Executive Summary
- Pierce County deputies responded to a welfare check on Herron Island Thursday afternoon.
- A 64-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man were found dead with apparent knife wounds.
- Investigators believe the victims had been deceased for approximately one week.
- No suspect is currently in custody, and forensic teams are processing the scene.
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies have launched a homicide investigation following the discovery of two bodies at a residence on Herron Island, Washington, on Thursday afternoon. Authorities responded to the 700 block of East Herron Boulevard at approximately 4 p.m. to conduct a welfare check after a man and woman failed to report for work and had not been seen by contacts.
Upon entering the residence, deputies discovered the bodies of a 64-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man. According to sheriff’s spokesperson Carly Cappetto, both individuals appeared to have sustained knife wounds. Investigators estimate that the victims may have been deceased for approximately one week prior to the discovery.
“We believe the victims have been deceased over the last week,” Cappetto stated in a video release. “There is no suspect in custody, and detectives and forensics are on scene.”
Herron Island is a private community located in the southern Puget Sound, roughly three miles west of Lakebay. Accessible only by ferry, the island is operated as a non-profit corporation and has a population of approximately 150, with a significant demographic of residents aged 65 and older.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact their non-emergency line at (253) 287-4455.
Investigative Outlook
The discovery of a double homicide in the geographically isolated and privately managed community of Herron Island presents unique logistical challenges for law enforcement. With the victims believed to have been deceased for a week before discovery, detectives must reconstruct a timeline of events heavily reliant on forensic evidence and potential ferry transit records. The absence of a suspect in custody in such a small, access-controlled environment likely elevates the urgency for investigators to determine if the perpetrator remains a threat to the immediate area or has fled the island.
