The trial of James Stidd, accused of killing an Olympia woman who was never found, begins Wednesday

After two days of jury selection — and a little more scheduled for Wednesday morning — the trial of James E. Stidd, accused of killing Olympia woman Gail Doyle in 2016, is set to begin with opening statements Wednesday afternoon.

Although Stidd is in custody and was led to and from the courtroom in handcuffs on Tuesday, Doyle, 60, who was last seen at an Olympia bar with Stidd in June 2016, has not been found.

Stidd, a convicted felon in his 60s, faces one count of second-degree murder while armed with a deadly weapon, four counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim, who could not be reached Tuesday, told The Olympian last year that prosecuting the case without Doyle’s body will be difficult, but not impossible.

Stidd was arrested in June 2016 in Ritzville, not far from Spokane. A warrant for Stidd’s arrest was issued after detectives found evidence at his Longhorn Loop home, south of the Olympia Regional Airport, linking him to Doyle’s disappearance.

Police found a note hanging on the front door that indicated Stidd had gone on vacation and would be gone for several days. Inside, officers and crime scene technicians located several bloody areas on the garage floor, according to court documents.

Investigators said the splatter indicated that a “blood source” had been hit with force. A hammer was found on a work bench in the garage. The head of the hammer tested positive for blood and was wrapped in several blond hairs, according to court documents.

Officers also found a pressure washer that had been purchased June 4, 2016, two days after Doyle disappeared. Investigators believe the pressure washer was used to clean the garage floor, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, investigators continued to search for Doyle, including at an undisclosed Eastern Washington landfill.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office investigators were confident at the time that Stidd left Doyle’s body at a Thurston County transfer station and that her remains were later transported to the other facility. The sheriff’s office also thought they had found Doyle’s remains, but after examination by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, those remains likely were a bear’s paw.

Coroner Gary Warnock said the mistake is a common one. Bear paws that have been skinned can look nearly identical to a human hand.

This story was originally published May 9, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "The trial of James Stidd, accused of killing an Olympia woman who was never found, begins Wednesday."