National

Man shoots his girlfriend, then leaves her body in home for days, Washington cops say

A 46-year-old woman was found dead in Oroville, Washington, on April 16, 2022, the Okanogan County Sheriff Office said. Her 70-year-old boyfriend was arrested.
A 46-year-old woman was found dead in Oroville, Washington, on April 16, 2022, the Okanogan County Sheriff Office said. Her 70-year-old boyfriend was arrested. Getty / iStock photo

A woman’s concerned friend led authorities to the discovery of her body in a Washington home, the sheriff’s office said.

The 46-year-old woman’s boyfriend is accused of shooting and leaving her body inside a home in Oroville for two days, Okanogan County Sheriff Office said.

McClatchy News is not identifying the victim.

Roy Rasmussen, 70, was arrested and faces a first-degree murder charge. He was booked into the Okanogan County Corrections Center on April 16, deputies said.

The woman’s friend tried to check on her, but she told police Rasmussen wouldn’t let her inside the home, deputies said.

The friend then had her husband go to the home. He saw the woman’s body lying on the ground, deputies said.

Rasmussen said his girlfriend’s body had been there for days, deputies said.

Deputies responded to the home on a domestic violence call and found the woman’s body.

“(She) was fiercely independent, silly, loving, a self-proclaimed cat lady. She deserved decades more love and adventure,” the woman’s friend wrote on Facebook. “Sending love to all those who loved her.”

Oroville is in north-central Washington, about 5 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

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This story was originally published April 19, 2022 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Man shoots his girlfriend, then leaves her body in home for days, Washington cops say."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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