Family mourns 25-year-old woman killed in Milton; police search for man wanted in murder



MILTON, Wash. -- Crime tape is still up around the bedroom window of 25-year-old Wendi Traynor’s apartment in Milton.

Her father says he and her uncle discovered her body Friday.

“They hadn’t heard from her in a period of time, and it was uncommon for them not to have communication from her, so they went to check on her,” said Sergeant Russ Hume with Milton Police.

Traynor’s father says his daughter was smart, sassy and wanted to be an FBI agent.

He says she graduated from Eastside Catholic High School and got her degree in law and justice from Central Washington University.

Traynor had worked as a TSA agent at Sea-Tac Airport and recently passed her air traffic control exams, hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps as an air traffic control operator.

Her death is impacting family and friends who remember Traynor as someone with a heart of gold who loved life.

Milton resident Kejuan Jones, who moved to Traynor’s apartment complex one week ago, says a murder so close to his new home is unnerving, and he wants out already.

“It makes me want to go to the office on Monday and say I want out of here,” Jones said.

Milton police are investigating Traynor’s death as a homicide.



Authorities are looking for Joshua Kioni Ellis in connection to the crime. An arrest warrant was issued Saturday night.

Police say he is known to carry firearms and for the public not to approach him. They ask people call 911.

“He’s local to the area - not local to Milton as far as we know - and between the two of them, they had some sort of domestic relationship,” Hume said.

Black covers over Traynor’s bedroom window echo the darkness over this small town, as a 25-year-old’s life with so much promise was tragically cut short.

“There’s caution tape all over my complex. It’s not something the everyday person doesn’t see, you see it on the news, you see it on the movies, but when it’s a few feet away from you, it’s a whole different experience,” Jones said.

Milton police say they are not aware of Ellis having a criminal past. Traynor’s family didn’t elaborate on the connection the two had.