Twitter Mandy Stavik was only 18 years old when she was raped and murdered.
May 29’s episode of 20/20 features the story of Amanda Stavik, who went by the nickname “Mandy.” She was found murdered in 1989, but her killer was not apprehended until almost 30 years later.
The official synopsis for the episode, entitled “30 Years Searching,” reads “Detectives use DNA evidence to solve a nearly 30-year-old cold case involving the rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman.”
Here’s what you need to know about the death of Amanda Stavik:
1. Mandy Stavik’s Murderer, Tim Bass, Was Caught Nearly 30 Years After Her Death
WATCH TONIGHT: A beautiful 18-year-old girl vanishes. Now, the chilling cold case is finally solved after 30 years.
Heart-stopping details & interviews – ‘30 Years Searching’ encore event at 9|8c on @ABC. t.co/IRv7Dvxvbo
Although Stavik was killed in 1989, it took investigators almost 30 years to catch her rapist and murderer, Timothy Bass, in December 2017.
During Bass’s trial, his mother Sandra Bass took the stand to testify to his character, saying “never caused trouble and worked hard at his job and college.” She added “He was found guilty in people’s minds way before the trial even started, and is being sent to prison on people’s emotions, not any real evidence. The prosecution wants to solve this case, even if they convict an innocent person”
Before Tim Bass was convicted of first-degree murder, he addressed the court room, saying “I would first like to say that I am 100% innocent of this crime. I wish no ill will towards anyone here, not even today. But I am having a hard time with this.”
2. Stavik’s Body Was Found in a River a Few Away From Her Home
Before she was raped and murdered by Timothy Bass, Mandy Stavik had gone out on a run with her dog. It was the day after Thanksgiving; after 3 days of looking for her, her body was found in a river only three and a half miles away from her family’s home.
According to The Independent, the route Mandy took, which was her usual running route, passed by Timothy Bass’s house. The lead detective in Stavik’s murder case revealed that their investigations “also discovered Mr. Bass lived on Strand Road near Mandy Stavik’s home when she disappeared in 1989,” adding “At the high school, he started attending the girls’s basketball games, and watching her play basketball. When Mandy jogged with her dog, the route that she would take would take her past Timothy Bass’s residence.”
3. Tim Bass’s Coworker, Kim Wagner, Helped Police Catch Him for Stavik’s Murder
A key player in the capture of Bass was his co-worker Kim Wagner. According to The Independent, Bass was employed by Franz Bakery at the time he was first being investigated 2013, and the bakery refused to let them swab for a DNA sample without a warrant. Years later, they returned to the bakery and were greeted by Wagner. When Wagner knew about the case they were investigating, she handed over a cup and a Coke can that she saw Tim Bass throw out; the DNA matched that found on the victim.
Wagner told ABC “I 100% volunteered to do it… The reason I wanted to know was I’m a mom now. If something happened to my daughter, I’d want someone to help me. And the thought of her mom never having an answer of who did that to her daughter, if I could help her find that peace, I wanted to do it.”
4. Bass Claimed That He & Stavik Had a Secret Sexual Relationship
According to ABC News, Timothy Bass claimed that he and Mandy Stavik were secretly involved in a romantic relationship. In interrogation tapes, he could be heard telling authorities that “I met her, I think, I was with my dad. We were mountain-bike riding up and down the road, and he talked to her. He had a way with people. He just talked to her and I talked to her, and then after that I’d mountain bike up and down the road and she’d jog, and then we’d talk and stuff. I think that was in the spring. It wasn’t that long a relationship because she went away to college. I want to say Eastern or Central.”
Stavik’s dead body was found naked in the river, and authorities determined she had drowned and been sexually assaulted.
At the time of Stavik’s murder, her mother Mary said that she was in a relationship with her boyfriend Rick Zender. ABC News reports that Zender was briefly considered a suspect, but was cleared after giving a statement to the police.
5. Bass Was Sentenced to Almost 30 Years in Prison for His Crimes Against Mandy Stavik
Timothy Bass, suspect in 1989 murder of Mandy Stavik enters plea, trial set.
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According to the Bellingham Herald, on July 2, 2019, Timothy Bass was sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison for kidnapping, raping, and killing Amanda Stavik. Following his 3-week long trial, he was found guilty of murder, as well as first-degree rape, attempted first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and attempted first-degree kidnapping.
Special prosecuting attorney David McEachran, who asked that Bass serve the maximum time of almost 27 years, remarked that “I’ve never seen [a case] that had an impact like this one did. People felt that they didn’t have a sense of safety. It was the realization that we’re not all that safe and that there was a monster who was really living among us.”
Bass’s defense attorney tried to get him the minimum sentence of 20 years, on the grounds that he was 22 at the time of Stavik’s death and had no prior criminal record.
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Amanda ‘Mandy’ Stavik’s Death Featured on 20/20 Episode