Bodies of Missing Washington Couple Police Said Were Killed by Tenant Found on Military Base

The bodies of a Washington couple allegedly killed by their disgruntled tenant were found on a military base three weeks after they were first reported missing.

The remains of Karen and Davido Koep, both in their 60s, were recovered Saturday on Joint Base Lewis-McChord property, just south of Tacoma, Washington, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

Residents four-wheeling in the area came upon Karen and Davido’s bodies less than a half-mile from the home their alleged killer, Timothy Burke, 45, rented from them, Sheriff Derek Sanders announced during a press conference over the weekend.

Authorities were operating on the assumption the Koeps were dead after they responded to the couple's Lacey, Washington, home on Nov. 13 to conduct a welfare check, where they allegedly witnessed a bloody crime scene.

“Based on the evidence they found at the scene, the amount of blood that was located, and a number of other things, it was determined that Karen and Davido were both missing and it was unlikely they survived their attacks,” Sanders said, adding the deadly incident may have stemmed from a landlord-tenant dispute.

Earlier in the investigation, Burke was arrested on a charge of identity theft for having one of the victim’s credit cards. He was released on that charge but later rearrested in connection with the couple’s alleged murders and abductions, said Sanders.

Burke is being held without bond. It's unclear if he entered a plea to the charges.

Burke's public defender, Kevin Griffin, did not immediately respond to The Messenger's request for comment.

Justice Dutton, the Koeps’ son, said the family was grateful for law enforcement’s work on the case.

"In particular, we would like to thank the Thurston County Sheriff's Office and assisting agencies for being unwavering in their search for our parents. We have the utmost faith that the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorneys will bring the person(s) responsible to justice," Dutton told KING-TV in a statement.

The coroner is working to determine the victims’ causes of death.