Authorities in Burien are still searching for a killer three weeks after the body of Robert Thomas was found with multiple stab wounds under the 146th Street bridge. No other information has been released about the death of the 36-year-old homeless man, but multiple law enforcement sources say they’ve identified a person of interest.
Authorities are attempting to interview another homeless man who is said to have passed through the encampment behind Oasis Home Church, minutes from where the victim’s body was discovered.
Without a warrant, authorities are not allowed to search the church property, so he is free and back on the streets.
I asked Oasis Church Pastor Mark Miller if he knew anything about Thomas’s death or the person of interest, but Miller would not comment on the investigation.
“I’ve got intake processes, and those will continue to be followed,” Miller tells me.
Recently, Miller lowered the standards for entry into the controversial homeless camp on the church property. Now, the church is allowing drug users and people with active warrants to stay there.
“There was no transparency, they were coming at us last minute,” neighbor Gerald Barbon tells me. “Now there’s not really any trust.”
The shift to low barrier has led to a surge of tents at the church, especially following the clearing of the crime ridden Ambaum Blvd encampment earlier this month.
Burien Community Support Coalition is the nonprofit operating the Oasis camp and is led by outgoing councilmember Cydney Moore. Moore would not comment on the homicide investigation.
Meanwhile, neighbors who live near the church are furious at Pastor Miller, accusing him of a “bait and switch” after he promised to uphold strict security standards on the property.
The temporary camp at Oasis Home Church is expected to be closed by the end of January.
“We feel unsafe,” neighbor Kathleen Long tells me. “It’s just scary when we have kids and walk in and out.”
Kathleen Long is now counting down the days until this situation across her street, and all its concerns, go away.