[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Nearly two weeks ago, a fire erupted in the small town of Concrete, Washington, and burned a two-story house there down to the ground. In the aftermath, Skagit County investigators painstakingly sifted through the ashes and rubble. And at the charred burn site, they made three horrific discoveries: the bodies of 52-year-old Erin Birman, her son 19-year-old Taylor Dawson, and his 18-year-old girlfriend Jillian Van Boven (pictured above, right).
Now, cops in Skagit County say that Erin’s husband, 49-year-old Jason M. Birman (pictured above, left), also lived at the residence. And, in the ashes of the burned-down house, there is evidence he was at the scene of the fire before the flames first broke out on August 9. But no sign of Jason’s remains has been found at the house in Concrete. And cops have now issued an arrest warrant for him — for three murders. Whoa!!
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According to the Associated Press, the nearby Mount Vernon Police Department wants to find Jason ASAP and arrest him on three second-degree murder charges. The fire was so brutal and all-encompassing at the time that recovering the victims’ remains proved “extremely difficult,” per a press release from that department. And chillingly, after they did finally figure out who and where the victims were inside the blaze scene, medical examiners eventually determined that all three had been shot before the fire.
OMG…
Now, cops are searching for Jason’s blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck, as it is also “unaccounted for from the scene of the fatality fire” per the MVPD. Jason is known to be an avid four-wheeler, as well. Considering that and the location of the small town — about 100 miles outside of Seattle — police are branching out in nearby forests and outdoor spaces to search for him. Per the AP, the US Customs and Border Patrol‘s aviation branch has already been called to “conduct aerial reconnaissance of the greater area” in the search for Jason.
As for the victims, their loved ones are still trying to wrap their heads around the terrible tragedy. Matthew Van Boven spoke to local news outlet KIRO 7 this week about the tragic loss of his daughter. Matthew had indeed heard the very police sirens that were called to the scene that fateful early August morning, but at the time, he didn’t realize that his daughter and her boyfriend were involved:
“I just tried to call her and her phone was dead. I tried calling her boyfriend, Taylor, and his phone was dead. But you just don’t think it’s going to happen to you.”
Jillian, who Matthew and the rest of their family knew as Jilly, was adopted. She’d been planning on attending college in the fall. And after she graduated high school earlier this year, at a graduation party the family held for her over the summer, Matthew recalled a touching moment that Jillian had with her mother:
“Two weeks before this happened, [Jillian] told her, ‘thank you for giving me the best childhood I could have ever imagined.’ It does bring me peace, honestly.”
BTW, you can visit the GoFundMe page set up to defray the cost of Jillian’s funeral and memorial expenses HERE.
So, so heartbreaking. We send our condolences to Matthew and the rest of the family members, friends, and loved ones who died in this horrible tragedy. Hopefully Jason will be apprehended without anyone else getting hurt.
[Image via Mount Vernon Police Department/GoFundMe]
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