Search underway for suspect in connection with fatal stabbing of University of Washington student
Seattle police are looking for a suspect in connection with the Sunday evening killing of a University of Washington student, found inside a school-affiliated apartment building, officials said.
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The victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female,” Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz said in a Monday statement to NBC News, though no other details were provided.
UW police officers were called to the student housing complex Nordheim Court at about 10:10 p.m. and responding officers found “a deceased victim in a laundry room,” according to Muñoz.
“The circumstances leading up to the murder are under investigation,” Muñoz said. “Officers are actively searching for the suspect. No arrests have been made at this time.”
Nordheim Court residents were told via the UW Alert system to stay indoors and lock their windows and doors. Residents were told through the school alert system that they “no longer needed to remain inside their homes” at around 12:56 a.m. and that a “death investigation remains ongoing.”
Nordheim Court offers 454 units ranging in size from studios to four bedrooms, according to the school’s website.
Police said Monday they are searching for a Black man, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-8, “wearing a vest with a button-up shirt, and blue jeans.”
“As a mom, my heart aches for her family and friends,” City Councilmember Maritza Rivera, who represents the University District neighborhood, said in statement,
“As a Councilmember, this violent crime is disturbing. I know Seattle police are investigating, and I will be meeting with UW later today.”
A rep for the University of Washington, which serves about 36,000 undergrads in Seattle, could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.
The campus runs on a quarter system that ends spring classes relatively late in the academic year, compared to other major schools. While many colleges are in finals this week, U-Dub will not have its end-of-term exams until early June.
Graduation ceremonies are set for June 13.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
