Texas woman accused of setting fire that destroyed Snohomish County church indicted

A federal grand indicted a woman accused of destroying a Snohomish County church, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman Thursday.

Natasha Marie Odell, 38, is accused of three felonies related to arson at Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church in Snohomish County last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington stated.

Attorneys said that Odell, from Temple, Texas, was arrested in August 2024. She is currently being held at the Snohomish County Jail but will be transferred to federal custody.

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Odell was linked to the crime through cell phone records, credit card transactions and surveillance video, according to records filed in the state court. The church, located in Maltby, was destroyed on August 25, 2023. However, part of the church’s surveillance video system survived and showed a woman who looked like Odell moving around the church with a gasoline container.

“In the video, the person empties the container on the exterior walls of the church and items around the church,” the news release from the attorney’s office stated. “The person moves out of camera range, and fire grows in the areas where the person poured gasoline. Ultimately the video system stops functioning due to the fire.”

Travel records showed Odell was visiting relatives in Woodinville during that time and credit card purchases linked her to a local service station where she bought around a gallon of gasoline and some lighters.

The attorney’s office stated the fire caused more than $2.5 million in damage to the church.

Odell was charged with damage to religious property, obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs and use of fire to commit another felony offense.

“Damage to religious property and obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs is punishable by up to 40 years in prison,” the news release stated. “Use of fire to commit another felony offense is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.”

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However, the attorney’s office noted the charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

According to Gorman, Odell is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on December 16.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.