ARLINGTON — Elliot Carbajal will be remembered by many for riding his mountain bike through town wearing shorts, no matter what the weather.
“Elliot always had a big smile on his face,” Rachel Carbajal said. “His laughter was contagious. He will be missed.”
The Snohomish County medical examiner on Monday ruled that Carbajal died from strangulation.
Carbajal, 40, died Wednesday at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center after a fight in downtown Arlington. He apparently was strangled around 1 a.m. Dec. 12 along N. Olympic Avenue.
Robert L. Carlson, 40, and his son, Robert J. Carlson, 21, both of Arlington, were arrested in connection with the fatal attack.
Carbajal’s death is being investigated as the first homicide within the city limits in nearly 50 years.
Memorial services for Carbajal are expected in January at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Arlington.
When he was a boy, Elliot and his 15 siblings and their parents took up two pews in the church, his sister Rachel Carbajal said.
Elliot Carbajal was well-known in Arlington, the town where he grew up.
A member of the Arlington High School class of 1988, he graduated third in his class, his sister said. He played soccer and football, and was a good athlete.
He is survived by his parents, Joe and Louise Carbajal, his brothers and sisters, at least 15 nieces and nephews, and many friends, she said.
He always wanted to be a father, but he never met the right woman, Rachel Carbajal said.
Memorial funds have been set up at two banks in Arlington. One will help the family pay funeral expenses and the other will help his siblings pay Carbajal’s bills.
“This is so hard,” his sister said. “It would have been different if Elliot was an old man or sick, but we never got to say goodbye or tell him we love him.”
Help the family
Benevolence funds for the family of Elliot Carbajal have been set up at the Arlington branch of Frontier Bank, 525 N. Olympic Ave., and the Smokey Point branch of Mountain Crest Credit Union, 3710
168th St. NE, Suite A108.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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