SEATTLE — A man is accused of killing a woman with an axe, hiding her body inside a suitcase and abandoning her remains at a homeless encampment in Seattle, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Steven Thanh Nguyen, 57, was charged with second-degree murder for the death of 37-year-old Shannon Marie Caslin Reeder. She was last seen in November 2023 and officials believe she was killed sometime between June 1 and Sept. 27.
Nguyen’s bail is set at $2 million and his arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 30 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Court records show he has over 20 warrants for failing to appear in court and failing to comply with court orders.
Social service workers were cleaning up a homeless encampment on Sept. 27 in Seattle known as the “Jungle,” along with Washington State Patrol and Washington State Department of Transportation officials.
A worker smelled the odor of a decomposing body in one of the tents and discovered a suitcase under a makeshift bed, documents state. The worker opened the suitcase and cut through plastic packaging to find human remains.
Mail inside the tent was addressed to Nguyen and he later told police he had lived in the tent for about a year, charging documents state.
A medical examiner identified the remains as Shannon Reeder and determined her body had been inside the suitcase for several weeks to months. Several of her injuries to her skull and neck were consistent with having been attacked by a sharp axe or hatchet, documents state.
Nguyen was arrested on Oct. 3.
In an interview with police, Nguyen allegedly admitted to knowing Reeder. He said she overdosed on fentanyl in July while in his tent. According to court documents, Nguyen said he got scared, placed her body in a sleeping bag and wrapped it in plastic. He then placed her body inside the suitcase and stored it in a wooden structure under his bed, documents stated.
Nguyen told police Reeder had slipped on rocks and hit her head when she fell and her injuries “did not seem serious,” according to documents.
Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Nicole Yarid said Reeder's injuries were not consistent with falling. Her injuries were also not commonly seen when someone attempts to dismember a body, Yarid said.