene.
For over two months, Cooper's whereabouts remained a mystery. The search for her came to a tragic end on October 26, 1985, when her skull was discovered near Harts Lake, about a mile and a half from where Harkins' body was found. Two days later, the rest of her remains were located 50 feet away, along with her purse. An autopsy determined that she had died from "homicidal violence," specifically a gunshot wound to the abdomen. A disturbing piece of evidence was found with her body: a tube sock had been tied around her neck.
The murder of Ruth Cooper and Steven Harkins remains unsolved, and no arrests have ever been made in connection with their deaths. Their case is believed to be part of a series of slayings that occurred in the area that year, which became known as the "Tube Sock Killings." Just months after Cooper's body was found, another couple, Mike Riemer and Diana Robertson, were also murdered in Pierce County. Diana Robertson was also found with a tube sock tied around her neck, a chilling link between the cases. Despite extensive investigation over the years, the identity of the person or persons responsible for these brutal crimes remains unknown.
