Paymela Faye Long

A beloved country musician is found dead
Paymela Faye Long was a beloved mother, daughter, and sister known for her vibrant spirit and talent as a country-western singer in Kitsap County, Washington. Born in Boone, Iowa, on April 17, 1951, she grew up in the Bremerton area, attended Central Kitsap High School, and was once crowned Miss Teen Bremerton. Friends and family remember the 58-year-old Caucasian woman as a shining star who accepted people for who they were and had a knack for making everything an adventure. Her home was like a curiosity shop, filled with small treasures from a life of exploration. Paymela loved to cook, especially with cast iron, and would create handwritten menus for special dinners. Her greatest pride was her five grandchildren, who affectionately called her "Ninny." She was a kind soul who would often help those in need, letting people stay with her if they had nowhere else to go and bringing food to anyone who was down.

The morning of Halloween in 2009 brought a devastating end to her life. At around 6:10 a.m. on October 31, firefighters from Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the Illahee Shores Mobile Home Park in Bremerton. They arrived to find Paymela's single-wide mobile home engulfed in flames. After extinguishing the blaze, which was determined to have started in a back bedroom, first responders made a grim discovery inside the charred ruins: Paymela's body. The scene was initially treated as a fatal fire, but the circumstances quickly became more sinister. An autopsy performed by the Kitsap County Coroner's Office revealed that Paymela had been murdered before the fire was intentionally set to destroy the evidence. This shocking revelation turned the case into a homicide investigation.

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office took charge of the homicide case, but the investigation was severely hampered from the start. The intense fire had destroyed nearly all of Paymela's possessions and, critically, much of the forensic evidence that might have pointed to her killer. Investigators sent what little evidence they could recover to the Washington State Patrol's crime lab, hoping for a breakthrough. In the days following her death, family members sifted through the ashes of her home, finding remnants of a life cut short: a collection of iron skillets, homemade cards she had saved, and about 20 Bibles, most of them destroyed. A makeshift memorial with her high school photo and red roses was set up near the small vegetable garden she had tended.

Despite the ongoing investigation, no suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. The case grew cold, with investigators acknowledging years later that they had reached a dead end. For Paymela's family, the lack of justice has been a heavy burden. Her daughter, Myle Garcia, has expressed that closure will never come without justice but finds some peace in the belief that, whether through law enforcement or a higher power, justice will eventually be served. The family's grief has been compounded by the violent nature of her death and the unanswered questions that still surround it.

In December 2009, family, friends, and members of the Kitsap Interfaith Network gathered at the site of her burned-out home for a "Moment of Blessing." The ceremony, which included prayers and singing, was intended to reclaim the space from the violence that had occurred there and provide a measure of healing for the community and her loved ones. A memorial service to celebrate Paymela's life was held on November 8, 2009, at the Sons of Norway lodge in Poulsbo, where she had worked.

As of the latest reports, the murder of Paymela Faye Long remains unsolved. The investigation is at a standstill, leaving her family waiting for answers. A reward of $1,000 is offered by CrimeStoppers of Puget Sound for information that leads to charges in her death, with a separate $10,000 reward for information leading to charges against the person responsible for the arson. Anyone with information about the case is urged to call CrimeStoppers of Puget Sound at (800) 222-TIPS.