Police arrest tenant in connection with deceased Everett Landlord

Published 1:10 pm Tuesday, November 11, 2025

EVERETT — Everett police arrested the tenant of a missing Snohomish County landlord on suspicion of murder after the victim’s body was found Thursday on Rucker Avenue.

Around 11 a.m. Nov. 5, Daniel Lytton, 71, went to fix a toilet at one of his rental houses on Grand Avenue in Everett, where David Craft, 40, and his mother live, court documents said. Later that day, Everett police responded to a missing person report for Lytton after friends and family became concerned when Lytton failed to return, and his phone appeared to be off, despite his car remaining parked on Grand Avenue.

While the responding officer was interviewing neighbors in the 2600 block of Grand Avenue, Craft told the officer he saw Lytton get into a Toyota van after he left, court documents said.

Friends and family began circulating missing posters for Lytton on social media, stating he was last seen around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 5 near 2606 Grand Avenue in Everett. He was reportedly wearing cargo pants, a dark shirt and sneakers, according to the social media posts.

Susan Savage, a tenant of Lytton’s for around eight years, said he was “such a nice fellow” and that the atmosphere among the other tenants has been somber since the news broke.

“It wasn’t like him to just disappear like that,” she said Tuesday.

Around 12:22 p.m. Nov. 6, an employee of the Downtown Everett Association reported finding a possible human body in an alleyway while with a co-worker, court documents said. Four minutes later, officers arrived and discovered what appeared to be a body wrapped in several layers of fabric, tape and metal wire in the 2700 block of Rucker Avenue.

Near the body, officers discovered a padded snowboard bag between the wall and a garbage can that had what appeared to be blood on the inside and outside, court documents said. Inside the bag, officers found a keychain with suspected blood on some keys and labels corresponding to house addresses Lytton owned.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity of the body as Lytton. During the autopsy, Examiners removed the wrapping, made primarily of a fitted flannel sheet with a wool blanket wrapped around the body, and it was revealed that tape was used to keep the body inside the fabric, including a large amount of blue painters’ tape that appeared to be wrapped around the body at some point.

Clothing items consistent with the family’s description were found with the body, except for the sneakers, which were not located, court documents said. Examiners found multiple puncture wounds, described as likely stab wounds, and signs of blunt force trauma, court document said.

The preliminary assessment for the manner of death was homicide, court documents said. The final cause of death is still under investigation.

On Nov. 7, investigators interviewed Craft’s mother, who said she noticed some window curtains and a hallway rug were missing. She said Craft told her he was washing the rug and had ordered new curtains, so he took the old ones with him, court documents said.

Among the fabric items found with the body were off-white sheer curtains matching Craft’s mother’s description used to bind his feet and two rugs, court documents said.

When Craft was asked about the missing curtains in a police interview, court documents said he “became very nervous and defensive.”

Around 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8, investigators searched Craft’s home, where they found faint red marks that tested positive for blood in the hallway and bathroom, court documents said. Further investigation revealed blood splatter, marks and bloody hand prints that had been cleaned up.

Investigators located several items during the search that corresponded with those found with the body, including multiple embroidered towels, a flannel flat sheet matching the fitted sheet, curtain rods, one containing small fibers consistent with the curtains, receipts from after Lytton’s disappearance and receipts investigators suspect came from the victim. They also discovered a snowboard with rust matching the rusty imprints inside the snowboard bag found near the body, metallic wire in the backyard that matched the wire wrapped around the body and a furniture dolly, court documents said.

Around 2:30 a.m. Nov. 6, surveillance footage obtained by investigators depicted a male, matching Craft’s appearance and clothing, pulling a human-sized object with blue tape on it south through the alley with a hand truck before fleeing the scene, court documents said.

No video of the van was located. According to court documents, investigators believe the claim that the victim got in a van is false.

Officers booked Craft into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of murder in the second degree.

Individuals with information relevant to the case can contact the Everett Police Department tip line at 425-257-8450 or tips@everettwa.gov.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan