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Case Breakdown
The facts of Hannahs case are detailed in the public records. We want to share what we know with the hope that more information is brought to light.
We don't know what happened to Hannah. We don't know if it was premeditated murder, an accidental killing, or even a simple accident. What we do know is that there are enough facts and questionable details to label it a suspicious death that needs to be thoroughly investigated.
Hannah was out of town with Jeremy G. (age 67) in Trout Lake, WA. Hannah was still shaken from a domestic violence incident that had taken place less than a week before. (read more about that below) Hannah went for a swim in the creek and never came back. Hours passed and Jeremy called the police who came and found her lifeless body floating naked in the creek.
All records
show that Hannah was barefoot and no shoes were recovered.
Her swimsuit
was found on the shore next to boot prints.
DNA was found under both sets of fingernails from an unidentified person. A sexual assault kit found semen in the vaginal canal.
No suspects were asked to provide DNA.
Three days after Hannah's death Hannah's mother still didn't know where she was or what had happened. On Saturday, 3 days after Hannah's death her mom contacted Klickitat County requesting a welfare check on Hannah. One hour later police showed up at her mothers door to deliver the tragic news.
Hannah's autopsy didn't take place until 9 days after her death. Lab results determined that there was alcohol in her system but experts agree that the levels are likely inaccurate because tests weren't run immediately the body produces alcohol during normal decomposition after death.
The only drugs
found in Hannah's system were the medications she was prescribed, and the levels matched her prescribed dosage
There are inconsistencies in the evidence logs
Postmortem blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels cannot be used to determine the level of intoxication at the time of death. High BAC levels may develop during putrefaction and levels up to 0.200% do not necessarily indicate that alcohol was imbibed before death. In addition, BAC levels may be influenced by the body's own metabolism and other environmental factors. As such, the results of a postmortem BAC test should not be used as a definitive indicator of whether or not alcohol was a factor in Hannah's death.
Jeremy's
car was never
searched.
The Klickitat County Sheriff's office moved the case from "active" to "inactive". They have made little effort to continue communications with Hannah's family. The family felt forced to hire a lawyer and were only then able to acquire the public records associated with Hannah's death. We have used those records to outline the time line of Hannah's death and subsequent days, here.
Officials
questioning of Jeremy was very limited.
As far as we know Jeremy was never officially named a suspect. However, through some recent digging into the public records of this case, we found out that Jeremy was asked to take polygraph but he refused upon advice of council.
They
didn't request to search his cabin, collect any physical evidence from him, or perform any sort of physical examination of him.
Jeremy
did not contact Hannah's family after
her death
None of
her physical possessions were ever collected or recovered from Jeremy's cabin.
Why weren't there any warrents issued to collect DNA?
What is the cause of death?
Why did it take so long to have the body autopsied?
Why did
Klickitat stop investigating Hannah's case?
Why did Jeremy refuse to take a polygraph?
The phone # for Hannah that Jeremy gave police was not the same her family had.
Why was Jeremy asked to take a polygraph?
What happened to the evidence collected at the scene?
Why was Jeremy wearing Hannah's hoodie that night?
The Week Before Hannah's Death
Less than a week before Hannah's untimely death, Ricky (Hannah's ex) was incarcerated for domestic violence following a heated argument between the two. Richard (aka Ricky) was booked into the Multnomah County Jail in Portland, but because Hannah did not follow up with the District Attorney's Office, Ricky was released from jail without being charged on Monday October 10th, 2022.
Detective Neher details in his report that he looked into the the domestic violence dispute between Hannah and Ricky and noted: "I found in some of the other reports that Hannah and Richard had other domestic disturbances between each other." In his report he says that he called Ricky to verify his whereabouts the night of Hannah's death. Ricky said he was released from jail Monday and that he worked his usual shift on Wednesday night.
Multnomah County District Attorney's Office Crime Sheet Facts
The week leading up to Hannah's death was undoubtedly fraught with emotional strain. Ricky's release from jail marked a turning point that coincided with Hannah's decision to leave town. Seeking solace away from the tumultuous circumstances, she found herself in the company of another man, Jeremy G., near Trout Lake.
Deputy Report
Ricky's Alibi was confirmed by detective Neher on March 9th, five months later.
We assume the typo at the end of the first sentence should read "where Hannah Walker was found decease." not "Sarah Walker". Sarah, is Hannah's mother and she is very much alive. She has spoken with detective Neher on multiple occasions. He details some of their correspondence in his reports.
The Day Before Hannah Died
On October 11, 2022 Hannah texts with her mom, telling her that she is really shaken up about everything that happened with Ricky. She tells her mom that tomorrow she plans to head to the cabin (aka Jeremy's vacation home in Lake Trout WA). She talks about the plans she has for when she gets back to Portland and they briefly discuss Thanksgiving. Hannah usually shared her location with her mom incase of emergencies but she turned it off the day before her death.
Body-cam Footage Transcript from the night Hannah died
The day of Hannah's death she was talking with her mom,
letting her know she was heading to the creek. Hannah leaves
some of her things at the cabin and then her and Jeremy head
to the creek. (None of her physical possessions were ever collected or recovered from Jeremy's cabin.)
The Day Hannah Died
The time Hannah and Jeremy get to the creek isn't quite clear. All there is to go on is what Jeremy told the deputy the night she died. In the body cam footage deputy Warren asks Jeremy what time he last saw Hannah, he replies "It's difficult for me to recall exactly. But I remember looking at my, uh, at the time because I wanted to make sure that I didn't to stay in the sun too long. I remember I come here, I checked the time but I think I was here for a little while before I checked the time and now I can't remember I think that maybe she had just left, but it was somewhere around at the time. I recall it was 3:38. So somewhere between 3:38 and 4:00, I guess, somewhere right around 3:30 or 4." The deputy asks him what time did they come out here? Jeremy replies "Uh, I think we left, uh, Trout Lake about must have been like 2:40"
Jeremy and Hannah park the car, and walk down to the creek. They laid out a sheet on the shore to sit on and then according to Jeremy, Hannah decided to go for a swim and never came back. What time did she exactly go in the water isn't 100% clear. Jeremy said two conflicting statements - one, that they sat there for awhile, and two, that Hannah went in immediately after they got there.
Hannah's swimsuit was found on the shore not far from the sheet. In the first coroner's report it says that that "Hannah went around the bend for privacy" she removed her swimsuit and went skinny dipping. People close to Hannah find this piece of information troubling for multiple reasons. One, because Hannah wasn't a bashful person; if she wanted to go skinny dipping she wouldn't feel the need to hide it from anyone. Two, how did the coroner know that Hannah went around the bend? Jeremy was the only one there. He must have told them that Hannah did that but he doesn't give that information to the deputy at the scene or to the 911 operator.
In the 911 call Jeremy says "I came back to the car. I waited around for a while. I left the towel and the sheet we were sitting on, and her cellphone on there because I wanted, I thought if she did, perhaps if she did actually show up, that she would be able to call somebody. But I’m back at the car now. She’s not there (the car) either."
Coroner's Report Via Email to Hannah's Mom
Hannah, was by all accounts a strong swimmer and athlete. She loved swimming and did so regularly. In the 911 call Jeremy says "she’s a really strong swimmer so I expected, I wasn’t really worried about her for at least an hour or so and then she just never showed up. I started to go 'god damn it! She just left me here! She just left me and stranded me here!' And she never came back and now I’m really freaking worried now."
After waiting for hours, Jeremy calls the police at 6:48 pm to report Hannah missing. The operator asks Jeremy to describe his address. After it is determined that he is at Trout Creek road she asks what the problem is. Jeremy says: "I came here with a friend of mine. And uh she’s a great swimmer. We went down to the, she wanted to go swimming so went down to" Operator: "sir! What is going on right now that you’ve called 911?" Jeremy: "she’s lost! She’s not come back." Operator: "so we've got a missing persons. okay!"
The operator asks for Hannah's phone number... Jeremy says: "uh I can find it out if you like me uh uh it’s like- she doesn’t have her phone right now so it doesn’t really matter. Want me to look it up? I can look it up for you" and then he gives the operator a number that Hannah's family didn't have.
When deputy Warren arrives, Jeremy is waiting by his running car with the headlights on. It is now dark.
Jeremy attempts to lead the deputy to the beach where he left Hannah's belongings, mentioning he left them in case she came back. They took a wrong turn and got lost for a little while but eventually they find the beach. The officer sends out the coordinates of the beach to search and rescue. Jeremy continues to lead the officer down the path. The deputy spots a swimsuit next to the tall grass. Jeremy said "I mean, today I was just here like in earlier today and I didn't see that, but of course, I- I just couldn't miss it but it just- it's hard to see if it has been here and it's really dark. It looks sort of like it though" The deputy says "I mean, it's clean so it hasn't been here for a day and got covered in dust. Let me look around for any footprints or anything." Jeremy says that it is hard for him to tell if it is Hannah's swimsuit because the color looks different. It was in fact Hannah's swimsuit. Boot prints were photographed at the scene next to Hannah's swimsuit. All accounts show that Hannah was barefoot and no shoes were recovered at the scene.
The deputy tells Jeremy he is going to go on downstream and gives him the option to go with him, wait there or leave. Jeremy begins to become very distressed and says "i should've called earlier, but it wouldn't have made a difference". He tells the deputy he wants to leave because he is cold. The deputy asks another officer to assist and then heads downstream where shortly after, he discovers her body.
Hannah's lifeless body is found floating naked in shallow water (about two feet deep) near the place she was last seen. Deputy Warren noted the river was approximately 40 feet across and only 4-5 feet deep at it's deepest areas. Deputy noted the water was not fast moving. The deputy asks Jeremy a couple of questions before letting him leave, requesting another Officer to help him to his car. They don't ask to see inside his car.
After Jeremy leaves, the Klickitat County Search and Rescue team coordinate with deputy Warren to assist in recovering the body from the water. Hannah was found with contusions, abrasions and bruises. She did not have a head injury.
Notifying Next of Kin
Hannah's mother, deeply concerned about her daughter's well-being, reached out to the victim advocate assigned to the ongoing domestic violence case in Portland, on Friday the 14th. Unfortunately, the advocate had not heard from Hannah and was unsuccessful in attempts to contact her. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the advocate advised Hannah's mother to contact Klickitat County for further assistance.
On Saturday, October 15, 2022, Hannah's mother, increasingly worried by her daughter's prolonged silence, took the initiative to call Klickitat County dispatch, requesting a welfare check on Hannah. Explaining that she hadn't heard from her daughter in several days and expressing her concerns, she disclosed the details of the recent domestic violence incident Hannah had endured. Though unsure of Hannah's precise location, she mentioned the possibility of her being at her friend Jeremy's cabin in Trout Lake. The dispatch officer assured her they would look into the matter.
One hour later, local St. George, Utah officials arrived at Hannah's mother's door, delivering the devastating news that Hannah had passed away three days earlier.
The Investigation
Hannah's family was told, due to the suspicious nature of Hannah's death, the family was not permitted to identify the body until the autopsy was complete. When Hannah's mother sought the autopsy report, she was informed that the sheriff's office was still awaiting the lab results. However, it later came to light that the lab results had already been completed. These crucial reports contained significant details, including the presence of an unknown individuals DNA under both sets of Hannah's fingernails, as well as semen found on the vaginal canal.
To add to the family's distress, they have yet to receive any of Hannah's belongings. Although items discovered at the crime scene were acknowledged in the authorities' reports, they remain unaccounted for. Other personal belongings not present at the crime scene were identified, and Hannah's mother requested that they be held at the Sheriff's office for safekeeping until she could make arrangements to retrieve them. Regrettably, her repeated attempts to access these belongings have gone unanswered, impeding the family's ability to fully understand the circumstances surrounding Hannah's death and raising concerns about the preservation of crucial evidence.
Initially, Hannah's family patiently awaited updates from the authorities, hopeful that the case would be thoroughly investigated. The Sheriff told them to trust that they are doing a thorough investigation and it was a high priority. They persistently sought information, even meeting with the Sheriff in person to express their questions and concerns. However, it was only after seeking legal counsel that they finally obtained the entirety of the public records associated with the case. The records contained crucial information that had been previously withheld. For instance, the 911 call. During the 911 call Jeremy reluctantly gives the operator Hannah's phone number, but it's not the phone number Hannah's mom uses to communicate with her. Hannah's family asked detective Timothy Neher if he could find out anything about that phone number, like who paid for it, if it was even registered to Hannah and if the phone found at the scene was connected to that number. The Walker family requested that the phone be forensically analyzed. They never received any information about the phone found at the scene.
Recently, a report dated January 31, 2023, surfaced, indicating that at the request of Sheriff Songer, a detective had contacted Jeremy G to request his cooperation in the ongoing investigation into Hannah Walker's death.
Jeremy G responded by stating, "On the advice of counsel, I will not take a polygraph test at this time."
The autopsy report says that Hannah's lungs were on the heavy side suggesting that she inhaled water. The autopsy says submersion in water complicated by ethanol but that's troubling troubling because they did not find any evidence of alcohol consumption at the scene. Jeremy did not mention that she had been drinking or had any difficulty with the trail. Significant time would have elapsed from the time she was at the cabin until they reached the beach if she was drinking there . Moreover, the human body produces alcohol postmortem. Experts agree that BAC levels taken tested after death cannot determine the level of intoxication at the time of death. Furthermore, Hannah's autopsy didn't take place until 9 days after she died. Autopsies should be preformed within 5 days of death unless the coroner obtains an order from the superior court extending the time. No such order has been found for Hannah's case. Submersion is defined differently than drowning. Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment ,whereas submersion is the airway is below the surface of the liquid. The toxicology report showed that Hannah's had prescription drugs in her system but that the levels were consistent with the dose her doctor prescribed her.
The status of the investigation is now "inactive". We need people to email Klickitat County Sheriff's office and request that they thoroughly investigate this case. We also urge people to submit public records request forms. We have information on how to do that on our Support Page. There, you will also find the link to the GoFund me account set up for Hannah's family. Her family has scraped together everything they have to hire lawyers and PR people to help them seek answers. Any little bit people can donate helps.
We will continue to closely monitor the progress of the case and provide updates as new information emerges.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any additional information.
