Brothers Wanted in Washington Couple's Slaying May Be Fleeing to Mexico, Officials Say
The brothers are believed to be armed and dangerous.
— -- The manhunt for two brothers who authorities believe killed a married couple from Washington state might be moving south, with authorities now saying there's reason to believe the brothers may be trying to flee to Mexico.
A red 2007 Volkswagen EOS coupe belonging to suspects John and Tony Reed was found Monday in Phoenix, Arizona, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said today.
The brothers are now in possession of a 2002 Gold Acura 32T with Arizona plate BNN-9968, the sheriff's office said. A plate reader hit on that license plate Monday near Calexico, California, which is at the California and Mexico border, the sheriff's office said.
"The exact location of the Reed brothers is unknown, but there is reason to believe they may be trying to flee to Mexico," the sheriff's office said today.
John Reed is 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds with hazel eyes and gray hair. Tony Reed is 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds with green eyes and gray hair.
The victims -- Patrick Shunn, 45, and wife Monique Patenaude, 46, of Arlington, Washington -- were last seen April 11, and they were reported missing by neighbors the next day.
Their bodies have not been recovered but authorities are searching near their home.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Sunday said it had probable cause for the arrest of the Reeds for the alleged murders of Shunn and Patenaude, and asked for the public's help in finding them.
The Reeds are both convicted felons and believed to be armed and dangerous, Sheriff Ty Trenary said.
"The public should absolutely be worried," he said.
John Reed's former home was near the couple's, officials revealed, and Trenary told reporters, "We believe there was some property disputes between Mr. Reed and Patrick and Monique."
According to a search warrant affidavit, the driveway easement for Shunn and Patenaude's home is shared by property that used to be owned by John Reed or his family's trust.
Shunn had reported to the sheriff’s office that John Reed made threats to him and his wife "over the cutting of brush between their properties," according to the affidavit. "The report indicates Shunn expressing fear as Reed reportedly stated he would shoot or assault them if they didn't leave Reed alone," the affidavit says.
Friends and family said Reed’s property is now owned by the county as a result of the Oso slide in 2014, and neighbors said Reed was "very upset" that he was banned from the property.
Just a few weeks ago, Patenaude said Reed was squatting on the property.
According to the affidavit, someone who had worked in the sheriff's office reported that "Reed expressed in a serious tone that he was capable of killing people without any problems, he could shoot them and then 'they' would never be able to locate the bodies as he (Reed) would get rid of them in the area of timber above the slide area."
Reed had a key to the locked easement gate even after he was forced from his former property, and after a neighbor reported the couple missing, the neighbor saw Reed and his brother at the gate going onto his former property, the affidavit said.
Neighbors said Reed had "many property disputes with Shunn and Patenaude some of which are pending civil court action," the affidavit says.
Authorities were at first also looking for the couple's Land Rover and Jeep, but the cars were found Thursday in a remote, wooded area near Oso, Washington, about 15 miles away from the couple's home. Officials said evidence collected from the missing couple's cars and John Reed's former home led detectives to believe Shunn and Patenaude were slain.
"The recovery of Patrick and Monique is our agency’s number one priority right now, for the sake of their families," Trenary said Sunday. "Our second priority is getting the Reed brothers into custody and off the streets."
The couple's family said in a letter read by authorities Sunday: "They love the outdoors, love their family and friends and, most of all, love life. Wherever they are, they are together."
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