Woman Who Vanished After Mariner Game Was Strangled, Say Cops
According to authorities and MyNorthwest.com, murder charges are pending for a 46-year-old man accused of the strangulation death of a woman who went missing from a Mariner game.
58-year-old woman described as very "responsible"
Sources close to the family of 58-year-old Leticia Martinez-Cosman says she was a very caring and responsible person, great at her job, and was the sole caregiver for her 24-year-old developmentally disabled son.
She was last seen at a Mariner game on March 31st. with 46-year-old Brett Gitchell, who is already in jail for kidnapping and assaulting Cosman's son Patrick.
When she failed to return home, her family filed a missing person's report on April 2nd. Her body was found in a wooded area near Renton, WA after an extensive investigation.
Gitchell apparently had strangled Cosman, then set her car on fire. Then he went to her home late at night, awakened her son Patrick, and said she had been in an accident and he was going to take him to see her. However, he kidnapped the boy, and drove him around for an extensive period of time before the boy could escape.
The woman's body was identified by her sister
Now, King County officials, police, and MyNorhthwest.com say Cosman's official cause of death was asphyxiation or strangling. Murder charges are pending for Gitchell, who previously appeared in court last Friday.
Authorities have yet to reveal what the relationship was between Cosman and Gitchell or what his possible motivation was for his alleged actions.
More information is expected to be released soon.
25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?
LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?