With Monday marking the nine-year anniversary of the last day Tumwater resident Logan Schiendelman was seen before disappearing under puzzling circumstances, his friends, family and community members are asking people to honor his memory and renew interest in his case.
“Today, I will light a candle in Logan’s honor and stand in quiet solidarity with those who knew and loved him,” Vance L, formerly known as Vivian Boheme, who runs the Facebook page Southwest Washington Cold Cases, stated in a post on Monday, May 19. “If you feel moved, I invite you to do the same or something that to you shows honor for this young man.”
Schiendelman was last seen on May 19, 2016, by his grandmother, whom he spoke briefly to before they both left their Tumwater home for work. He was 19.
“She remembers him seeming nervous, even purposeful — he said he’d had an ‘epiphany,’ but didn’t explain further,” L stated. “That would be the last time anyone saw him.”
The next day, Schiendelman’s black 1996 Chrysler Sebring was found abandoned on the shoulder of Interstate 5 at milepost 92, near Maytown.
Schiendelman’s personal belongings — including his wallet and cellphone — were later found inside.
Witnesses reported seeing the car swerve across lanes before crashing into the median, at which point a man exited the passenger side and ran into the nearby woods, according to Southwest Washington Cold Cases.
A woman who reported seeing the vehicle in the morning on her way to work and in the afternoon on her way home on May 20 told investigators that she “noticed a Black man she believed to be Schiendelman at the rear of the vehicle with two other men,” according to previous reporting by The Olympian.
One of the men was described as white, 6-foot-tall, very thin, thin blond hair with a bowl cut. He was wearing jeans that were too short and a tank top that was too small, according to previous reporting.
The other man was also white, with shoulder-length blonde hair. He was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans.
A sketch of the first subject was released in 2017. The witness reported that she only saw the second man from the side, and a sketch of that subject has not been released.
“Despite extensive searches using tracking and cadaver dogs, no trace of Logan was ever found,” L stated.
Soon after Schiendelman went missing, his friends and family launched a large-scale public campaign asking the community for information.
A Facebook group named “Logan Schiendelman is Missing” that was started on May 27, 2016, had 17,511 members as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Logan was a deep thinker, known for his curious mind and gentle spirit. He was a beloved son, grandson, nephew and friend with his whole life ahead of him. His disappearance has left an unfillable void in the lives of those who love him,” the Light the Way Missing Person Advocacy Project said in a social media post on May 18.
“Logan was a bright, introspective young man — a talented athlete at Tumwater High School and a deep thinker who had recently left college, trying to find direction in his life,” L stated. “He was loved. He is missed. And his family and loved ones deserve answers.”
His case has since been profiled on Dateline NBC’s series “Missing in America” and the Investigation Discovery show “Disappeared.”
The case has long gone cold, but with the launch of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office’s dedicated cold case/missing person unit in June 2024, there is a detective dedicated to working the case.
Anyone with information relevant to Schiendelman’s disappearance is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at 360-786-5500.
More information on active missing persons and unidentified persons cases, visit https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/.
More information on unsolved murder cases, visit https://database.projectcoldcase.org/.
