Mallory still missing; foul play suspected

Husband is a ‘person of interest’ in the case

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

A former Gig Harbor woman remains missing nearly four months after she disappeared from Portland, Ore.

Heather Dawn Mallory, 32, has not been seen or heard from since 10:30 a.m. March 8, when she left her home in Portland after an argument with her husband, Brian Cole, 35.

Mallory’s parents, Jeni and Steve, are Gig Harbor residents. Mallory graduated from Peninsula High School and moved around the Pacific Northwest — including places in Lakewood and Tacoma — before settling down in Portland almost four years ago. She met and married her husband, and then had a son, River, soon afterward.

There have been few developments in the case since April 2, when the story was first reported in the Gateway. Mallory’s car, a red 2001 Ford Focus, was located a few weeks later.

The Portland Police Department hasn’t released any details about the car’s condition, but homicide detectives joined the investigation soon after the car was located, said Portland Police Spokesman Brian Schmaltz.

When Mallory first disappeared, the PPD did not suspect foul play.

“There is a lot of speculation in cases like these,” Schmaltz said, “But we don’t typically confirm anything.”

Although no other details — including the names of any suspects — have been officially released, the police told Jeni Mallory that her son-in-law was a person of interest. Cole was not initially a suspect when the investigation began in March.

“They seem pretty intent on building a case against Brian,” Jeni Mallory said.

On May 28, Jeni Mallory said the PPD searched the Coles’ former apartment. Brian Cole moved to Idaho with his son not long after the investigation began.

Jeni Mallory is not sure about her son-in-law’s involvement in her daughter’s disappearance.

“Could he have created a situation where Heather was fed up and worried about her own life? Sure,” she said. “But did he do anything to her? I’m not convinced.”

For now, Jeni Mallory is thankful for the outpouring of community support she has received in Gig Harbor. She still regularly receives cards from concerned friends and family — which gives her hope that Heather will someday return home safely.

“I miss my daughter more now,” she said. “I’ve never been away from her for this long.”

Help find a former GH woman

Anyone with information about Heather Dawn Mallory (also known as Heather Mallory Cole) is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 503-823-HELP.