TACOMA, Wash. — A significant police presence has been seen in a Tacoma neighborhood for hours Monday as authorities respond to a cold case tip.
The police activity is centered around a home on the 3200 block of South Gunnison Street, near South Wright Avenue. Authorities have been on the scene since about 8 a.m.
SCENE PHOTOS | Cold case tip prompts excavation of Tacoma backyard, large police response
KOMO News crews at the scene have seen investigators at the home working in the backyard. According to neighbors in the area, an excavator was brought in to assist with the investigation. That excavator dug up a sidewalk and then dug up into the backyard of a corner home. Photos and video from the KOMO 4 Drone show several pop-up canopy tents in the backyard of the home as detectives searched the yard and home.
A spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department confirmed to KOMO News that detectives were searching the home after receiving a tip in connection with a cold case, but did not say which cold case the tip is related to. Further details about the cold case that police are working on have not been disclosed.
It is currently unknown if the tip received is related to the disappearance of Teekah Lewis, one of Tacoma’s most well-known cold cases.
ALSO SEE | Person of interest in 1999 disappearance of 2-year-old Teekah Lewis is dead, police say
Lewis was just 2 years old when she disappeared during a family outing at New Frontier Lanes bowling alley on Jan. 23, 1999. The home being searched is just over a half-mile away from where the bowling alley Teekah was last seen in 1999 used to be located.
Teekah’s mother, Theresa Czapiewski, recounted that Teekah was playing near the arcade while family members bowled and kept an eye on her. Czapiewski said she stepped up to bowl, and when she returned, Teekah was gone. Investigators believe Teekah may have been abducted.
The TPD said a maroon, late 1980s or 1990s Pontiac Grand Am with tinted windows and a spoiler was seen speeding away from the bowling alley not long after Teekah disappeared.
In March, Tacoma police confirmed to KOMO News that a person of interest who was interviewed by detectives is now dead.
Over the years, detectives have released age-progression photos showing what Teekah may look like now that she would be in her 20s.
Tacoma police said that when there is information available to share, they will share said information with the public.
No other information is available at this time. Check back for updates.
