Teen Mandy Stavik was murdered by neighbor Timothy Bass: 20/20 on ID investigates

On November 24, 1989, Amanda “Mandy” Stavik was kidnapped, raped, and murdered as she went jogging near her home on Strand Road in Clipper, near Acme in Whatcom County, Washington State.

This week on ID, the team at 20/20 examine this tragic case that devastated this rural, tight-knit community.

This was a case that had lain cold for nearly 30 years until investigators received a tip-off that sent them in the direction of Mandy’s neighbor Timothy Bass.

Mandy had graduated from high school only that year and had just started her first year at Central Washington University when she returned home for Thanksgiving.

She went for a run the day after Thanksgiving, taking a very regular route that she often took. When she failed to return home, her family began to panic.

An extensive search began, which ended three days later with the tragic discovery of Mandy’s body lying face down in the Nooksack River. The 18-year-old was completely naked except for socks and sneakers.

An autopsy revealed drowning as the cause of death; she had also received a blow to the head and had been sexually assaulted. Luckily the police were able to recover male DNA from her remains, so all they needed to do was find a match.

Unfortunately, while investigators initially had plenty of ‘persons of interest,’ all the suspects were eventually cleared by the DNA evidence or had a solid alibi. And as the decades went by, the case became cold.

Mandy Stavik’s friends told cops to look at Timothy Bass

However, in 2013, police were pointed in the direction of Timothy Bass. Several of Mandy’s friends had been talking about the case amongst themselves and came with Bass’s name.

Bass had lived just a short distance down the road from Mandy’s house and along the route she’d taken for her run. Friends of Mandy described him as a “loner” and an “oddball.” He had moved out of the area a couple of months after the murder.

Investigators became very interested in Timothy Bass; however, he refused to take a DNA test claiming that he didn’t trust the police. Thankfully, a colleague of the killer agreed to help the cops by giving them a water cup he had drunk from.

The DNA came back as a match, and police arrested Timothy Bass for murder on December 12, 2017. On May 24, 2019, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder, and the judge sentenced him to nearly 30-years in prison.

More from 20/20 on ID

Follow the links to read about more horrific murders profiled on 20/20 on ID.

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An obsessive fan murdered aspiring actress and former model, Rebecca Schaeffer. Robert John Bardo traveled from his home in Arizona to West Hollywood to kill the actress in cold blood in a crime that shocked Hollywood.

20/20 on ID airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.