Deadly Date Leaves Woman in Pieces
By: Lisa Marie Fuqua
Tags: True Crime, Relationships Love Dating, Online Dating, Justice, Culture

Dating has always been hard on the heart, but this case will show you just how deadly it sometimes ends.

Ingrid Maree Lyne | via Scallywag and Vagabond

The Victim

Ingrid Maree Lyne, 40, was a nurse who lived in Renton, Washington, with her three daughters that she shared custody with her ex-husband.

In 2016, two years after her divorce, Ingrid was looking for a relationship. Like so many others, she turned to online dating to try and find a match. Unfortunately, there is no box predators have to check to show the world who they really are.

In March, Ingrid and John Robert Charlton, 37, found each other online and seemed to hit it off. Soon after meeting in real life, they started to date. The first month of their relationship seemed promising.

Even if the rest of Charlton’s life didn’t appear to be working out for him, at that time in 2016, he was a homeless day labor that seemed not to be able to get on his feet. He had an extensive criminal history, including charges for assault, larceny, aggravated robbery, grand theft auto, and felony theft.

John Charlton and Ingrid Lyne | via New York Post

The Last Date

On Friday, April 8, 2016, Ingrid and Charlton attended a Seattle Mariners baseball game together.

The next day her ex-husband drove to Ingrid’s house to drop off their children, as they had stayed with him the night before. As he pulled up to the house, he noticed Ingrid’s car wasn’t parked outside. He called her mobile, but he got no answer.

When Ingrid didn’t answer the door, her ex-husband called Ingrid’s mother to see if she knew where her daughter was. She didn’t. But she did have keys to Ingrid’s home, so she drove over and let him and the girls inside.

They didn’t find Ingrid. Instead, they found her purse, wallet, and mobile phone. All things Ingrid would never have left behind when going out.

Knowing that Ingrid went on a date with John Charlton the night before, her mother used Ingrid’s mobile to text him. John Charlton: I thought she was with her kids today? Ingrid’s Mother: When did you see her last? Ingrid’s Mother: She’s not here, her phone is here and driver’s license and purse but she’s not, please respond, I’ve called 911. John Charlton: 911? John Charlton: What’s going on? We went to the Mariners game last night, but we didn’t stay the night together because she has her kids today . . . not sure what she had told you about me and our relationship. Ingrid’s Mother: She’s missing. What time did you see her last. A police officer needs to speak to you as you may be the last person who saw her. Ingrid’s Mother: Please John, did Ingrid say anything about someone coming to see her after you separated from her last night. Ingrid’s Mother: We can’t find her or her car. As I said her phone and ID and purse are at her house but she and her car are gone without a trace. Any help would be appreciated. We are desperate. She would never just go off and leave her family. John Charlton did not further respond to Ingrid’s mother after mentioning the police needed to speak to him.

Ingrid Lyne’s Home | via Daily Mail

Missing Persons Case Quickly Turns to Foul Play

When the police searched the house, they found blood, and human tissue in the bathroom, along with a 15-inch pruning saw. Even more unsettling was a partial roll of garbage bags.

When asked, relatives quickly were able to tell the investigators that Ingrid did not keep the saw in the bathroom.

Police and Investigators searching recycling bins for body parts | via The Seattle Times

An Unfortunate Discovery Across Town

A call to the police came in on April 9, claiming to have found human remains in a recycling bin.

“It was just three bags, in the bottom of that bin, that were incredibly heavy and weren’t supposed to be there,” Mike Novasion tells reporters.

“I grabbed the first bag and it was so almost professionally packaged that it was eerie. [I] could see, as I pulled it out, what was the outline of a face.”

Novasion had found the remains in his recycling bin that sat outside of his house in Seattle, nearly 10 miles away from Ingrid’s home.

Eventually, more dismembered body parts would be located in two other recycling areas. It appears that Charlton had packaged her pieces individually, then dropped them off around town in various recycling bins and containers.

All of the body parts were placed in identical trash bags that matched the type found in Ingrid’s house.

Mourners gathered for a memorial for Ingrid Lyne | via The Washington Post

Family Statement

“This weekend, a light went out of our lives forever,” Ingrid’s family released a statement. “Ingrid, beloved mother, daughter, sister, and friend, was taken from us for reasons we still cannot comprehend. Our hearts are broken and can never be fully mended.”

John Robert Charlton mugshot | via Idaho State Journal

Arrest

On April 13, Charlton was charged with first-degree murder. He had been arrested two days before at a former girlfriend’s house in Lake Stevens. He has also been accused of theft of a motor vehicle after Ingrid’s car was found in downtown Seattle.

Charlton told investigators that he had drank to the point of blacking out the night he and Ingrid went to the baseball game. He initially claimed that all he remembered was waking up on a sidewalk in Seattle, unsure how he ended up there.

At the time of his arrest, he had numerous wounds that looked like someone had fought him off. His chest, hand, and forehead had deep scratches as if made by fingernails. He also had bruising to his face.

John Robert Charlton in court | via The Seattle Times

Court Documents