Tenant Held as Mystery Surrounds Missing Elderly Couple

Mystery continues to surround the location of the bodies of a missing elderly couple who allegedly were killed by a tenant in Washington state.

Timothy Burke, 45, is being held without bail on suspicion of killing Davido Koep, 68, and Karen Koep, 62. Burke was arrested on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in connection with the couple's disappearance on Friday.

The Koeps were determined to be missing on November 13 after deputies responded to their home in the Lake Forest Development for a welfare check after one of them did not show up for work, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Lord said an "unsurvivable" amount of blood had been found in the couple's home, leading investigators to believe the Koeps had been killed.

The couple's car and another vehicle belonging to Burke were found by investigators, and both contained blood, Lord said Monday during a preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court.

"It's the state's perspective, based on the quantities of blood and the opinions of the professionals involved in the determination of facts and evidence in this case, that murder is the appropriate charge rather than assault," Lord said, according to The Olympian.

During Monday's hearing, a friend yelled for Burke to reveal where the couple's remains are.

"Tell him to give that family some closure and tell them where the bodies are," the friend said, according to Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO.

Judge John C. Skinner set a no-bail hold for Burke on Monday.

The office "is still actively investigating this case," the sheriff's office said on Facebook after the hearing.

"We appreciate the work from our detectives, patrol deputies, corrections deputies, prosecuting attorney, judges, and community during this troubling case."

Newsweek has reached out to an attorney representing Burke and the sheriff's office via email for comment.

Family members are hopeful that the couple's remains will soon be found.

Karen Koep's sister, Pauline Dutton, told The Messenger News that she is sure police will eventually find their bodies: "It's just a matter of time," she said.

A probable cause statement said Burke rented space on a rural property in Olympia that Davido Koep owned. A close friend told investigators that he was preparing to evict Burke, according to The Olympian.

The statement said deputies found "two very large blood stains" in the living room and "obvious signs" that someone attempted to clean up the blood.