Thomas Goodwin, a 54-year-old man with gray hair and blue eyes, was last seen walking on foot somewhere between 8 and 9 pm Saturday in the 14000 block of George Road SE in Yelm, still dressed in a Civil War reenactment uniform with a gray top and blue pants. He had no vehicle with him. Police say his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.
The Washington State Patrol activated an Endangered Missing Person Advisory on behalf of the Yelm Police Department, according to a post from WSP Missing Person Alerts. The agency's account is dedicated to sharing active AMBER, Silver, EMPA, and Missing Indigenous Person alerts, and it only issues them at the request of local law enforcement. Goodwin's case has been assigned number 2026-01340. He stands 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 190 pounds.
The address where Goodwin was last seen lines up with Evenson Farm, the site of the Washington Civil War Association's annual Labor Day weekend event known as An Encounter at Evenson Farm, which ran from Saturday through Monday this year. That explains the reenactment uniform: the gathering typically draws more than 100 reenactors who dress in authentic 1860s-style clothing and set up living-history campsites on the property, according to background reported by Nisqually Valley News.
A Rural Backdrop With Real Risks
Yelm sits about 15 miles southeast of Olympia in eastern Thurston County, a small city of roughly 12,286 residents spread across just 5.7 square miles, per World Population Review. The area around Evenson Farm includes farmland, dense forest, and large private acreage bordering the Nisqually River, terrain that can make an unaccompanied search on foot especially difficult.
Temperatures add another layer of concern. Early-September days in Yelm typically reach highs near 71 to 72 degrees, but overnight lows can drop to between 48 and 50 degrees, according to climate data from WeatherSpark. For someone missing overnight in a rural setting, that kind of temperature swing is part of why investigators consider the case urgent.
How the Alert System Works
Under Washington law, an Endangered Missing Person Advisory can be activated by the state patrol when someone is reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances and is believed to be in danger due to health, disability, or weather-related conditions, per state statutes RCW 13.60.010 and RCW 13.60.050. Local agencies like the Yelm Police Department are required to file an official report and enter biographical details into the state's missing-person network within six hours of being notified, under RCW 13.60.020.
The legal framework around these alerts expanded this year. In May, the Washington State Legislature enacted Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6070, which broadened missing endangered person provisions and gave magistrates authority to issue search warrants to seize evidence that could help locate a missing endangered individual.
The Washington State Patrol's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit distributes public alert posters for missing adults only after local police enter the person into statewide and national crime databases and submit signed authorization paperwork, according to the agency's published procedures. That structure keeps the state patrol acting as a clearinghouse while the Yelm Police Department retains primary investigative authority over Goodwin's case.
Where to Report Information
The Yelm Police Department operates out of the Public Safety Building at 206 McKenzie Avenue SW and coordinates with the Thurston County Sheriff's Office for detention needs. After-hours non-emergency calls for the department route through TCOMM 911, Thurston County's consolidated emergency communications center.
Anyone who sees Thomas Goodwin is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately. Tips can also be directed to the Yelm Police Department's non-emergency line at 360-704-2740, and callers should reference case number 2026-01340.
