A man who was renting a room from a Washington state couple who disappeared last week has been charged with their murders.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office did not publicly name the suspect but described him as an “Olympian man in his 40s known to the couple.” Investigators also said in a statement that they don’t believe Davido Connizoo, 68, and Karen Koep, 62, “survived the attack at their residence.”
According to the Daily Beast, Koep’s sister, Pauline Dutton, said that a man named Timothy Burke, who was living in a boarding house owned by the couple, had been briefly detained by police. On Saturday, jail records showed a man by that name charged with first degree murder and kidnapping. He is being held without bail.
Lt. Mike Brooks declined to confirm the name to the Daily Beast, saying the suspect had known the couple for “several years” and that more information would likely be released on Monday.
Police began investigating when Koep, a popular chiropractor, failed to show up for work at her clinic in Lacey on Monday, KING reported. Deputies didn’t find the couple at their home — and didn’t describe what they did find — and their vehicle was later found abandoned in Olympia.
Thurston County deputies said the “the circumstance surrounding their disappearance is suspicious.”
Dutton told The Daily Beast that Burke did construction and repair work in exchange for rent.
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[Featured image: Davido Cannizzo/Facebook and Karen Koep/handout]
