70-year-old man killed in the neighborhood where his family lived for decades
Zale Underwood was killed in front of a home in an east Kennewick neighborhood where he’d lived for most of his life.
Benton County detectives were still trying Monday to understand what lead to an apparent knife attack that killed the 70-year-old shortly after 5 p.m. Friday.
No arrests had been made by early afternoon, said Lt. Jason Erickson.
Underwood’s parents, Zane and Vione, moved to the South Gum Street neighborhood in the early ‘60s, when their son was still in elementary school.
He grew up there and married his wife, Kathy, in the ‘80s, according to Herald archives and online property records. His father died in 2006 after a battle with cancer and his mother died two years later. Then, he lost is wife in 2013 after a long illness, records show.
Friday confrontation
On Friday, Underwood was in front of his home on the 1100 block of South Gum when he was attacked. A caller told 911 dispatchers that a family member had been attacked.
By the time deputies and police arrived, Zale Underwood had died from what appeared to be a stab wound.
There were initial reports that someone was seen running from the area. Police blocked off several blocks around 10th Avenue for about an hour, and used a police dog to try to track the person, but came up empty.
Deputies also canvassed the area looking for security video or witnesses who may have caught sight of the fleeing suspect.
Investigators didn’t have any new information to release about possible suspects on Monday, said Erickson.
An autopsy was still being scheduled for Zale Underwood, Chief Deputy Coroner Dennis Morris told the Herald. The autopsy was delayed because of a shortage of forensic pathologists across Washington state.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the incident to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333.
This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 12:33 PM.