http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/wykel_robert.html

Robert J. Wykel


Above: Wykel, circa 1996


Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: February 21, 1996 from King County, Washington
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 66 years old
Height and Weight: 5'11, 225 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Wykel has a moustache. He wore a large-sized diamond ring on one of his fingers, in addition to other pieces of jewelry.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A large diamond ring and other jewelry.


Details of Disappearance

Wykel was last seen in King County, Washington on February 21, 1996. He had left home to buy a 1961 Thunderbird, but never arrived. He worked as a vintage and exotic automobile dealer at the time of his disappearance. Wykel often carried large sums of cash on his person due to his profession. He probably had such a sum of money on him when he vanished, as much as $5,000, since he was going to purchase a car. He usually traveled via public transportation to inspect and purchase vehicles.
Wykel's 1989 Mercedes Benz coupe was discovered abandoned at a Park-N-Ride in Burien, Washington on March 11, 1996, and was towed. There was no sign of him at the scene. A friend reported Wykel as a missing person to authorities two days later on March 13, 1996. He has never been heard from again.

Foul play is suspected in Wykel's case. His loved ones stated he enjoyed fishing, hunting and traveling in 1996.



Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
King County Sheriff's Office
206-296-7530



Source Information
King County Sheriff's Office
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The News Tribune



Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004.

Last updated January 19, 2006; details of disappearance updated.

Charley Project Home

http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...opic=7205&st=0&

Robert J. Wykel
Missing since February 21, 1996 from Burien, Pierce County, Washington
Classification: Endangered Missing



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Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: May 18, 1930
Age at Time of Disappearance: 66 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'11"; 205-225 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Short brown/blond hair with receding hairline; brown eyes.
Jewelry: Wykel is known to wear immense jewelry - specifically a 2.5-carat diamond ring set on a white-gold ring on his left hand.
AKA: Bob
Dentals: X-rays Available


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Circumstances of Disappearance
Wykel was last seen while shopping for a classic car in Pierce County, Washington on February 21, 1996.
Wykel was a dealer of vintage and exotic cars. He may have been carrying $5,000 in cash at the time.
Wykel told neighbors about a Thunderbird he might buy when they saw him last on February 21, 1996. Neighbors had gathered that night for their weekly poker game. Wykel was reported missing by a friend on March 13, 1996 because he had not been seen or heard from since February 21, 1996. The last confirmed sighting of Wykel was when he made a bid on a car at a Seattle auto auction, but didn't get the vehicle.
Mr. Wykel was known to travel via public transit to inspect or purchase vehicles and was known to carry several thousand dollars in cash on him.
Mr. Wykel's 1989 Mercedes Benz was discovered in a Burien Park N' Ride on March 11, 1996.

He may have left his car at the Park and Ride, which was typical if he planned to buy a car in the area. He would take the bus to the seller, buy the car and drive it home. But Wykel was also known to go far and wide for a car. So the police isn't discounting that he might have gone outside King County. It was unusual, however, for Wykel to leave for long without telling neighbors. And he would not have left his $30,000 car in a lot for weeks. Wykel would fly out to Illinois or California to buy a classic car, then drive it back to Burien.
Bob Wykel is a friendly, jolly man. He likes chatting up strangers, especially if he can talk about his two favorite subjects: cars and hunting. He looks younger than his age and acts younger still. Wykel hunted, fished and traveled, but his passion was restoring classic cars. He had been around the world in search of big-game trophies. He is known to frequent swap meets and garage sales to find a deal.
Wykel moved to the Seattle area several years before his disappearance. He had been a sheet-metal worker and owned a restaurant in Illinois. He had also worked on the Alaska pipeline.
Wykel never went very long without returning telephone calls to his children. At the time of his disappearance Wykel was planning a family reunion with his children.
There's been no activity on his bank accounts.
Foul play is suspected.



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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

King County Sheriff's Office
Major Crimes Unit
Detective Earl Tripp
206-296-7530
E-Mail

Agency Case Number: 96-082826

Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
King County Sheriff's Office
The Seattle Times - 2/28/00
The News Tribune - 2/26/00
Washington State Missing Persons



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Suspect Arrested In 13-Year-Old Cold Case
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 – updated: 6:05 pm PST February 4, 2009

SEATTLE -- A businessman missing for nearly 13 years is being called a case of murder and authorities have charged a Texas man with the crime on Wednesday, said King County prosecutors.

For 13 years, Robert James Wykel, 66, was considered a missing man. Wykel was a retired sheet-metal worker who supplemented his retirement purchasing, restoring then re-selling classic cars.

In 2003, Wykel was declared legally dead although his body was never found.

Now King County investigators allege 48-year-old Myron Wynn, also known as Myron Holdredge, killed him.

According to charging documents, Wykel was negotiating the purchase of a classic Thunderbird from someone and had withdrawn $5,200 from his bank account on Feb. 12, 1996.

Wykel then disappeared without a trace until his car was found in a Burien park and ride a month later.

Prosecutors said the last person to see him alive was Wynn, described by Wykel's friends as a “shady guy” who somehow inserted himself into Wykel's social circle.

The King County prosecutor’s office filed a charge of first-degree murder on Monday against Wynn.

Wynn was arrested Wednesday morning in Carrolton, Texas, by King County deputies. He is being held on $1 million bail in a Collin County jail and awaiting extradition to Washington.
Copyright 2009 by KIROTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18643420/detail.html

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6320353.html
Man pleads innocent to killing in 1996 in Burien
© 2009 The Associated Press
March 19, 2009, 12:56AM
Share Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzFacebookSEATTLE — A man arrested in Texas after being linked to a diamond has pleaded innocent to first-degree murder in the disappearance of a Seattle-area man in 1996.

The plea was entered Wednesday by 48-year-old Myron Wynn. Wynn was arrested Feb. 4 in Carrolton, Texas. He remains in the King County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

The case stems from the disappearance of 66-year-old Robert J. Wykel, a retired metal worker who restored classic cars. He vanished on Feb. 20, 1996, after arranging to sell Wynn a restored Ford Thunderbird.

Five years ago several women told investigators about a 1.3-carat diamond matching the description of one Wykel was known to wear. The diamond was traced to Wynn, who denied any wrongdoing and then vanished. Details of his arrest remain unclear.

___

Information from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, http://www.seattle-pi.com/

A break in the 1996 disappearance and likely slaying of a Burien man came after detectives were led to a suspect through a distinctive diamond once owned by the victim, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
Myron Clark Wynn was charged Monday with first-degree murder in King County Superior Court, and was arrested one day later in Texas. He is being held on $1 million bail pending extradition proceedings to return him to King County.
Robert Wykel, a 66-year-old retired sheet-metal worker and restaurant owner, disappeared in February 1996 after telling friends he was going to check out a vintage Thunderbird, according to court documents. Wykel supplemented his retirement income by restoring classic cars, charging papers said, and he withdrew $5,200 cash from the bank.
Wykel was never seen again.
His friends and daughter long suspected Wynn, a man who befriended Wykel over breakfast at a McDonald's restaurant in Burien. Wykel was last seen with him at Mother Nature's Acres, a resort in Thurston County owned by Wynn's sister, court documents said.
Wykel's car was found abandoned in a Burien park-and-ride lot.
King County sheriff's detectives reopened the case in 1999 and connected Wynn to the slaying through an old European-cut diamond, according to court documents. Wykel had a custom-designed ring with the distinctive diamond that he never removed, charging papers said.
Wynn's ex-girlfriend said he gave her a necklace with an unusual diamond as a gift in 1996, the same year Wykel disappeared, according to court documents.
The necklace was not packaged in a jewelry-store box. Wynn told her he found the stone at a bus stop in Burien, the same stop where Wykel's car was found abandoned, court documents said.
Wynn later took the stone back when they broke up and sold it to his aunt, according to charging papers.
Detectives recovered the diamond from Wynn's aunt and had it appraised, court documents said. The 1.28-carat diamond was worth $5,000 and had several chips and abrasions, according to the charging papers.
Wykel's daughter told detectives the ring would be banged up because her father wore it even when he was working on cars, according to the charging papers.
Court papers don't specify why it took so long to make an arrest in the case.
Wynn, who also goes by aliases Myron Holdredge Jr. and Michael C. Wynn, is being held in jail in Texas. According to prosecutors, he has prior convictions for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and misdemeanor assault.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ldcase04m.html

Diamond helps reopen murder case

Man charged in 1996 slaying

By LEVI PULKKINEN
P-I REPORTER


If prosecutors are correct, diamonds are no friends to Myron Wynn.
Then again, if prosecutors are correct, Myron Wynn was no friend to Bob Wykel, a 66-year-old man who disappeared from a Burien parking lot more than a decade ago.
Earlier this week, King County prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against Wynn, accusing him of killing Wykel during a robbery. Wykel disappeared Feb. 20, 1996. Key to solving the mystery, prosecutors say, was Wykel's constant companion -- an aged diamond ring.
"The detectives went back and looked at it and put together the circumstantial evidence to connect Wynn to Wykel," said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff to Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.
In court documents, detectives with the King County Sheriff's Office cold-case squad describe Wykel as a man who was enjoying his retirement after a career as a metal worker. A man with "no known illnesses or vices," Wykel supplemented his income by restoring classic cars.
It was in that business, police say, that Wykel met Wynn, offering a Ford Thunderbird for sale. Wynn was initially identified as the last person to see Wykel alive. Several witnesses told investigators they'd seen Wykel and Wynn at a Thurston County resort Wynn's family owned shortly before Wykel disappeared.
Detectives contacted Wynn several times, but Wynn left the state for Texas before a case could be made against him. During the investigation, Wynn called Wykel's daughter, saying he believed her father was on vacation and offered tips on how she might find him.
The case went cold in 1997, after the detective investigating Wykel's disappearance retired. Wykel's body was never found.
Detectives Jon Holland and Sue Peters reopened the investigation three years later.
According to court documents, several women connected to Wynn told detectives of a large diamond Wynn had come to have shortly after Wykel's disappearance. One of the woman eventually passed the diamond on to detectives, claiming she'd paid Wynn $2,000 for the stone.
The 1.3-carat diamond matched one held in a ring that Wykel "never took off," his family told investigators.
With the diamond in evidence, detectives confronted Wynn in 2004. According to court documents, Wynn continued to deny having any role in Wykel's disappearance but later disappeared himself after refusing to take a lie-detector test.
Goodhew said King County detectives planned to arrest Wynn after charges were quietly filed Monday.
But Wynn, who has used several aliases in the past, had fled the Texas home where he was thought to be staying and was not apprehended until Wednesday.
Wynn is being held in Texas pending extradition to Washington. Prosecutors have requested he be held on $1 million bail pending trial.


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...oldcase05.html

STILL NO WORD OF BURIEN MAN WHO DISAPPEARED LAST MONTH
POKER-PLAYING CAR COLLECTOR `DROPPED OFF FACE OF THE EARTH'
BY SCOTT SUNDE P-I Reporter
Friday, March 22, 1996
Section: News, Page: C1
On Feb. 21, Bob Wykel made the weekly poker game in a neighbor's basement and talked about buying an old Thunderbird he had heard about.

The next day Wykel, a 66-year-old with a zest for life, vanished. The only trace that has been found in the past month is his Mercedes coupe, which was towed from a Metro Park and Ride lot in Burien March 11.

``Basically he was last seen on the 21st of February. There's been no word since that time. There's been no activity on his bank accounts. No bills have been paid," said Detective Earl Tripp of the King County police.

``For the most part, he dropped off the face of the earth."

Police believe the worst may have happened to Wykel, who frequently carried several thousand dollars in cash to buy the expensive used cars that he would resell. He also wore a 2.5-carat diamond set on a white-gold ring on his left hand.

The neighbors and poker-playing buddies who noticed their friend was missing and alerted police haven't sat on their hands. Yesterday, they started distributing hundreds of missing-person fliers. Among other spots, they papered the Park and Ride lot at Fourth Avenue Southwest and 148th Street where Wykel's Mercedes was found.

``The whole neighborhood is very devastated," said John Ogdon, a neighbor. ``Everybody liked Bob."

``He's such a great guy," said Randy Tumelson, another neighbor.

Wykel's daughter drove in from suburban Chicago and helped to distribute fliers yesterday. Rebecca Lee is hoping for the best, but seems convinced that something must have happened to her father.

After all, he never went very long without returning telephone calls to her and her siblings. Besides, Wykel was planning a family reunion with his children in a few weeks.

``My dad wouldn't leave like this," Lee said yesterday outside the four-unit apartment building where Wykel lived on 11th Avenue Southwest. ``He wouldn't have left his car like that. And he wouldn't have not called us back."

Bob Wykel is a friendly, even jolly man.

He likes chatting up strangers, especially if he can talk about his two favorite subjects: cars and hunting.

He looks younger than his age and acts younger still, family and neighbors said. ``He had a spunk and attitude about him like he was 25," Ogdon said.

He also has a wide stubborn streak, his daughter said.

Neighbors say if someone tried to take his money or ring, they would be in for a fight.

``If you asked Bob for $5, he'd give it to you," Ogdon said. ``If you tried to take $5 from him, there's no way."

Wykel moved to the Seattle area several years ago. He had been a sheet-metal worker and owned a restaurant in Illinois. He had also worked on the Alaska pipeline.

Seattle was a perfect jumping-off spot for a man who loved to hunt. He had been around the world in search of big-game trophies, neighbors said.

He also dabbled in the car business, buying an older BMW or Mercedes, then smoothing out the dents and scratches for resale.

``Sometimes he had three or four Mercedes sitting around or a Mustang or an old Caddy," Ogdon said.

Wykel might just fly out to Illinois or California to buy a classic car, then drive it back to Burien. He deals in cash, figuring that he can get a better price that way, said Tripp, the police detective.

He is a man who likes haggling over a price as much as acquiring, his daughter said. After all, he is known to frequent swap meets and garage sales to find a deal, then talk down the price.

Wykel's style has left police with few leads. He had told friends and one of his sons about the Thunderbird.

But Tripp said Wykel's home is full of car magazines and newspapers that offer classic cars for sale. What's more, he often juggled two- or three-car deals at the same time, Tripp said.

He may have left his car at the Park and Ride, which was typical if he planned to buy a car in the area, Tripp said. He would take the bus to the seller, buy the car and drive it home.

But Wykel was also known to go far and wide for a car. So the detective isn't discounting that he might have gone outside King County.

It was unusual, however, for Wykel to leave for long without telling neighbors, Ogdon said. When he hadn't seen his friend, Ogdon started to worry, then began checking on Wykel's mail.

When Ogdon came across a notice that the Mercedes had been towed, he was convinced something was wrong. Wykel would not have left his $30,000 car in a lot for weeks. In fact, he usually left it at Ogdon's house if he left for a long trip.

Robert J. Wykel is white and 5 feet 11 inches tall. He weighs 225 pounds. He has blond and brown hair and a receding hairline.

Anyone who may have seen Wykel should call Tripp at 205-7804.

``Even someone who saw him but doesn't think they know anything should call," Lee said. ``They might know something."


This article contained at least one photo or illustration as described below:

Type: Color Photo

Description: Police fear the worst may have happened to Bob Wykel, who frequently carried a lot of cash.
http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1996/9603220013.asp

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/430372_wynn17.html
Murder trial begins in 1996 disappearance
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Fourteen years after retired metalworker and car buff Bob Wykel vanished, a King County jury has begun to hear the case against the man accused of killing him.

Deemed a person of interest weeks after Wykel disappeared in the winter of 1996, Myron C. Wynn faces a first-degree charge on allegations that he scammed, then killed, the then-66-year-old Burien man for a wad of cash and a 1¼-carat diamond ring.

Wynn is the last person known to have been seen with Wykel. Prosecutors say Wynn convinced Wykel he knew someone with a vintage Ford Thunderbird for sale, lured him to an unspecified, secluded location and killed him.

Wykel's body was never found. No murder weapon or crime scene has been located, and the case remained open until prosecutors filed charges in 2009, a decade after sheriff's detectives interviewing a relative of Wynn's recovered a diamond alleged to have belonged to Wykel.

Addressing jurors Wednesday afternoon, attorneys on both sides offered starkly different takes on the dead or missing man.

Missing or murdered?

By defense attorney Carey Huffman's description, Wykel was an intensely private man, known to travel, who kept safe deposit boxes packed with cash in three states. When he disappeared, Huffman offered, Wykel had planned to travel to Argentina, and had gone so far as to draft a personal advertisement for an Argentine newspaper.

"Mr. Wykel," the public defender told the jury, "drove off to another life that only he knows."

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carla Carlstrom presented Wykel in a different light.

A retired sheet-metal worker, Wykel made his money buying and restoring cars. He had routines -- poker on Thursdays and breakfast each morning with friends at a White Center McDonald's.

"He was not a flashy man, but he had a nice ring," Carlstrom said. "He wore it all the time, even when he was working on cars."

In the weeks before the older man's disappearance, Carlstrom told the jury, Wynn, now 49, had inserted himself into Wykel's life.

Carlstrom described Wynn as a young man who'd joined the group of retirees. Wynn was broke, she said, living off the largesse of his girlfriend, a single mother.

Wykel was intrigued when Wynn offered to connect him with someone selling a Ford Thunderbird, the prosecutor continued. On Feb. 23, 1996, the men travelled in Wykel's Mercedes to look at the car, stopping at a Thurston County campground operated by Wynn's family.

Wynn's sister told police she recalled meeting someone matching Wykel's description, Carlstrom told the jury. No one has reported seeing Wykel since he left the campground with Wynn.

Weeks later, Wykel's Mercedes was found at a Burien parking lot. He was reported missing and a homicide investigation was launched.

Detectives searching Wykel's home found luggage and clothing, Carlstrom said. Food was rotting in the kitchen, she continued, and there was no indication he'd left voluntarily.

Around the time of Wykel's disappearance, Wynn gave a large diamond to his girlfriend, the prosecutor said. Wynn claimed to have found the diamond in the parking lot where Wykel's car was later recovered.

Prosecutors now contend the diamond matches the description of the stone held in Wykel's ring. Detectives seized the diamond from a relative of Wynn's, who said she'd bought it from Wynn after he returned to Texas following Wykel's disappearance.

Carlstrom described Wynn as a man who believed he'd gotten away with murder, who told friends, thus far correctly, that authorities would never find Wykel's body.

"Just because a killer hides a body and the authorities never find it, doesn't mean he can't be charged with murder," Carstrom said.

Questioning the veracity of the diamond's description used by prosecutors to connect Wynn to Wykel's disappearance, Huffman asserted the stone offered up as evidence never belonged to the missing man.

Huffman said Wykel had planned to leave for Argentina and had prepared a letter to a newspaper asking that an advertisement be placed for him in the personal section. Wykel had easy access to cash, he said, as he'd deposited money in several safe deposit boxes around the country.

"There is no evidence of a death, no evidence of a murder, no connection to Mr. Wynn," Huffman told the jury.

"Mr. Wynn does not sit there an innocent man because the law requires you (to) presume him so," the defense attorney continued, gesturing toward his client. "Mr. Wynn sits there an innocent man because he did not kill Mr. Wykel."

The trial, under way before King County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell, is expected to continue for four to five weeks. Wynn remains in custody at King County Jail.

Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Gui...ing-1325901.php

Guilty verdict in Burien cold case killing
By LEVI PULKKINEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
Published 03:24 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Nearly 15 years after Bob Wykel disappeared, a King County jury has convicted the man accused of killing him.

Myron Wynn was deemed a person of interest weeks after Wykel disappeared in the winter of 1996. Wynn faced a first-degree murder charge on allegations that he scammed, then killed, the 66-year-old Burien man for a wad of cash and a 1¼-carat diamond ring

The last person known to have been seen with Wykel, King County prosecutors contended Wynn convinced Wykel that he knew someone with a vintage Ford Thunderbird for sale, lured him to a secluded location and killed him.

Wykel’s body was never found. No murder weapon or crime scene was discovered, and the case remained open until prosecutors filed charges in 2009, a decade after sheriff’s detectives recovered a diamond alleged to have belonged to Wykel.

Wykel, prosecutors said, never would never have parted with his diamond ring willingly.

A retired sheet-metal worker, Wykel made his money buying and restoring cars. He had routines – poker on Thursdays, and breakfast each morning with friends at a White Center McDonald’s.

In the weeks before the older man’s disappearance, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carla Carlstrom told the jury, Wynn had inserted himself into Wykel’s life.

Carlstrom described Wynn as a young man who’d joined the group of retirees. Wynn was broke, she said, living off the largess of his girlfriend, a single mother.

Wykel was intrigued when Wynn offered to connect him with someone selling a Ford Thunderbird, the prosecutor continued. On Feb. 23, 1996, the men headed in Wykel’s Mercedes to look at the car, stopping at a Thurston County campground operated by Wynn’s family.

Wynn’s sister told police she recalled meeting someone matching Wykel’s description, Carlstrom said in court. No one has reported seeing Wykel since he left the resort with Wynn.

Weeks later, Wykel’s Mercedes was found at a Burien parking lot. He was reported missing, and a homicide investigation was launched.

Detectives searching Wykel’s home found luggage and clothing, Carlstrom said. Food was rotting in the kitchen, she continued, and there was no indication he’d left voluntarily.

Around the time of Wykel’s disappearance, Wynn gave a large diamond to his girlfriend, the prosecutor said. Wynn claimed to have found the diamond in the parking lot where Wykel’s car was later recovered.

Prosecutors now contend the diamond matches the description of the stone held in Wykel’s ring. Detectives seized the diamond from a relative of Wynn’s, who said she’d bought it from Wynn after he returned to Texas following Wykel’s disappearance.

Carlstrom described Wynn as a man who believed he’d gotten away with murder, who told friends, correctly, that authorities would never find Wykel’s body.

“Just because a killer hides a body and the authorities never find it, doesn’t mean he can’t be charged with murder,” Carstrom said.

An earlier trial ended in a mistrial in December after a jury was unable to reach a verdict.

On Wednesday, a new jury convicted Wynn of first-degree murder after one day of deliberation, King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Dan Donohoe said. A sentencing date has not been set.