SEATTLE — Autumn Stone, 23, was found dead in Green Lake in 2019 and her cause of death was ruled a suicide, but the case has since been reopened.
Stone's family is desperate for answers as to what happened to her.
“It’s been 1,084 days since I lost my daughter. I’m going to forever know how many days it’s been since I got to hold her,” said Kjersty Rusch, Stone’s mother.
What happened to Autumn Stone?
Stone’s body was recovered from Green Lake on Aug. 30, 2019. She was clothed but did not have shoes on. When investigators opened her fully-zipped vest, there was a shoelace wrapped around her neck.
“I got a phone call at 9:45 from the Seattle Medical Examiner’s Office. They told me that my daughter was dead,” Rusch said.
According to the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) case investigation report, they did not see any other marks or defensive wounds on her body.
Stone's cause of death was initially ruled as strangulation, but investigators didn’t know how or by who. Two weeks later, police closed the case and declared the manner of death to be suicide.
According to the King County Medical Examiner's Office (KCMEO), there is not sufficient evidence for them to conclude either suicide or homicide as the manner of death. However, they did say that "generally speaking, self-strangulation by ligature is a very rare finding."
After Stone's family realized they weren't making much progress with police, they hired private investigator Brent Campbell.
“Her vest had been zipped up, and she was put in the water,” Campbell said. “How does she zip up her vest if she had been unconscious?”
Campbell said he visits the area Stone's body was found all the time to look for answers, but he doesn’t have any right now.
He said he believes DNA will be the thing that will finally break the case.
Events leading up to Stone’s death
Stone had talked with her mother on the day of her death. Stone told her she was going to go to Green Lake for a walk and then get a pedicure. After that, she was going to go pick up her oldest son, who was being taken care of by his father.
As far as her mother knew, she was going alone.
On Aug. 21, a week before Stone was found dead, her baby was hurt and taken to the hospital, according to reports filed by the Everett Police Department. The baby’s injuries were likely caused by shaken baby syndrome.
Everett police reports show both Stone and the father of her baby were investigated for child abuse.
In 2014, the father of Stone’s baby was found guilty of assault of a child in the second degree in a separate case. According to court documents, the father admitted to shaking his baby, a child he had with another woman.
At the time Stone was found dead, her family said she was struggling knowing her baby was hurt and in the hospital. The case was forwarded to the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for review, but charges were not filed because there was no confession, a witness to the injuries or some other evidence proving who may have hurt the baby. The prosecutor declined to file charges.
"I don’t know how to put into words what it’s like to lose your daughter," Autumn's father, James Stone, said. "I don’t believe it was a random act. I think it was an act of passion and to silence her."
Autumn Stone case remains open
'Suicide' note
Stone’s parents keep a binder with everything related to her case. It includes the death certificate, autopsy report, toxicology report, correspondence with police and a possible clue as to how Stone was feeling around the time of her death.
“Originally, they said this was a suicide note," Rusch said. "Her life was in a little bit of turmoil at this time."
According to Rusch, this was not a suicide note but more of a prayer that Autumn wrote.
In the letter, she thanked God for blessing her with two children and wrote that she would do anything to make sure they had “everything they need to ensure they have the best lives.”
The note reads:
"Dear Lord,
Thank you for all the blessings you have given me in my life. My two beautiful sons who are my whole world, my everything, and I love them both more than words can ever express. Thank you Lord for blessing me with such amazing gifts to cherish always and forever. Thank you Lord for watching over my family and providing your love, healing and peace. Especially to [REDACTED] whom needs your love and healing and peace the most! I love my babies with every piece of my heart and would and will do anything and everything I need to make sure they have the absolute best lives possible. They deserve the absolute best!
Amen!"
Who was Autumn Stone?
Stone was 23 years old, engaged to be married and a mother of two at the time of her death.
According to her parents, she was a woman of faith and was always very happy.
“I miss her every day. She had the biggest smile. The biggest heart and the greatest hugs,” Rusch said. “I always call her my mini-me. She is very caring, loving and giving and she had the purest heart.”
"Unfortunately, she's a statistic at this point. She’s not a person who died in a questionable manner. She’s just a number and I’d like to change that. I don’t believe any other family should have to go through this and suffer in this way," Rusch said.
Stone's family urges anyone who was in Green Lake on Aug. 30, 2019, to go through pictures and videos of that day. They want to eliminate any and all suspects.
Missing person cases, murders and other mysteries are solvable. To submit a tip to the KING 5 Unsolved Northwest team, click here or fill out the form below.