Matthew Wetherington, 34, the man identified as the person of interest after four bodies, presumably of a mother and her three kids, ages, 5, 6, and 9, were found in a burned mobile home trailer where he lived, was arrested Saturday night and was booked into the Clallam County Jail.
Wetherington was booked on four counts of murder and one count of arson, investigators said.
Police have not confirmed the identities of the bodies or the exact number but said Valerie Kambeitz, Lilly Kambeitz, Emma Kambeitz and Jayden Kambeitz are all unaccounted for and the sizes of the bodies found in the burned trailer, which went up in flames around 2:30 a.m., indicate children are among the dead.
Wetherington is a Level III sex offender, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs’ online database.
Police couldn’t immediately clarify Wetherington’s relationship to the mother but Facebook posts and pictures indicate the two were married. Police didn’t believe he was among the dead.
The fire was reported early Saturday at the Welcome Inn Trailer Park along Highway 101 in Port Angeles. Cellphone video shared with KIRO 7 showed massive flames, which police said spread to a second mobile home and several cars.
A man in the second mobile trailer escaped through a window, according to police.
State and federal investigators have been called in to help with the investigation. Police have not yet said what caused the fire but have been working to connect with witnesses and anyone who recorded video of the fire.
"We'll go wherever the facts take us,” said Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith, who told KIRO 7 the coroner will identify the bodies and determine the exact cause of death for each. “Looks like small people, which indicates children, but again, that’s not definitive.”
Man accused of killing wife, three children in mobile home fire held on $5 million bail
<p>A man accused of killing his wife and her three children in a mobile home fire Saturday in Port Angeles is being held on a $5 million bail.</p>
www.kiro7.com
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