SPOKANE, Wash. (Scripps News San Luis Obispo) — A man was arrested in Washington state for the murder of his daughter’s boyfriend, who was accused of selling her to a sex-trafficking ring, according to the Spokane Police Department.
The police department says its patrol officers located the body of the 19-year-old boyfriend in the trunk of a vehicle on Oct. 22 after reports were made about a foul odor emanating from car.
Over the course of an investigation, Spokane police identified 60-year-old John Eisenman as a suspect.
Police say Eisenman learned in October 2020 that his juvenile daughter was allegedly sold to a sex-trafficking organization in the Seattle area.
Eisenman obtained information that his daughter’s boyfriend may have been the one responsible for the sale, according to police.
“Eisenman was able to rescue his daughter and get her back to the Spokane area in October 2020,” wrote the department in a press release Monday.
In November 2020, police say Eisenman learned his daughter’s boyfriend was going to be at a location in Airway Heights, so he allegedly waited for the man and confronted him as he arrived.
“During that encounter, Eisenman abducted the victim, tying him up and placing him in the trunk of a vehicle,” the department wrote. “Eisenman subsequently assaulted the victim by hitting him in the head with a cinder block and then stabbed him repeatedly, causing his death.”
After the homicide, police believe Eisenman drove the vehicle to a remote area in Spokane County and abandoned the car with the body still inside. That’s where it remained until this past October, when police say a third party moved it to Spokane and abandoned it.
“At this point, it is not believed the third-party knew the body was in the trunk,” police said.
Police say people rummaging through the car discovered the body.
On Friday, authorities arrested Eisenman for the first-degree murder of his daughter’s boyfriend. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police did not identify the victim.
This story was originally published Nov. 2, 2021, by Scripps National of E.W. Scripps Company.