Washington state fire battalion chief arrested on murder charges in wife’s death

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Washington fire captain accused of murdering wife

Detectives said they had probable cause to arrest Kevin West for the murder of Marcy West based on his statements and evidence uncovered during search warrants.

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A Washington state fire department employee was arrested Friday for allegedly murdering his wife after the medical examiner declared her manner of death as a homicide.

According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Kevin West, 49, was arrested on Friday in connection to the murder of his wife, Marcelle “Marcy” West.

On Jan. 8, firefighters and Washougal police officers responded to the West home after Kevin reported that his wife was having a seizure. He told the dispatcher that she had stopped breathing and was performing CPR, according to the sheriff’s office. Medics provided aid when they arrived, but Marcy West died at the scene.

Detectives told Fox News Digital that they believed they had probable cause to arrest West for the murder of Marcy based on his statements and the evidence uncovered during search warrants.

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A battalion chief of the Camas-Washougal Fire Department is facing a murder charge for his wife’s death in January, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said.  (KPTV/Fox 12 Oregon)

Several people concerned about the couple’s relationship contacted local authorities in the days after her death, the sheriff’s office said.

Sgt. Christopher Skidmore added that the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as asphyxiation with blunt force trauma to the neck after a criminal investigation was launched, and the autopsy showed indications of trauma to Marcy West’s neck.

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Washougal man charged with murder after wife’s death. Kevin West has been a firefighter for the department for 22 years, according to the City of Camas. (KPTV/Fox 12 Oregon)

“There appeared to be financial and relationship troubles that may have been a factor in her death, but the case is still under investigation,” Sgt. Skidmore said.

West was a Camas-Washougal Fire Department captain at the time of his arrest. 

Kevin West has been a firefighter for the department for 22 years, according to the City of Camas. 

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He is currently being held in the Clark County Jail on no bond.