A 35-year-old man was booked into the King County jail late Thursday after police found his parents dead inside their Federal Way home during a welfare check and later arrested him at a nearby park, investigators and prosecutors said.
The case has moved quickly from a welfare call to a double homicide investigation with a suspect in custody. Authorities identified the victims as Gregory Carmichael, 68, and Grace Carmichael, 69. Prosecutors told a judge Friday that evidence indicates both were strangled during a struggle and described belts found at the scene. The defendant, Mick Brandon Carmichael, refused to appear at his initial hearing, and a bail hearing was scheduled for Saturday. Prosecutors said a charging decision is expected soon as detectives continue to process evidence and interview witnesses.
Officers went to the home in the 33700 block of 27th Place SW around 12:11 p.m. Thursday after a coworker reported that Grace Carmichael had not shown up for work and her phone appeared to be at the residence. Police said they knocked, looked through windows and tried calling, then coordinated with a family member who came to check on the couple. The relative reported seeing Mick Carmichael walking away from the house minutes before going inside and finding the bodies. In a probable cause hearing Friday, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Elaine Lee said Gregory Carmichael was found with what appeared to be a long belt wrapped three times around his neck, and Grace Carmichael had marks consistent with ligature strangulation. Judge Michelle Scudder said she found probable cause for one count of first-degree murder, domestic violence, and one count of second-degree murder, domestic violence.
Police issued an alert to find the couple’s son and began searching the neighborhood and transit stops. Around 5 p.m. Thursday, an officer spotted Mick Carmichael sitting in a park near SW 333rd Street and took him into custody. Detectives noted what looked like dried blood on his hands and clothes and visible cuts and bruises. According to arrest documents summarized in court, Carmichael told officers he had not spoken to his parents the day before and said he did not know how he was injured. A relative told investigators that when they encountered him outside the house, he said his parents were sleeping and he did not want the relative to disturb them. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Carmichael declined to answer detailed questions and asked for a lawyer after stating he loved his parents.
Court records outline a long pattern of conflict at the same address. In 2009, the parents sought restraining orders, alleging harassment and violence. In 2015, Carmichael pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault after an incident involving his father at the Federal Way home. In 2021, prosecutors said he attacked his father for hours after being told to turn down loud music and struck his mother when she returned, slamming her head into a staircase. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts in that case. Local records also list arrests unrelated to his parents, including a 2018 case in Pierce County where he was accused of threatening grocery store workers with a knife. Prosecutors said the prior filings show escalating behavior and noted that the home in those cases is the same place where the couple was found Thursday.
Investigators are still establishing the precise timeline between Wednesday and Thursday, when authorities believe the killings occurred. Federal Way police said they first learned something was wrong at 9:49 a.m. Thursday, when a coworker called for a welfare check. Officers arrived after noon and found the couple deceased. Detectives collected belts, bedding and other possible evidence and are awaiting forensic testing. Officials have not released an official cause and manner of death from the medical examiner. The prosecutor’s office said they are reviewing potential counts that could include first- and second-degree murder with domestic violence enhancements. A formal charging decision is expected early this week in King County Superior Court.
Neighbors described a quiet block wedged between cul-de-sacs and a wooded strip with a small park. Mason LeMaster, who lives behind the Carmichael property, said he recognized the man police were seeking as someone he had seen walking the street. Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said investigators will look at what interventions had been tried over the years and what options existed given the record. “That is a question police will be looking at,” McNerthney said, noting that protection orders had been issued in the past. During Friday’s hearing, prosecutors said the scene inside the home showed signs of a struggle and that both victims were covered with blankets when they were found.
As of Sunday evening, Carmichael remained in the King County jail pending a charging decision and the release of the medical examiner’s findings. The next expected step is the filing of charges and a court appearance once he is produced from custody, which prosecutors said could come early in the week.
Author note: Last updated January 25, 2026.