SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane police arrested 25-year-old twin sisters for sending death threats and images of dead and mutilated animals to a woman online.
Martia and Makayla Alderman were arrested on Aug. 6 for a combined 18 counts of cyberstalking. They were released on their own recognizance the next, police said.
According to a press release from Spokane Police Sergeant Terry Preuninger, a woman contacted Crime Check on June 18 claiming she was being sent threats and inappropriate images on Facebook Messenger.
The woman emailed Spokane police evidence of the harassment, which Preuninger said totaled over 100 screenshots ranging from written threats, pictures of children, pictures of dead people with ‘you’re next’ written on them, mutilated and dead animals, genitals and anime characters. All of the threats and photos were sent by the Alderman sisters, whose names were attached to the media, according to Preuninger.
According to the press release, the messages gave them probable cause to charge Martia with 10 counts of felony cyberstalking and Makayla with eight counts of felony cyberstalking.
Preuninger said on Aug. 6 around noon, officers went to a home near the 600 block of South Helena Street to locate the sisters. They were both taken into custody and officers served a search warrant at the home, the release says.
Officers found “numerous concerning things” during a search of the home, Preuninger said.
The release says Martia has a 3-year-old child. According to Preuninger, officers saw a pentagram made of melted wax and candles that had been melted to the base in the middle of the living room. The candle base was melted to the floor, appearing to have been an open and exposed flame, the release says. In the pentagram, there were various items and trinkets such as razor blades, according to the release.
“There were other occultist items and writings throughout the residence but one other safety concern for a child was the fact that there were two large fixed bladed hunting knives found in the apartment,” the release says.
The knives were found in the living room and the other was under a couch along with a hatchet, according to the release.
Preuninger said Child Protective Services was contacted due to concerns for Martia’s child.