Tony Reed, one of two brothers suspected in the disappearance and presumed slaying of an Arlington couple, surrendered to authorities and is awaiting extradition to face murder charges in Snohomish County.
The attorney for one of two fugitive brothers suspected in the disappearances and presumed killings of an Arlington couple said his client will not fight extradition and will return to Snohomish County to face the charges against him.
Lawyer James Kirkham, of Ellensburg, confirmed that he arranged the surrender of Tony C. Reed, 49, to U.S. Marshals at a California border crossing to ensure his client’s safe capture by law enforcement, which had been conducting an intense manhunt along with Mexican authorities since last month.
Reed will return to Washington state, likely within the next few days, he said.
“We’re awaiting his arrival back in the area so we can continue to work on his case,” he said.
Tony Reed and his brother, John B. Reed, 53, fled to Mexico last month after Patrick Shunn, 45, and his wife, Monique Patenaude, 46, disappeared under suspicious circumstances, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
Tony Reed surrendered to the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday about 7:30 p.m. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry at the U.S.-Mexico border. Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Raymond Fleck confirmed the meeting was arranged by Reed’s lawyer after negotiations.
Acting Chief Deputy Marshal Paul Baxley said that his deputies had been working closely with homicide detectives from Snohomish County and that Reed is expected to be returned to Washington within days. He is being held in the San Diego County Jail on a $5 million fugitive warrant.
Both brothers have been charged with first-degree murder. Tony Reed, a felon, has also been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
Kirkham, the attorney, said he has “no idea” where John Reed is.
However, Baxley said that authorities “have some idea” where he is and that he is being actively pursued.
No bodies have been found; however, authorities have recovered evidence leading them to believe the couple met with foul play, including bloodstained clothing. The victims’ cars were found abandoned near Oso on April 14.
Shari Ireton, a spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, said detectives continue to search the area and recently recovered a pair of glasses and car keys they believe belonged to Patenaude. They are being tested for DNA, she said.
John Reed lived next to the couple until recently selling his property to the county. The couple was reported missing April 12.
Court records outline long-running hostilities between the neighbors that may have led to the couple’s disappearance.
Neighbors reported Shunn and Patenaude missing after finding their livestock untended. Shunn went to work April 11, but he failed to show up the next day. Patenaude was last seen about 1 p.m. on April 11 near the couple’s home in the 27800 block of Whitman Road, near the site of the Oso landslide.
Investigators have obtained several search warrants and court orders. Among them are court orders freezing bank accounts of the brothers’ parents in Ellensburg, whom authorities say were given at least $96,000 in cashier’s checks by John Reed before he fled the state.
Other warrants allow investigators to search septic systems, wells and other areas of the missing couple’s property and John Reed’s former land. Investigators also have received permission to search another neighbor’s property, from which detectives previously recovered a shotgun and all-terrain vehicle apparently left by John Reed.