Missing Oakley woman Alexis Gabe believed murdered; police kill ex-boyfriend in WA
OAKLEY -- The search for missing Oakley woman Alexis Gabe turned into a homicide investigation Thursday, following the fatal police shooting of her ex-boyfriend in a Seattle suburb.
Oakley police said Marshall Curtis Jones, III was killed Wednesday afternoon in Kent, Washington as officers and U.S. Marshals tried to serve an arrest warrant.
In a press conference the next morning, Oakley police said they believed that Gabe was murdered, even though her body has not been found.
Gabe's father Gwyn Gabe tearfully told reporters it was incomprehensible how Jones, the person they accepted as part of their family, could harm his daughter.
"They were together for three years, he got along with the two brothers and his cousins. He became part of our family. We had no idea he was capable of doing something like this to her," Gabe said. "We didn't want him dead, we wanted him arrested to pay for his sins. We wanted to meet with him face to face. We wanted to look him in the eye and ask him 'Why?' Ask him, 'Where is Alexis?'"
"I know that the police are saying our daughter is gone, but our daughter will remain alive in our minds and in our hearts. We will continue to search for her until we find her."
Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard said there is still much information to be uncovered about the case.
"Marshall Jones is our only suspect in the homicide of Alexis Gabe. However, I do believe he had help along the way," said Beard. "I need the public's help, I need the public to get motivated to bring forth information that will tell us where we need to search. And again, I'm hoping our $100,000 reward will motivate the public to bring that information to us."
Gabe was last seen on Jan. 26 in Antioch. Her car was found days later in Oakley unlocked with the keys inside. Surveillance video from where Gabe's car was found showed someone getting out of the car and walking away.
Police have twice searched the Jones's home, once in February and again last month, but until Thursday had not officially revealed his identity.
On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement shot and killed Jones outside of an apartment complex in Kent while attempting to arrest him on a murder warrant. Seattle police said the Jones charged at officers while holding a knife. A police detective, a Snohomish County detective, and a deputy US Marshal opened fire and Jones died at the scene.
A woman who lives at the complex where Jones was slain told KOMO News he was living with her and studying to be a law enforcement officer. The woman described him to KIRO as her best friend.
"My best friend was 27," said the woman who did not want to be identified. "That's how old my best friend was and they fatally shot him. And then they let me sit out here for an hour knowing who I was."
Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement that Jones had confirmed to investigators that he and Gabe were together at his home on Cedar Point Way in Antioch until 9 p.m. on the night she went missing, but that she had driven off in her blue Infinity coupe.
Investigators obtained permission to wiretap Jones's cellular phone, and the recordings along with surveillance footage, cellular date and DNA evidence were submitted for a criminal referral on May 25, the DA's office said. On May 26, the office filed murder charges.
DA investigators, Antioch Police, Oakley Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Washington state authorities coordinated to arrest Jones who by then had fled from Antioch to Kent.
"It's been an emotionally wrenching time for the family, friends, and community," said Becton in a prepared statement. "I, along with the police agencies who have worked tirelessly to bring justice to the Gabe family, wish to express our deepest condolences for the loss of their beloved daughter. My office will continue to seek justice in finding Alexis so her family can have a sense of closure to this tragic loss of life."
Police did not disclose a motive in the killing, and did not offer details on the circumstances surrounding Gabe's death.
