By Wyatt Haupt Jr.
A suspect is locked up after he was arrested in connection with the disappearance of an Indigenous woman in 2021.
The arrest came earlier this week after the suspect led law enforcement personnel to a grave site more than four years after the woman — Amanda Green — was reported missing.
"A suspect has been booked in Thurston County Jail for murder and other related charges after leading detectives to the burial site where remains were recovered," said Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders in a social media post on Monday, Sept. 8.
The remains have not been identified, as of yet.
"Thanks to our partners at (Washington State Department of Corrections) and Tacoma (Police Department personnel) for their assistance with this case. Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Amanda, and we hope this helps bring some closure to their lives," Sanders said.
"(The) Thurston County Sheriff’s Office detective unit is fully staffed (and still growing) for the first time in decades, allowing for proactive follow up on older cases. Extraordinary work by our detective in this case."
Sanders did not identify the suspect in his social media post. But multiple media outlets identified the suspect as James Daniel Lewis. An arrest log lists him as 37 years old.
Lewis made an initial appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday, Sept. 9. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court on Friday, Sept. 12, records show.
Lewis faces multiple charges stemming from the cold case, including second-degree murder. He is being held without bail at Thurston County Corrections Facility.
PatMer
A good job by the TCSO in helping solve this cold case, a terrible murder.
Friday, September 12, 2025 Report this