Tracy Sehmel, 49, was found dead on January 4, 2018, inside the trunk of his silver Saturn sedan at a towing yard in Lakewood after the vehicle had been impounded a day earlier from near 97th Street and Sheridan Avenue in Tacoma. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department opened a homicide investigation; an autopsy determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

No one had reported Sehmel missing when his body was discovered, though a concerned loved one had contacted Auburn police after he failed to appear for an appointment. Investigators learned he had a criminal history, including a 1991 manslaughter conviction, and that he had been released from prison in February 2017. Family members said he had been working in construction and trying to rebuild ties with relatives.

Detectives worked early on to establish Sehmel’s final movements and how long he’d been in the trunk, but no suspects were publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. The case remains an open, unsolved homicide. If anyone has information about Sehmel’s last movements or about the car being impounded near 97th Street and Sheridan Avenue, please come forward.