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Kittitas County prosecutors charged Jorge Oma Alcantara Gonzalez in May 2026 with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Ian P. Eckles, whose body has never been found following his disappearance during a planned turkey hunt in May 2020.

Eckles, 41, of Kent, Washington, drove a silver 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser to Kittitas County for a hunt with a friend near Liberty, in the Mineral Springs area off State Route 97 near Blewett Pass. He went missing on or about May 17, 2020, and was reported missing on May 18 after he failed to appear for work or the hunt. Reports differ by a day or so on the exact dates. No prior relationship between Eckles and Alcantara Gonzalez has been reported.

The FJ Cruiser was found hidden in thick brush off a remote Forest Service road. It had bloodstains inside and, according to later court filings, evidence consistent with a violent encounter, including multiple gunshots. Alcantara Gonzalez's wallet was inside the vehicle. His family described him as familiar with the remote forest area and skilled at living in the wilderness.

Deputies saw Alcantara Gonzalez near the vehicle, but he ran, prompting a manhunt of about 23 days and the closure of thousands of acres. The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said he was arrested on June 14, 2020, after a burglary report in the Teanaway area. He was named a suspect in Eckles' disappearance and charged in 2020 with possession of stolen vehicles and a series of thefts and burglaries. Investigators cited blood, tissue, DNA, fingerprints and ballistics evidence.

In the recorded interview after his arrest, detectives questioned Alcantara Gonzalez about firearms with filed-off serial numbers. He described taking items he found while living in the woods.

On September 18, 2020, Alcantara Gonzalez pleaded guilty to eight felonies: theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, identity theft, theft of two firearms, residential burglary, and first and second degree burglary. He was sentenced to 96 months in prison. He admitted taking Eckles' Toyota FJ and shotgun, but the homicide was not part of the plea.

As his prison term neared its end, Alcantara Gonzalez was charged in May 2026 in Eckles' death. He pleaded not guilty to both counts at his June 2026 arraignment in Kittitas County Superior Court. Bail was set at $2 million, and a trial date of August 3, 2026, was set. No trial result, plea or sentence on the murder and robbery charges had been reported as of early October 2026. He is presumed innocent of those charges and has not been convicted of causing Eckles' death.

The video is a police interview-room recording running about 82 minutes. It shows the interview itself and opens with a short narrated introduction naming the people involved.

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Part 2 of 2 of the recording described above.