Seattle teens filming TikToks find bags with remains of couple who died of gunshot wounds
A man and a woman whose remains were found inside suitcases that washed ashore on a beach in West Seattle last month died from gunshot wounds, officials said.
The deaths of Jessica Lewis, 35, and Austin Wenner, 27, whose remains were found on June 19, have been ruled homicides, according to a spokesman for the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
The spokesman, James Apa, said Lewis died from multiple gunshot wounds and Wenner died from a gunshot wound to the torso. They both died on June 10, he said.
On the afternoon of June 19, police responded to a call from teenagers about a suspicious bag on the beach near the water by Alki Avenue Southwest, the Seattle Police Department said.
The teens were filming TikTok videos at the time of the discovery, police said. Another bag was found in the water and both contained human remains, according to police.
Detective Mark Jamieson told NBC News the teens did not open the suitcase and that a handful of other bags containing remains were found near the water that afternoon by police.
"They discovered the bags because it was a suitcase on the beach and it had a foul odor to it," Jamieson said Thursday. "What was reported to us was a suitcase that smelled bad."
The investigation is ongoing.
"Detectives do not believe this case is connected to any other investigations in the Puget Sound area," police said.
Gina Jaschke, an aunt of Lewis, told NBC affiliate KING-TV of Seattle, her niece worked as a caregiver for developmentally disabled people. She described her as "a ray of sunshine." Jaschke did not immediately return a request for an interview Thursday.
The couple were "good-hearted people," according to a GoFundMe launched by Jaschke to raise money for a reward to aid in the investigation.
"Whether it's out of their heart they turn somebody in, or out of the cash, it doesn't matter as long as somebody is held accountable for this,” Jaschke told KING-TV.
Jaschke said Lewis leaves behind four children.
