A Routine Ferry Ride Turns Into a Mystery

On the night of January 13, 2009, Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz, a 45-year-old ESL educator from Bellevue, Washington, boarded the M/V Puyallup ferry at Seattle's Coleman Dock, heading toward Bainbridge Island . She drove her Ford Windstar minivan onto the ferry for the 10:55 p.m. crossing . However, upon the ferry's arrival at Bainbridge Island, her van remained parked on the car deck, and Lynn was nowhere to be found.

Unattended Belongings Raise Alarms

Ferry workers discovered Lynn's purse, keys, and a cup of coffee on an upper deck of the vessel . The presence of these personal items suggested that she had not simply forgotten her vehicle or disembarked unnoticed. The circumstances prompted immediate concern and initiated a search operation. ...Read More