Police arrest man on suspicion of domestic violence murder in killing of Tacoma mother
Tacoma police arrested a 21-year-old man who they suspect killed a woman found dead Tuesday in her South End apartment. Police said the man was taken into custody on suspicion of domestic-violence murder.
The 24-year-old woman was a mother to three children, ages 2, 3 and 5. According to KIRO 7 News, relatives identified her as Elisia Simpson. Tacoma Police Department said the victim was found after her children told a neighbor that their mother was dead inside the apartment. The neighbor called 911 to request a welfare check.
Officers responded to the apartment in the 7600 block of Pacific Avenue and found the woman unresponsive. She was declared dead on the scene.
Police announced the arrest of the homicide suspect in a news release Wednesday evening. The department did not disclose details of the arrest. According to the release, detectives and crime scene technicians identified the man as a suspect and developed probable cause for his arrest. Officers took him into custody at about 8:20 p.m. in Tacoma.
Tacoma police spokesperson Wendy Haddow told several news outlets the suspect was the victim’s boyfriend. She said the woman was shot and killed, and that officers believe the children were inside the apartment during the killing.
The man was booked into jail for investigation of first-degree domestic-violence murder and aggravated assault of a child. Haddow told KIRO 7 that none of Simpson’s children were harmed.
Simpson’s mother set up a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs. On the GoFundMe page, the victim’s mother, Thalia Simpson, described her daughter as “a beautiful soul.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 8:07 AM.
