Eureka arrest connected to decades-old Washington State case

Posted on May 10, 2018

Robert Washburn is expected to be extradited to Washington to face charges stemming from a 1986 case. (Photo courtesy WMBD)

By WMBD-TV

EUREKA – An arrest in Woodford County could lead to answers in a decades-old case.

Illinois State Police confirm the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office arrested someone at the Woodridge Apartment Complex in Eureka Thursday on an out-of-state murder warrant.

Robert Washburn, 60, is expected to be extradited to Washington state to face charges.

A neighbor in the complex said she’s shocked. She tells WMBD her 11-year-old daughter would often go to the man’s home and play with his daughter. She adds she never would have thought he’d be accused of murder.

Illinois State Police and the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office were at the complex for several hours Thursday.

Reports coming out of Washington state say there was an arrest connected to a murder case dating back to 1986. 13-year-old Jennifer Bastian went for a bike ride in August 1986 and never returned home. Her body was later found in a nearby park.

Thursday, Tacoma police said they developed probable cause to arrest a suspect in Bastian’s case. They add they never closed the case, and continued investigating new tips. Detectives detained the suspect out of state and will bring the suspect to Washington for prosecution, police said.

There’s no word from officials whether the arrests are connected.

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