MEAD, Wash — Spokane County Sheriff's deputies arrested a suspect Monday afternoon in connection to a murder that happened in Mead in May of 2017.
Detectives started the investigation after a woman was discovered dead on the floor of her bedroom at her home in Mead on May 10, 2017, officials said.
A Major Crimes detective arrested Ronald Beck, a cousin of Brenda Brown, at the same residence where Brown lived with Ronald Beck and his half-brother.
Brown was discovered by her cousin and brother, according to court documents.
Brown lived with her two brothers who have Huntington's disease, a progressive brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movements, emotional problems and loss of thinking ability, according to court documents.
Her cousin came over to fix the sprinklers on May 10 and when he noticed Brown was not around, he asked her brothers where she was, documents said. They reported Brown had not been feeling well the night before and had gone to bed early, telling them they would need to make their own dinner.
The cousin looked in her room, but did not see her body until one of her brothers went in and found her on the floor.
She was partially nude and "what appeared to be a cord to a curling iron and a strap to a duffel bag" were wrapped around her neck, court documents said.
A deputy said they spoke with a neighbor who said one of the brothers has been violent in the past, but showed "emotion consistent with finding out his sister was dead."