A 59-year-old woman died Wednesday morning in Federal Way after suffering severe head trauma, and police are now investigating her death as a homicide. Officers had been called to a home in the 2900 block of Southwest 342nd Place around 8:20 a.m. for a reported domestic violence incident when they found the victim badly injured.
Emergency responders and officers attempted lifesaving measures at the scene, but the woman was pronounced dead, according to FOX 13 Seattle. Her identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin, and the Federal Way Police Department has not disclosed what led up to the violence. Police are searching for a person of interest in the case, though that individual's identity and description have not been made public. The department has said it does not believe there is a danger to the public at this time, a detail also reported by KIRO 7 News.
A City Already Grappling With a Spike in Killings
Wednesday's death adds to what has already been an unusually violent stretch for Federal Way. The city recorded eight murders through August of 2025, compared to four during the same period the year before — a 100% jump, according to the Federal Way Mirror. Four of those eight cases were tied to domestic violence.
By year's end, Federal Way had tallied nine murders in 2025, with a higher-than-usual share involving domestic violence, the police department said in a recap covered by the same outlet. Cmdr. Kyle Buchanan noted that investigators had cleared five of those cases, saying, “Clearing five cases reflects the dedication and persistence of our investigative team.” Other categories of crime moved in the opposite direction during that stretch — robberies dropped 49% through August 2025 compared with the year before, per the Mirror's reporting.
A Separate Case Still Fresh in Federal Way
The hunt for a person of interest echoes another recent Federal Way case that drew scrutiny earlier this year. In January, police sought information on Mick Carmichael as a person of interest in the deaths of his parents, Grace and Gregory Carmichael, according to KOMO News. That case, like Wednesday's, began with a call to a residence before investigators determined a homicide had occurred.
No arrests have been announced in Wednesday's case, and police have not said whether the person of interest has been identified or located. Detectives continue to investigate, and anyone with information has not yet been given a specific tip line through the sources reviewed for this report.
