Two Yelm residents were arrested on Thursday, June 13 in relation to a deceased Yelm man found buried in a “shallow grave” near the Nisqually River. This marks the second homicide investigation in the greater Yelm area since mid-May.
On June 4, detectives found the deceased man, later identified as Robert Erwin by the Thurston County Coroner’s Office, buried near the river, according to a TCSO press release. The agency received tips over the last several weeks leading to Erwin’s body being found but ultimately discovered the missing man while pursuing another lead, according to the TCSO.
TCSO confirmed on Facebook that two suspects, a man and a woman in their mid-30s from the Yelm area, were arrested and booked for rendering criminal assistance, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful disposal of human remains. The Yelm Police Department, Tumwater Police Department and Thurston County Narcotics Task Force assisted with the arrests. The investigation is still ongoing.
Since Erwin’s body was found at the Nisqually River, TCSO detectives have conducted extensive follow-up investigations, which included “numerous interviews” and a “review of total evidence,” according to the media release.
TCSO detectives have been busy in the Yelm area as of late as they’ve dealt with homicide investigations on Morris Road, Old McKenna Road and now near the Nisqually River. Brooks said despite the recent murders, residents should not be worried about their safety.
“I don’t think these are random [occurrences]. I don’t think the average citizen who’s going about their business is at any more risk of danger than they were six months ago,” Brooks said June 17. “A lot of these [homicides] seem to be within that narcotic criminal enterprise world. This is a specific group that these problems are happening within and not a random person that’s going to the grocery store and suddenly taken and killed.”
Though Brooks couldn’t highlight a particular reason for the rise in homicide in the area lately, he said the last two homicide investigations in Yelm, including near the Nisqually River and on Old McKenna Road, involve individuals who are known to each other.
“The last two in that area are related. They all know each other. They’re acquaintances, if nothing more,” Brooks said. “I don’t know how it’s related to the homicide on Morris Road, but I suspect they all know each other.”
In early March, a Yelm man identified as Trever Miller was shot and killed on Morris Road. This homicide marked the first of the three investigations in Yelm in 2024.
Brooks added that the Old McKenna Road murder-suicide, which occurred on May 21, took place at a “notorious, massive narcotics and stolen property compound.” During that specific incident, emergency responders initially discovered a dead body while responding to a fire on the property in the early morning hours of May 21.
Following the discovery of the body, TCSO detectives and patrol deputies, along with Yelm police officers and other agencies, responded to the scene. After arriving to the Old McKenna Road property, law enforcement discovered an armed man and a woman before the two entered a domicile, leading to a standoff. The woman eventually exited the building, however, the armed male, identified as Abnel B. Quinones, remained inside the location.
After a six-hour standoff between law enforcement agencies and Quinones, the suspect died by suicide.
“Everybody that’s controlled that environment [on Old McKenna Road] has died recently,” Brooks said this week. “I suspect there’s been a bit of fighting over who’s the boss now, but that’s a lot of speculation. I’m not sure we really have a good motive for any of these yet.
“They at least all know each other,” Brooks continued. “The word on the street is that [the incidents are] all linked together, but we haven’t been able to precisely say ‘yes, this person did that.’ We just know so far that the guy at the river was deceased, but we haven’t tied anybody to that 100%.”
