A Washington state man was arrested Sunday for allegedly setting a trailer on fire and killing three children and a woman inside, police stated.
Matthew Timothy Wetherington, 34, of Port Angeles, was being held on four counts of first-degree murder and arson, the Port Angeles Police Department mentioned in an announcement.
Wetherington was seen operating from the scene early Saturday morning as a fire ignited on the Welcome Inn Trailer Park in Port Angeles, northwest of Seattle, police stated.
Bodies that appeared to be a lady and three children have been recovered from the trailer, the statement mentioned.
Police didn’t determine them, but an earlier statement said four of the trailer’s residents — Valerie Kambeitz, 34, and three kids below 10 — were unaccounted for.
Authorities initially described Wetherington as an unaccounted for the person of interest within the case. He was later found at a campsite that is being investigated as a crime scene, NBC affiliate KING-TV reported.
The Associated Press reported that a marriage license was issued on May 1 in Clallam County for Kambeitz and Wetherington.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Wetherington has a lawyer. He’s expected to appear Monday in Clallam County Superior Court, police mentioned.
Wetherington has several prior criminal convictions, together with child molestation.