On May 15, 2020, a 31-year-old Caucasian female named Brittany Thuney was tragically killed in Kelso, Washington. The events of that day unfolded as a devastating act of violence that cut her life short. While dropping off her seven-year-old daughter for a visitation with the child's father, Kyle Belenski, Brittany was ambushed and shot multiple times by the girl's paternal grandfather, 60-year-old Scott Belenski.
This initial attack occurred near the intersection of Bloyd Street and 18th Avenue North in Kelso.
Despite being wounded, Brittany managed to drive away from her attacker, seeking refuge at a nearby AM/PM convenience store on Allen Street. During this time, she was able to make a frantic call to her own father, Joe Thuney, informing him that she had been shot and identifying Scott Belenski as the assailant. However, her attempt to escape proved futile as Scott Belenski followed her to the convenience store parking lot. There, he fired his pistol several more times into her vehicle while she was still in the driver's seat, inflicting fatal injuries. Brittany Thuney died at the scene.
After murdering Brittany, Scott Belenski drove to another part of the parking lot and took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, turning the horrific event into a murder-suicide. The investigation into the incident revealed a potential motive for the violent attack. About ten weeks prior to the shooting, Brittany had reported to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office that Scott Belenski had molested a child. This report had led to Scott Belenski being charged with first-degree child molestation.
In the aftermath of the murder-suicide, the investigation continued, leading to legal troubles for Brittany's ex-partner and the shooter's son, Kyle Belenski. In May 2021, nearly a year after Brittany's death, Kyle Belenski was arrested and faced charges of evidence tampering, obstruction of law enforcement, making false statements, and violation of a no-contact order. Law enforcement officials stated that the investigation into the murder-suicide remained open. The tragic death of Brittany Thuney left her family, including her young daughter, devastated, and her father has been a vocal advocate for justice and changes in custody laws in the wake of her murder.
