Written by What the…..! This is very tragic, and very strange.
Update: Email from our police department:
Just in case you get any calls regarding the fire last evening here is what we know:
Police are called to 654 NE 6th Place about 7:45 p.m.
Victim (22 year old female) and just arrived home with 4 year old boy
Suspect (52 year old female) starts chasing victim with a knife and machete. Victim suffers superficial scratches.
Victim goes to neighbors house and phones 911
Police arrive on scene, suspect is already inside the duplex
As police are attempting to negotiate with the suspect, the house erupts in flames
Fire is covering both exits from the house, so officers shoot bean bags through the windows in an attempt to create an escape route for the victim
Fire arrives, extinguishes fire
Suspect is found dead inside the duplex
At no time, did the police department deploy tear gas or any other form of chemical into the house
There were several vocal neighbors last night that spoke with the media indicating that we had set the house on fire, this is simply not true
Early reports from the fire department indicate that the probable cause of the fire was gasoline inside the home
We had responded to this residence before, the suspect was exhibiting signs of mental instability during those contacts
Here is the PI Story:_________________________________
Renton woman attacks neighbors with machete, burns to death
P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
RENTON – A 52-year-old woman threatened her neighbor with a knife and machete, then retreated to her own half of a duplex, which erupted in flames. She was found dead inside, police reported Monday.
Renton police spokeswoman Penny Bartley said police responded Monday night to a call for help from the woman who lives in one half of a Renton Highlands duplex. She said she had just arrived home shortly before 8 p.m. with a small child when her neighbor came at her with the weapons. The woman suffered some superficial wounds and fled to a neighbor’s house to call for help.
The armed woman’s half of the duplex erupted in flames as police arrived. Although they broke out a window with beanbag rounds, she did not attempt to leave.
Bartley says police had recently responded to other reports of the 52-year-old being armed with a knife.
The dead woman was not immediately identified. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
See what Meter Maids and Speed Cameras Can Do
Obviously the stress of Big Brother Renton Life became too much.
Were the “bean bags” flammable?
I will pray for this poor woman. Hope other will too.
Re: See what Meter Maids and Speed Cameras Can Do
I hope the bean bags had cute little faces on them. It probably gave he comfort that her new bean bag friends we with here as she died.
But, probably not. She probably tried to hack at them with the machette.
Thank Goodness
That will be a huge improvement. And it is long overdue. It seems to me that one of Renton’s problems is the “blight” or perceived blight that you see on the main roads into DT Renton. Specifically, from the Bronson Way Exit on SB 405 you start with a wonderful rundown Adult Video Store, proceed past a seedy used car lot and out-dated donut store, past various and sundry (who said that again) somewhat rundown businesses and then past Don-a-Lisa and the very nicely “barred up” Bronson Mini-Mart to finally get DT. What a beautiful journey………..
Well, maybe someday. When I lived in Eastern WA in the Tri-Cities, Kennewick had a similar issue as they were seemingly willing to accept any landuse for fear of not having anything on a lot.
We really need to clean up our main “entrance” corridors.
Remember, First Impressions…………………….
Regards,
Local Renton Business Owner (DT)
Mental Illness
My prayers are with the victim and the suspect. The latter clearly was dealing with mental illness, for which there is a great lack of financially feasible treatment available, ongoing social stigma for seeking treatment, as well as those that are ill not recognizing they are ill.
Elizabeth
Re: Mental Illness
Thanks Elizabeth.
These types of events are good reminders of how fragile and complex the human mind really is.
The type of delusions she must have been experiencing were no doubt horrible for her. As you suggest, no one should hesitate to seek help from an emergency room when they get anywhere close to this state. seeking help is the courageous, responsible thing to do. I pray for her and her family, and I am glad she did not hurt anyone else.
By the way Elizabeth, it was nice running into you at the market today!
Re: Mental Illness
Great to see you, too. Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays — I’m always there!
What most people don’t understand is how tough it is dealing with mental issues, and more some than others. For individuals suffering from schizophrenia — and it truly is suffering from what I’ve observed — the voices they hear, and the morphed faces they see are as real to them as anything you and I might see. They can look at an individual walking by and see someone that looks like a completely different person or entity spewing all kinds of comments at them. They “hear” people gossiping about them. They “hear” voices telling them to do things. When treated with the right combination of meds, which takes time to get right, the symptoms reduce but are often still there at a mild/manageable level. But then the individual feels much better and might start to notice ticks and other side effects of the meds, so decides they don’t need the meds, and back in the cycle they go again.
And the pain families go through in trying to figure out how to get help for a family member is tremendous. The “system” is hard to work through and it can take a near miracle (e.g. multiple attempted suicides, multiple hospitalizations) before a family member can be admitted to some ongoing programs. So, often, we see the mentally ill alone and on the streets because they’ve left the family or the family just can’t cope any longer.
I’m certainly not diagnosing the suspect, but given the prior call to the residence and the sudden and vicious nature of this knifing and subsequent death in the fire, this sounds like a form of serious, untreated mental illness. My thoughts and prayers are with the deceased suspect, family members that may have been left behind, as well as to the victim and family.
Elizabeth
How did the building erupt into flames? I don’t care how mentally unstable you are, if you set a building on fire that you are currently INSIDE…
Darwin.
Anyway.
She poured gas
This poor woman went into her duplex and apparently poured gasoline in numerous places, according to a police officer. At least 4 torch sites were identifed initially. She then went into the back bedroom, into the furtherest corner, covered herself with blankets and died from smoke inhalation. The responders were very upset they couldn’t get her out, but when they broke down the door, the place was totally engulfed with fire and smoke & there was less than 12 inches of clear space on the floor and they would have died trying to find her. How very sad.