Clallam: Suspect in Hoh killing still awaits indictment in custody

The man under investigation for the death of a woman on the Hoh reservation last December remains in custody.

Michael W. Koch was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court with one count of murder three days after 18-year-old Tawnya LaVonne Tom was killed, though he has not yet been indicted.

Koch’s defense attorneys and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office have agreed to several extensions in the case, and Koch has waived the indictment. In June, a federal judge set a deadline of Oct. 12 for the indictment to be filed.

Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle, said last week the case is still under investigation.

She would not say if there are any suspects other than Koch.

Koch, 23, has been held without bail in the federal detention center in Seatac since his arrest.

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