Crime & Safety
Pierce County Murder Suspect Found Dead in Kirkland
Scott Kagawa of Spanaway, 49, accused of killing his ex-wife in March, was apparently found dead near an apartment complex in Juanita Monday.
A 49-year-old Spanaway man suspected in the March murder of his 53-year-old ex-wife was found dead Monday of an apparent suicide in Juanita.
The body of Scott Kagawa, charged last week in the murder of Rita Kagawa of Tacoma, was apparently found by landscapers in the woods near an apartment complex in Juanita, both Kirkland Police and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday.
“We charged (Scott Kagawa) in the murder last week, and we believe that’s him, the man who died in Kirkland,” said Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Det. Ed Troyer. “A suicide note was found.”
Troyer did not know the exact location of the body last night, nor did Kirkland Police spokesman Sgt. Rob Saloum. But Troyer said it was in north Kirkland “in the woods by Juanita Apartments.”
QFox 13 reported Monday night that Rita Kagawa had been reported missing May 20 when she didn't show up for work, and that remains found by a motorist off State Route 510 near the Nisqually Indian Reservation on June 26 have been identified as her.
The TV station also reported that landscapers found Scott Kagawa’s body while dumping grass outside an apartment complex near his mother-in-law's house in North Kirkland.
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