Detectives Search Tacoma Home Of Missing Woman's Ex-Boyfriend

TACOMA, WA — Pierce County detectives served a search warrant Tuesday at the Tacoma home of an ex-boyfriend linked to Kassanndra Cantrell, 33, a Parkland woman who went missing one week ago.

The sheriff's department published a bulletin on Friday, three days after Cantrell reportedly drove away from her parents' home in a white Mazda. Deputies found Cantrell's car near the Tacoma Dome late Friday night.

Detective Ed Troyer, the sheriff's department spokesman, talked to reporters outside a home near South K Street and 35th Street Tuesday morning.

"At this point, we have not found her," Troyer said. "She is still missing under highly suspicious circumstances. We're continuing to do multiple searches. We have other searches going on right now, as we speak, in different parts of the county."

Troyer did not elaborate on where the other searches were taking place. Investigators said the house where the search warrant was served belonged to an ex-boyfriend of Cantrell.

"From what we understand, depending on who you talk to, it's been an ex-boyfriend for quite some time," Troyer said. "The information that led us here is that we did develop some new information that they may have been around each other recently, and it wasn't just an ex-boyfriend from many years ago."

Troyer said the man who lives at the house has not been detained or arrested, but will not be allowed to return to the house until after the search warrant is complete. A truck at the home was removed from the scene to be processed for evidence.

Members of the FBI were also present at the scene. Troyer said the agents were there by request and provided detectives with additional resources and forensic equipment.

The ex-boyfriend has not been formally named as a suspect, and Troyer did not disclose whether any potential evidence was recovered from the property.

Teams of investigators are working throughout the county, diving into backgrounds and records to establish a firm timeline of events. That work includes verifying whether Cantrell was pregnant, as previously reported.

"We know people told us that she was pregnant, and she said she was pregnant, and we're actually waiting for the confirmation on that medically, and trying to determine if that was actually the case," Troyer said. "If she was pregnant, it probably would have been an early pregnancy, and we still have to go through that and straighten out the timeline on that as well."

While detectives are hoping for the best, they are investigating the disappearance as a homicide unless something comes to light that would indicate otherwise.

"Some of the things that we've done at first, and what we're doing now so quickly, is because if she is still alive, we want to find her," Troyer said. "I hope that day comes, but as you can see by the kind of work going on here, the probability of that coming to light isn't strong. There's always a miracle, and we're hoping for that."