Bellingham mom died of 20 stab wounds, autopsy finds; son accused of murder

A Bellingham woman suffered 20 stab wounds in a homicide this weekend at her home in the Fairhaven neighborhood, according to the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Sheaen Emmette Smith, 29, placed a disturbing 911 call around 2 p.m. Sunday where he ranted about werewolves and vampires, according to police. Officers arrived to find Aurora Buol-Smith dead on the ground floor of the duplex at 1520 McKenzie Ave., across from a fire station in Fairhaven. She was 57.

Upstairs in a bedroom police found her son, Smith, who confessed to stabbing Buol-Smith, according to police. He went on to say he believed his mother was a vampire, and that he was a werewolf. Officers arrested him on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed with a deadly weapon.

On Tuesday, an autopsy showed Buol-Smith died hours before police arrived, perhaps up to half a day, said Dr. Gary Goldfogel, the Whatcom County medical examiner. She suffered stab and cut wounds over much of her body from a large kitchen knife. Some cuts appeared to be defensive wounds, the autopsy found.

Hours into their investigation police said the killing was sexually motivated, based on comments made by the suspect. Bellingham police Lt. Danette Beckley later said it’s not clear if those statements were delusional. And after the autopsy, Goldfogel said further tests are needed to determine if a sexual assault occurred.

Three days before his arrest, Smith was released from St. Joseph hospital, where he’d been treated for psychosis linked to recent methamphetamine use, Deputy Prosecutor Eric Richey said at a court hearing Monday.

A hospital spokeswoman, Bev Mayhew, confirmed Smith was treated March 2, but could not comment on the specifics of his stay due to patient privacy law. In general, she said, patients who arrive at the hospital because of bizarre behavior are held until drug tests come up negative, so that they can be evaluated for any underlying mental illness. The process often takes 12 to 15 hours, Mayhew said, and staff reviews medical history before deciding if the patient is fit for release.

Smith had moved back into his mother’s home in Bellingham after a breakup with his wife. He’s now being held in Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Buol-Smith, a licensed practical nurse since the early 1990s, worked at a local senior home.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Bellingham mom died of 20 stab wounds, autopsy finds; son accused of murder."