McCleary, Washington. It only took 10-year-old Lindsey Baum 10 minutes to walk between her house in McCleary and her best friend’s house, and it’s something she frequently did.
On June 26th, 2009, Lindsey stepped outside of her best friend’s house and into the summer night, ready to make the quick trip back to her own house.
10 minutes later, Lindsey should have gotten home, but she didn’t arrive. At around 10 p.m. that night, she vanished into the dark.
Lindsey’s mom Melissa immediately called the local police department to report Lindsey as missing, and authorities began going from home to home in the community, searching high and low for her.
Although tips poured in regarding Lindsey’s disappearance, there simply was no actual evidence leading to where she had gone.
There were no answers, no real leads, no signs of the little girl who was on her way back from her best friend’s.
Facebook; pictured above is Lindsey
8 years after Lindsey disappeared, some of her skeletal remains were found in Kittitas County, deep in the woods.
“An initial area search was done after the remains were found in the Fall of 2017, just prior to the first snowfall,” the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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Authorities had to wait until May of 2018 to continue searching the area due to the amount of snow built up.
Facebook; pictured above is another photo of Lindsey
“Undersheriff Myers described the search area, located about 20 miles West of Ellensburg, as steep, heavily timbered with large cliffs and deep ravines,” the statement continued.
DNA testing was ultimately what connected the remains found in the woods to Lindsey.
Although the coroner noted in a report that her manner of death was clearly a homicide, her cause of death was undetermined.
Facebook; pictured above Lindsey smiles
Lindsey’s family was no closer to having answers following the discovery of her remains, but recently it seems that might all change after all these years.
The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying they arrested a man in connection with the 2003 kidnapping and sexual assault of a 17-year-old that had gone cold.
Authorities had DNA from the crime, and they were able to use genealogy testing to lead them to a man named Paul Beiker.
Facebook; Lindsey is pictured above with her backpack, dressed for school
“Investigators learned that Paul Beiker lived in McCleary in 2003 at a residence not far from the victim’s residence,” the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office said.
“They also were able to identify more circumstantial evidence that linked Beiker to the crime. GHSO Chief Wallace and Det. Sgt. Logan surveilled Beiker and obtained his DNA from a discarded item.”
“The item with Beiker’s DNA was submitted to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for comparison and it was determined that it was a match of the suspect in the 2003 sexual assault.”
“Beiker was contacted by investigators in McCleary, Washington on 06-15-21 and taken into custody.”
Facebook; pictured above is the statement from the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office announcing they have a suspect in Lindsey’s case
Although Paul has not been charged in connection with Lindsey’s kidnapping and disappearance, authorities suspect he could have something to do with what happened to her.
“The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the case.”
“Due to the nature and circumstances of the crime investigators are also looking into the kidnapping and murder case of Lindsey Baum who went missing on June 26th, 2009 in the city of McCleary.”
Facebook; pictured above is Lindsey in her last Christmas photo ever taken
Lindsey’s family is offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to the person or people responsible for Lindsey’s murder.
If you have any information on Lindsey’s case, you can contact the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office at 360.964.1799.
You can also reach out to Rose Winquist, the private investigator Lindsey’s family hired, at 206.229.5055.
Facebook; pictured above is a post from Lindsey’s mom after authorities announced they had a suspect in her case