Arrest made in ‘horrific’ killing of beloved 80-year-old Seattle dog walker and dog

Seattle Police Department (SPD) detectives arrested a 48-year-old man in connection with the deaths of a beloved 80-year-old dog walker and one dog in the Madison Valley neighborhood.

SPD confirmed the arrest in a press conference on Wednesday. Officers said the man has eight prior felony convictions and a history of mental illness. Police added the man hasn’t been arrested recently and among the felonies, one is a 1993 vehicular homicide conviction.

Deputy Chief Eric Barden said officers tracked the man to his home Wednesday morning.

SPD Deputy Chief Eric Barden shows reporters the Subaru keys officers allegedly found on the man accused of carjacking and killing 80-year-old Ruth Dalton. (Photo: Sam Campbell, KIRO Newsradio)

Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said there are no charges because prosecutors do not have a case yet or a first appearance document. However, the man is expected to be charged with first-degree murder and animal cruelty.

McNerthney added when someone is arrested in a felony investigation, such as a robbery or homicide, and they are booked into the King County Jail before midnight, their first appearance is typically the next afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in a King County Jail courtroom.

SPD said they do not know the exact state of the other dog involved but officers last heard the pup was fine.

More details on the carjacking, killing

Patrol officers responded to reports of a carjacking near Martin Luther King Jr. Way East and East Harrison Street at around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, officers found a woman lying in the middle of the street, with a bystander performing CPR on her.

Neighbors said the suspect smashed the window with a bat, forcing the 80-year-old out of the vehicle.

As he took off, she was dragged along with the car and ran over.

The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) arrived shortly after and continued medical treatment. Despite all life-saving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers believe the attack was random.

According to The Seattle Times, friends identified the dog walker as Ruth Dalton, owner of Grandma’s Critter Care. Dalton reportedly had multiple dogs in her vehicle during the carjacking.

Members of the SPD responded to a report from Seattle Animal Control just after 3 p.m. Tuesday that a dead dog was located in the Brighton Playfield near the 3900 block of South Juneau Street, the department confirmed in an email to KIRO Newsradio.

The dog was later identified to be Dalton’s. Police said the dog was stabbed to death at the park.

“This is a tragic and horrific incident,” an SPD spokesperson said at Wednesday’s press conference.

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SPD detective: Bystanders ‘couldn’t save her’

SPD Detective Eric Munoz told KIRO Newsradio bystanders tried to save Dalton’s life.

“There were bystanders that intervened,” Munoz said. “They intervened heroically. They couldn’t save her. There were multiple bystanders that were there trying to stop this crime from occurring.”

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The suspect fled the area in the stolen vehicle. The SPD also confirmed to KIRO Newsradio the vehicle stolen in the carjacking was located and it was unoccupied.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X here and email him here. 

Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.