Jared Abernathy, identified as a 33-year old Western Washington resident wanted in the Tuesday murders of Montesano’s Kenneth E. Koonrad and Shelton resident Tara M. Abernathy, committed suicide after a six-hour standoff in Pendleton, Ore., Wednesday evening, law enforcement officials said.
Autopsies were performed Thursday on both victims found in Shelton. Mason County Coroner Wes Stockwell released the following statement: “Kenneth E. Koonrad died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. The death is a homicide. Tara M. Abernathy died from a single gunshot to the head. The death is a homicide.”
More than 40 people have posted to Koonrad’s Facebook page in the past day. The single father was well-known in the Montesano youth football program and several posters simply reposted earlier exchanges with Koonrad as examples of the times he would help others through difficult times. A vigil in his memory will be held at Fleet Park in Montesano starting at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Tara Abernathy worked for the State Department of Corrections, which posted the following statement on their Facebook page Wednesday morning:
“Yesterday the Washington State Department of Corrections received the tragic news that Tara Abernathy, who worked at the department’s centralized pharmacy in Maple Lane, was the victim of a homicide. Tara began her employment as a pharmacy technician with the Department on July 1, 2008 and had faithfully worked for our agency since that time. As a member of the centralized pharmacy, Tara was a member of the agency’s 2015 Innovative Team Award and was recently promoted at the end of 2016 to management analyst 3. Losing a co-worker, a colleague, a friend is always difficult and can cause strain or trauma, especially to those who were closest to the person. Our thoughts and hearts are with the family of Tara and with all of those who knew and were close to her.”
Mason County deputies found the two victims dead of gunshot wounds at the residence of Tara Abernathy in Shelton Tuesday. Following numerous leads, the U.S. Marshals and Mason County Sheriff’s Office called on Umatilla County, Ore., law enforcement agencies to locate Abernathy, who was a suspect in the Mason County deaths. They were also told he was believed to be armed.
According to a statement by Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts, a Pendleton officer located a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox believed to be Jared Abernathy’s shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday parked behind the Motel 6 in Pendleton just off Interstate 84. U.S. Marshals soon arrived to provide assistance, and a perimeter was established as additional resources were requested from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and Hermiston Police Department.
Negotiators were able to establish communication with Abernathy at 3:14 p.m. after several failed attempts. Communications were maintained for almost five hours as Abernathy spoke to family, friends and negotiators. According to the statement, at 8:06 p.m. negotiators heard what sounded like a muffled gunshot coming from the room. Several attempts to re-establish communication with Abernathy went unanswered before Oregon State Police SWAT breached the door to Abernathy’s motel room and found the suspect unresponsive.
Detectives from the Pendleton Police Department and Oregon State Police, in cooperation with the Oregon Medical Examiner’s Office and Mason County Sheriff’s Office, gathered evidence at the motel room.
