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Kala Williams' homicide remains under investigation and is receiving new public interest, particularly following a mention on the Crime Junkie podcast. Williams, who was 20 years old and a native of Spokane, Washington, went missing in 2012. Weeks later, police discovered her body, which was dismembered and hidden in a sleeping bag and trash bags in a West Spokane woodland.
Even though DNA evidence connects a suspect, Robert Davis, to the crime scene, no charges have been brought against him as of May 2025. The case remained stagnant for years because the initial medical examiner listed her cause of death as "undetermined."
It was not until a new medical examiner determined her death as a homicide that police officially recommended murder charges against Davis. The Spokane County Prosecutor's Office is currently considering this recommendation.
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This case is revisited in the episode of Crime Junkie podcast. The episode titled, MURDERED: Kala Williams & Heather Higgins, was released on May 12, 2025, and is available on their website.
The discovery of Kala Williams' body and the initial investigation
Kala Williams was missing, reported by her family in 2012. Her remains were found weeks later, dismembered and hidden in a sleeping bag and garbage bags, along 14th Avenue and South Lindeke Street in Spokane, Washington.
As reported by KHQ, the body was discovered by individuals who had seen the sleeping bag in the forest. The police gathered evidence from the area, such as clothing, electrical tape, and boxers for men. DNA was extracted from several items, which led to a potential suspect.
The main suspect and the role of DNA
The investigation had set its sights on Robert Davis once the DNA from the crime scene had matched his profile. Based on police reports quoted by KHQ and The Spokesman-Review, Davis's DNA was present on boxers, electrical tape around Williams' neck, and beneath her fingernails.
Davis acknowledged having met Kala through her boyfriend but did not admit to any form of s*xual intercourse with her. Even with these results, the case was unable to proceed because the then-medical examiner, Dr. John Howard, declared the manner and cause of death "undetermined." This made it impossible for prosecutors to bring charges, even with the DNA evidence.
Medical examiner's review and legal developments
The case received a significant breakthrough when the new Spokane County Medical Examiner, Dr. Veena Singh, went through the evidence and reclassified Williams' death as a homicide in 2022. This enabled the Spokane Police Department to formally request first-degree murder charges against Robert Davis, as reported by KHQ and the City of Spokane Police.
Davis is serving time in prison in Idaho for attacking another woman in a different assault. The Prosecutor's Office for Spokane County continues to review the recommendation of a murder charge. Kala Williams' family hopes justice will be served, but no one has been charged with her murder as of yet.
