A Spanaway woman found dead in a Tacoma motel Thursday after her estranged husband allegedly confessed to killing her died of asphyxiation, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Department did not release any new information on the Sara Barrett homicide investigation today.
Her husband, Tony Barrett, 42, remained in the hospital Friday for a medical condition unrelated to dog bites he received when struggling with law enforcement officers Thursday, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
He declined to say what the condition is, citing federal privacy laws.
Prosecutors said Tony Barrett will likely be charged in his wife’s death Monday.
Detectives said he called KOMO News Wednesday night and told the television station he had killed his wife. After figuring out who he was, detectives released Tony Barrett’s description and license plate to area law enforcement agencies.
A University of Washington Tacoma security officer spotted his truck in downtown Tacoma about 3 a.m. Thursday and followed him until Tacoma police arrived and began pursuing him. The chase ended 14 minutes later after police popped Tony Barrett’s tires with spike strips and arrested him after a struggle.
Sara Barrett’s body was found in a motel in the 1800 block of South 76th Street. Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said investigators believe she was killed in the motel room after being abducted from outside her work in DuPont.
The News Tribune now uses Facebook commenting on selected blogs. See editor's column for more details. Commenters are expected to abide by terms of service for Facebook as well as commenting rules for thenewstribune.com. Report violators to webmaster@thenewstribune.com.