BURLINGTON, Wash. - The remains unearthed in Bothell last week are Michael Powell, a man missing since the 1990s, detectives said.
Powell's family has suffered more than 20 years not having answers or closure, but deputies are hoping to close this cold case as they search for a person of interest.
For the first time since he disappeared, Powell's sister and niece have lost hope in seeing him alive again.
Frizzelle believed the story her dad had told her—that her brother Michael didn’t want anyone looking for him, and he ran off on his own.
While she still doesn't know what happened to her brother, Frizzelle and her 39 -year-old daughter Jennifer - who "gravitated" toward Powell as a girl - finally know where he is.
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Powell’s remains were unearthed behind a home in Bothell after a neighbor who knew the previous homeowners tipped off detectives. Frizzelle said she knows exactly why her brother would have been there.
“It’s Karen’s brother," she said, confirming detectives are looking for Powell's brother-in-law.
“There’s just so many pieces that aren’t connecting. I just wanna get to the bottom of it because I think it’s time," Frizzelle said.
Frizzelle and her daughter's closure won’t turn to peace they said, until detectives find Richard Nelson, the man who lived in the home where Powell's body was found.
So now they wait again, hoping it isn’t another 20 years before they have answers.
“I don’t know maybe it won’t feel so empty," Frizzelle said.
Police are asking for the public's help to locate 43-year-old Richard Nelson, who goes by Rick. He was last known to live in Bonney Lake and has ties to Pierce County. Nelson is 5’9” and weighs 185 pounds, with brown eyes and blonde hair or shaved head.
