CARNATION — A woman and her boyfriend were scheduled to appear in court today, accused in the slayings of her parents and four other family members in a Christmas Eve crime that a relative says may have stemmed from a conflict over money.
Hours after the victims’ bodies were discovered Wednesday at the parents’ rural home, police arrested Michele Anderson, 29, and Joseph McEnroe, 29. King County jail records show they were booked Wednesday for investigation of six counts of homicide.
The county sheriff’s office would not formally confirm the identities of the victims or their relationship to the suspects, who had gone to the crime scene Wednesday after investigators had arrived, were questioned and arrested.
Investigators had not found a weapon, and the only hint of a motive they have disclosed is a long-standing dispute between Michele Anderson and her parents.
A law enforcement official identified the victims as Wayne Anderson, 60, and Judy Anderson, 61, who owned the property where the killings occurred; their son, Scott; his wife, Erica; and their two children, Olivia and Nathan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the names.
The sheriff’s office would only say the victims were the homeowners, ages 60 and 61, their daughter and son-in-law, both 32, and the younger couple’s 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.
The King County medical examiner’s office will release identities once autopsies are performed, which sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said could take days.
All the victims appeared to have died from gunshot wounds, Urquhart said. The bodies were found by a co-worker of one of the victims who had come to the house because one of the victims, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, did not report to work.
McEnroe and Michele Anderson were scheduled to make their first court appearance today afternoon, and the county prosecutor’s office was reviewing the case, with a decision on charges possible by Friday, said Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.
Authorities have not said what role either person played in the slayings, but Urquhart said both are expected to be charged with first-degree murder.
The two did not appear to have been assigned attorneys yet. Donohoe said the prosecutor’s office had not been contacted by anyone representing them, and the county Office of Public Defense couldn’t provide any information without case numbers.
A public records search showed no signs that either of them had run into trouble with the law. Urqhuart said he hadn’t conducted an extensive records search, but, “What I’m hearing is no criminal history on either one.”
Efforts by The Associated Press to reach Michele Anderson and her older sister, Mary, have been unsuccessful. No number was listed for either Michele Anderson or Joseph McEnroe. A call to a number listed for a Michele Anderson was not returned and appeared to belong to a different person.
Mark Bennett, a family friend, said he was “fielding all phone call for the family — what’s left of the family” at the request of Michele’s older sister, Mary.
Mary’s son, Ben Anderson, told reporters outside his grandparents’ property late Wednesday that money could have been a factor in the deaths.
“She felt she wasn’t loved enough and everyone didn’t appreciate her and she was pushed out of everyone’s life,” he said, referring to Michele Anderson.
Bennett said he did not know about any animosity in the family and declined to speculate what may have led to the shootings.
Bennett said he spoke with Judy and Wayne Anderson on Christmas Eve and tried to call them Christmas Day but could not reach them. He came to the Anderson’s property Wednesday, which was roped off by crime scene tape, spoke with detectives, and said he fielded a call from Mary.
“She saw it on the news,” he said. “She called me as I was leaving the site and said, ‘Is it true?’ and I said, ‘Yes, it is,’ and then hysterics broke out.”
Bennett said Wayne and Judy Anderson “enjoyed their time together by themselves,” relishing a quiet life in the 11 acres they shared in this small town about 25 miles east of Seattle.
He described Wayne as a hardworking Boeing Co. engineer who liked to hunt fish and hunt, and said Judy was a Postal Service worker who “always had a smile and a happy face on her route delivering mail.”
“There’s nobody ever who’s going to say a bad thing about them,” he said.
One body was removed from the crime scene Wednesday, and Urquhart said the five other bodies might be removed on today. Sheriff’s detectives and investigators from the state crime lab spent today painstakingly scouring the grounds for any clues.
Authorities are trying to determine why deputies didn’t further investigate a 911 hang-up call on Christmas Eve that came from the house. The call ended after about 10 seconds, and the operator reported hearing “a lot of yelling in the background … sounded more like party noise than angry heated arguing.”
Operators twice called back, but both calls went into voice mail. About 30 minutes later, two deputies arrived at the property, but found a locked gate and did not go onto the property. The dispatchers log reported the deputies saying, “gate is locked, unable to gain access.”
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