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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman discovered dead in her home north of Mead was apparently strangled, records say

A woman who was found dead in her home north of Mead last month appears to have been strangled, according to newly released court documents.

Brenda L. Brown, 49, was found dead in her home May 10 in the 3900 block of East Lane Park Road north of Mead with what appeared to be a curling iron’s electrical cord and a duffel bag strap wrapped around her neck, court documents state. Her bed was in disarray, with the bedding removed and the mattress lying on the opposite side of the bed, and she was naked except for a pair of panties.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Brown’s cause and manner of death as pending.

In their investigation, Spokane County sheriff’s deputies talked to witnesses, who told them one of Brown’s brothers has a history of violence and attacked his sister in the past. The witness also told deputies Brown was afraid of her brother.

Investigators interviewed Brown’s two brothers, with whom she lived and who both have Huntington’s disease, a degenerative disorder in the brain. Both said the last time they saw her alive was at dinner the evening she was discovered. They told deputies they did not leave home between the time when Brown was alive and when they discovered her dead body at the foot of the bed at about 6 p.m. that night, nor did anyone else enter their home.

They both denied killing Brown, documents state, and said they did not know who killed her. Deputies collected fingernail clippings and DNA samples from both men.

Investigators are also looking into a truck driver who was dating Brown around the time of her death. Deputies applied for a search warrant for his cellphone records.

As of noon Tuesday, no arrests had been made.