Seattle Police Arrest Man After Human Remains Found On Alki Beach

SEATTLE, WA — The Seattle Police Department has arrested a 62-year-old man suspected in the deaths of two people whose remains were found inside a suitcase on Alki Beach in June. Formal charges are expected by Monday.

A 911 caller reported the suitcase on June 19, saying she and her friends found it on the rocks and opened it to find black trash bags inside and noticed a foul odor. Their discovery was chronicled on the social media app TikTok and garnered national attention.

When officers responded later in the day, they determined the contents to be human remains. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later identified the victims as Austin Wenner and Jessica Lewis. Both were determined to have been killed by gunfire.

According to probable cause documents filed Thursday, detectives learned through interviews with friends and family members that the pair had been last seen at a home on Ambaum Boulevard South in Burien. Police learned the house belonged to Michael Dudley.

Officers served a search warrant at the home on Wednesday and took Dudley into custody for questioning.

According to court filings, Dudley told police the victims were "staying with him during the COVID quarantine period," and had been unable to pay their $1,500 monthly rent. Police said he admitted to having arguments with them and having a handgun but denied knowing how the victims died.

At the house, crime scene detectives said they found bullet holes, spent rounds and blood inside the room where the were staying.

Police interviewed a neighbor who said they called 911 on June 9 after hearing gunfire inside the house and hearing a man yell "please don't do this, just let me leave." Prosecutors said Burien police officers went to the home that night but did not get a response when they knocked on the door.

A witness told investigators she went to the house the same night and saw the outline of a person under a pile of clothes with an injured arm protruding. According to the court filing, the woman told detectives Dudley then asked her to leave his house so he could "clean up his mess."

In an interview with detectives, Dudley denied knowing whose blood was found in the room and could not explain the bullets or bullet holes in the room. Police said it was also obvious the room had been recently painted and cleaned.

Following the interview, Dudley was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of homicide. On Thursday, the judge set bail at $5 million, and a charging decision is expected Monday.