Authorities in Washington State discovered the slain bodies of an elderly couple inside a freezer on New Year’s Eve, along with the bodies of their son and his girlfriend elsewhere in the home.
William Vosler, 68, and his wife 66-year-old Eileen Vosler, their son Shane Vosler, 33, and his girlfriend Sue Bin Lee, 34, were found dead in a Puyallup, Wa., home on Dec. 31, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said at the time.
William and Eileen both died from multiple stab wounds; William also suffered blunt force trauma, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Shane and Lee died from gunshot wounds to the head; Shane died by suicide, and Lee’s manner of death remains undetermined, per the medical examiner.
William and Eilleen Vosler were killed in their Puyallup home.
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The investigation began on the morning on Dec. 31 after family members requested a welfare check because the deceased people “had not been heard from for awhile,” per the sheriff’s office.
Responding officers initially found two bodies and, after executing a search warrant, found two other bodies. Police found two notes on a leaking kitchen freezer that read “Time of Death July 24th 5:45 a.m.” and “Time of death July 24th 3:00 p.m.,” The News Tribune, The Seattle Times and KOMO News reported, citing the search warrant and police accounts.
The sheriff’s department spokesperson, Deputy Carly Cappetto, told The Seattle Times that Shane is the suspect in his parents’ killings but it has not been determined whether Lee played a role.
“The son and his girlfriend were living in that home for six months before any of this was discovered,” she told the outlet.
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In November, Lee reportedly posted online that she was “considering suicide with [Shane],” the search warrant said, according to The News Tribune, MyNorthwest and KING 5.
There were three welfare check requests after Lee’s online post, but responding officers said they were not legally permitted to enter the home because nothing seemed amiss from the outside, per The News Tribune, KOMO News and FOX 13.
During the Dec. 31 welfare check, two of the couple’s sons gained entry into the home as a deputy stood by, KING 5 and KOMO News reported, citing unspecified court documents and a search warrant, respectively.
The investigation revealed that Shane and Lee participated in a “collaborated suicide” but the woman had been deceased for longer than her boyfriend, Cappetto told The Seattle Times.
A motive for the killings of the parents has not been determined.
“We’re going to be closing this case because we don’t have anyone to charge,” Cappetto told The Seattle Times. “The medical examiner’s report is a key piece of evidence and matched up to what we were leaning towards.”
