Austin Matthew Leming was 36 when he vanished from Kent, Washington. He was last seen on December 7, 2021, at an apartment complex in downtown Kent; his mother filed the initial missing persons report with the Puyallup Police Department on December 12 after friends and family had not heard from him since December 8. Leming ran a construction and landscaping business in the Enumclaw area and had a young son; his family says he would not have abandoned the child.

Investigators traced Leming’s last known movements to the apartment of Brian Mares. Police found torn-up floors and blood spatter throughout the unit; DNA testing later confirmed blood in the spare bedroom, living room, and dining room belonged to Leming. Witnesses told detectives Leming had been carrying a large quantity of drugs and cash around the time he disappeared and that those items were later seen in Mares’ possession. One witness reported seeing Mares clean what appeared to be blood and tissue from an electric saw.

Detectives believe Leming was killed during a verbal dispute on December 8, 2021, and that his body was dismembered. Mares was arrested in November 2025 and charged with second-degree murder; he has pleaded not guilty and the case is awaiting trial. Leming’s body has not been recovered, leaving his family without a burial.

Does anyone have information about Leming’s movements in Kent on December 7–8, 2021, or about items seen in Mares’ possession after that date?