Cathleen Elise Kochheiser, 62, was shot and killed in Capitol State Forest in rural Thurston County on April 24, 2025. Emergency responders were contacted around 6:30 p.m. about a woman with a gunshot wound to her lower chest; she was alive when the initial call for help but died before she could be airlifted to a hospital. Poor cellphone service in the remote area meant the person with her had to drive to place the call.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is treating the death as suspicious and opened an active investigation. Investigators described the person who was with Cathleen as somewhat cooperative but not fully cooperative; that individual has not been publicly identified. No arrests or publicly named suspects have been announced.

If anyone was in or near Capitol State Forest on the evening of April 24, 2025, or has information about the person who was with Cathleen, please contact the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.