Police Rule Woman’s Death A Homicide

A woman whose body was found nearly four weeks after she disappeared from her condominium died from homicidal violence, but the exact cause of death could not be determined from an autopsy, officials said.

King County police spokeswoman Joanne Elledge said Arlene Jensen’s body was so decomposed that the remaining soft tissues were in no condition to reveal bruises or to show even the suggestion of strangulation. There were no broken bones.

“More tests have been ordered, but that will take weeks,” she said Tuesday.

The King County medical examiner’s office said only that the 53-year-old woman died from “homicidal violence” of an undetermined origin.

Jensen disappeared May 26 from her condo in the unincorporated Kingsgate area between Kirkland and Woodinville. Her body was spotted Saturday by a dinner-train passenger about a mile from her home.

Police believe Jensen was abducted and assaulted. There was no sign of a struggle at her home, but small amounts of blood were found on a pillow, sheets and comforter.

Helly Hansen, an outdoor apparel company where Jensen was a seamstress, is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the capture and conviction of Jensen’s killer, a company spokeswoman said.