Brothers wanted in murder of missing Arlington couple

ARLINGTON, Wash. — Detectives are asking for the public's help after finding probable cause that two brothers, John and Tony Reed, killed Patrick Shunn and Monique Patenaude, reported missing out of Arlington this month.

>> For the latest updates to this story click on this link.

>> PHOTOS OF MISSING COUPLE

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QUICK FACTS:

• Brothers John and Tony Reed are on the loose and considered armed and dangerous
• Both men have extensive criminal histories
• Detectives found evidence linking the men to the homicides in John Reed's home
• The men are believed to be in the Ellensburg area
• They were last seen driving a 2007 Volkswagon EOS coupe, license plate number AXH5106
• Patrick Shunn and Monique Patenaude's families are asking for privacy

>> Follow this link to see Snohomish County's press release on the suspects.

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The brothers are convicted felons, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. They are believed to be armed and dangerous.

Warrants have been issued for their arrest. John is 53 years old and roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall and 190 pounds. Tony is 49 years old and roughly 5 feet 11 inches tall and 150 pounds.

Their current location is unknown, though investigators believe the brothers were recently in Ellensburg after they found a car belonging to John in the area.

"The public should absolutely be worried," Sheriff Ty Trenary said during a Sunday afternoon press conference.

Detectives said the brothers are most likely traveling in a red 2007 Volkswagon EOS coupe belonging to their parents.The Jetta's license plate number is AXH5106.

Detectives found footage tying the Reed brothers to the disposal of Shunn and Patenaude’s SUVs in John Reed's home in Arlington, which is not far from the missing couple's property.

Erik Shunn, Patrick' Shunn's brother, wrote KIRO 7 about the missing married couple last week. He said they were missing under unusual circumstances after an ongoing land dispute with a neighbor.

The Everett Herald reports the couple were scheduled to be at a court hearing last week about the land dispute. The hearing was rescheduled for May.

Shunn and Patenaude’s vehicles were located about 200 feet from each other in the Oso woods this past week. They both had extensive damage and were towed from the area after the search.

According to The Seattle Times, John Reed was widely quoted as one of the few surviving witnesses of the Oso landslide on March 22, 2014.

The Sheriff's Office said it has two priorities: finding Shunn and Patenaude and catching the Reed brothers.

"The recovery of Patrick and Monique is our agency's No. 1 priority right now, for the sake of their families," Trenary said. "Our second priority is getting the Reed brothers into custody and off the streets."

The sheriff also released a statement from the couple's families saying they are loved by friends and family.

"Wherever they are, they are together," the statement read.

The couple's families asked the public to let law enforcement continue the search and investigation without interference.

Shunn, 45, and Patenaude, 46, were reported missing by neighbors Tuesday.

Shunn was last seen at his workplace in Kirkland Monday last week. He did not report for work Tuesday.

Patenaude was last seen Monday around 1 p.m. last week near the couple's house in the 27800 block of Whitman Road.

Families of the missing couple spoke out on national media last week to get the word out about their disappearance.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the Reed brothers to call 911 or the Snohomish County Office's anonymous tip line and 425-388-3848.

Cox Media Group