JOYCE — The only child of a Joyce woman found dead in her home said she’s looking for justice following the death of her mother.
Tami Wilson and her husband, Mike Henshaw, found Diane Cunningham’s body in her small mobile home in Salt Creek RV Park in Joyce on Oct. 6 after not hearing from her for more than a week.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigating the case have said following an autopsy that the 65-year-old likely died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Deputies are on the lookout for Ari King, 41, as a “person of interest” in the case, and he is being sought for questioning about his recent interactions with Cunningham.
The two were recorded on surveillance cameras at 7 Cedars Casino and the Port Angeles Walmart the morning of Sept. 28.
“It’s been really tough,” Wilson said. “No one should have to die the way she did. And no one should have to find someone the way I did.
“The only thing I can do is find some justice.”
Wilson, a 46-year-old resident of Fall City in King County, said her mother had had many friends on the North Olympic Peninsula, where she had lived for more than 20 years.
“Everybody loved her,” Wilson said.
“She was a great grandmother, too. She loved my kids, and they loved her.”
Wilson said there’s a second reason why it’s critical that the person responsible for her mother’s death is captured: “If he did this once, he’ll do it again.”
Wilson said the progress of the investigation has sometimes been frustrating.
She noted that with two homicides in two days in the Port Angeles area, resources are likely stretched thin.
Gerald David Howell, 40, died of a gunshot wound at his home at 130 W. 11th St., Port Angeles, on Oct. 7.
“I think there’s not enough police,” she said.
Wilson said she called authorities with a tip that King had been spotted in Enumclaw with her mother’s car, jewelry and coins.
“It took them three days to call back,” she said.
“I think they’re a little overwhelmed.”
Wilson said she had met King once and found him to be “normal.”
Wilson and King discussed common friends from their childhoods, when King lived in Enumclaw and Wilson in Maple Valley.
She said her mother likely welcomed King’s friendship and felt safer in his company.
Wilson said she had texted and called her mother several times before driving to Joyce to investigate.
When Wilson and Henshaw arrived at the RV park, Cunningham’s home was locked and her car missing.
Wilson said they then drove into Joyce to inquire among Cunningham’s friends, who could provide no further information.
They contacted Cunningham’s landlord, who said a window on Cunningham’s RV was unlocked.
When they checked, the window was locked, so they decided to force their way into the home.
“It smelled really bad, but I didn’t put two and two together,” Wilson said.
Henshaw made his way to the back of the home.
When he returned, he asked Wilson to leave the home, a request she refused.
“I went back there, and there was blood splattered everywhere,” she said.
Henshaw found the body “buried under a pile of clothes,” she said.
The two called 9-1-1.
“It took about 45 minutes for the police to show up,” she said.
Cunningham’s car was found abandoned Oct. 7 in Malheur County, Ore., near the Idaho border.
Ron Cameron, chief criminal deputy for the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, said the car was returned to Clallam County and processed for evidence, including the collection of fingerprints and DNA samples. Results of analysis of the samples are pending from State Patrol labs.
King is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 250 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.
He moved from King County to the Solmar neighborhood between Port Angeles and Sequim last year.
King is believed to be in the company of a light-colored pit bull-German shepherd mix named Bubba.
The TV show “Washington’s Most Wanted,” hosted by David Rose on KCPQ channel 13 of Seattle, recently focused on King.
Anyone who may have information in the case or know the whereabouts of King is urged to call the Clallam Sheriff’s Office’s tip line at 360-417-2305 or the TV show’s Crime Stoppers line at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Reporter Mark St. J. Couhig can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at mcouhig@peninsuladailynews.com.
