Woman's body left in bathtub for days
»Play Video
SHORELINE - It's a bizarre death in Shoreline, where a prostitute ended up dead in a man's bathtub.
And even stranger -- the man left her there for three days before calling police.
"In my 14 years of police experience, I have never seen anything like this," says Renee Witt, Seattle police spokeswoman.
The story begins in downtown Seattle. Police say a Shoreline man picked up a prostitute at a Seattle bus stop last month.
The Medical Examiner's office identified her as 47-year-old Phyllis Buchert, also known as Phyllis Larson.
The name may sound familiar, because three years ago Buchert was arrested for kidnapping a disabled man. The man was a passenger strapped in a wheelchair inside a parked van that Buchert allegedly stole near Pike Place Market.
The prosecutor later dropped the charges, deeming Buchert "legally insane."
Fast forward to 2007. Police say on May 18, the unidentified Shoreline man and Buchert went back to his Shoreline apartment and had sex. She took a bath and he went to the store to get beer.
When he came home, he found Buchert face up in the tub, apparently dead. Police say he tried to get her to come to, but she was unresponsive.
"The gentleman panicked he didn't know what to do," explains Witt. But she says he did decide one thing -- to dig Buchert a grave in his backyard.
After digging it, he decided against it and filled the hole.
"He said he didn't feel right about it," Witt said.
After giving up on burying her, he told police he didn't know what to do, so he decided to drink for 3 days in his apartment and contemplate his next move.
After his drinking binge, police say walked to a convenience store and called his boss on a pay phone for advice. His boss insisted he call 911 -- something police say the man should have done from the start.
Police say it's against the law not to report a death.
Medical examiners are waiting on toxicology reports to determine how Buchert died. Once they find out, police say they'll know what charges, if any, to recommend to prosecutors.
Autopsy results could take six more weeks.
And even stranger -- the man left her there for three days before calling police.
"In my 14 years of police experience, I have never seen anything like this," says Renee Witt, Seattle police spokeswoman.
The story begins in downtown Seattle. Police say a Shoreline man picked up a prostitute at a Seattle bus stop last month.
The Medical Examiner's office identified her as 47-year-old Phyllis Buchert, also known as Phyllis Larson.
The name may sound familiar, because three years ago Buchert was arrested for kidnapping a disabled man. The man was a passenger strapped in a wheelchair inside a parked van that Buchert allegedly stole near Pike Place Market.
The prosecutor later dropped the charges, deeming Buchert "legally insane."
Fast forward to 2007. Police say on May 18, the unidentified Shoreline man and Buchert went back to his Shoreline apartment and had sex. She took a bath and he went to the store to get beer.
When he came home, he found Buchert face up in the tub, apparently dead. Police say he tried to get her to come to, but she was unresponsive.
"The gentleman panicked he didn't know what to do," explains Witt. But she says he did decide one thing -- to dig Buchert a grave in his backyard.
After digging it, he decided against it and filled the hole.
"He said he didn't feel right about it," Witt said.
After giving up on burying her, he told police he didn't know what to do, so he decided to drink for 3 days in his apartment and contemplate his next move.
After his drinking binge, police say walked to a convenience store and called his boss on a pay phone for advice. His boss insisted he call 911 -- something police say the man should have done from the start.
Police say it's against the law not to report a death.
Medical examiners are waiting on toxicology reports to determine how Buchert died. Once they find out, police say they'll know what charges, if any, to recommend to prosecutors.
Autopsy results could take six more weeks.
