Murder suspect being investigated for other crimes in the Tacoma area

The suspect in the abduction and slaying of a 12-year-old Tacoma girl is being investigated for other crimes in the Tacoma area and elsewhere in the U.S., Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell said during a news conference this afternoon.

Ramsdell said there is a possibility Terapon Dang Adhahn could have some connection with other abductions, including the December 2005 kidnapping of 10-year-old Adre'Anna Jackson. The remains of the Tillicum girl were found in April 2006 at a vacant lot in Lakewood, Pierce County.

No one has been charged in the case.

Another local case expected to be examined is the disappearance of Teekah Lewis, 2, from a bowling alley in Tacoma on Jan. 23, 1999. Despite an intensive search, no sign of the girl was ever found.

Ramsdell said it was too early to know whether Adhahn was involved in either case.

He said investigators are awaiting the results of DNA tests to determine the cause of death of Zina Linnik, whose body was found Thursday in south Pierce County. Ramsdell also said Pierce County prosecutors would file kidnapping and murder charges against Adhahn.

"It is with great regret and sorrow that I am informing our community that we have located the body of Zina Linnik," Ramsdell said Thursday night, reading a statement.

Ramsdell said information provided by the suspect led police and FBI investigators to the girl's body. Court records identified the man as Adhahn, a convicted sex offender who has been in custody on an unrelated immigration matter since Monday.

The girl's body was found near Silver Lake, west of Eatonville, according to the Tacoma Police Department.

Stan Linnik, Zina's 18-year-old brother, said, "The family is hurt, not angry. We still had hope and now the hope is gone."

Zina, one of eight children in her family, was abducted from an alley behind her home the night of the holiday, police said.

About 9:45 that night, her father, Mikhail Linnik, heard a scream, according to a police report. When he went to the alley, he saw an Asian man get into a gray van parked nearby and drive off, the report says.

The investigation led officers to Adhahn, who drove a gray van with recently changed license plates registered to another car.

In 1990, he was charged with raping a 16-year-old relative, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree incest in exchange for completing 60 months of sexual-deviancy counseling.

A court-ordered psychological evaluation conducted as part of his sentencing described Adhahn as a troubled man, suffering from alcoholism, depression and pent-up rage.

According to the report, Adhahn was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and spent his early years with his mother and an alcoholic, abusive father. When his parents divorced, Adhahn and his siblings moved in with grandparents in a rural area, where they sometimes went without food.

During the evaluation, Adhahn said he had been repeatedly raped by an older brother, according to the report.

In 1975, his mother married an American who was serving in the Army's Special Forces. The family moved first to the United States and then to a military base in Germany. After high school, Adhahn enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving seven years before the rape conviction led to a discharge.

He married in 1986 and by 1990 he and his wife had one child. They filed for divorce in 1998, court records show.

"In summary, Mr. Adhahn's violent sexual assault on [his relative] provides ample evidence of his violent proclivities and assaultive potential, especially under the influence of alcohol," the evaluation states. "He is an angry and poorly controlled man with a plethora of psychological, emotional and behavioral problems."

Adhahn was arrested Monday on an unrelated immigration matter, and was charged Monday with failing to register as a sex offender. Additional information on the immigration charge was not immediately available.

In his Tacoma home, police found girls underwear and other items, which they said were being tested. He was being held at a local federal detention facility, Ramsdell said.

The Linniks moved to Tacoma from Ukraine about 10 years ago. During the search, they said Wednesday they put their faith in God and the police that Zina would be found safely.

Said Ramsdell Thursday night: "We never lost hope that the final outcome of this investigation would bring Zina safely home to her family. We will continue to put forth our best effort to bring the perpetrator of this senseless and horrific crime to justice."

Brian Alexander: 206-464-2026 or balexander@seattletimes.com; Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562, or mohagan@seattletimes.com; Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com