UPDATE: This version of the story includes the name of the victim, Robert Harmon, and information about the arrest of a suspect.
A 95-year-old Hoquiam man who still got around by driving himself and was active enough that he recently went up a ladder to clean the gutters on his house, was murdered Sunday at his home.
Robert Harmon was a Merchant Marine during World War II and retired as a heavy equipment operator, working on several bridge projects in the area, family members told police.
Monday, police arrested a 31-year-old female neighbor who may have a substance-abuse problem and may have been stealing checks from Harmon. An autopsy indicated that Harmon suffered stab wounds to the head and neck and blunt-force injuries to his head, county Coroner Lane Youmans said.
Harmon was found dead in his home in the 400 block of Center Street. Officers were called to the home about noon Sunday on a report that Harmon was found unresponsive. The victim’s daughter and a family friend had come to check on him after she got only a busy signal when she called and because he did not arrive as planned to have coffee with a friend that morning.
Upon arriving, Sgt. Shane Krohn discovered indications of forced entry into the home and evidence of a possible burglary, police said.
Additional Hoquiam officers and detectives were called out, as well as detectives and deputies from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, to assist in the investigation.
Investigators pursued active leads and several search warrants had been secured. Police worked through the night.
Detectives from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department responded with a “FARO” laser crime scene scanner to process the exterior and interior of the victim’s house. Hoquiam police were at the scene all night until technicians from the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory arrived in the morning to process the house for latent evidence.
This is the second homicide in Hoquiam in less than a month. In June, a 25-year-old woman was killed in what police say was an act of domestic violence. Police say a man shot the mother of two in front of their children. He was arrested the same day and awaits trial.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance and resources of our fellow agencies in this investigation,” Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers said Sunday.
Myers said the suspect has been cooperative with investigators and has been interviewed several times. Evidence related to the homicide was recovered Monday near Aberdeen with the assistance of a ladder truck from the Aberdeen Fire Department.
Police say information indicates the suspect knew Harmon and may have occasionally mowed his lawn.
Technicians from the State Patrol Crime Lab continued to process the scene Monday. The suspect was expected to be booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail and held for murder sometime Monday.
Harmon’s daughter told police he lived alone. She described him as smart, hardworking and strong.
Charles Dudrey, a former neighbor, remembered Harmon as a “warm and kind man … who was kind to all the kids who lived close to him.” He continued to be in touch as the kids went through high school and would take his daughter out to breakfast when she was home on leave from the Navy, Dudrey recalled.
Hoquiam Police made a point of offering Harmon’s family its deepest condolences.
“There is no way to explain to a family why these crimes happen, but we will do our best to investigate every aspect of this case and present the information to the County Prosecutor for the appropriate charges,” read a statement from the department.
