Police classify 3 deaths as homicide in Kitsap County fire

Associated Press

BREMERON — Three people were found dead inside a Kitsap County home that was engulfed in flames and authorities on Saturday searched for the homeowner, who was missing along with his truck, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

The deaths of the two men and a woman were classified as homicides, Kitsap County Deputy Scott Wilson said Saturday in a phone interview from the scene.

Authorities asked the public to be on the lookout for the homeowner, 43-year-old John Derek Careaga, and to call 911 if he shows up.

He is believed to be driving a brown 2005 Ford F-150 truck with Washington state license plates CA9383B, Wilson said.

Careaga is considered a missing person at this point in the investigation, Wilson said.

A 16-year-old boy, Hunter Schaap-Jocsan, was found safe Saturday after at first being considered missing and endangered.

Wilson said he was not a suspect but declined to elaborate on how or where he was found.

The incident began with a 911 call at 11:28 p.m. Friday with a report of violence in the home.

Responding deputies found the house ablaze and firefighters quickly found the bodies, Wilson said.

The cause of death has not been determined.

Careaga was the head of a large blended family that included seven children ranging in age from teenagers to young adults, Wilson said.

Wilson didn’t know if all the children were living at the house.

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