A Woodland man was arrested last month in connection with the death of a Vancouver woman whose body was discovered on state forest land near the Tarbell Trailhead in eastern Clark County.
Over the course of an investigation, Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) detectives identified Andrew Brunette, 66, of Woodland, as a suspect in the murder of 34-year-old Tori Garza, of Vancouver, after reviewing cellphone data, surveillance footage and a search of his home.
CCSO began investigating after Garza’s body was discovered near the Tarbell Trailhead along the DNR-1100 Road on Feb. 14. Garza was last known to be in contact with associates on Feb. 9.
Detectives, with assistance from the Lower Columbia SWAT team and the Woodland Police Department, served a search warrant at Brunette’s home on Marty Loop in Woodland on Feb. 24, where they reported finding evidence of foul play. Brunette was arrested and booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, patronizing a prostitute and unlawful disposal of human remains.
Brunette remains in the Cowlitz County Jail and is being held without bond, according to the Cowlitz County Jail roster.
The scene where Garza was found
Just after noon on Valentine’s Day, two men called 911 after discovering a woman’s body behind a tree near the Tarbell Trailhead along the L-1100 Road on Washington Department of Natural Resource land, according to court documents.
CCSO deputies and detectives arrived and began the investigation at the scene, which proved to be more disturbing than first reported. The woman’s body, identified as Garza, was missing all of her fingers from both hands, according to court documents. Investigators also noted white paint flakes scattered across parts of her body as well as throughout a nearby road pullout, suggesting Garza was dragged to the location where she was found.
Near her body, detectives discovered a black nitrile glove and a small burn pile containing remnants of duct tape, plastic material, blood and what appeared to be black hair. Hair extension clips were also found in the debris. The hair and extensions found nearby matched Garza’s hair, court docs state.
The placement of evidence and appearance that her body was dragged to its resting place suggested the killing likely did not occur there. The lividity pattern on Garza’s body indicated she had been lying face down for some time before being found on her back at the scene.
An autopsy later determined Garza died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck. A piece of plastic was also found inside her mouth, court docs state.
Garza’s cell phone activity points to Brunette as a suspect
As detectives worked backward to reconstruct Garza’s final days, the timeline began several days earlier.
According to court documents, Garza’s boyfriend told investigators the last time he saw her was around noon or 1 p.m. on Feb. 9. According to her boyfriend, Garza was preparing to meet a “client” for what he believed would be a paid sexual encounter, court documents state.
Investigators located a post on an adult services website showing Garza advertising her services earlier that morning, court docs state.
Cellphone records would ultimately map out Garza’s final movements. Investigators analyzed data showing Garza’s phone leaving her Vancouver residence shortly after noon on Feb. 9, according to court docs. From there, digital location records, automatic license plate reader captures and surveillance video began to align around one vehicle: a silver 2023 Subaru Outback registered to Brunette.
According to court docs, location data indicated Garza’s phone traveled to the area of Brunette’s residence in the 200 block of Marty Loop in Woodland and remained there through the night.
The next movement came early the following morning. Just after 7 a.m. on Feb. 10, the phone began traveling south on Interstate 5, according to court docs. Twelve minutes after it began moving, the device stopped transmitting location data near the Battle Ground exit, court docs state.
Surveillance video gathered from Brunette’s neighborhood showed a Subaru Outback with a distinctive roof rack leaving the area at roughly the same time, court docs state. Another surveillance video captured the vehicle returning to Brunette’s home just after 8:40 a.m.
Financial records also pointed to Brunette as Garza’s last known contact.
Garza utilized CashApp on a daily basis, court docs state, and records showed a payment of $50 from Brunette on Feb. 10 with a note reading, “here’s a little additional tip. That was awesome.” That would ultimately be the last transaction on her account, court docs stated.
Investigators also found several earlier payments from Brunette to Garza dating back to December 2025, suggesting a history of contact.
What the search warrant unveiled at Brunette’s home
When law enforcement personnel served the search warrant at Brunette’s residence and his vehicle, they uncovered evidence consistent with a violent confrontation that remained unclean possibly upwards of two weeks, based on the timeline of Garza’s phone data.
Among the items discovered in the search warrant:
Investigators also found blood in an upstairs bedroom and “blood spatter” on a staircase wall leading from the room. Additional blood smears were located near the garage door opener and on a garage doorframe, court docs state.
Also in the garage, detectives located a bloody shoe print hidden under a toolbox with a distinctive round-oval tread pattern. Shoes near Brunette’s bed had the same sole pattern, court docs state.
Fresh paint in a hallway near the garage door also contained a strand of black hair consistent with Garza’s hair color, according to court docs.
Medical records were found during the search that indicated Brunette had visited a Kaiser Permanente office location on Feb. 11 to address a dislocated finger. When Brunette was arrested, he had a bandage and splint on a hand, court records state. Brunette told investigators he had recently dislocated a finger, court docs add.
When detectives interviewed Brunette on Feb. 24, after advising him of his rights, he acknowledged knowing Garza and said he had seen her about two weeks earlier and also told investigators that he regularly solicited prostitutes, according to court documents.
When detectives began asking additional questions, according to court docs, Brunette requested an attorney and the interview ended.
Inside Brunette’s Subaru Outback, investigators located a dash camera containing a micro SD card. According to court docs, review of the footage revealed a recording from Feb. 16 in which Brunette, appearing to be driving alone, said something to the effect of, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Another recording from Feb. 17 captured Brunette picking up his son from the airport and mentioning that a close friend had recently died and he had been unable to finish some projects, court records state.
