Apparent murder-suicide in the islands

Bellevue police had earlier notified the Coast guard that a friend of the man on the boat had sent a text message that he had killed his girlfriend and was going to kill himself. The boat’s position was located by pinging the man’s cell phone.

The Coast Guard spotted the boat as it left Friday Harbor and followed it to the west end of Orcas. As the Coast Guard approached the man’s boat, they heard a shot. The boarded the man’s boat and attempted CPR. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body of a woman was found in the forward section of the boat. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said the woman had died much earlier.

The bodies will be taken to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner for post mortem examination. Names are not being released at this time due to family notification issues, but both are from the Seattle area.