Man sought in deaths of women found in burning house
NORTH BEND, Wash. -- Authorities on Monday named a man as a person of interest in the deaths of two women whose bodies were discovered after a fire at a home that had its front door blocked by furniture.
Investigators have been unable to locate the man, 41-year-old Peter A. Keller, who lives at the home near North Bend, King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said. Hours after the Sunday morning fire, they found a car that had been missing from the home elsewhere in North Bend.
Detectives are handling the case as a homicide as they wait for a cause of death from the county medical examiner's office.
Firefighters had trouble entering the home near North Bend because the front door was jammed by a couch and chair. West said Sunday the entry "appeared to be intentionally blocked," but family friends later told investigators a furniture arrangement blocked the door.
The family normally used a side door, they said.
Authorities said the fire and deaths were still considered suspicious because firefighters found numerous gas cans positioned inside the house with gasoline still in them as they extinguished the blaze, and the missing man.
A couple and their daughter live in the house. The identities of the victims have not been released.
Cate Reynolds said her daughter was best friends and high school classmates with the girl who lived there. She stopped by the home Sunday with her daughter and some friends because "they wanted to just come and be close and process some stuff," Reynolds said. "They were just two very beautiful ladies, and we just had a lot of good times together."
The King County bomb disposal unit was brought in to help with the investigation, and a robot was sent in to survey the residence and look for anything suspicious before investigators entered.
During this search, the robot found an unidentified device that was initially thought to be suspicious, but it later turned out to be harmless.
Beau Shain, who lives nearby, said his neighbors were nice people.
"It's just really tragic to see them. I see them like once a week or twice a week walking their dog or whatever. It's just sad to see how that'll never happen again," he said.
Investigators have been unable to locate the man, 41-year-old Peter A. Keller, who lives at the home near North Bend, King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said. Hours after the Sunday morning fire, they found a car that had been missing from the home elsewhere in North Bend.
Detectives are handling the case as a homicide as they wait for a cause of death from the county medical examiner's office.
Firefighters had trouble entering the home near North Bend because the front door was jammed by a couch and chair. West said Sunday the entry "appeared to be intentionally blocked," but family friends later told investigators a furniture arrangement blocked the door.
The family normally used a side door, they said.
Authorities said the fire and deaths were still considered suspicious because firefighters found numerous gas cans positioned inside the house with gasoline still in them as they extinguished the blaze, and the missing man.
A couple and their daughter live in the house. The identities of the victims have not been released.
Cate Reynolds said her daughter was best friends and high school classmates with the girl who lived there. She stopped by the home Sunday with her daughter and some friends because "they wanted to just come and be close and process some stuff," Reynolds said. "They were just two very beautiful ladies, and we just had a lot of good times together."
The King County bomb disposal unit was brought in to help with the investigation, and a robot was sent in to survey the residence and look for anything suspicious before investigators entered.
During this search, the robot found an unidentified device that was initially thought to be suspicious, but it later turned out to be harmless.
Beau Shain, who lives nearby, said his neighbors were nice people.
"It's just really tragic to see them. I see them like once a week or twice a week walking their dog or whatever. It's just sad to see how that'll never happen again," he said.
