Man accused of kidnapping, attempting to kill son of missing Seattle woman | Kent Reporter

An Orting man is accused of kidnapping and trying to kill the son of a lacking Seattle lady, shortly earlier than lighting the lady’s automotive on hearth. The lacking lady has not been seen since March 31.

The suspect is 46-year-old Brett Michael Gitchel, who stays in King County Jail.

King County Prosecuting Lawyer’s Workplace discovered possible trigger for a number of offenses, together with tried homicide, first-degree kidnapping, theft, arson and illegal possession of a firearm.

The lacking lady is Leticia “Leti” Martinez-Cosman, 58, who was final seen on March 31 at a Seattle Mariners baseball sport with Gitchel. She has not been discovered as of April 10.

A lot of the costs end result from Gitchel’s alleged actions towards Martinez-Cosman’s son. Gitchel’s bail is ready at $5 million. His arraignment is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. April 24 on the King County Courthouse.

“Leticia Martinez-Cosman remains to be lacking, and although intensive social, public and nationwide media have drawn consideration to this incident, nobody has been in a position to present proof of Leticia being alive after she left the Mariners sport” with the suspect, in keeping with Senior Deputy Prosecuting Lawyer Christopher Anderson within the charging paperwork.

In line with the charging paperwork:

A number of days previous to her disappearance, Martinez-Cosman and a pal initially met Gitchel at a Costco in Seattle on March 19.

Officers imagine Martinez-Cosman drove her Honda CRV to the baseball sport on March 31 and later despatched a pal the photograph of herself and Gitchel collectively on the sport.

Texts from Martinez-Cosman’s telephone to a pal the day of and after the sport, April 1, said she was leaving the sport after working right into a previous boyfriend and was hanging out with him all evening. One other textual content mentioned she was planning to see that very same pal once more that evening. Footage from T-Cellular Park reveals Martinez-Cosman leaving the stadium with Gitchel, in keeping with paperwork.

Martinez-Cosman was scheduled to babysit that night, however texted to cancel, saying that she was OK. “Whereas these messages got here from Leticia’s telephone, the writer of the messages can’t be verified,” in keeping with charging paperwork.

Calls to Martinez-Cosman’s telephone have been unanswered and finally routed to voicemail.

Martinez-Cosman’s brother reported her as a lacking individual to the King County Sheriff’s Workplace on April 1. He additionally advised police the texts from her telephone on April 1 appeared “odd and uncharacteristic,” in keeping with possible trigger statements.

Martinez-Cosman’s grownup son, who has disabilities, lives together with her.

The son advised police that round 2 a.m. April 2, an unknown man woke him up by knocking on his bed room door inside the home. The unknown man matched the outline later given of the Gitchel.

The unknown man advised the son that Martinez-Cosman had been in an accident and that he was going to take the son to see her on the hospital. The son mentioned they drove round for hours in an SUV-type car.

At one level, the unknown man bought out of the car, then reportedly bought into the car behind the son and tried to cowl the son’s head with a bag; the son advised officers he thought the person was attempting to kill him.

The son was in a position to battle off the person contained in the automotive. At one level the person tried to strangle the person together with his forearm on his neck and the son bit the unknown male on the hand. Throughout the battle within the car, the horn was pressed a number of occasions. Throughout the altercation, the person reportedly advised the son he was “doing this for his mom,” charging paperwork state.

The son was in a position to get exterior of the automotive and referred to as 911. Whereas he was on the telephone with police, the person bought again into the car and drove off.

The son walked into an adjoining residential yard and hid within the bushes. Renton Law enforcement officials responded to the scene, following reviews of a car honking and a person hiding within the bushes round 4 a.m. The son was taken to the hospital earlier than going house.

The charging paperwork state that no actions have been taken to find the suspect car.

About two hours later, Seattle Hearth responded to a car hearth close to Lewis Park in South Seattle. The car was engulfed in flames and recognized as Martinez-Cosman’s 2016 Honda CRV. Hearth investigators mentioned the fireplace was deliberately set with an accelerant.

Police linked Martinez-Cosman’s telephone quantity to the telephone variety of the suspect.

On April 4, Costco reported $10,000 value of bijou was stolen from the Seattle location, the identical retailer Gitchel met Martinez-Cosman days earlier than. The jewellery theft suspect was caught on surveillance and the suspect’s car license plate was registered to Gitchel.

Gitchel was stopped by police coming into a Shoreline Costco retailer round 7 p.m. April 5, the place he was taken into custody.

In line with paperwork, Gitchel reportedly denied going to any current occasions or baseball video games. He was carrying a Seattle Mariners wristband when was arrested, “however took the wristband off and hid it in his pocket earlier than the interview,” paperwork state.

When he was proven the photograph of himself and Martinez-Cosman on the Mariners sport, Gitchel allegedly modified his story and mentioned he was together with her on the sport.

The suspect advised police he doesn’t know the place she is at, and mentioned she bumped into some man on the finish of the sport who left together with her. On the time of the interview with police, Gitchel was carrying an analogous outfit as within the photograph and had “quite a few seen accidents on his physique,” paperwork state.

On April 6, police discovered a Glock handgun inside Gitchel’s car.

Additional cellphone information reveals Gitchel allegedly went to a distant space within the mountains, then returned to Seattle within the early afternoon the day after the Mariners sport. Surveillance footage from a Seattle fuel station on April 2 reveals Gitchel reportedly throwing away a jacket within the rubbish, then buying a fuel canister and a lighter earlier than driving away. His purchases on the fuel station occurred about half-hour earlier than Martinez-Cosman’s Honda CRV was discovered on hearth.

Gitchel’s felony historical past consists of theft of a car, alluding and assault, amongst different convictions.