Washington State Patrol and the City of Twin Falls Police Department are asking for assistance with a cold case that began more than 20 years ago.
On May 14, 1991 there was a deadly vehicle collision on U.S. Interstate 5 near Kalama, Wash., when a semi truck ran into the back of another semi truck, causing an explosion that killed two people. The driver was identified as Lester Harvel, who was 26 years old at the time of the incident. However, there was also a young woman with Harvel who detectives from both Washington and Idaho are hoping to identify.
The relationship between the driver and the unidentified woman is unknown at this time. However, witnesses reported to Washington State Patrol detectives that the female may have caught a ride from Harvel in Twin Falls, and that she was possibly riding with him for a couple of days prior to the collision. Detectives were able to reconstruct the driver's route, which confirmed the Harvel did pass through Magic Valley on U.S. Interstate 84.
The investigation gained a new lead earlier this year when Washington State Patrol exhumed the body of the young woman and produced artist renderings that reconstructed what the woman may have looked like at the time of her death. The woman was described by witnesses and in autopsy reports as possibly being Native American and was wearing a unique feather earring.
The Twin Falls Police Department is asking anyone who may recognize the woman in the artist renderings, or who may have information on the case, to contact the City of Twin Falls non-emergency number at 208-735-4357.