A 68-year-old Edmonds woman is in stable condition Wednesday after police said her 73-year-old husband attacked her early Wednesday morning at their home in Edmonds’ Five Corners neighborhood. A man matching the suspect’s description was later found dead below Seattle’s Ship Canal bridge.
According to Edmonds police spokesperson Cmdr. Josh McClure, the 73-year-old suspect began striking the victim with a hammer as she slept. “A prolonged attack took place before the victim was able to escape to a neighbor’s residence,” McClure said. He added that 911 was called around 5:15 a.m., after the suspect had left the residence in a vehicle.
When officers arrived, they discovered “a significant crime scene,” and the victim had sustained multiple severe injuries, including to her head, police said. Medics transported her to Swedish Medical Center in Edmonds, where she was treated and released later in the day.
Edmonds police developed probable cause to arrest the suspect for first-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment (both domestic violence-related) and shared the suspect’s information with area law enforcement.
Just before 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol located the suspect’s abandoned vehicle along southbound Interstate 5 in Seattle, McClure said. “Further investigation discovered that a male, matching the suspect’s description, was found deceased on the ground below the Ship Canal Bridge where the vehicle had been left,” he said. “Seattle Police Department responded to that location and conducted the death investigation. Initial information shows that the suspect fell from the bridge above where his vehicle was located. There were no obvious signs of foul play.”
Confirmation of the man’s identity, as well as the cause and manner of death, will be determined by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. Edmonds police detectives will work with the state patrol and Seattle police as they continue their investigation into the original incident and the suspect’s death.
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