The Pierce County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide in Puyallup after a man was found dead inside a home early Wednesday morning. Deputies spent hours at the scene gathering evidence as they worked to understand what led to the deadly violence.
According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to the home on Woodland Avenue East just after 2:30 in the morning. When they went inside, they found a man who was dead, turning the call into a homicide investigation.
Investigators say the early evidence points to a violent confrontation inside the house. It looks like some kind of violent fight started in a downstairs bedroom before eventually extending outside of the home, leaving a trail for detectives to piece together.
As they examined the scene, deputies came to believe the case was not random. It appears to involve related family members, and authorities described it as what looks like a targeted attack on related family members rather than a threat aimed at the wider neighborhood.
Even so, officials were careful about the broader risk. They said the apparent targeting of family members does not necessarily mean that other people could be in danger, while acknowledging there was still a great deal they did not yet know about the case.
Chief among the unknowns is the suspect. Authorities said they do not know where he is or what his motive was, indicating that the person responsible had not been located as the investigation got underway. Deputies remained at the scene as the search continued.
The Puyallup killing was one of two death investigations that Pierce County agencies were working early Wednesday, with a separate scene being handled in nearby Tacoma. As deputies pressed forward in Puyallup, they urged anyone with information to come forward and contact authorities.