Cold case murder investigation came together quickly

Part 1 of 2

Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detective Josh Mathena started working on the 1982 Stephen E. Smith disappearance case on Jan. 5, 2017.  Smith was believed deceased, but no body had been located. 

After reviewing the case file, interviewing new and old witnesses, by March 5, 2017, Mathena had elicited a confession from Smith’s ex-wife, Dawn Soles of Leavenworth, that Smith was indeed killed by her then husband Bernard Swaim. 

The complete investigation details are revealed in the Affidavit of Probable Cause which was submitted to Chelan County Superior Court by the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office. Both Soles and 

Swaim have been charged with First Degree Murder. 

On July 18, 1982, Stephen’s sister, Gail Lee, reported to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office that she had not seen or heard from Stephen for several days. He had been living on N. Douglas St. in Cashmere. 

Lee reported Smith had been having family problems with his ex-wife, Soles, who had later married Bernard Swaim. According to the affidavit, the dispute involved their 2-year old daughter, Crystal. At the time, Stephen Smith had full custody of Crystal, while Dawn could only visit one weekend a month, under supervision. Lee also reported that Smith’s car had been located off Dead Man’s Hill Road in Cashmere. Deputies checked out the vehicle but found nothing suspicious. On July 31, 1982, Al Smith called the Sheriff’s Office to report finding blood and other evidence at Stephen’s house. 

Al and other persons located a large amount of blood on a mattress, towel, sofa and axe handle. A broken tooth was also found. The Smith family had removed all the furniture from the house, but left the bloody towel and tooth. 

The Smith family was asked to put the furniture and other items back in the house to reconstruct the scene. The axe handle, towel and tooth were sent to the Washington State Patrol crime lab for analysis. It was human blood, type O. It also revealed the tooth was removed by breakage. 

A local dentist later confirmed it was Smith’s tooth. Mathena also uncovered a memo regarding Craig Milton. He reported that he was in jail with Swaim and that Swaim tried to find out where Stephen Smith was living because Swaim had put a “contract” on him. 

Milton said he did not tell Swaim where Smith lived, but he claims to have told Smith’s roommate, Derek Weldon about what Swaim had said. This report came in five days after Smith was reported missing.

A note submitted in 1984 said in the few week’s prior to Smith’s disappearance, Dawn attempted to talk Steven Noyes and Karl Christman into killing Stephen. Christman told law enforcement that his friend, Noyes, went out with Dawn a few times. During one of these dates, Christman said Dawn asked Noyes if he would help her or if he would get rid of Stephen for her. 

After Stephen Smith went missing, Dawn, Crystal and Swaim all moved to Ocean Shores, where the couple worked at Sea Horse Ranch. In September of 1982, Douglas Sickman, an employee of the Sea Horse Ranch, contacted the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office. 

Sickman said Dawn told him she was scared of Swaim because he had recently killed her ex-husand. She attempted to convince Sickman to kill Swaim. The case file also included several letters from Soles to Smith, including one that said, “you don’t have much time left.”

In 1988, Detective Daryl Mathena, Josh’s father, and then Prosecuting Attorney Gary Riesen met with Deborah L. Wetzel at the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Wetzel said she had been in a relationship with Swaim. 

Wetzel had worked for the attorney representing Swaim at the time. During a court appearance, it was mentioned that Swaim was a suspect in a homicide in Chelan County. Wetzel later asked Swaim about the homicide. 

Wetzel said Swaim told her he killed his ex-wife’s husband. Swaim claimed the ex-husband came at him with a shotgun and he hit him on the head with a rock and killed him. Wetzel said someone named “Pork Chop” helped him dispose of the body. Swaim told Wetzel they would never find the body and there was no chance of being charged. 

Swaim told Wetzel he stayed together with Dawn for so long because she was afraid he would say something about the murder to the cops. 

The affidavit also reveals that not long after moving to Ocean Shores, Dawn’s mother removed Crystal, due to the poor living conditions 

On Feb. 2, 2017, Methena and Sergeant Jeff Middleton contacted Swaim at his residence in Sultan. Swaim said he knew why they wanted to talk to him, because of some “crazy” Facebook posts regarding his possible involvement in the Stephen Smith missing person case. 

Swaim told deputies he did not know Smith well and had only been in his house one time. He did remember a time in 1982 when he and Dawn arrived in Cashmere to pick up Crystal, when they stayed at the Dryden Cottage Motel. Mathena found it interesting his memory was so clear on this day 34 years ago. 

Swaim continued to maintain his innocence. On Feb. 16, 2017, Mathena, Middleton and Sergeant Bruce Long interview Dawn Soles in Leavenworth. When asked about July, 1982, Soles admitted to being in Cashmere with Swaim. 

She gave specific details on the last time she saw Smith. Soles claimed they were staying in the Cashmere Village Inn. Soles said she picked up Crystal and spent time with her. When she tried to drop Crystal off, Smith was not home, Soles said, but Weldon was. Not wanting to leave Crystal with Weldon, Soles said she left for Seattle. 

According to the affidavit, Mathena felt it odd Dawn would take off for Seattle since this was the first time Smith had not been there to pick up Crystal. She also did not leave Crystal with her mother or Smith’s mother, who both lived in the Cashmere area. 

Soles was asked about Douglas Sickman’s comments that she asked him to kill Swaim. She denied ever speaking to Sickman about this. She was also asked about Wetzel’s comments. Soles did not have a comment and continued to maintain her innocence. 

As they talked about the evidence pointing to a beating death at Smith’s home, Soles, who had been relaxed and calm, began to cry. Mathena told Soles they had no intention of arresting her that day. Soles responded they did not have the authority to arrest her. 

Next week in the Leavenworth Echo, we’ll continue to detail the investigation into the murder of Stephen Smith. (Note- In the March 15 issue, we incorrectly identified the names on the photos for this story. 

We sincerely apologize).

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.