In early 2019, the quiet community of Sammamish, near Issaquah, Washington, was rocked by a tragic event that unfolded within the walls of a family home. Lorraine Ficken, a 68-year-old White female, was a respected real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Bain in Issaquah. She was looking forward to her retirement and had recently purchased a home in Oregon to be closer to her family.
However, these plans would never come to fruition.
Concerns arose when family members in both Oregon and Washington were unable to get in touch with Lorraine and her family for several days. This prompted them to request a welfare check. On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 15, 2019, deputies from the King County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the Ficken residence on Southeast 42nd Place. Upon their arrival, a grim discovery was made. Inside the home, law enforcement found the bodies of Lorraine, her 72-year-old ex-husband Robert Ficken, and their 34-year-old son, Matthew Ficken. All three had died from gunshot wounds in what was determined to be a murder-suicide.
The investigation by the King County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes unit pieced together a heartbreaking timeline of events. Detectives believe that Matthew Ficken, an employee at Microsoft, had killed his parents on or around January 10th or 11th. The motive for this tragic act stemmed from his mother's decision to sell the family home and relocate. Matthew was reportedly unwilling to leave the house he had grown up in.
In the days following the murders, Matthew continued to live in the house with his parents' bodies. It wasn't until law enforcement arrived for the welfare check on January 15th that the situation came to a head. As deputies approached the residence, Matthew took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that Lorraine and Robert's deaths were homicides, while Matthew's was a suicide. Investigators found a gun at the scene. No other suspects were sought, and no arrests were made as the perpetrator was deceased. The incident left the community in shock and mourning the loss of a well-liked real estate professional and a respected local historian.
