SEATTLE (Reuters) - Authorities have surrounded a bunker near Seattle that they believe belongs to a missing survivalist suspected of murdering his wife and daughter and setting fire to the family home, police said on Saturday.
Police have been searching for Peter Keller, 41, since Sunday. Firefighters responded to a blaze at the family home in North Bend, Washington, and found the bodies of his wife of 21 years and 18-year-old daughter.
King County sheriff's officers found the bunker on Friday in mountains near North Bend, about 30 miles east of Seattle. Officers have surrounded it but have not been able to confirm Keller is inside, said Wayne Wilson, communications supervisor for the office.
"We have a perimeter there and we have confidence that whoever is inside is not going to get out," he said.
A Reuters witness said on Friday that law enforcement helicopters were circling the area.
Keller was known to stockpile supplies and was believed to have set up a "fort" in the woods where he hiked, authorities said.
"Peter was described by friends and family as a loner and had a survivalist mentality," authorities said in court papers.
Authorities added that Keller took more than $6,000 out of his bank account before the deaths of his wife, Lynnettee, and daughter, Kaylene, and was said to be preparing for the "end of the world."
A co-worker said Keller owned body armor and gave police a list of firearms that he knew the suspect owned. They included several handguns and high-powered rifles with scopes and silencers, according to the court papers.
Prosecutors have asked a judge to hold Keller, who has been charged with first-degree murder and arson, without bail if he is arrested.
His car was found abandoned at a library with the keys in the ignition.
Police have been searching for Peter Keller, 41, since Sunday. Firefighters responded to a blaze at the family home in North Bend, Washington, and found the bodies of his wife of 21 years and 18-year-old daughter.
King County sheriff's officers found the bunker on Friday in mountains near North Bend, about 30 miles east of Seattle. Officers have surrounded it but have not been able to confirm Keller is inside, said Wayne Wilson, communications supervisor for the office.
"We have a perimeter there and we have confidence that whoever is inside is not going to get out," he said.
A Reuters witness said on Friday that law enforcement helicopters were circling the area.
Keller was known to stockpile supplies and was believed to have set up a "fort" in the woods where he hiked, authorities said.
"Peter was described by friends and family as a loner and had a survivalist mentality," authorities said in court papers.
Authorities added that Keller took more than $6,000 out of his bank account before the deaths of his wife, Lynnettee, and daughter, Kaylene, and was said to be preparing for the "end of the world."
A co-worker said Keller owned body armor and gave police a list of firearms that he knew the suspect owned. They included several handguns and high-powered rifles with scopes and silencers, according to the court papers.
Prosecutors have asked a judge to hold Keller, who has been charged with first-degree murder and arson, without bail if he is arrested.
His car was found abandoned at a library with the keys in the ignition.
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