Open caseUnsolved murder
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In short: An open murder case involving Thomas Crane Wales from Seattle, Washington, October 11, 2001. FBI Seattle Field Office, with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington and Seattle Police is the investigating agency. Tips: FBI tips, 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
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Thomas Crane Wales, 49, had been a federal prosecutor in Seattle since 1983, handling fraud and white-collar cases for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington. Outside work he served on the Seattle Planning Commission and the mayor's citizen advisory committee, and he led a gun-safety advocacy group.
At about 10:40 p.m. on October 11, 2001, Wales was at his desk in the basement of his Seattle home, typing on his computer. According to the FBI, someone standing in the backyard fired several shots through a basement window. A lone man was reported running from the area. Wales died at a hospital the next day. He is believed to be the only federal prosecutor in U.S. history killed in the line of duty.
The FBI has released a sketch of an unidentified man investigators want to identify. No one has been charged. In 2021, on the 20th anniversary, the Justice Department doubled its reward to $2 million, and the Seattle U.S. Attorney's Office took over leadership of the case. The FBI says tips can be sent anonymously to walestips@fbi.gov.
What happened, in order.
Wales becomes an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Seattle.1
About 10:40 p.m.: Wales is shot through a basement window of his home while working at his computer.1
Wales dies at a hospital.1
10th anniversary: the Attorney General visits Seattle to ask for tips; a $1 million reward is offered and a task force keeps working the case.4
20th anniversary: the Justice Department raises its reward to $2 million (about $2.5 million total) and the Seattle U.S. Attorney's Office takes the lead.35
23 years on, the case remains unsolved and the FBI keeps asking for tips.6
What is known for sure. Each one is checked against a source.
What nobody knows yet.
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