Police hunt for brothers over missing couple
Possible dispute over access to salmon river
A manhunt is on in the Pacific Northwest for two middleaged brothers suspected of murdering an American man and his Canadian wife, possibly over a dispute about access to a salmon river, then sending their vehicles over remote highway embankments to conceal their disappearance.
Monique Patenaude, 46, a former resident of Burnaby, B.C., and Patrick Shunn, 45, who lived together on a farm with many animals in the Washington countryside about an hour’s drive south of Vancouver, B.C., have not been seen since April 11.
No bodies have been found, but police have already expressed their belief the couple were murdered by their former neighbour, John Blaine Reed, 53, and his 49-year-old ex-con brother, Tony Clyde Reed.
Evidence, including surveillance video, links the brothers to the disappearances, police said, and they are being sought as armed and dangerous fugitives, possibly driving a red 2007 VW coupe belonging to their parents, with Washington plates AXH5106.
“Detectives believe the couple were the victims of homicidal violence based on evidence collected at the scene of the missing couple’s vehicles, as well as the former residence of John Reed,” said Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary.
“The public should absolutely be worried,” he told a press conference.
Two years ago, John Reed was widely quoted in the media as a survivor of the devastating mudslide near Oso, Wash., which killed more than 40 people. He is also the couple’s former neighbour, and is thought to be involved in a dispute over accessing the river by trespassing on the Shunn-Patenaude property with vehicles and unleashed dogs.
Shunn’s brother, Eric Shunn, has also spoken in a television interview about sexual harassment he said a neighbour directed at Patenaude and another woman, and his failed efforts to confront the unnamed man, which led to a fight with his brother Patrick, who had been reluctant to call police.
The Seattle Times reported court records show Tony Reed has a long criminal record for assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and theft.
John Reed is described as 5-foot-8, 190 lbs. with hazel eyes and grey hair. Tony Reed is 5-foot-11, 150 lbs., with green eyes and grey hair.
The couple’s absence was first reported a week ago when neighbours noticed a puppy running free and livestock left unattended on their 23-acre property near Oso. The land runs down to the shore of the north fork of the Stillaguamish River, which is known for its salmon fishing, and flows from the Cascade mountains into Puget Sound.
Shunn had been at work in Kirkland, near Seattle, on Monday, but not Tuesday. Patenaude was last seen at home early Monday afternoon, collecting her mail.
Their home was not disturbed when police entered, but their phones were turned off and there were other reasons to call in wide searches, including a helicopter.
For example, Patenaude had tickets but failed to attend an Iron Maiden show she was excited for, a neighbour told CBC News.
She said the couple met at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, married soon after, and travelled back and forth between British Columbia and Washington state for a few years before settling together in Washington three years ago.
Last Thursday, an aerial search located their vehicles, a 2000 Land Rover Discovery and a 1995 Jeep, about 60 metres from each other in rough terrain. They were heavily damaged from falling down an embankment near Oso, according to Shari Lenton, a spokesperson for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s office. There were no bodies inside, suggesting an effort at concealment.
Police have said they have surveillance footage that ties the Reed brothers to the disposal of the vehicles, and other evidence from John Reed’s former home that implicates them in the disappearance.