MACKENZIE COWELL - 17 yo (2010) - Orondo (mid-state; Hwy 2 & 97 Junction) WA

WENATCHEE, Wash. - It was a celebration of love and life Thursday
for Mackenzie Cowell, a Wenatchee teen found murdered 11 days ago.
At a memorial service for Cowell, family and friends released
hundreds of pink and purple balloons into the sky as they struggled to
let their loved one go.
"She was a beautiful, wonderful person," said Becky Burt, a friend
from the beauty school they both attended. "She always made me smile."
Mackenzie disappeared on Feb. 9 after leaving her beauty school. Her
body was found five days later along the Columbia River. Her killer
remains on the loose. Authorities say, at this point, they have no
suspects.
Mackenzie was remembered as a bright, energetic girl who endured
heartless teasing through much of her adolescence because of an
underbite. She persevered, however, eventually becoming prom queen. But
there is still so much left that she will never do.
"There will never be a walk down the aisle, a cutting of a cake ...
the pain of labor," said Rev. Sandy Brown. "We are here today because
somebody stole her life. But we are also here because no one can steal
our memories of her."
Nearly 2,000 people attended the service at Wenatchee's Town Toyota
Center. Mackenzie's brother, Trevor Cowell, made the family's first
public statement since her disappearance and murder.
"It's incredible. It meant the world to me because we all loved her.
And that's what this all shows is how much everybody loves her," said
Trevor.
One of Mackenzie's first real loves was dance. She became part of
the Wenatchee High School dance team. Her teammates performed in her
honor at the memorial service.
"Even though she is gone, I know she'll be dancing with us in heaven," said Hanah Rasmussen, Mackenzie's best friend.
Two funds have been established. To help the family pay for funeral
expenses, people can contribute to the Mackenzie Cowell Family Fund at
Wells Fargo branches. To contribute to a reward fund, donations can be
made to the Mackenzie Cowell Benefit Trust at Bank of America branches.
The reward fund currently stands at $5,800.

WENATCHEE — Investigators determined Mackenzie Cowell
may have been at the Wenatchee Riverfront Park boat ramp at the edge of
Orondo Street shortly before she went missing.
It is believed she went to the boat ramp after leaving her place of work, the Wenatchee Academy of Hair Design on Feb. 9.

The 17-year-old Orondo teen was found dead along the Columbia River in Crescent Bar Feb. 13, by passersby.

“Investigators
canvassed the area looking for evidence and talking to citizens in the
area,” according to the Cowell Homicide Task Force. “It is not known
why she was there or who she may have met.”

Authorities are
asking anyone who may have been in the area of the boat ramp, lawn,
parking lot or bike path on Feb. 9, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to call
509-663-9911 if it is believed someone saw her or her vehicle.
The task force continues to look for her cellphone.

“It was not
in her vehicle at the end of Pitcher Canyon nor on her person at
Crescent Bar,” the task force notes. “Her phone was an LG EnV2. If
anyone has found or has seen a phone of this type that may be related
to this case, please call the tip line.”

Investigators have no suspects.

“Rumors
that a suspect is in custody or we have developed enough information to
identify a person of interest are not true,” the task force reports.
“There are no persons of interest or suspects identified at this time.”

The
Cowell family established a reward fund for information leading to the
prosecution of the person or people involved in the girl’s homicide.
The reward is $5,800.

WENATCHEE, Wash. -- The family of a 17-year-old girl found dead earlier
this month is offering a $6,075 reward for information leading to the
arrest and prosecution of the person responsible for her death.

Mackenzie Cowell was found dead along the Columbia River on Feb. 13, four days after she was last seen alive.

Investigators have ruled the death a homicide, but the exact manner of death has not been released.

Detectives
have determined the teen was likely at the Wenatchee Riverfront Park
boat ramp area the day she disappeared. They said Cowell was likely at
the park shortly after leaving the Academy of Hair Design on Feb. 9. It
is not known why she was at the park, or whether she met anyone there.

Wenatchee
police officials said detectives have followed up on hundreds tips in
the case, but so far no suspects or persons of interest have been
identified.

Police are also looking for Cowell's cell phone, a red LG Envy, which may provide crucial clues.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact authorities immediately.

Investigators
with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Chelan County Sheriff's
Office, Wenatchee Police Department, East Wenatchee Police Department,
Washington State Patrol and the FBI are all working on the case.

WENATCHEE, Wash. — The reward to help find the killer of a 17-year-old Wenatchee High School girl is now up to $40,000.
Investigators are asking the public for more tips about the final
days of Mackenzie Cowell whose body was found Feb. 13 along the
Columbia River at Crescent Bar. Her cell phone, an LG EnV2, is still
missing.
Cowell was last seen on Feb. 9 leaving a beauty school class in Wenatchee.

Authorities say a central Washington high school student whose body
was found along the Columbia River four days after she went missing was
killed by manual strangulation and a stab wound to the neck.The
death certificate from the Chelan-Douglas Health District says an
autopsy found that blunt impact to the head was also a significant
factor in Mackenzie Cowell's death.The 17-year-old was last seen
Feb. 9 leaving a beauty school class in Wenatchee. Her locked car was
found that night about 15 miles away with her purse still inside but her
debit card missing.An FBI child abduction team joined sheriff's
deputies and Wenatchee police during the search last month. Authorities
are looking for Cowell's killer.

The reward for information to help catch the killer of a 17-year-old
Wenatchee High School student is now up to $47,000.
A task force of police and Douglas and Chelan sheriff's deputies says
they have checked more than 400 leads and conducted more than 700
interviews, but they could use more tips in the death of MacKenzie
Cowell.
She left a beauty school class in Wenatchee Feb. 9. Her body was
found four days later along the Columbia River at Crescent Bar. she had
been hit on the head, strangled and stabbed in the neck.

Wenatchee police released new
information Thursday about key evidence in the case of 17-year-old
Mackenzie Nicole Cowell whose body was found on a beach in February.Police
released photographs of a knife set that includes the same kind of
knife used in the homicide. Wenatchee police spokesman Captain Doug Jones said that knife was
only sold as part of a sportsman cutlery set.Jones said within
the Wenatchee area, the set was only sold at Stan’s Merry Mart on South
Wenatchee Avenue within the last two years. Two sets were also given
away at 5-T’s Restaurant and Lounge in east Wenatchee as a pull tab
prize, police said.The owners of the lounge said no one can
recall who the winners were.The set is manufactured by Maxum and
has a unique black and grey handle.“We're not going to disclose
exactly which knife was used, that's something we're holding back, but
we're absolutely certain that it is from that set and specifically, that
handle is what's unique," Jones said.The task force met last
week with investigators from multiple agencies and decided to release
the information, police said. “We're asking anyone who may know
someone with this knife set, who may have seen this set in someone's
house -- have any information about this knife set whatsoever. Maybe
they have the set and they're missing a knife and they don't know where
it went y'know, and we can follow that back," Jones said.Anyone
with information about the knife set is asked to contact the Cowell
Homicide Task Force through the Rivercom tip line at 509-663-9911.Crime
Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $7,000 for information leading
to an arrest and the filing of criminal charges in the case. Anyone with
information is asked to call 509-888-4280.The Mackenzie Cowell
Benefit Trust Fund & Wenatchee Valley Citizens Against Crime Pledges
is also offering a reward.Those who wish to qualify for that
reward must call the RiverCom Tip line at 509-663-9911 (24hr line). If
the information provided leads to the arrest and prosecution of the
person or persons responsible for Mackenzie’s homicide, a reward of up
to $47,000 will be paid to the informant.

The website for America’s Most Wanted this week features the Mackenzie Cowell murder, with the headline, “Missing teen’s case has tragic conclusion”.



Cowell, 17, was last seen Feb. 9 in Wenatchee and her car was found
abandoned up Pitcher Canyon in the Squilchuck area later that day. Her
body was found Feb. 13 near the riverbank at Crescent Bar. Her death
certificate stated she had been strangled and stabbed in the neck. Blunt
impact to the head also significantly contributed to her death.
Officials have said she was not sexually assaulted and they have no
suspects.

Wenatchee Police announced Wednesday the arrest of a suspect in the case of teen found murdered in February.Mackenzie Cowell, 17, was last seen alive on February 9 in Wenatchee, at the Academy of Hair Design. Her body was found at Crescent Bar on February 13.Wenatchee Police arrested Christopher Scott Wilson, 29, of Wenatchee, and booked him into the Chelan County Jail for second-degree murder charges.Cowell was a student at the Academy of Hair Design. Investigators say Wilson also attended the Academy of Hair Design and left the facility around the same time as Cowell on February 9.Police say Wilson, along with other students, gave a voluntary DNA sample during the investigation. The sample was analyzed at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab in Cheney, where it was determined that Wilson's DNA was tied to DNA found on a piece of duct tape recovered where Cowell's body was found.Cowell's blood was also found on the piece of duct tape. Investigators have served several search warrants and are continuing to interview potential witnesses for further information. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the River Com Dispatch Center at 509-663-9911.

Unknown male DNA amongst Cowell evidence


Investigators also left trace cells on knife from crime scene


WENATCHEE — DNA testing on evidence in the Mackenzie Cowell murder investigation found genetic material from at least one unidentified male other than defendant Christopher Scott Wilson, his attorney says.
Defense attorney Keith Howard also says DNA from a local sheriff’s deputy and a State Patrol fingerprint analyst was on the handle of a knife found with Cowell’s body — but not that of Wilson, charged with killing the 17-year-old last February.



Mackenzie Cowell




Christopher Scott Wilson

Related stories


Read more of The Wenatchee World's coverage of the Mackenzie Cowell case here.

In an affidavit filed Thursday in Chelan County Superior Court, Howard cites reports from the Washington State Crime Lab in Cheney, which processed evidence in the teen’s disappearance and death. Cowell went missing Feb. 9 in Wenatchee; her body was found Feb. 13 at Crescent Bar. Wilson, 30, was arrested in October and now awaits trial for second-degree murder.
Howard filed the papers seeking court approval to hire a forensic lab to review the state lab’s work in the investigation. Judge John Bridges approved the motion Thursday, authorizing up to $10,000 in public money to hire DNA Diagnostics Center of Fairfield, Ohio.
Evidence considered in the crime lab analysis included a length of duct tape; a knife police said was found at the Crescent Bar scene; and swabs used to collect genetic material from the interior of Cowell’s car, found abandoned in Pitcher Canyon after her disappearance. Among the crime lab’s findings, as cited in Howard’s affidavit:
◆ The DNA of at least two males, one of them matching the profile of Wilson’s DNA, was found on the duct tape. The other male subject is not identified in the filing.
◆ Genetic material from at least three males was found on the knife handle. DNA testing excluded Wilson as a contributor, meaning genetic material matching his was not detected. One of the other two contributors was a latent-fingerprint analyst with the Washington State Patrol. “The crime lab also found that a Chelan County Sheriff’s Office detective was a possible contributor” to the DNA found on the handle, the affidavit reads.
◆ Male DNA was found on the fingernails of Cowell’s left hand. It did not match Wilson’s profile.
◆ Swabs of the interior of Cowell’s car found DNA on the steering wheel from an unidentified male, labeled “Individual F” by lab investigators. It’s not clear whether “Individual F” was the same as the unknown person whose genetic material was present on the knife handle and duct tape. Again, Wilson’s DNA was not found on the steering-wheel swabs.
◆ Wilson’s friend Tessa Schuyleman, 22, was arrested Dec. 15 on suspicion of rendering criminal assistance to Wilson after Cowell’s death, but has not been charged. In a Dec. 22 finding, Schuyleman “was excluded as being a contributor of genetic material on all of the evidence submitted to the crime lab,” the affidavit states.
By phone Friday, Howard would not disclose the names of the investigators whose DNA appeared on the evidence. The lab reports themselves remain in evidence and can’t be disclosed outside of court, Howard said.
Wenatchee Police Capt. Doug Jones, spokesman for the multi-agency Mackenzie Cowell Task Force that arrested Wilson, was out of his office for the week, and fellow spokesman Sgt. John Kruse could not be reached for comment Friday.
Dr. Gary Schutler, DNA technical manager for the State Patrol’s crime lab division, would not comment on the Cowell case specifically, but said the agency keeps genetic information on its own investigators and researchers, in case their DNA winds up in evidentiary samples.
Human cells can be transferred to an object by simple touch, Schutler said, and as few as 20 to 30 cells may lead to a DNA trace appearing on evidence.
“It’s very easy to have your DNA transferred to an item through the analysis,” Schutler said. “So we train people to avoid it, but invariably, it does happen. It’s just the nature of having such a sensitive testing system.”
DNA collected from the site where Cowell’s body was found was tested using Y-STR profiling, which locates DNA sequences called short tandem repeats (STRs) found on the Y chromosome — the one that determines male gender. A Y-STR profile cannot uniquely identify an individual, but can be used to match genetic material to a statistical pool of male suspects.
“You have the same Y-STR haplotype as your father, as your grandfather, as your son, as your brother,” Schutler said.
Generally the Y-STR method can produce a profile that statistically matches one in 2,700 men. A white male has a 1 in 1,047 chance of sharing Wilson’s Y-STR profile, according to the affidavit.
Howard said DNA Diagnostics Center is a respected firm whose staff scientists have given court testimony around the country. They’ll be given access to photographs, notes, reports and raw data to review the Cheney lab’s test results.
“They will interpret that data and then see if additional testing needs to be done,” Howard said. “That’s the first step.”
Wilson’s trial is set to begin March 8; a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16.
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/jan/22/unknown-male-dna-amongst-cowell-evidence/

Christopher Wilson, first-degree murder charge

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/documents/2011/apr/12/christopher-wilson-first-degree-murder-charge/

Charging memorandum (Warning: graphic descriptions)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/documents/2011/apr/12/charging-memorandum/

Not-guilty plea, delay in Cowell murder trial
Monday, May 9, 2011

WENATCHEE — Christopher Scott Wilson again pleaded not guilty today to the murder of Mackenzie Cowell, as he was rearraigned on a charge of first-degree murder.

At the same Chelan County Superior Court hearing, the scheduled May 31 date for the start of his trial was canceled, with a new date yet to be assigned.

Wilson, 30, had been charged with second-degree murder in the 2010 death of Cowell, a 17-year-old Wenatchee High School senior and hairstyling student. Chelan County Prosecutor Gary Riesen entered the new charge April 12, saying the injuries inflicted during the murder pointed toward premeditation — one of the prerequisites for a first-degree murder charge.

In his court appearance, Wilson did not speak except to enter his plea and answer questions from Judge John Bridges about whether he understood the charge and his rights.

Wilson and Cowell were fellow students at the Academy of Hair Design in Wenatchee. He’s accused of murdering Cowell Feb. 9, 2010, in his Okanogan Avenue apartment.

Her body was discovered four days later on the banks of Crescent Bar; she had been strangled, bludgeoned in the head and stabbed in the neck.

Police say Cowell’s blood was found in the living-room carpet of Wilson’s apartment, and that a length of duct tape found near her body contained Cowell’s blood and genetic material matching Wilson’s paternal DNA type.

Riesen and Wilson’s attorney, Chelan County Public Defender Keith Howard, asked to strike the May 31 trial date and set a new date at a May 23 hearing.

Howard said disclosure of key documents to his office from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab has been slow: Two weeks ago he received “a pile of reports” from the lab that had been completed in October.

He also said in some instances he’s received the results of evidence testing, but not the supporting documents.

Those documents would be turned over to DNA Diagnostics Center of Fairfield, Ohio, the forensics lab hired by the public defender to assess investigators’ evidence.

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/may/09/not-guilty-plea-delay-in-cowell-murder-trial/

A new trial date ... in a new town?
Wilson’s lawyer suggests a change of venue to come
WENATCHEE — If a new timetable holds, Christopher Scott Wilson’s trial in the murder of Mackenzie Cowell may coincide with the second anniversary of her death.

And it may not take place in Wenatchee, his defense attorney said.

Lawyers on Monday agreed to set a new trial date of Jan. 31, 2012, and hold four weeks open for trial. Cowell, 17, vanished from downtown Wenatchee Feb. 9, 2010, and was found dead four days later.

In a phone interview last week, Wilson’s incoming defense attorney John Henry Browne said he may seek to hold the first-degree murder trial somewhere other than Chelan County Superior Court, seeking an unbiased juror pool.

“I’m not sure this case will stay in Wenatchee,” Browne said from his Seattle office, “because it may be a case where pretrial publicity would allow a change of venue, which is very rare.”

Under Washington law, either defense or prosecution may move to reassign a criminal trial to another court. The sitting Superior Court judge makes the final order for a new venue.

In NCW, the measure was most recently used in the murder case against Lacey Hirst-Pavek, whose 2010 trial in the killing of Michelle Kitterman was moved from Okanogan to the courtroom of Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss. Attorneys cited publicity involving the previous Okanogan County trials and convictions of Hirst-Pavek’s accomplices.

Hirst-Pavek was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder in Kitterman’s death, and first-degree manslaughter in the death of Kitterman’s unborn child. She is appealing the verdicts.

Cowell’s disappearance, the subsequent search and the discovery of her body sparked intense coverage by The Wenatchee World and other media from Seattle and Spokane, as well as online communities like Websleuths. Wilson’s October 2010 arrest, accompanied by police affidavits that painted him as obsessed “with death, dead bodies and serial killers,” brought further media scrutiny, plus even more input from online commenters.

“I rarely make those kind of motions,” Browne said of change-of-venue efforts, “but in this case, from what I’ve seen so far, I think we may be doing that.”

Browne was not in Chelan County court Monday. Wilson, 30, was instead represented by Browne’s associate Emma Scanlan. He surrendered his right to a speedy trial until March 1, 2012.

Chelan County Prosecutor Gary Riesen noted that both sides had previously reserved about two weeks for a trial. Scanlan told Judge John Bridges more time would be needed.

“Obviously, we’ve just entered the case, but on our preliminary review of the discovery materials, I was thinking maybe three to four weeks,” Scanlan said.

Wilson and Cowell were fellow students at the Academy of Hair Design in Wenatchee, where she was last seen the day of her disappearance. Wilson is accused of murdering Cowell in his Okanogan Avenue apartment; police say her blood was found in the living-room carpet.

A length of duct tape near her body, discovered at the shoreline of Crescent Bar, contained Cowell’s blood and genetic material matching Wilson’s paternal DNA type, according to police documents.

Wilson, who’s been held since his arrest on $1 million cash bail in the Chelan County Regional Justice Center, was represented by Chelan County Public Defender Keith Howard until May 18, when Browne entered his notice of appearance. The high-profile defense lawyer, who previously worked on behalf of Ted Bundy and several defendants in the discredited Wenatchee sex abuse cases of the 1990s, was retained by Wilson’s family.

Another preliminary hearing will be held Sept. 28.

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/jun/06/a-new-trial-date-in-a-new-town-wilsons-lawyer/