Investigators tied phone records and video to a Woodland man now facing a murder charge.
WOODLAND, WA — A 66-year-old Woodland man was arrested and jailed on a first-degree murder charge after deputies found the body of a missing Vancouver woman on state forest land in eastern Clark County, authorities said.
The arrest capped an investigation that unfolded over about 10 days, beginning with the Feb. 14 discovery of a woman’s body near DNR 1100 Road and ending with a Feb. 24 search warrant in Woodland. Detectives said they used cell phone records, surveillance video and automatic license plate reader data to identify a suspect vehicle and trace the woman’s final movements. The suspect, Andrew Thomas Brunette, was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail and also faces charges of patronizing a prostitute and unlawful disposal of human remains. Investigators have not released details about how the woman died or what evidence they recovered.
Deputies and detectives responded on Feb. 14 to a report of a body discovered on state forest land near DNR 1100 Road in eastern Clark County, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said. Detectives with the agency’s Major Crimes Unit and the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the death was suspicious and opened a homicide investigation. Two days later, on Feb. 16, a family member reported 34-year-old Tori Garza missing, saying they had not heard from her, according to investigators. Authorities said Garza was last known to be staying at a home in the 9400 block of Northwest 17th Avenue in Vancouver and had not been heard from by associates since Feb. 9.
Friends said Garza’s sudden silence was out of character. Michelle Boothby, who described herself as a close friend, told local media she last heard from Garza on Feb. 9 and that the two had planned to meet that day. “Tori always kept in contact with those she loved, so it was very unusual when nobody heard from her,” Boothby said. Detectives later confirmed the body found in the forest was Garza, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities also said she previously went by the name Victoria Mills. Investigators served a search warrant at the Northwest 17th Avenue home on Feb. 16, but said they did not find signs of foul play there.
From there, detectives focused on Garza’s recent activity and her movements in the days before she was reported missing. The sheriff’s office said investigators reviewed her cell phone records and located an online advertisement for escort services posted on Feb. 9. Detectives then sought video from areas where the victim’s cell phone traveled and said private parties provided clips that helped fill gaps in the timeline. Investigators compared the video to automatic license plate reader data from cameras mounted on sheriff’s patrol vehicles, authorities said. That work led them to a suspect vehicle that they determined belonged to Brunette, a Woodland resident who lived in the 200 block of Marty Loop.
On Feb. 24, detectives, assisted by the Lower Columbia SWAT team and the Woodland Police Department, served a search warrant at Brunette’s home, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities said Brunette was taken into custody and that the search of the residence located evidence of foul play, though they did not describe the evidence. Brunette was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, patronizing a prostitute and unlawful disposal of human remains, investigators said. The sheriff’s office did not say whether Brunette had retained an attorney, and prosecutors had not publicly detailed the allegations in court filings in the information released by police.
The charges point to a case that investigators believe involved more than the killing itself. First-degree murder is among the most serious homicide accusations in Washington, and the unlawful disposal charge suggests detectives believe Garza’s body was moved or left in a way that violated state law. The patronizing a prostitute allegation indicates investigators believe a commercial sex transaction was involved, but authorities have not explained whether they believe that connection is central to the killing, incidental to the timeline, or supported by records they recovered. Detectives have also not said how Garza and Brunette met, how long they knew each other, or whether anyone else is being investigated.
What is known is largely a sequence of dates, locations and investigative steps. Garza was last heard from on Feb. 9, according to friends and investigators. Her body was found on Feb. 14 on forest land in eastern Clark County near a road commonly used for access to state-managed property. She was reported missing on Feb. 16 from Vancouver, and detectives searched the home where she had been staying that same day. Investigators said the case then turned on digital traces, including cell phone data, surveillance video from multiple locations and license plate reader information. That combination, authorities said, allowed them to identify Brunette’s vehicle and focus on his Woodland residence.
Neighbors said the police activity on Marty Loop was startling in a quiet residential area. One neighbor, Miguel Favela, recorded video of officers as the SWAT team called for Brunette to come outside, local media reported. Favela’s wife, Niki, said the allegations were difficult for families on the street to take in, especially with children nearby. “Especially with what they say he’s done, it’s been hard to process, and it’s hard for our kids to process,” she said. The couple said they had known Brunette for years and had even hosted him at holiday gatherings, describing earlier interactions as friendly and uneventful.
Favela said the idea that a homicide investigation had reached their block was hard to reconcile with daily life in the neighborhood. “Knowing that something like this allegedly happened here in a neighborhood where our kids play all the time is shocking,” he said. The couple said they believed Brunette was single, though they noticed different women visiting his home over time. For investigators, those observations may become part of a broader effort to map Brunette’s contacts and movements, but authorities have not said what, if anything, neighbors witnessed that directly relates to Garza’s case.
For Garza’s friends, the public discussion of the case has carried a second kind of weight. Boothby said she felt relief that a suspect was in custody but worried about how details of Garza’s life could shape how people talk about her death. “I think what you do for your profession or hobby shouldn’t affect your life, and even though she had some struggles, I still think she deserved to live,” Boothby said. She described Garza as caring, funny and intelligent, and said the people close to her were determined to hold onto that picture as the criminal case moves forward. “To him, she might not have been anything, but to the people who knew and loved her, she was their world,” she said.
Authorities have released few specifics, and key questions remain unanswered. Detectives have not publicly identified a cause of death, and the sheriff’s office has not said whether the medical examiner has completed an autopsy or toxicology testing. Investigators have also not said whether Garza’s body showed visible injuries, whether a weapon is suspected, or whether evidence collected in Woodland will be presented as forensic proof linking Brunette to the death or to the disposal site. The sheriff’s office has described the investigation as ongoing and said additional details were not being released.
What comes next is expected to move from detective work to court procedure. After a booking, suspects in Washington typically face an initial court appearance where a judge addresses probable cause, conditions of release and scheduling, while prosecutors decide what formal charges to file based on available evidence. The sheriff’s office has not announced a date for any hearings or identified which prosecutor’s office will handle the case. Investigators asked anyone with information about the activities of Garza or Brunette to contact the Clark County Sheriff’s Office tip line. Authorities have not said whether they are seeking additional witnesses who may have interacted with Garza around Feb. 9, or whether they are trying to identify the person or account that posted the escort services advertisement investigators referenced.
Garza’s death has also drawn attention to the remote forest corridors on the east side of the county, where state forest land, gravel roads and limited lighting can make it difficult for passersby to know what is happening off the roadway. Investigators have not said who discovered her body or what prompted the initial call on Feb. 14, and they have not described the exact location beyond the road reference. In cases involving wooded terrain, detectives often return to search for additional evidence that may have been missed in an initial sweep, but authorities have not said whether they plan to conduct follow-up searches in the area or whether the scene has been revisited since the arrest.
As of Sunday, Brunette remained jailed in Cowlitz County while the Clark County Sheriff’s Office continued its investigation and withheld details about the evidence it says supports the arrest. The next public milestone is expected to be a court filing or hearing that lays out prosecutors’ allegations and the schedule for future proceedings.
Author note: Last updated March 1, 2026.