Seattle Police Department detectives have launched a homicide investigation following the death of a 4-year-old boy discovered in a Roosevelt neighborhood apartment Thursday evening.
Officers responded to a behavioral crisis call at approximately 4:15 p.m. at Cedar Crossing Apartments, located at 6620 Roosevelt Way Northeast. The call reported a 45-year-old woman in suicidal crisis, whom police believe to be the child’s mother.
Upon arrival, officers located the woman and subsequently discovered the deceased child inside the apartment unit. Emergency medical personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police arrested the female suspect without incident. Robert Brown, Acting Assistant Chief of Patrol Operations with the Seattle Police Department, acknowledged the tragic nature of the response.
“When we received the call, we responded within minutes, so we did what we could,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, this was one where we were too late.”
The incident has deeply affected residents of the apartment complex, several of whom knew both the mother and child personally. Taner Starks, a fellow resident, expressed shock at the loss.
“To hear it’s a child that I’ve seen and watched grow up, knowing that he’s still a toddler, is heartbreaking,” Starks said.
Dia Ford, who has lived at Cedar Crossing for three years and is herself a mother of three daughters, struggled to comprehend the tragedy.
“I can’t wrap my head around it. I’d be lying if I said I could,” Ford said.
According to Ford, the boy appeared well-cared-for during his time living with his single mother.
“From what we have seen, she always doted on her son,” Ford said. “He was always fed, always clothed. He seemed like he was in good spirits.”
However, both Ford and Starks noted recent changes in the suspect’s behavior, indicating she had been seeking assistance.
“For the last few months, she did not seem like herself, which was out of character,” Ford said. “Her normal routines and things that she did were not normal.”
Starks questioned whether intervention might have prevented the tragedy.
“That woman was walking around asking for help for days,” Starks said. “I don’t know if somebody could have stepped in and helped her.”
Brown acknowledged the difficulty first responders face when encountering such scenes.
“This is a very traumatic type of call to respond to, particularly for the first responders stepping into a scene like that,” Brown said.
Ford noted that Cedar Crossing Apartments has experienced previous violent incidents, including another homicide investigation involving a parent and child, as well as a suicide. She emphasized the importance of community awareness and intervention.
“We need to stop looking and acting like things don’t happen,” Ford said. “People see and they turn their heads and act like it’s not happening because it’s not happening to them.”
The suspect is expected to be booked into King County Jail. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death for the 4-year-old victim.
