NORTH BEND, Wash. - The King County Sheriff's Office is looking for a "person of interest" after a suspicious house fire killed two women near North Bend Sunday morning.
Investigators want to speak with Peter A. Keller, 41, who lives at the house where the fire happened and has not been seen since. He's 5'5" and weighs 175 pounds. Investigators are not calling Keller a suspect but would like to speak with him.
Investigators are treating the fire as a homicide, although it is unclear if they are dealing with a double homicide or murder-suicide, said Sgt. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office.
The fire was reported by neighbors at about 8:30 a.m. Once firefighters arrived, their first obstacle was the front door, which was blocked by furniture.
Firefighters forced their way and started dousing the flames with water. They found two women inside the home. Despite their best efforts to save the victims, both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Partially full gas cans were found inside, and deputies deployed bomb detection equipment to see if the house held any booby traps.
The victims have not been identified, but friends who know the people who live in the home believe their young friend -- a recent high school graduate -- is one of the people killed in the fire.
"They loved life. They were beautiful girls," said Cate Reynolds. "I spent a lot of time at the house. You never believe it's going to happen to somebody you know."
Around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, investigators found a 2003 Toyota Corolla that had been missing from the house and could be connected to the fire. It was spotted at the North Bend Library and was towed away so investigators can inspect it for clues.
Investigators want to know how long the vehicle was at the library and want to hear from anyone who saw the blue-gray car sitting there before 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Anyone with information on the car or Keller's whereabouts can call the King County Sheriff's Office at 206-296-3311 or 911.
