Medical examiner identifies family found dead in Wallingford house fire, deaths ruled homicides
SEATTLE - Two adults, a child, a baby and a dog were found dead following a house fire last weekend in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. A man died by suicide and the other three were determined to have been killed by another person.
Now, FOX 13 News is learning more about the identities of the victims.
Fire officials and police responded to a house fire on Sept. 2 near the corner of N 48th St and Whitman Ave N.
"It’s been kind of difficult for me because I’ve been close to them," said neighbor John Zitkovich.
John Zitkovich says he returned home Saturday to fire trucks outside his home. He soon learned about the tragedy that happened feet away from where he has lived for 25 years.
Zitkovich says five people lived in the home—a mother, a father and their three children, all under the age of 11.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday identified a man killed in the fire as Salvatore Ragusa. Officials said Ragusa died by suicide and the cause of death was acute asphyxia, inhalation of toxic products of combustion, and smoke inhalation.
Because the ME said he died by suicide and the cause was smoke inhalation, it's presumed that Ragusa started the fire.
A day after Ragusa was identified, the King County Medical Examiners Office identified the rest of the three victims:
- 4-month-old Valentina Ragusa
- 7-year-old Sebastino Ragusa
- 40-year-old Lana Stewart.
The infant died of smoke inhalation and the 7-year-old boy died from "asphyxia due to inhalation of toxic products of combustion," the ME said. It's unclear exactly what that refers to.
The woman died from multiple sharp force injuries.
The manner of death was ruled as a homicide for all three.
Neighbors told FOX 13 that Stewart is the mother of the three children, and Ragusa is the father. FOX 13 has confirmed this through previous court documents involving Ragusa.
Only one child, an 11-year-old girl, survived the fire.
Information from the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office also released on Tuesday said Ragusa had been charged with first-degree arson - domestic violence back in 2019.
The 2019 charge:
Court documents FOX 13 News obtained say police found Ragusa on the roof of a woman's apartment with a rope tied around his neck. Police say he threatened to jump if they came closer.
Police say after talking to Ragusa for 20 minutes, the fire alarm started going off. Other officers noticed water pouring from a second-floor balcony.
Seattle Fire arrived and broke through the locked door of the woman's apartment. Investigators found the remains of a fire set on a kitchen counter. Officials determined the fire was set on purpose.
Documents say the woman lived in the apartment with her and Ragusa's children. They list the two as divorced but say Ragusa frequently watched the children.
Ragusa was referred to a mental health court. He was sentenced to jail days and two years of active supervision. Officials say he was in full compliance for the full two-year period.
Zitkovich and other neighbors confirm Ragusa and Lana Stewart lived together in the Wallingford home, that burned down on Saturday.
"The part that bothers me the most, in my emotional reaction, is the blockage of the doors to restrict escape. They didn’t have a chance," said Zitkovich.
Investigators say police could not get into the home when they first arrived.
"We do know the front door was barricaded with some sort of object that officers were trying to kick down," said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.
Seattle Fire reported when they first got on scene, they moved back because the area was not safe due to a threat of violence.
Investigators report the only survivor is the one who called 911. The survivor was an 11-year-old girl.
"An actual 11-year-old who mentioned there was a deceased person inside their house," said Diaz.
On Monday, neighbors and community members dropped off flowers at the front stoop of the destroyed family home.
"A real tragedy in our society, to experience such a thing. I’m struggling with that," said Zitkovich.
Anyone in crisis can dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also text SAVE to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. You can also visit afsp.org for additional resources.