Remains believed to be of missing Olympia woman found

Officers from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains Saturday afternoon that are believed to be of Gayle Doyle, who has been missing since last week.

Doyle, 60, was reported missing by family members June 4, and was last seen with James E. Stidd at an Olympia bar on June 2.

Stidd, 66, appeared Friday afternoon in Thurston County Superior Court, and Judge Erik Price set bail at $2 million. Price also found probable cause for four felony charges: second-degree murder charge and four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

Further testing will be conducted on the remains to confirm the identity, a news release from the Sheriff’s Office said. Doyle’s family has been notified.

Stidd became a person of interest in the case after detectives learned that he and Doyle had been seen together at Boulevard Tavern in Olympia the night she disappeared. Stidd was contacted by a detective and said that he had been with Doyle that night. He told the detective they had argued about a criminal case involving Doyle’s son, who had allegedly used Stidd’s credit card to purchase several things from a hardware store without Stidd’s permission.

Stidd said he had dropped Doyle off near Aztec Bowling on Martin Way.

Detectives reportedly found spattered blood and a hammer with blond hairs around it in a garage belonging to Stidd.

Stidd is in custody at the Thurston County jail, and will be arraigned June 21 in Thurston County Superior Court.

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Remains believed to be of missing Olympia woman found."