Auburn police looking for suspect in mysterious 'bloody carpet' case

AUBURN, Wash. -- Police in Auburn have launched a criminal investigation after someone discovered bloody carpet, flooring and towels along the side of a roadway Wednesday night.

Police closed a section of the roadway near where the West Valley Highway and Peasley Canyon Road intersect for hours Wednesday night and reopened it Thursday afternoon.

But Thursday night, Auburn police were searching a heavily wooded area just outside Auburn along 55th Avenue South, after  south receiving a tip from a neighbor. But police wouldn't say if they had found anything tied to the bloody carpet case.



A federal law enforcement officer spotted a fire in the area and called 911 around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. When officers arrived they say they discovered bloody carpet, wood flooring and bloody towels burning along the side of the road.

Police said they search through the material but did not find remains of any kind.

Investigators said a man in a dark SUV was seen next to the carpeting before the SUV quickly left the area.

The suspect seen fleeing in the SUV was described as possibly a mixed-race man, in his late 20s to early 30s, between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10, thin build, and short, dark hair. There is no further description of the SUV.

Police have asked for help from the Washington State Patrol crime lab for examining the bloody material.