Sex offender knew woman whose remains found in The Dalles storage unit

THE DALLES, Ore. (KOIN) — Roughly a month after the remains of a missing woman were found in a storage unit in The Dalles, a man identified by authorities as a “person of interest” in the case was arrested in Colorado.

According to the City of The Dalles Police Department, officers from several agencies with the Mid-Columbia Major Crimes Team were called to the U-Haul Moving and Storage facility on West 6th Street on July 29. 

Police said the 9-1-1 caller had recently purchased an abandoned storage unit in an auction. However, the new owner got more than he bargained for.

“When he opened that storage locker, which he was now the legal owner of, he encountered a box which he considered to be suspicious,” said Chief Tom Worthy with the City of The Dalles Police Department. “That was confirmed by our officers, and they slowed the scene down, went back, got a search warrant, engaged the crime lab and opened the box. And that’s where the remains were found.”

The grim discovery blew the doors wide open on a year-long missing person case, as a Clackamas County Medical Examiner identified the human remains as belonging to 39-year-old Meihong He. 

He, also known as “Kiki,” was originally from China and known to stay in the Mid-Columbia area and Montana. 

According to missing person data, she was last seen on May 25, 2024, while visiting her fiancé in Glenwood, Washington, after her fiancé reported he dropped her off to go fishing with friends near Underwood. 

“She’s been missing for a good long time,” Chief Worthy said. “Her relationships, where she was, and what she was doing, is the subject of this investigation.”

Since the discovery of He’s remains, Worthy said detectives conducted a follow-up investigation in California, Washington, Utah, Nevada and Colorado. 

Police said they partnered with the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office to identify Richard Robinson, a 59-year-old man from The Dalles, as a person of interest. 

The US Marshall’s Service arrested Robinson in Colorado on an outstanding warrant on Monday.

“He had a known relationship with this individual who wound up in the storage locker,” said Chief Worthy. “Our detectives connected them through that history, and we used a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender as a means to take him into custody so he can be interviewed by our detectives.”

Worthy said Robinson is currently lodged in the Larimer County Jail pending extradition to Oregon. 

The news comes as a relief to Michael Johnson, who rents storage from the same facility where He’s remains were found. 

“Good job on them. I can’t believe he got caught,” Johnson said. “It makes you wonder, how many more people are in a storage shed? Did that guy get other people here in town?”

“It’s pretty crazy to actually think that would happen here,” he added.  

Worthy told KOIN 6 News he has never seen a case like this in his career.

“It’s totally uncommon. It’s a shock to our community. Our community wants answers. They deserve answers, and they’re counting on us to get them.”

This case is still under active investigation. Anyone with information regarding Robinson, He, or the case is asked to contact The Dalles Police Department at 541-296-2613 or 541-296-2233.  

You may also email Policecontact@ci.the-dalles.or.us or report online at The Dalles Police on Tip 411.