In the early morning hours of October 21, 2024, in the serene community of Fall City, Washington, a tragedy unfolded within the walls of the Humiston family home. Thirteen-year-old Benjamin Humiston, a White male, was found deceased, not from a fall, but from a gunshot wound. Alongside him were his parents, Mark Humiston, 43, and Sarah Humiston, 42, and his younger siblings, Katheryn, 7, and Joshua, 9, who had also been fatally shot.
The initial report to authorities came from the
family's 15-year-old son, who claimed that his 13-year-old brother, Benjamin, was responsible for the deaths of their family members before taking his own life. However, this narrative quickly unraveled with the emergence of a courageous survivor. The Humistons' 11-year-old daughter managed to escape the home despite suffering from gunshot wounds to her neck and hand. She sought refuge at a neighbor's house and recounted a harrowing story of waking to gunshots and screams. She identified her older brother, the 15-year-old who made the initial 911 call, as the perpetrator. She told investigators that she "played dead" until he left the room, at which point she fled to safety.
Upon their arrival, law enforcement officials took the 15-year-old suspect into custody. Inside the residence, they discovered a scene that had allegedly been staged to support the fabricated story. A handgun had been placed in Benjamin's hand to suggest a murder-suicide. The surviving sister later informed detectives that she believed the weapon used was her father's Glock handgun, which was kept in a lockbox to which only the suspect knew the combination.
The 15-year-old has since been charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. A hearing is scheduled for June 2025 to determine whether he will be tried as an adult. He is currently being held in a secure detention facility and has been ordered to have no contact with his surviving sister.
