Federal Way police have arrested Mick Carmichael, 35, a person of interest in the deaths of his parents, who were found dead inside their home Wednesday afternoon.
Officers responded to a welfare check around 12:11 p.m. on Jan. 22 at a home in the 33700 block of 27th Place SW, where they found a man and woman in their mid-60s dead inside. Police confirmed Carmichael is the victims’ son.
Authorities asked for the public’s help locating Carmichael, who was believed to have boarded a bus near the home around 12:15 p.m. Patrol officers spotted him around 5 p.m. in a park just over a half-mile from the house, where he was taken into custody. As of publication, Carmichael had not been booked into the King County Jail.
Court records show Carmichael has a documented history of violence toward both parents. In a 2021 guilty plea, records state Carmichael struck his father multiple times in the face over a three-hour period while calling him “the devil.” When his mother returned home, he allegedly struck her and slammed her head into a staircase. Police documented facial injuries to the father, including a broken nose that required five stitches.
A separate 2015 guilty plea shows Carmichael’s father reported that his son broke into the home and strangled him until he could not breathe. Records show that since 2009, courts have issued 10 protection orders under four cases to protect the parents and five other people from Carmichael.
Neighbors described the area as quiet, with little police activity, calling the situation shocking. “I’ve seen him before on the street,” said Mason LeMaster, who lives behind the victims’ property. “When they said he was over 6 feet tall, I thought, ‘I know that guy.'” LeMaster added: “Unfortunately, it’s too late now. There’s a problem with the system not protecting parents.”
The case raises questions about the effectiveness of protection orders when family members repeatedly return to violent situations. Ten protection orders over 15 years suggests a pattern authorities documented but could not stop. Protection orders require victims to report violations and police to enforce them, but enforcement depends on victims calling for help and officers arriving in time.
Carmichael does not currently face charges related to Wednesday’s incident. Police emphasized that being named a person of interest does not mean he is a suspect. The investigation continues.
