Six found dead near Seattle; daughter and boyfriend held

Six people, probably three generations of a family, were found dead Wednesday at a rural property east of Seattle, and a law enforcement official said police arrested the property owner’s daughter and her boyfriend.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the names, identified the pair as Michele Anderson, 29, and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe. Both were booked into the King County Jail late Wednesday for investigation of six counts of homicide.

The victims included a boy about age 3, a girl about age 6, a man and woman in their 30s, and a man and woman in their 50s. Their names were not released, but they were “likely three generations” of one family, King County sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said.

Autopsies had not been performed, but the cause of death was apparently gunshots, Urquhart said. They were probably killed late afternoon or early evening on Christmas Eve, he said.

The property where the bodies were found is owned by Wayne Anderson, 60, and Judy Anderson, 61, according to public records.

The Andersons’ three children include Michele, who lives on the property in a mobile home, said Mark Bennett, who identified himself as a family friend. He said another daughter, Mary, and a son, Scott, lived in the area.

A call to 911 was made from the house in the early evening on Christmas Eve, but the call broke off after about 10 seconds, Urquhart said.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they stopped at a locked gate.

“They didn’t go past it,” Urquhart said. “I don’t know why yet. That’s one of the things we’re looking into.”

Urquhart said the bodies were found by a co-worker of one of the victims. The co-worker went to the house because one of the victims did not report to work at the U.S. Postal Service.

The bodies were found on a property at the end of a long dirt road. Urquhart declined to say where the victims were found, other than that they were “not found in the same room.” Investigators removed a black pickup from the property.