A 46-year-old male from Seattle, Washington, was taken into police custody on Thursday in connection to the presumed death of 58-year-old Leticia Martinez-Cosman.
According to the Seattle Police Department, the two were last seen together attending a Seattle Mariners baseball game at T-Mobile Park on March 31st. Martinez-Cosman has since been missing and is described as being 5 foot 9, weighing approximately 135 pounds and having green eyes and brown hair.
Though no formal charges have been made against Gitchel, a King County judge ruled on Friday that the prosecution provided enough evidence to detain him while they continue to investigate Martinez-Cosman’s disappearance. In addition to the kidnapping and murder investigation, Gitchel is also being held for an alleged assault, theft, and illegal possession of a firearm.
According to reports, Martinez-Cosman and a friend first encountered Gitchel at a Seattle Costco on March 19th and had plans to attend the baseball game on the 31st. Martinez-Cosman reportedly sent her friend a selfie of herself and Gitchel at the game before she vanished.
On Sunday morning, her son was awoken in the middle of the night by a stranger inside the home and was asked to get into the SUV. He was told his mother had been in an accident and they needed to go to the hospital. During the drive, the man attempted to strangle Martinez-Cosman’s son but he managed to escape by biting the man’s arm. He then called his father in Texas who alerted the police.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found the son covered in blood and he had not heard from his mother since Friday. Hours later, a vehicle registered to Martinez-Cosman was found engulfed in flames less than two miles away from the baseball stadium. The fire is believed to have been started using an accelerant.
Additionally, a police report was filed from the Costco store where Martinez-Cosman and Gitchel first met after $10,000 worth of jewelry was stolen. Surveillance footage caught Gitchel and his vehicle at the scene of the theft and he was eventually arrested at a different Costco location once employees identified him from the security photos.