MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Alyssa Romine-Olson Part 1
When 30-year-old Alyssa Romine-Olson is found floating naked and face down in the pond of a Gilbert, Arizona nature preserve in 2016, online coverage makes the case sound like a suicide. But her missing belongings, an undetermined cause of death, and key evidence found at the scene tell a different story. And investigators soon realize, nothing in this case is as it seems.
Alyssa Romine-Olson
Courtesy: Romine Family
Alyssa Romine-Olson
Courtesy: Romine Family
Alyssa Romine-Olson
Courtesy: Romine Family
Braden Olson
Source: Facebook
Alyssa Romine-Olson and Braden Olson
Source: Facebook
Braden and Alyssa at their wedding
Source: Facebook
Alyssa and her family
Courtesy: Romine Family
An aerial photo of the Riparian Preserve
Source: Gilbert Parks and Recreation
An aerial photo of the Riparian Preserve
Source: Gilbert Parks and Recreation
Timeline:
Alyssa Romine-Olson meets Braden at the International House of Prayer and they get married within the year.
Alyssa suffers an ectopic pregnancy and is hospitalized after significant blood loss.
Alyssa and Braden separate over differences related to their religious beliefs. Braden returns to Washington, while Alyssa stays with her parents in Gilbert.
Morning
Alyssa leaves for the Riparian Preserve, where she regularly spends her mornings journaling and reading the Bible.
10:00 a.m.
Alyssa’s cellphone is turned off.
7:00 p.m.
Alyssa has not returned home, and her parents begin to worry.
10:00 p.m.
Alyssa’s parents drive to the public library but Alyssa is nowhere to be found. Her family searches the Riparian Preserve and contacts police.
2:42 p.m
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office air unit spots Alyssa’s body floating face-down in a pond at the Riparian Preserve.
Riparian Preserve
Southeast Regional Library
Gilbert, Arizona
Alyssa returned to Gilbert to live with her parents after her ectopic pregnancy and remained there after separating from Braden.
Washington
Braden returned to Washington after separating from Alyssa.
Additional Info:
Contact Us With Tips
If you know anything about the 2016 death of Alyssa Romine-Olson at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona, you can contact the Gilbert Police Department by submitting a tip at GilbertAZ.gov/SubmitATip, in reference to case #16-9745.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Original reporting by Nicole Kagan
- Gilbert Police Department. Incident/Investigation Report: Case No. 16-000009745. Accessed 18 Sep. 2019.
- Gilbert Police Department. General Offense Hardcopy. GO #GI 2016-9745. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
- Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office. Medical Examiner Report Case 16-04382. 2016. Accessed 27. Jan 2026.
- Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office. Toxicology Report Case 16-04382. 2016. Accessed 27. Jan 2026.
- ABC15.com Staff. “Alyssa Romine Update: Missing Gilbert Woman Found in Lake.” ABC15 Arizona, 13 June 2016, https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/gilbert/alyssa-romine-search-gilbert-police-looking-for-missing-woman. Accessed 30 April 2026.
- “Gilbert Police Find Dead Body in Riparian Preserve.” FOX 10 Phoenix, 13 June 2016, https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/gilbert-police-find-dead-body-in-riparian-preserve. Accessed 29 April 2026.
- Pelton, Mike. “Family Still Seeks Answers over Gilbert Woman’s Death Two Years Ago.” ABC15 Arizona, 20 Nov. 2018, https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/gilbert/family-still-seeks-answers-over-gilbert-womans-death-two-years-ago. Accessed 29 April 2026.
- Chan, Cecilia. “Gilbert Woman’s Mysterious Death Unsolved.” Gilbert Sun News, 10 Sept. 2023, https://www.gilbertsunnews.com/news/gilbert-woman-s-mysterious-death-unsolved/article_de97cb46-4e7f-11ee-b69e-6b3428729274.html. Accessed 29 April 2026.
- James L. Caruso. “Decomposition Changes in Bodies Recovered from Water.” Academic Forensic Pathology, vol. 6, no. 1, 2016, pp. 19–27. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6474513/. Accessed 6 June 2026.
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