MACHIAS — A Lake Stevens man was warned by police not to drive just hours before he may have struck and killed a pedestrian last month on S. Machias Road.
The man’s vehicle was seized as part of the investigation into the Dec. 4 death of Kathryn “Kay” J. Hyde-Donohue, 53, of Lake Stevens, according to a search warrant obtained by The Herald. The warrant lays out what detectives believe may have happened that morning.
The man, 32, reportedly told Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives that he had been drinking at an Everett bar in the early hours of Dec. 4, court papers show.
Afterward, he went to his girlfriend’s home along Wetmore Avenue downtown.
Officers were called to the home about 4:30 a.m. for a reported disturbance, Everett police spokesman Aaron Snell said.
They investigated, and there was no evidence of a crime at the home, he said.
At the time, the woman told officers she wanted the man to leave. Officers told him not to drive because he’d been drinking, according to court papers.
The man indicated he’d arranged for a ride and left the home voluntarily, Snell said.
“No arrests were made because nothing criminal occurred,” he said.
Sometime after the man talked to Everett officers, he allegedly got into his 1998 silver Subaru Legacy and drove toward the house he shares with his parents near Lake Stevens, according to court papers.
About 3:30 p.m. that day, Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were called to the parents’ house for a reported disturbance involving the man’s relatives.
The caller also told police that the man’s father had moved the family’s Subaru into the garage, and that it appeared to have blood and hair stuck to it.
A relative at the home gave deputies permission to check the garage, court papers show.
Inside, they found the Subaru. The windshield was shattered. Blood was visible inside, and at least one long hair was found stuck to the front of the car.
The man reportedly told investigators he thought he hit a deer near the 4200 block of S. Machias Road while driving home early that morning.
The man said he turned around and checked the area near the collision but didn’t find anything. He said his father also went and checked the area.
The man showed deputies where the crash occurred. That’s when deputies found a woman’s body about 15 feet from the roadway.
She was later identified as Hyde-Donohue. She’d been out walking that morning, and was wearing a red winter coat and red baseball cap. Her purse and wallet were found at the road’s edge.
Police obtained a judge’s permission to search the Subaru and process it for evidence shortly after the crash.
Hair, blood and fibers were collected and sent to the state crime lab for testing. Laboratory results likely won’t come back for weeks or months.
The hair deputies collected from the vehicle was inconsistent with deer hair, court papers show.
As is typical in fatal crash investigations, the man has not been arrested while detectives investigate.
He has not been charged with a crime in connection with the case.
Hyde-Donohue came from a large local family. They’ve asked for privacy since her death.
A fatal accident when the driver is intoxicated can result in vehicular homicide charges. In most cases, leaving the scene of a fatal accident also is a felony under state law.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
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