Man accused of killing Renton mother of 3 met her online weeks ago, victim's friends say



LAKE STEVENS, Wash.  -- Police on Monday arrested John Robert Charlton, 37, accusing him of the grisly murder of Ingrid Lyne, a Renton mother of three who had been missing since Friday night.

Lyne’s friends say the two met online in February or March and had been dating since. They had a date to see the Mariners home opener Friday night. That was the last time Lyne was seen.

Seattle police said three human body parts found Saturday in a homeowner's recycling bin were later tentatively identified as those of Lyne.

Police explained how they tied Charlton to the case.

“We used some forensic evidence in dealing with telephone calls and cell towers and the usual investigative shoe leather that the homicide detectives in tracking down their leads on a regular basis. By utilizing those, we were led to a suspect early on,” said Seattle Police Assistant Chief Robert Merner.

Carlton has a criminal record. He was arrested for theft in Missoula, Montana, in 2009.

Seattle police tracked him down Monday to a home in Lake Stevens and arrested him without incident.

“We had officers from the U.S. Marshals and we have task force officers here from the SPD.”

Police have not released any information about a possible motive yet. They say homicide detectives interviewed Charlton, then booked him into the King County Jail for investigation of murder.

“The homicide unit served an additional search warrant in Snohomish County today,” said Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “This investigation is ongoing, however, at this time. We do not believe there are any other outstanding suspects.”

Charlton has a sister who lives in Seattle. Q13 News went by her home Monday night, but a friend told us the family had just found out about the arrest and they were not ready to talk yet.