ID needed of arsonists who torched sleeping family’s truck

King County Sheriff's detectives in the Fire Investigations Unit are asking for the public's help to ID two suspects caught on camera setting a pickup truck on fire early Monday just before 4 a.m. One suspect who is possibly female also cut the tires on a vehicle in the driveway of the house near Des Moines.

The home is in a neighborhood near Parkside Elementary school. It belongs to a single mother and her young daughter. Both were sleeping when the suspects poured a flammable liquid all over the truck and set it on fire.  

A family member who lives across the street heard pops and an explosion. She looked out the window and saw the flames shooting up as high as the power lines overhead. She called 911 and raced across the street in her pajamas to wake up the residents in the house, which easily could have caught fire.

"This is terrifying for everybody in the neighborhod. We're all scared," said Leann.

The victims have asked not to be identified by name for their safety.  They are terrified.  

The intense heat destroyed the truck and a car parked next to it. Detectives and family members say there is no reason they have found for why they were targeted.  

"The severity of this crime cannot be understated. The only thing that seperates a car fire from a house fire is just a few feet," said King County Sgt. Tim Meyer.  "Every arson is designed to scare and intimidate. We need to make sure that we find these folks."

"What scares me the most is that there is a minor in this house and somebody intentionally did this. These people need to be stopped.  If they can do this to someone like my mother, they can do it to anyone else. They can cause even more harm. My little sister was sleeping in this house. My mother was sleeping in this house and somebody wanted to hurt them. To be honest, I am mad. People have had a tough year already and then this kind of thing happens," said Chantal, the victim's oldest daughter.

If you can tell detectives who set the fire, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound will pay you a cash reward of up to $1,000 per suspect charged in the case.

Don't wait until the next victim gets killed. Call the hotline right now at 1-800-222-tips (8477) or text the tip through the P3 Tips app on your cell phone. You will remain anonymous.