Washington disappeared together with her granddaughter, Angelica Livingston, from their home at Park Place Apartments on Comanchee Trail in West Columbia, South Carolina home on June 10, 2006. Kenneth Andrew Lynch, Washington's live-in boyfriend, went missing with them, as did Washington's vehicle, a tan 2005 Ford Focus with South Carolina license plates numbered 682 SEH. A photograph of Lynch is posted below this case summary.

Several days after Washington and Livingston disappeared, Lynch was cited for speeding in El Paso, Texas while driving Washington's car. He was alone. Around that time, he withdrew all the money from his bank account using an automatic teller machine (ATM). In August 2006, Lynch was arrested in Seattle, Washington while trying to cross the border into Canada in a bus. He was charged with grand larcency for stealing Washington's vehicle, which was parked near the bus stop with the license plate removed.

After his arrest, Lynch refused to cooperate in the investigation into Washington and Livingston's disappearances. In September, a month after he was apprehended, investigators announced they believed Washington and Livingston were murdered and their apartment is considered to be a crime scene.

In June 2008, two years after Livingston and Washington disappeared, Lynch was charged with both their murders. Authorities had been considering filing charges since shortly after the females went missing, but delayed in hopes of getting more evidence. He was still incarcerated for the car theft when he was charged with murder. Physical evidence links Lynch to the disappearances. Washington and Livingston's relatives described Washington as a reliable, churchgoing woman and devoted to her granddaughter. They described Lynch as abusive.

Foul play is suspected in Washington and Livington's cases due to the circumstances involved. Lynch is awaiting trial.

Above: Kenneth Lynch