On November 16th 2023, fear arose in the city of Maple Valley, Washington, as two dead bodies were found in bushes under debris near SE 252nd Street and 238th Avenue SE.

A local man, Mark Bullard, called the police around 1 p.m. while walking his dog, “I was walking in the street and I can see what looked like garbage across the road and I am trying to figure out what it was, I thought it was a couch cushion,” explained Mark Bullard, “It was the leg of somebody and so I am yelling and yelling thinking someone was asleep and then I noticed there were pine needles,”. It was then Bullard realized someone was dead. The police arrived on scene and discovered two bodies covered in trash and debris. The two victims were identified as 57 year old Robert Leroy Riley, and 34 year old Ashley Nicole Williams. Both victims were shot in the chest and the case has been ruled as a homicide per the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. Prior to their deaths, Williams and Riley had been “hanging out”. Williams’ close friend Jordan Backman said, “She just had mentioned she was hanging out with a guy named Robert, he was cool, he was into crystals, and they were going to the gym… She sounded happy”

Williams leaves behind five children, most of which live with adoptive parents. A close friend of Williams, Deanna Powell, who also adopted two out of the five of Williams children, said that Williams had some low points in her life. She added, “She knew that she couldn’t take care of her kids, and she needed somebody to take care of them for her and a lot of people stepped in.”
Leading to the identification of Riley, was his criminal record, “Riley had a criminal history dating back to 1993 involving various charges such as driving with a suspended license, assault, and theft. Records also show that Williams had a criminal history with numerous charges including theft and prostitution.”

Earlier, we reached out to the King County Sheriff’s Department to get more information on the case. A sergeant from the department said, “On 11/16/2023 close to 1pm our 911 call center received a call from a witness that saw what appeared to be a deceased person in a wooded area.” The same sergeant participated in another interview where he quoted, “ They’re taking a methodical approach to check for evidence in and around before they can actually remove the trash to determine closer what we have.” The hope for everyone is once the police department is able to remove some of the trash at the scene where the bodies are found that the community will get answers and will be able to bring closure to the families affected.

A Tahoma High School senior, Jessie Dobrucki, has lived in Maple Valley for 17 years, a town that she had thought was safe her entire life. The murders being very nearby has set fear and caution into motion in her life. Dobrucki explains just how quickly life can change, “I feel sympathetic for everyone impacted by this. It feels weird knowing a small peaceful town can turn dangerous overnight”. Dobrucki also adds that the murders didn’t necessarily impact her but she says she doesn’t feel secure in Maple Valley, “Well, it didn’t really impact me but now I don’t feel super secure in Maple Valley”.

We interviewed another Tahoma High School student, sophomore, Emma Goodwin-Sadler, who says she’s been more on edge recently and would rather go straight home after school rather than hanging out a four corners with her friends like most students do. “Ever since the murders last month, I’ve been more on edge. I don’t want to hang around four corners as much anymore. Just go straight home and only go out with my family”. Goodwin-Sadler recalls Maple Valley being a relatively safe town up until recently, “I’ve lived in Maple Valley all my life (15 years), and it’s usually a relatively safe place, with any city there’s dangers and a few fears roaming around”.

This is an ongoing investigation and therefore the King County Sheriff’s Department cannot release any new information to the public. Although, they do urge anyone that has any information to please come forward and call the King County Sheriff’s Department at 206-296-3311. There are no suspects at this time. Maple Valley is known as a safe town in the state of Washington, but, is it really all that safe?