SPOKANE, Wash. — Less than two weeks after a man was found dead in a Deer Park home, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) has issued a search warrant for the property.
In the search warrant, investigators said an open gun safe and several firearms were found inside the home. They also noted a "suspicious male" around the house as they were executing the search warrant.
On Dec. 26, 83-year-old Richard Purdy was supposed to be at his girlfriend's home around 5:30 p.m. After he didn't show up, his girlfriend went to his house around 6:20 p.m. and let herself into his home via a spare key.
Finding Purdy shot in his office, she called 911.
When deputies arrived, SCSO discovered that Purdy had been shot multiple times in the back.
In the search warrant, investigators said an open gun safe and several firearms were found inside the home. The document also said apparent dog tracks as well as shoe prints were in the snow leading to the front door.
While investigating the scene, SCSO responded to a possibly related incident about a mile away. There, a "suspicious male" with a large dog arrived and approached a neighbor's house. The man and his dog went up to the neighbor's residence where he started to make odd statements to the people within the home. He also asked the residents if they had any firearms.
The residents told the man to leave and he did. The investigators went to this residence where they observed fresh shoeprints in the show, that appeared to be similar to the shoeprints outside of Purdy's home.
Deputies found blood stains on the tailgate of Purdy's GMC pickup truck and on the ground near the pickup. Deputies also observed that blood stains were located on the stock of a rifle found in the back of the pickup.
According to court documents, the search warrant seized:
- Hairs, fibers, fingernails, DNA and articles that may contain these materials
- Bodily fluids and articles that likely have bodily fluids like blood and saliva
- Fingerprints, shoeprints, or other print impressions
- Clothing and/or accessories that may belong to victims or suspects
- Weapons or other articles that could have been used as a weapon such as firearms, ammunition, cartridges, castings, bullets,
- Articles of personal property that establish identity of residents such as lease or rental agreements, utility company receipts, rent receipts, bank cards, identity cards, banking documents, and/or keys
- Ligature items such as ropes, belts, or other similar materials
- A red GMC pickup (WA-B16477V) registered to Richard Purdy
- A white Toyota Rav-4 (WA-BSR4076) registered to Richard Purdy
- A green Chevy Lumina (WA-AKE5565) registered to Richard Purdy
- Electronic devices and their equipment that could be searched for data present during the incident such as cellphones, telephones, pagers, computers, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi routers, extenders, and modems
- Items that identify suspects, motives, and or associates of the victim or suspect. Including photographs, journals, ledgers, letters, mailings, or other documents that could include notes, names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or bags
- Burglary tools including blunt-force objects, pry tools, glass breakers, and lock-picks
As of Jan. 4, no suspect has been arrested in connection to the murder.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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