In the summer of 2014, the life of 59-year-old Abigail Gulotta, a White/Caucasian female, was tragically cut short in her Bellingham, Washington, apartment. On August 3, 2014, when Gulotta failed to appear for her job at a local hair salon, a concerned coworker went to her basement apartment to check on her. There, they made the grim discovery of Gulotta's body.
An autopsy would later confirm that she was the victim of homicidal violence.
The investigation into her death quickly turned toward identifying who she might have been with in her final hours. Detectives learned that Gulotta was last seen on the evening of August 2 in the company of several members of the U.S. Coast Guard. This led them to focus on 33-year-old Coastguardsman Michael Arnold, who was stationed on the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman. Arnold matched the description of the individual last seen with Gulotta. When questioned by investigators from the Bellingham Police Department and the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Arnold denied any involvement in her death and claimed he had not left his ship, which was docked in Fairhaven.
Despite his denial, Arnold became a person of interest. The day after he was questioned, he was reported absent without leave from his post. Investigators soon discovered that he had emptied his bank account and was believed to have fled to a family cabin in Show Low, Arizona. A multi-agency manhunt involving U.S. Marshals, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, and Bellingham Police detectives was launched.
The search for Arnold came to a somber end on August 9, 2014, when law enforcement found him deceased at the Arizona cabin from an apparent suicide. Further investigation revealed that Arnold had confessed to the murder before taking his own life. At the scene of his death, he had spray-painted apologies for the killing. While the prime suspect in Abigail Gulotta's murder was dead, the investigation continued to ensure all aspects of the case were thoroughly examined.
