Account
Jan 28, 2026
Jan 28, 2026
Wendy
L. Aughe
29
29
5'6 inches
105 lbs
White
Female
In the early morning hours of April 25, 1987, 29-year-old Wendy L. Aughe, a beauty school student and mother of two, vanished from Bellingham, Washington. She was last seen leaving the La Paloma Restaurant with a man she had just met that day, a bartender who called himself Mike Johnson. This man was later identified as Darren Dee O'Neall. Aughe was driving her distinctive 1972 Ford Torino, which was red with a black vinyl top. She had told friends about her date with a man in a three-piece suit, whom she met when she went to the restaurant for lunch. After giving a friend a ride home to Burlington, they returned to a friend's house in Bellingham, which was the last place she was seen by anyone who knew her. Concern grew when Wendy failed to pick up her 8-year-old daughter on April 28, 1987, which was highly uncharacteristic of her. This prompted a missing person report and an investigation by the Bellingham Police Department. When authorities entered her apartment, they discovered a violent scene with pools of blood, bloodsoaked bedding, and other evidence suggesting a violent struggle had taken place. Wendy's car was also missing. The investigation quickly focused on O'Neall, who had only worked at the restaurant for two days before he disappeared himself, but not before emptying the cash register and stealing liquor. Her car was later found abandoned in Eugene, Oregon, on May 2, and O'Neall's fingerprints were found inside. Authorities also discovered that U.S. Customs had photographed O'Neall driving her car alone across the Canadian border. For years, Wendy's case remained a painful mystery for her family, although foul play was strongly suspected. Darren Dee O'Neall was a person of interest from the beginning and was soon connected to other violent crimes. He was convicted for the murder of another young woman, Robin Smith, who had disappeared just weeks before Wendy. He also faced convictions for auto theft related to Wendy's car and an unrelated kidnapping and rape. Despite being incarcerated for these other crimes, a lack of direct evidence prevented charges from being filed in Wendy's disappearance for decades. The case saw a major breakthrough with advancements in DNA technology. In 2015, evidence from the scene was re-examined, and a DNA profile matching O'Neall was identified from the bedsheets in Wendy's apartment. This crucial evidence, combined with years of dedicated police work, led to Darren Dee O'Neall being charged with second-degree murder in October 2022. He was extradited from Oregon, where he was incarcerated, to face the charge in Whatcom County in March 2023. Though Wendy's body has never been recovered, the charges brought a renewed sense of hope for justice for her family after more than three decades of uncertainty.
Apr 25, 1987
Bellingham
Washington
Bellingham
Bellingham Police Departmen
360-676-6920
06/14/2026
