More than six months after Mallory Barbour disappeared from her home in northwest Washington, investigators say they have arrested a suspect in connection with her death.
In a social media statement posted Jan. 7, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office said detectives arrested a 45-year-old man from Bremerton “in connection with the death of Mallory Barbour” and booked him into the Mason County Jail.
“Our thoughts remain with Mallory’s family and friends affected by this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office added.
Authorities have not publicly identified the man. Mason County Jail records reviewed by PEOPLE show only one person arrested and charged with homicide on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Fox 13 reported the man is expected to be arraigned on the homicide charge Thursday afternoon.
It remains unclear whether investigators believe the suspect had any prior connection to Barbour. PEOPLE has reached out to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office for additional information but did not immediately receive a response Thursday morning.
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Barbour was reported missing last summer. She was last seen leaving her home in Bothell, Wash., on June 24, 2025.
Her body was later found on Sept. 15, 2025, in a remote wooded area near State Route 3 and Pickering Road—about 90 miles by car from her home—according to KOMO News.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office said Barbour’s body was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds and that she had been left in the wooded area off the Washington highway for months, KOMO reported.
Friends and family have expressed shock and grief since her death. One friend, Ashley Ainge, told KOMO that Barbour was “just the last person that deserved to have this happen to her.”
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“Mallory was amazing, Mallory was so full of love and life,” Ainge said.
Barbour’s mother also spoke with Fox 13 in November, describing her daughter as kind and upbeat.
“She was a great person, she doesn’t deserve this, she did nothing wrong and she was just in a bad place at a bad time,” Denise Barbour said. “Just knowing that she would have a life that would be enriched, that she would be happy and be able to work in our community. Have a partner, maybe even grandkids, maybe.”
