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Family of Roy homicide victim says he fought to reclaim his life

Tracy Sehmel had been in and out of prison much of his adult life, but his family said he had worked to reconnect with his family. His body was found in the trunk of a car last week at a tow yard.
The family of Tracy Sehmel says he worked to reclaim his life and his family after a series of choices that left him in and out of prison for most of his adult life. (Credit: KING)

The family of a murdered Roy man is remembering only the good times, hoping others see what they did.

Police say someone killed Tracy Sehmel and put his body inside the trunk of his car. Workers at a tow yard found it last Thursday, a day after it was towed from an area near Parkland.

"I got a message from his co-worker that he was missing and hadn't talked to anybody in about two days," said his 21-year-old daughter Brittaney. "So immediately I messaged him and was like, 'Dad. Where are you?'"

She began worry. Things had been going so well for the past year with her dad.

"I figured he was busy and hadn't gotten back or something. And then I realized that he wasn't gonna get back," she tearfully said.

Tracy Sehmel (Credit: Sehmel family)

Sehmel had been in and out of prison much of his adult life.

It began in his early 20s with a single punch he threw in a bar. His wife at the time and lifelong friend, Susan Sehmel, says two other men got into it with him over a game of pool and came at him from different directions, so he threw a single punch. The other man fell back, hit his head against something on the wall and never regained consciousness.

Sehmel was convicted of manslaughter and spent three years in prison. Once released, he stayed out of trouble for about eight years, then things began to turn.

"He made several poor choices in his life that he had to live with those consequences," she said.

He was caught with a firearm, dabbled in drugs and was caught stealing. In 2011 he was sent back to prison for six years and released in early 2017.

"When he got out in February of last year, he was a completely different person than that person was. He was the best 'him' I've ever seen him. And I was really proud of him," said Susan.

He joined the union and worked construction, helping build the new natural gas plant down at the Port of Tacoma. He was busy seven days a week.

"He was spending almost every weekend, every minute with the kids, taking them places, doing stuff with them," she said.

It was a new beginning, a chance for him to be present.

"He really showed that he wanted to be there. He wanted to be our father," said Brittaney. "He wanted to make up for all the time he didn't get with us and he regretted every moment that he had to spend away from us."

His sudden loss has drawn mom and the three kids closer.

"The four of us together, you know?" said Susan.

Waiting for answers in the case, but ready to forge ahead, focus on the good times, and learn from the others.

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