Vickie L. Kauf, 68, a longtime educator in the Tri-Cities, was found dead in her East Kennewick home on August 26, 2021, alongside her husband, Dan Kaufman. A family member who had not heard from the couple discovered their bodies and told emergency services they had been murdered. Investigators believe Vickie and Dan were killed by their 43-year-old son, Ryan Kaufman, though a definitive timeline for their deaths has not been established and he was not officially named a suspect before his own death.

Authorities asked residents to check surveillance footage from the early morning hours of August 25 for anything unusual. The deaths of Vickie and Dan were described as part of a wider, violent rampage that also included the death of a neighbor, injury to another neighbor, and multiple fires, including at two union halls. The rampage ended the morning of August 25 when the pickup driven by Ryan Kaufman caught fire during a police pursuit in West Richland; an exchange of gunfire with officers occurred and he is believed to have died inside the burning vehicle, with identification initially pending due to severe burns.

If anyone in East Kennewick or West Richland had surveillance, doorbell footage, or other information from the early morning of August 25 that has not yet been shared with investigators, please come forward.