On a cold December morning in 2023, a dispute over the custody of a child tragically ended in the death of Kayla Vallee, a 40-year-old Caucasian woman and devoted mother of five from Bonney Lake, Washington. The events that unfolded on December 9th began when Vallee went to the University Place apartment of her child's father, 42-year-old Duane Dushon Moore, to pick up their 10-year-old son and discuss their custody arrangement. Despite warnings from her family not to go alone, Vallee entered the apartment, a place she reportedly had not been allowed in before.
Concerns for Vallee's safety grew when Moore later arrived at the home of Vallee's parents, more than 100 yards away from the driveway, and left their crying son. Moore chillingly told the boy they would not see each other again because he was going to prison for what he had done to the child's mother. Alarmed, Vallee's parents contacted the authorities to request a welfare check. Deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff's Office went to Moore's apartment in the 7300 block of 56th Street Court West, where they found Vallee's vehicle in the parking lot. Inside the apartment, they discovered a horrifying scene. Vallee's body, wrapped in a blanket and hidden between furniture, was found with multiple gunshot wounds. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed her death as a homicide.
The search for the suspect led deputies to Buckley, where a 911 caller had reported a suspicious vehicle parked on a trail. The vehicle was registered to Moore, who was found inside. What followed was an hour-long standoff with law enforcement. The standoff ended when deputies used a stun gun to subdue Moore as he appeared to charge at them after exiting the vehicle; he was then arrested.
Duane Dushon Moore was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Kayla Vallee's death. In court, a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and his bail was set at $1 million. The investigation uncovered evidence at the scene, including a. 45-caliber handgun found inside a shoe and child-support paperwork. In March 2025, a jury convicted Moore of first-degree domestic-violence murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of Kayla Vallee.
