Female soldier held in 2 slayings, kidnapping

A 22-year-old female soldier from Fort Lewis was arrested Sunday night in connection with the death of a Pierce County man and woman and the kidnapping of the slain couple's baby, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

The 7-month-old girl was found uninjured at Fort Lewis and is in the custody of Child Protective Services.

The couple was found about 7 p.m. Sunday, shot to death in their Parkland home. The identities of the victims, both in their 20s, have not been released although both were said to be soldiers who worked as medics at the post.

A motive has not been determined, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. It is unknown how long the victims had been dead. The woman was being held in the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, Troyer said.

A Fort Lewis spokesperson late Sunday confirmed reports that the suspect is assigned to I Corps and is a member of the honor guard, and that the victims were medics at Madigan Army Medical Center.

The suspect was found at Fort Lewis with the baby, Troyer said. Military police contacted the Sheriff's Department Sunday evening and reported that they had reason to suspect a double homicide had been committed, Troyer said. The exact circumstances that led military police to that conclusion were not disclosed.

Based on the information, sheriff's deputies went to the Parkland home and found the victims' bodies inside, Troyer said. Deputies were seeking search warrants for multiple locations Sunday night, including the suspect's living quarters at Fort Lewis.

Michael J. Berens: 206-464-2288 or mberens@seattletimes.com