Woman identified after remains found near Seattle encampment

Woman identified after remains found in suitcase at Seattle encampment

A friend of Shannon Reeder is speaking out after her body was found in a secluded area of a park near I-90 and I-5.

SEATTLE - A friend of Shannon Reeder is speaking out, after her body was found in a secluded area of a park near I-90 and I-5.

The Washington State Patrol says a crew was cleaning a wooded area near some encampments in Dr. Jose Rizal Park when they discovered the suitcase.

Shannon's long-time childhood friend, Caitlyn Andrews, says she has no idea why she would have been in that area, and has been searching for answers ever since.

Andrews lived in a household with brothers growing up, but found a sister in Shannon Reeder.

"I had a home where it was full of boys and baseball and sports, and we could go to her house, her mom's house, where it was quiet girl-time," said Caitlyn.

Although they weren't connected by blood, Caitlyn and Shannon were inseparable after meeting in 7th grade at Kings Middle School in Shoreline.

"Shannon was silly, spontaneous and carefree," she said. "A new lip gloss, new shoes and she was a happy girl."

At 15, Caitlyn says Shannon tragically lost her mother. She says Shannon's mom rolled her vehicle in a construction zone, and she was fatally injured in the crash.

"This was at Golden Gardens on her 15th birthday," said Shannon, pointing to a picture. "Her and her mom, that was their favorite beach."

In the picture below, Caitlyn shows off old photos of the two. Shannon went to live with her grandmother, and then her uncle after her grandma passed away. The tragedy brought the two girls even closer as Shannon often spent the night at Caitlyn's house.

"She was just another sister to my brothers and to my family, another daughter," said Caitlyn. "She was loved and known by many people."

After graduating, the two had their own children, keeping up mostly through social media. So, when Shannon failed to respond to birthday messages a few months ago, Caitlyn had a feeling something was wrong.

"We tried on Facebook, we tried on her cell phones," she said. "It’s hard to believe, it’s devastating."

A restoration crew found Shannon's remains near Dr. Jose Rizal Park, close to a number of encampments and what looked like a frequent dump site for trash.

Caitlyn says Shannon's aunt told her the awful news, that her body was found in a suitcase, and it was being investigated as a homicide.

"Everything with her has been trauma, trauma based. Kind of a fight or flight type of mode, due to her dad being out of her life, her mom passing," said Caitlyn.

She thanked investigators for the respect they gave Shannon.

"That was good, because we’ve just seen so much loss, so it’s nice for an officer to treat something like that with so much respect and dignity," said Caitlyn.

Caitlyn wants to make sure that Shannon is ultimately laid to rest alongside her mother and grandmother.

"Anything can happen at any time. You just want to keep everyone close, as close as you can," said Caitlyn.

If you have any information to help detectives on this case, submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers through the P3 Tips App or at P3tips.com. You can also call 1-800-222-TIPS. A $1,000 cash reward is offered for any tip that leads to an arrest.