A San Juan Island woman was murdered in her home in the early morning hours of Sept. 3. Her husband is in custody and is expected to be charged with her homicide in San Juan County Superior Court next week.

“We seem to have a homicide in the county every five years. This is our second in two weeks,” said Sheriff Ron Krebs, referring to the murder-suicide of two Minnesotan men on Lopez Island.

The woman’s cause of death is not yet known; autopsy results are pending. A motive is also yet to be determined. Krebs said there is “still so much up in the air.” The victim and suspect’s names will not be released until Tuesday during the court arraignment out of respect to their family.

San Juan County dispatch received a call from a San Juan residence at 1 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3. It is unknown who made the phone call. A deputy arrived on scene 20 minutes later and found a deceased woman inside the home. Her husband, who was also inside the residence, was placed under arrest.

“With the statements he made and the evidence that was there, we made the arrest shortly after we arrived,” said Krebs.

The suspect was transported to Peace Island Medical Center, where he was evaluated by emergency room staff. After being medically cleared, he was booked into the San Juan County Jail.

The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team arrived on the 7:30 a.m. ferry to process the scene. The Sheriff’s Office expects to receive a full report, including a 3-D printout of the scene, by Monday.

“WSP is very meticulous and very good at their job,” said Krebs.