PORT ANGELES — The investigation into the killing of a father, his son and the son’s girlfriend continued Wednesday as detectives searched the scene for clues in hopes of tracking down the shooter.
Officials from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office offered few details about the progress of their investigation, but said they are tracking down leads and continuing to talk to people who are known to have stayed on the property.
Investigators were called to the scene after family members went to 52 Bear Meadow Road on New Year’s Eve to check on the occupants, who they hadn’t heard from since Christmas.
That night they found the bodies of Darrell C. Iverson, 57, and his son, Jordan D. Iverson, 27, lying under tarps and debris in the front yard.
Due to the complexity of the scene and the fleeting sunlight, the decision was made to wait for the morning so the Multi-agency Emergency Response Team and the state patrol crime lab could investigate the scene.
As they were searching the property Tuesday they found the body of Tiffany A. May, 26, in a locked outbuilding on the property. May is believed to have been living at the residence. May was the son’s girlfriend, investigators said.
All three victims had been shot multiple times and investigators found many casings.
Law enforcement believe the three people were killed on or about Dec. 26. Video from a neighbor’s dash camera shows the tarps that the bodies were found under first appearing on the property on Dec. 26.
Seek information
The Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone who has any information that could help the case to call its tip line at 360-417-2540.
“It’s a terrible crime and we’re putting in a lot of resources,” Sheriff Bill Benedict said Wednesday. “It’s an ongoing investigation and we’re exploring all leads.”
Officials said that no matter how trivial some information may seem, it may be helpful to the investigation.
Jim Loran, a neighbor, said he learned Monday night that something had happened. Investigators interviewed him and other neighbors the night the first two bodies were discovered, but did not tell him at the time exactly what had happened.
“It was the next day that we found out there were deaths,” Loran said.
Loran said that while he wasn’t close to the victims, he would often see the Iversons out in the yard.
He said Darrel Iverson frequently worked on his logging truck. Occasionally they would have a conversation.
‘Neighborly people’
“I thought they were neighborly people, he said. “I stopped to talk to them a few times over the years and they were always pleasant.”
Loran said he has been confused about what happened since learning of the deaths and as details are made public.
“This is a horrible tragedy for our area, for our neighborhood and for the family and friends of these people,” Loran said.
“I just hope they can find who did it quickly so they can ensure our safety. That’s a big concern right now.”
On Wednesday the scene of the shootings was quieter. Investigators attended a briefing in the morning before splitting for the day.
While about 20 investigators from many agencies were at the property on Tuesday, only a handful were searching through the 5-acre property on Wednesday.
Detectives continued to document evidence and two attorneys from the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office were present.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jesse Espinoza on Wednesday looks over the scene where three people were killed. (Jesse Major / Peninsula Daily News)
Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols said that being on the scene allows for more informed charging decisions and will help prosecutors relate facts to jurors during a trial. They also provide legal advice to law enforcement.
While some investigators continued to search the property, others pursued leads and talked to people who were considered to be possibly connected to the case.
“Investigators are out contacting individuals who know the victims or who have been to the property recently,” Staff Sgt. John Keegan said.
“Our goal is to recreate that moment in time in which the people were murdered and to do that we need to get as much information as we can, whether it be physical evidence or statements from people who may know any type of a motive why this has happened.”
Deputies: Killer knew victims
Keegan said that based on evidence at the scene, investigators believe the killer knew the victims and described the killing as an isolated incident.
He would not say specifically why it is believed the killer knew the victims, but said investigators do not believe there is a risk to the general public.
“We believe that person may have been staying here or knew the people here,” he said. “We don’t believe it’s anything random.”
Keegan said that there is a history of transients staying at the property and that though law enforcement were familiar with the home it was not the target of any investigation.
Keegan said he was unaware whether a firearm had been recovered and declined to provide more details as to what may have been used in the shooting.
He said all of the casings found at the scene were consistent, but would not disclose the caliber of the rounds used.
While Benedict said Tuesday that “dozens” of shots had been fired, Keegan said he was unsure exactly how many casings were recovered.
He said the victims were shot multiple times each and said “a lot” of shell casings were recovered.
The State Patrol crime lab collected imaging data Tuesday to create a 3D image of the crime scene. They used cameras on the ground and a drone to create the image.
Keegan said the goal is to use that image to determine the trajectory of the bullets and figure out where the shooter was standing.
“That’s a lengthy process,” he said.
This story originally appeared in the Peninsula Daily News, a sibling paper of The Daily Herald.
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