3 killed in Washington state house fire were also shot; victim's husband wanted

CONCRETE, Wash. (AP) — Police are searching for a man in connection with the deaths of three people earlier this month who were killed in a house fire after they were shot in Washington state.

An arrest warrant for the investigation of three counts of second-degree murder was issued for 49-year-old Jason M. Birman, who lived in the home and was married to one of the victims, the Mount Vernon Police Department said in a news release over the weekend. Police said last week they were looking for Birman’s 1994 blue Chevrolet pickup truck.

The victims in the Aug. 9 fire in the small town of Concrete have been identified as Erin Birman, 52, her 19-year-old son, Taylor Dawson; and 18-year-old Jillian Van Boven, who was dating Dawson.

The Skagit County Coroner’s Office found that all three victims had been shot and that the gunshots contributed to their deaths.

Authorities were called to the fire in the morning on Aug. 9. The blaze destroyed the two-story home, and it took days to recover the bodies, police said. Investigators from multiple agencies including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spent six days investigating the scene, police said.

Investigators believe Jason Birman was at the home before the fire started, police said. Birman and his vehicle have been unaccounted for since the fire. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Mount Vernon police.

The town of Concrete is about 96 miles (154 kilometers) northeast of Seattle.