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The Murder of Mike Emert: How DNA Linked an Unsolved Murder to a Suspected Hitman
On the morning of January 4, 2001, successful Seattle-area real estate agent Mike Emert left home to meet a prospective buyer for what should have been a routine property showing. Just a short time later, he was found brutally murdered inside a vacant home in Woodinville, Washington.
More than two decades later, the murder of Mike Emert remains one of Washington’s most baffling unsolved homicide cases.
A Routine Showing Turns Deadly
Mike Emert had built an outstanding reputation throughout the Seattle-area real estate community. Friends, family, and colleagues described him as kind, hardworking, and well respected. He had even been named Realtor of the Year twice, making it difficult for investigators to identify anyone who might have wanted to harm him.
On January 4, Mike arranged to meet a man identifying himself as “Steven,” who claimed he wanted another look at a home Mike had shown him the previous day. The property sat on a secluded lot outside of neighboring homes, making it an ideal location for someone looking to avoid witnesses.
When the homeowner unexpectedly returned during her lunch break, she noticed something immediately felt wrong. The front door was open, and she could hear water running upstairs.
Following a trail of blood, she made a horrifying discovery.
Mike had been stabbed 19 times and left inside the bathtub while the shower and sinks continued running.
A Carefully Planned Crime Scene
From the beginning, investigators believed they weren’t dealing with a spontaneous act of violence.
The running water appeared to be an attempt to destroy forensic evidence. Mike’s expensive watch and wedding ring had been taken, but detectives never believed robbery was the true motive. Instead, nearly every aspect of the crime suggested planning.
Investigators also questioned whether the suspect’s apparent limp and walking cane had been part of an elaborate disguise. Given Mike’s size and the amount of force required to overpower him, stab him repeatedly, drag his body into the bathroom, and place him in the bathtub, detectives found it difficult to believe the killer had actually been physically disabled.
Some even theorized that the cane may have concealed the murder weapon itself.
The One Piece of Forensic Evidence
Despite what appeared to be a meticulous cleanup, investigators recovered one critical piece of evidence.
After Mike’s Cadillac Escalade was abandoned at a nearby shopping center, forensic testing uncovered skin cells and blood inside the vehicle that did not belong to Mike or anyone close to him.
That DNA would become the most important piece of evidence in the entire investigation.
For years, however, it remained unidentified.
A DNA Match More Than Ten Years Later
In 2011, investigators finally received the breakthrough they had been waiting for.
The unknown DNA recovered from Mike’s vehicle matched Gary Krueger, a former police officer who had become a suspect in multiple homicide investigations.
The discovery immediately strengthened investigators’ long-held belief that Mike’s murder may have been a professional hit rather than a personal attack.
But there was one devastating problem.
Gary Krueger had already been dead for more than a year.
Because investigators never had the opportunity to question him, many of the most important questions remain unanswered. Why was his DNA inside Mike’s vehicle? Did he personally carry out the murder? And if so, who hired him?
A Lasting Legacy
Although Mike Emert’s murder has never been solved, it forever changed the real estate industry in Washington.
In the years following his death, the Washington State Real Estate Safety Council helped implement new safety recommendations encouraging agents to verify clients’ identities, meet prospective buyers at their offices before showings, notify coworkers of appointments, and avoid showing vacant homes alone whenever possible.
Those practices have since become standard throughout much of the industry.
A Case That Still Raises More Questions Than Answers
The forensic evidence answered one important question by linking Gary Krueger to Mike’s vehicle.
Unfortunately, it created several more.
More than twenty-five years later, investigators still do not know who orchestrated Mike Emert’s murder, why he was targeted, or whether anyone else was involved.
It serves as a reminder that while forensic science can identify a suspect years after a crime, it cannot always reveal the entire story.
For a complete breakdown of the investigation, forensic evidence, and DNA developments in this case, listen to this week’s episode of Forensic Tales.
