FALL CITY, Wash. — Nearly one week after five family members were found dead inside their Fall City home, the former King County sheriff says the deputies and investigators handling the case are likely facing their own grief and trauma after encountering the gruesome crime scene.
"It's something you don't forget. These detectives that are there and the officers that responded are going to be thinking about this for the rest of their life," said John Urquhart, now a KING 5 law enforcement analyst.
Urquhart would know.
In 2007, then a sergeant and public information officer with the King County Sheriff's Office, Urquhart was called to a chilling scene in Carnation on Christmas Eve of 2007.
Wayne and Judy Anderson were killed along with their son, daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren.
The elder couple's daughter and her boyfriend were both convicted in the massacre.
Now, 17 years later, he's reminded of that tragic holiday.
"The first thing that I thought of was the Carnation homicide case... That affected everybody in the sheriff's office," said Urquhart, comparing the Carnation murders to those in Fall City.
He said some of the same detectives who were involved in the Carnation case are now involved in the Fall City investigation. He believes they're feeling the same impacts many within the community are feeling, with the added responsibility of building a case.
"You have to put your feelings aside. We're good as police officers at doing that, putting our feelings aside [to] get the job done," he said.
Urquhart added that the complexities of the case, along with the fact the suspect and one of the survivors are juveniles, creates unique challenges compared to most investigations.
"With juveniles, there's always been a delicate nature with interviewing them," he said. "Whether it's a witness or a suspect, we have to be very careful and tread lightly because it's the right thing to do."
Details of the case
A 15-year-old boy was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder with a firearm enhancement.
The suspect in the killings is the son of two of the victims. KING 5 is not naming the suspect as he is a juvenile and has not been charged as an adult. He also has no prior criminal history and remains in custody.
The victims are: Katheryn Humiston, 7; Joshua Humiston, 9; Benjamin Humiston, 13; and parents Sarah Humiston, 42, and Mark Humiston, 43. All five victims suffered gunshots wounds and four were shot in the head, according to the medical examiner.
An 11-year-old girl was wounded, but escaped.
"The crime scene has to be meticulously documented," said Urquhart. "So when you do eventually get to court, you can recreate the crime scene either literally or at least in the minds of the jurors."
The hearing for whether or not the 15-year-old boy will be tried in adult court has been set for June 2025.