Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office rules out estranged husband in double murder-suicide
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has ruled out involvement from Michele Boudreau Deegan’s estranged husband in the shooting deaths of Boudreau and her two young twin girls last week in Sudden Valley.
“(The estranged husband’s) whereabouts during the timeline have all been accounted for and he has a strong alibi,” a sheriff’s office release on the investigation said Thursday, Oct. 29.
“Evidence at the scene clearly implicates Michele Boudreau Deegan as the only suspect in the death of her two daughters, after which she subsequently took her own life.”
Sheriff’s office investigators recovered a handgun in Boudreau’s possession, according to the release, and it was consistent with the murder of the children and her own suicide.
Autopsy results also found that the children had been given a large amount of sedatives “which probably rendered them incoherent at the time of the incident,” the release stated.
Investigators also reportedly found that Boudreau had planned the double murder-suicide for days before the bodies were discovered.
“She clearly stated her suicidal ideations and that she would never leave her daughters alone without her,” the release stated. “A court hearing on October 20th where joint custody was awarded to both Ms. Boudreau and her estranged husband appears to have been the precipitating event that led to her decision.”
The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing, according to the release, but it took the unusual step to release new details on an active investigation “as this tragedy has deeply impacted our community.”
Deputies were called to Sunflower Circle in Sudden Valley around 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, for a welfare check. A roommate at the multi-level residence said he found his landlord, Boudreau Deegan, and her two children dead in an upstairs bedroom, according to a Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office press release.
The sheriff’s office determined Boudreau Deegan shot and killed her two twin daughters while they were sleeping before shooting and killing herself Friday evening. The sheriff’s office also said Boudreau Deegan had been involved in a custody dispute about the children “which appears to be the primary motive behind the incident,” according to the sheriff’s office’s press release.
On Tuesday, Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel ruled the deaths of 7-year-old Mairy Anneleise Deegan and 7-year-old Katie Elizabeth Deegan as homicides. Goldfogel ruled the death of their 55-year-old mother (Boudreau) a suicide.
State health department records show Boudreau Deegan had an active mental health counselor’s license that was issued in 2008. She renewed her license on July 26 of this year, records show. Throughout the last week, Boudreau Deegan, also known as Boudreau Angelis, had been posting links related to suicide and narcissistic parents on both her professional and personal Facebook pages.
Boudreau Deegan’s work profile stated she worked “from an empowerment model.” She wrote she specialized in complex trauma and attachment. She provided services out of both her home and an office in Bellingham.
“My goal is to teach clients new ways of perceiving their problem, healthy coping behaviors for responding to their problem, and healthy attitudes & communication skills for working with their families, partners, or work environment so they can make changes in their own life,” her website and work profiles state.
Resources
Sheriff Bill Elfo reminded people in the release to reach out for help if they are feeling like they want to harm themselves or someone else and offered the following resources:
▪ Volunteers of America Care Crisis Line (800-584-3578).
▪ Texting “TALK” to 741741.
▪ National Suicide Prevention Hotline (800-273-TALK).
▪ suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
If a friend or family member expresses suicidal thoughts, Elfo reminds people, “Don’t be silent,” and suggests calling 911 or using the numbers above to contact the Care Crisis Line or National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 12:27 PM.
