Local man charged with killing in connection with remains found at storage unit in The Dalles

Richard Michael Robinson, 60, of The Dalles has been charged with the killing of Meihong He, known to friends as “Kiki in Klickitat County Superior Court.

By Aaron Girdham

Richard Michael Robinson

The Dalles, Ore., Jan, 8 2026 — Sixty-year-old Richard Michael Robinson who is connected to the remains of a 39-year-old woman found in a U-Haul storage unit in The Dalles appeared in Wasco County Circuit Court on Monday, Jan. 5.

Charged with second-degree abuse of a corpse, he is still awaiting the appointment of a defense attorney and his next court appearance in Wasco County Circuit Court is in two weeks. 

However, his charges are no longer limited to Oregon. 

Court documents in Washington State Superior Court in Klickitat County show that he has been charged with second-degree murder, and first-degree kidnapping of his fiance Meihong He, known to friends as “Kiki.”  The indictment states the killing occurred in Klickitat County.

“Strong evidence” makes Robinson the primary suspect of the ongoing homicide case, according to court records.

The charge comes more than a year after the woman’s disappearance in 2024.

 On July 29th, 2025, The Dalles Police Department were called to investigate the remains at the storage unit, drawing national attention. 

Police found her in a 77-gallon plastic tote. The tote was securely wrapped in plastic and held fast with ratchets and zip ties, according to court documents.

The storage unit had previously been rented in Robinson’s name but a lapse occurred in rent. The contents of the storage unit was sold at auction to a buyer who later discovered the suspicious contents and called police.

The body was later identified as that off Meihong He, Robinson’s fiance.

The medical examiner concluded that Meihong’s death was homicide by asphyxiation due to her airways being sealed by tape and plastic, according to court records.

Meihong He disappeared on May 25, 2024 and was last seen by Robinson, according to the court records. Robinson reported that his fiance had gone missing when he dropped her off in Underwood, Wash. for a fishing trip with friends, according to information put out by Klickitat County. 

The disappearance came just five days prior to their wedding. Robinson and Meihong He were set to be joined on May 30, 2024, according to the court records.

Police questioned Robinson about the disappearance of Meihong He throughout 2024 without result. 

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, a Klickitat County detective sought additional information from Robinson after the discovery of the body.

With an arrest warrant, Klickitat County detectives tracked Robinson to Colorado weeks later. He was taken into custody on August 25, 2025 in Berthoud, CO on a warrant for failure to register as a sex offender, and Klickitat County Detectives interviewed him on site.

This was not the first time that Robinson has been indicted for criminal behavior. He is familiar with the Washington Criminal justice system, having been involved in more than four Superior Court cases and faced prison time for several instances of second-degree sexual abuse involving a minor to which he pleaded guilty. In these cases he had been known to distort and withhold information from the police, according to court records. 

During interviews with a Klickitat County Investigator, Robinson gave several different stories regarding Meihong’s disappearance. He said that the couple she went fishing with in Glenwood returned to their home and attacked them, the arrest warrant affidavit states.  

He then later admitted to being present at Meihong’s death, to concealing the body in the tote, purchasing the storage unit, and placing the tote in the unit, according to the affidavit.

The detective stated there was also evidence that Robinson put the tote holding Meihong He in the back of his pickup. During the interview he told investigators he drove for several days in the mid-Columbia region with the tote in the back of his pickup before placing it in the storage unit, court records state.

Tom Peterson contributed to the reporting of this story.