Jorge Alcantara-Gonzalez has been charged with murder and first-degree robbery in the disappearance of Ian Eckles, who disappeared during a hunting trip in 2020.
CLE ELM, Wash. — A GPS watch, a fragment of a window sticker and a trail of blood helped investigators investigate a murder. Man charged in murder of Kent man He disappeared during a hunting trip more than six years ago, according to newly filed court documents.
Jorge Oma Alcantara-Gonzalez, 40, was charged this week in Kittitas County Superior Court with murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of 46-year-old Ian P. Eckles. Ian P. Eckles was last seen on May 16, 2020, in the Remote Liberty area east of Cle Elum.
Akers body has never found.
A probable cause affidavit filed by the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office lays out the detailed case based on electronic tracking data, DNA evidence, witness accounts and photo and video evidence.
Stolen vehicles, series of burglaries
Investigators said Alcantara-Gonzalez was driving a stolen 1999 Ford Expedition to Kittitas County before Akers disappeared. Court documents link Alcantara-Gonzalez to a series of burglaries in the area, including the thefts of firearms, ammunition and camping supplies. He eventually settled in the mineral springs area, near where Akers planned to camp and hunt.
The stolen Expedition was owned by Nancy Holste, a North Bend woman who was found dead in her home on May 11, 2020, during a welfare check. Holst had been dead about six weeks before the vehicle was reported stolen. The laminated wood recurve inside the SUV was reportedly stolen in Kittitas County in April 2020, and the vehicle was also linked to another burglary earlier that month.
Alcantara-Gonzalez later admitted he had been to Holst’s home and pleaded guilty to stealing the expedition.
The night before Akers disappeared
Probable cause documents show Akers traveled to the Liberty area on the evening of May 16, 2020, intending to camp alone before meeting up with his hunting partners the next morning. His phone last rang near the intersection of State Road 970 and Highway 10 around 7 p.m. Saturday.
When Eccles didn’t show up at 4:30 a.m., his hunting partner went out alone, but backed out around 9:30 a.m. due to rain. Friends then checked their usual campsite, but there was no sign of Akers.
Alcantara-Gonzalez wore a Garmin GPS watch from January to May 23, 2020, and arrived near Eccles’ suspected campsite at 3:20 a.m. on May 17, about an hour before Eccles met up with friends. GPS recorded stops at campground locations until data was closed on May 19th.
‘Evidence of violent confrontation’
On May 23, 2020, deputies found Eccles’ 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser hidden in brush on a remote Forest Service road about 30 yards from the stolen Expedition.
Alcantara-Gonzalez emerged from the expedition shirtless and fled into the surrounding forest. He evaded capture for 23 days and was eventually arrested on June 14 for a burglary. In the Tinawe Valley.
A search warrant executed on the FJ Cruiser revealed what investigators said was evidence of a violent confrontation. Forensic analysis found two different bullet trajectories inside the car: one fired from front to back and one fired from rear to front, with bullet fragments found on the driver’s side front floorboard.
Investigators believe Eccles was sleeping with his upper body behind the driver’s seat when gunfire erupted between Eccles and someone outside the vehicle.
Blood matching Eccles’ DNA was found on the sleeping mat, the rear driver’s side seat belt buckle and strap, and numerous other locations on the FJ Cruiser. Also found inside was a Coach wallet containing Alcantara-Gonzalez’s driver’s license and Eccles’ driver’s license.
Eccles’ sleeping bag (found on the stolen expedition) also tested positive for DNA.
Stickers, shotguns and GoPro
who are the witnesses Discovered the FJ Cruiser On May 23, reporters noticed that the car’s unique window sticker had been torn off when the vehicle was impounded. Investigators said they believed Alcantara-Gonzalez removed them to make the vehicle more difficult to identify, documents state.
Parts of the stickers were later found in the area where witnesses reported seeing the vehicle. Additional sticker residue was found in the pocket of a vest Alcantara-Gonzalez was wearing on May 3.
On May 26, while executing a search warrant, Officers found Alcantara-Gonzalez A shotgun hung from a sling. He threw the weapon to the ground and ran away. The shotgun was reportedly the one Akers had with him when he disappeared.
GoPro cameras and SD cards recovered from the expedition contained photos of Alcantara-Gonzalez using Eccles’ tent, shotgun, blankets and camping supplies. Metadata shows the photos were taken on May 20, 2020, three days after Eccles disappeared and three days before his vehicle was found.
A separate SD card found when Alcantara-Gonzalez was arrested in June contained a photo of a hand holding Eckles’ Garmin GPS device.
It was determined that shell casings and bullet fragments were tied to the weapon.
The suspect’s knowledge of the area
One witness who encountered Alcantara-Gonzalez while foraging for mushrooms called the interaction with him “weird” and said he wanted to leave. Subsequent GPS data showed that Alcantara-Gonzalez had previously walked a road that he told witnesses he didn’t know existed – multiple times between May 10 and May 22.
Alcantara-Gonzalez’s siblings both confirmed seeing him driving the Expedition and said he was experienced in traveling through remote areas, including the area where Akers disappeared. His brother told investigators that Alcantara-Gonzalez was on drugs, had mental health issues and could become extremely angry.
The brother said he moved out of the home before Alcantara-Gonzalez was arrested because he feared for his safety.
The family’s long wait
More than 100 searches were conducted in the area, but Eccles’ remains were not found. The Kittitas County Coroner’s Office has issued a presumptive death certificate declaring Akers dead on May 17, 2020.
Alcantara-Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty to stealing Eccles’ vehicle and shotgun, identity theft and multiple burglaries. As his sentence came to an end, detectives referred the case to the Kittitas County Prosecutor’s Office, which filed murder charges.
“Ian Akers has never been forgotten by his family, this office, and the community that searched for him and followed this case,” said Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers. “We are grateful to the prosecutors for taking on the difficult job of bringing this case to court, and we remain committed to supporting that process.”
