Landlord arrested after harrowing TikTok video shows teens finding couple's remains in suitcases nea
POLICE have arrested the landlord over the killing of a young couple whose bodies were found stuffed into suitcases in Seattle, by teens who were filming a TikTok video.
Michael Dudley was arrested last week on suspicion murdering Austin Wenner and Jessica Lewis, local media King5 reported.
Court documents indicated Dudley was landlord of Wenner, 27, and Lewis, 35, and they got into a dispute over rent, according to the media outlet.
Investigators said that 10 days before the bodies were discovered, neighbors heard yelling and gunshots at Dudley's home, King5 reported.
Lewis was found to have died on June 16 from multiple gunshot wounds, while Wenner died the following day of a gunshot wound to the torso.
The discovery of the pair's bodies was made on a Seattle beach by a group of teens who were filming a TikTok video.
The video, which has since gone viral, shows two teenage girls clambering down a rocky shore where they find a black suitcase at the water's edge.
The teens say they used the Randonautica app, which randomly sent them to the shoreline near the popular tourist attraction Pike’s Place Market.
TikTok user 'UghHenry' posted the footage Saturday, writing: “Something traumatic happened that changed my life.
“We found this black suitcase. We were joking that maybe the suitcase would have money."
The eerie footage shows a girl walking over to the suitcase as a friend in the background yells, “Open it! It stinks, yo!”
The girl is then seen cautiously using a stick to pry open the luggage, which contains a black plastic bag.
"As soon as she opened it the smell was overwhelming," a caption states.
"By this point we were getting a little scared and nervous."
The teens say they used the Randonautica app, which randomly sent them to the shoreline near the popular tourist attraction Pike’s Place Market.
TikTok user 'UghHenry' posted the footage Saturday, writing: “Something traumatic happened that changed my life.
“We found this black suitcase. We were joking that maybe the suitcase would have money."
The eerie footage shows a girl walking over to the suitcase as a friend in the background yells, “Open it! It stinks, yo!”
The girl is then seen cautiously using a stick to pry open the luggage, which contains a black plastic bag.
"As soon as she opened it the smell was overwhelming," a caption states.
"By this point we were getting a little scared and nervous."
After opening the suitcase, a second girl is seen calling police.
A male voice is heard saying "OK so she's calling the police so we can see if it's actually a dead body or if it's just food".
The teens later returned to the beach and filmed police cars at the scene.
GRISLY DISCOVERY
Later that evening the Seattle Police Department confirmed the discovery.
“Detectives are currently investigating after several bags containing human remains were located near the water in the 1100 block of Alki Avenue SW this afternoon," a news release read.
“Police responded after receiving a call of a suspicious bag on the beach. Another bag was located in the water.
"Once the contents were determined to be remains, detectives responded to begin their investigation.
"Harbor Patrol is assisting on the call, and detectives will work closely with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation proceeds. This remains an active and on-going investigation.”
The identity and possible cause of the death of the human remains is unknown.
Residents told local news outlets they were unnerved by the discovery.
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“I was stunned and shocked,” John Rodie, a West Seattle resident, told KING-TV.
“It’s frightening to think that there’s someone out there that would do something like that.”
A judge found probable cause for two counts of first-degree murder and set Dudley's bail at $5 million.
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