Pasco man murdered runaway teen, then killed himself

Officials have identified two bodies found in a Portland park as those of a missing Pasco man and an Oregon teen runaway.

The Portland Police Bureau said Zachary Petersen, 23, and Annieka Vaughan, 15, each died from a single gunshot wound.

Autopsies performed by the state medical examiner led detectives to believe Petersen shot and killed his girlfriend before he killed himself.

Her father, Rick Vaughan, said at a news conference Friday that Annieka would want him to be grateful for the support given by law enforcement, family and strangers.

“This is the worst thing that could ever happen to somebody,” he said. “This is the worst outcome we could expect.”

Annieka was his only daughter with her mother, who lives in the Tri-Cities.

The teen met Petersen when she spent time visiting her mother in Kennewick.

Vaughan, an assistant basketball coach for Warner Pacific College in Portland, declined to talk about what led to his daughter’s death, except to thank the officials who helped.

He described Annieka as beautiful and highly artistic — teaching herself guitar, animation and acting.

He said the last thing they’d done together was to shop for a Homecoming dress.

A gofundme account has been started to help pay for Annieka’s burial expenses.

Annieka, who was living with her aunt and uncle in Aloha, Ore., was first reported missing Oct. 30, said Washington County sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Talbot.

Detectives believed she had run off with Petersen. The two had been seeing each other and were caught having sex in a car south of Kennewick in September. He was facing possible rape charges for that incident.

He and Annieka were suspected of running off in his pickup to Portland or Sacramento. Authorities feared Petersen was suicidal.

Portland police found his pickup on Monday in a wooded park area in Portland and searchers found their bodies off a trail two days later.

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Pasco man murdered runaway teen, then killed himself."