A former soldier who was killed in a high-profile double homicide in Georgia earlier this month has Snohomish County ties.
A funeral for Michael Roark, 19, is planned Saturday in Shoreline. His family in the area has asked for privacy.
Roark and his girlfriend, Tiffany York, 17, were found fatally shot in early December in a rural area of Georgia near an Army post, The Associated Press reported. Four soldiers have been charged in their deaths.
Roark spent part of high school in Marysville, a district spokeswoman said. Several people in Snohomish County also have written about the news of his death on their Facebook pages.
The police are no longer discussing the case with media, said Mike McDaniel, a special agent in charge at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“To preserve the integrity of the investigation, I am not going to make any further comments,” he said Thursday.
Roark had enlisted in the Army in March 2010.
He was discharged just days before his death.
Army officials on Thursday declined to discuss the case, but they did say that Roark had been living most recently in Florida and Georgia.
The circumstances of the slayings have not been shared with the media. Investigators have said that the killings were not random. McDaniel on Thursday declined to discuss a possible motive.
Roark was described in his obituary as a beloved man who will be deeply missed. He enjoyed fishing, music, bonfires and wildlife preservation.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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