Michella Welch's family is on their way to Washington state to see the man accused of killing the 12-year-old face-to-face.
Nicole Eby was nine when her older sister was killed.
"Seeing my own kids interact makes me remember," Eby said. "So it's impacted me probably more later in life than when I was younger."
The man who police believe raped and killed young Michella Welch more than 30 years ago made his first appearance in court Thursday.
His Lakewood neighbors say the 66-year-old man has a wife and two adult daughters and a hobby of working on classic cars.
"I don't know how to describe how horrible [it is]," said Cindy Peterson, who lives next door to him, "because you are now going back to conversations you've had and kids in the neighborhood."
"It was probably the disruption of everybody's innocence of childhood," said Teri Tommaney, who remembers police searching the woods of Puget Park in March of 1986.
She still lives across the street from the park.
"Nobody went to bed early that night," said Tommaney, who found out about the arrest from her daughter. "Everybody is thrilled to have this after 30-plus years hopefully come to an end."
DSHS confirmed the man has worked at Western State Hospital for 20 years, helping patients re-integrate into society.
He has no criminal history, but a judge decided to hold him on $5 million bail.
Eby says detectives told their family the man had been tracked down through a DNA match, which was also confirmed by the Pierce County prosecutor.
Their family has never gotten over it.
"You think 32 years later you should be okay. But it's not. It's still real all the time," said Eby.
Prosecutors are expected to announce a decision on charges Friday.
