Brenda Matchett, 55, was shot dead in the predawn hours of May 9, 2023, near South 277th Street and Green River Road South in Kent, Washington. She had been dropped off by her daughter after they spent the day together; as the daughter was setting her GPS, shots were heard. Matchett checked that her daughter was safe, then was struck in the chest by additional gunfire, collapsed on the street, and died at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide by gunshot wound to the torso.

Family members described Matchett as a devoted mother of six and grandmother of ten who had been living in an RV in a nearby encampment and had struggled with homelessness and addiction since a divorce about a decade earlier. Early authority statements said no suspect or motive had been identified; an arrest of an individual named Brandon Howard was mentioned in some reports, but details and any formal charges have not been widely reported or confirmed. The King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is handling the investigation.

What information can anyone who was in that area before dawn on May 9 share about possible witnesses, vehicles, or sounds that might help the investigation?