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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cold-case team cracks 11-year-old mystery

Associated Press

YAMHILL, Ore. – A new cold case team has cracked its first case.

On Wednesday, Yamhill County District Attorney Brad Berry announced the Cold Case Investigation Team, made-up of retired law enforcement professionals, had cracked an 11-year-old mystery.

The remains of Cathy Melinda Geelan, who disappeared from her rural Yamhill home April 27, 1994, were found on property owned by Frank Geelan, whose son, Orville, was married to Cathy when she disappeared. A rusted and aged handgun was found near the remains.

Her death has been ruled a probable suicide, Berry said.

The team, which Yamhill County District Attorney Brad Berry organized last fall, first reviewed the sheriff’s office case file in January at the request of Sheriff Jack Crabtree.

“We have had investigators working this case off and on for 11 years,” Crabtree said.

Geelan was 36 when she was last seen the morning of April 27 by her husband, Orville, who reported her missing the next day. The couple and their son lived with his parents.

An exhaustive air and ground search of the area turned up no sign of her at the time.

“It was one of those cases where there was no clear-cut answer whether this was an abduction, murder, suicide, or if this was someone who just chose to leave in order to start a new life somewhere else,” Crabtree said. “We had reports of her being sighted in Texas,” he said.

Because his daughter-in-law had been missing for 11 years, Frank Geelan, 81, welcomed officials onto his 40-acre piece of rural Yamhill property to search for clues.

On Feb. 5, they discovered a bone and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab determined it was that of a human. A second search was scheduled with Geelan’s permission.

Crabtree said he believes Geelan might have committed suicide in a secluded area, and over the years, the remains have been scattered about by animals.