The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office shocked residents of the upper valley early this month when it was announced there had been arrests made in the 1982 murder of Stephen E. Smith of Cashmere.
Two people were arrested, 60-year old Bernard Swaim of Sultan, Washington and 57-year old Dawn M. Soles of Leavenworth. Both have been charged with first degree murder.
According to a Chelan County Sheriff’s Office news release, on July 18, 1982, 30-year old Stephen Smith of Cashmere was reported missing by family members. He was last seen at his home on or about July 12, 1982.
Smith’s car, a 1966 Pontiac Tempest, was found abandoned on Dead Man’s Hill Road hear Dryden, several days after his reported disappearance. The initial investigation stalled in 1982 with no sign of Smith.
Late in 2016, this case was assigned to detectives for further investigation. After interviewing numerous people, including Smith’s family members and witnesses, detectives identified Bernard Swaim as a person of interest in Smith’s disappearance.
Prior to his July, 1982 disappearance, Smith and Soles were married. During their marriage, they had a child. The two divorced, and as part of the divorce, Smith was granted full custody of the child, with Soles getting only supervised visits.
Later, Soles married Swaim and moved to western Washington. According to the news release, on or before July 1982, Soles and Swaim traveled to Cashmere with a plan to murder Smith. The investigation concluded Swaim and Soles planned to get Smith drunk to the point of passing out. Then, they would murder him.
Using old investigative interviews and new interviews, detectives were able to create additional leads, piecing together critical evidence to establish probable cause to arrest Swaim and Soles for the murder of Smith.
Detectives are still conducting follow-up interviews, trying to gather more information related to the disappearance of Smith and locating his remains.
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Stephen E. Smith please call the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office at 509-667-6842 and leave your contact information and a detective will return your call. You can also go online to our web page, co.chelan.wa.us/sheriff and use the submit a crime tip tab or message us on Facebook.
Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.
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