Brandt Conrad Stewart, a 34-year-old father, was found shot to death along a logging road near Skykomish, Washington. His body was discovered by a hiker on the morning of December 23, 2019, after he had been reported missing around Christmas. The King County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide by gunshot to the head. At the scene there were no immediate signs of a struggle, but Stewart’s wallet and backpack were missing.

Investigators traced a surveillance video from a Snohomish mini-mart showing Stewart getting into a red Ford Mustang with another man the day before his body was found. That man, identified as 35-year-old Jeremy Tod Staeheli, was located in northern California; police recovered a 9 mm handgun from him. Staeheli told detectives he shot Stewart in self-defense, claiming Stewart threatened him with a knife, but officers reported Stewart’s hands were in his pockets and an unopened small knife was found in one pocket, which investigators said contradicted the self-defense claim.

If anyone knew Brandt’s movements in Snohomish in December 2019 or saw him with the red Mustang, please share information with the Snohomish County investigators.