Yelm, WA: Yelm deaths may have been a murder-suicide

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether an 81-year-old Yelm man committed a murder-suicide by giving his wife a toxic chemical cocktail in their home before drinking it himself

JEREMY PAWLOSKI; STAFF WRITER
Published: 05/21/11 6:13 am

OLYMPIA — The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether an 81-year-old Yelm man committed a murder-suicide by giving his wife a toxic chemical cocktail in their home before drinking it himself.

Anthony Fetter and his 81-year-old wife, Keiko, were found dead May 9 at their home in the 14000 block of 129th Lane Southeast in Yelm.

According to a search warrant affidavit to search Fetter’s computer:

Both are thought to have swallowed a deadly “tricolored orange liquid substance” found in a pitcher and in two glasses on the kitchen counter in the home. When sheriff’s detectives found the bodies, they smelled strong chemicals coming from the liquid and became nauseated when they breathed the fumes.

Keiko Fetter “had very accelerated dementia and was not able to speak in full sentences,” according to an affidavit written by Thurston County Sheriff’s Detective Cameron Simper’s affidavit. “She had difficulty walking and caring for herself. Keiko had been hospitalized recently due to complications. She was released to her husband, with the assumption that he would care for her at the residence with the assistance of an in-home caregiver.”

Anthony Fetter canceled his wife’s Keiko’s in-home care April 15. He also canceled her upcoming neurology appointment.

Simper seized Fetter’s computer equipment to search for evidence. Coroner Gary Warnock said Friday that his office has not determined the cause and manner of the Fetters’ deaths. The theory that Anthony Fetter committed a murder-suicide is just one possibility, he said. A toxicology screen will definitively determine the chemical composition of the liquid the Fetters drank.

Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465

jpawloski@theolympian.com

The Olympian reported this story at www.theolympian.com