Richard Lavietes was 41 when he was found murdered in his Federal Way, Washington, home. Concern grew on the morning of May 2, 2022, after he missed work and stopped responding to texts; a co-worker had already told dispatchers that Lavietes had recently taken a gun away from his roommate, whom she described as mentally unstable. Family members used a spare key later that day and, finding the roommate blocking access, went upstairs and discovered two large garbage bags in the master bathroom that contained what appeared to be human remains.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Lavietes had been shot five times in the back of the head between May 1 and May 2, and his body had been dismembered after the killing. Nicholas Van Cleave, whom Lavietes had invited to live with him, was arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder; prosecutors said Van Cleave took extensive steps to hide the crime and fabricated an elaborate story to cover it up. Van Cleave was held on $2 million bail, and subsequent court proceedings addressed his mental fitness to stand trial.

Did anyone in the Federal Way area know Lavietes or have information about his last days with his roommate?