SEATTLE — Editor's note: The following story contains graphic content.
A 32-year-old man was charged in connection to the murder of an Indigenous woman whose remains were found near the Burke-Gilman Trail near the University of Washington campus in June.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Seattle police arrested Charles W. Becker after they connected him to DNA evidence found at the scene. Becker was charged with first-degree murder and sexually violating human remains on Friday, Oct. 7.
Mavis Nelson's body was found in the Kincaid Ravine near Ravenna Avenue Northeast and Northeast 45th Street on June 20. Her death was ruled a homicide. A medical examiner said Nelson, 56, was stabbed to death.
According to charging documents, Becker killed Nelson in his home. Her body was in Becker's apartment for an "extended amount of time."
Becker told investigators he knew Nelson and said they had a consensual sexual relationship. He said Nelson went to his apartment on May 19. However, he had "various and changing descriptions" on how she died, which were inconsistent with Nelson's injuries. He suggested another person could have caused her death as well.
Becker told investigators another person – not identified – also violated Nelson's body.
According to charging documents, Becker said he helped another person dismember Nelson's body.
Video shows a vehicle stop near the site where Nelson's remains were found and appears to show two people throwing something off the viaduct. That was within 24 hours of when Nelson's remains were found.
Nelson's death is not the first Becker has been charged with committing. In 2015, he was charged and convicted in the death of his 4-month-old son. He was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and received the maximum sentence.
Becker is being held on $5 million bail in King County Jail.
Detectives are still investigating to determine if there were other suspects in the murder.
Nelson was a mother of three and a member of the Yakama Tribe, according to her sister, Ernestine Morning Owl.
"I'm happy that she got to come home," Morning Owl said. "It was a little bit of closure. It's not a lot of closure until the perp was caught, and now that he's caught, I'm feeling like justice is being done. But as the investigating goes on, I can't wait for this to be over."
Native Americans are murdered, sexually assaulted and become the victims of violent crime at higher rates than the national average, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
According to the latest data available, the city of Seattle leads the nation in the number of murdered and missing Indigenous women and people cases. Washington has the second-highest number of cases of any state in the country.
In an effort to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Washington, a legislative task force has been formed to take action.
According to the data presented by the task force, of the 2,268 recorded unsolved homicides in Washington, nearly 5% involve an Indigenous victim. Yet Indigenous people make up less than 2% of the state population.