Tale of abuse, deaths unfolding in rural Raymond

Until this weekend, David and Michelle Knotek's little red farmhouse on Monohon Landing Road seemed like most others in the rural valley of fir trees, apple orchards and pastures, where the Willapa River horseshoes its way toward the Pacific County town of Raymond.

But, prosecutors say, for the past dozen years the homestead has concealed secrets of abuse, torture and death.

Authorities yesterday alleged that among the birdfeeders and swing sets, the Knoteks had turned their home into a place where an older man's feet were scalded, where a woman was abused and worked until she died, and where a young man was shot dead with a rifle, perhaps for knowing too much.

"It's scary," said Matt Noren, 20, whose family lives a quarter-mile up the road. "It's really, really weird."

Yesterday, Pacific County Superior Court Judge Joel Penoyar set bail at $2 million each for Michelle Knotek, 49, and her husband, David, 50, as police agencies from at least a half-dozen jurisdictions scoured their home and searched for clues.

Michelle Knotek is being held for investigation of what prosecutors allege was "extreme indifference" in the deaths of Kathy Loreno, who was reported missing in 1994, and Ronald Woodworth, whose body was dug up this weekend in the Knoteks' back yard. David Knotek is being held on suspicion of helping his wife and also killing Shane Watson, a relative.

The two public defenders assigned to represent the Knoteks declined comment yesterday. Judge Penoyar said he would appoint more experienced attorneys to represent the couple.

Pacific County Prosecutor David Burke said he was planning to consult with King County prosecutors for advice on trying the case.

Authorities in Pacific County said that about two weeks ago, several people "familiar with the residence and lifestyle" of the Knoteks approached police with stories about abuse and death on the property.

Prosecutors think Loreno moved in with the Knoteks in the early 1990s, when she was in her mid- to late-30s. Prosecutors say Woodworth moved in about two years ago. He would have been 57 years old this year.

In court documents, prosecutors describe how the Knoteks made Woodworth do chores outside, wearing nothing but underwear. Prosecutors said the couple hit Woodworth in the mouth. Michelle Knotek, prosecutors said, tortured Woodworth by plunging his feet in boiling water until the skin fell off. They said Loreno suffered similar "torturous acts."

Prosecutors haven't addressed how the Knoteks were able to control Loreno and Woodworth or why either of them came to live there. Both Knoteks are longtime Pacific County residents and married about 15 years ago. They have three daughters. David reportedly worked in construction. Michelle was a home caregiver.

Residents and authorities in Raymond said the Knoteks have long been known for taking in people who needed a place to stay. And Loreno fit perfectly.

Her friend, Carolyn Barnum, said yesterday that Loreno lived with her mother, grandmother and siblings in nearby South Bend, where she worked as a hairdresser. According to Barnum, Loreno was a free spirit but quiet, private and nonconfrontational. Barnum said Loreno needed a place to stay after getting into a fight with her mother, and somehow met the Knoteks.

"The closer she became friends with Michelle, the further she drifted away from her other friends," recalled Barnum, who played together with Loreno on a women's recreational softball team.

In 1994, Barnum and Loreno went to an Aberdeen mall together and ran into Michelle Knotek. There was a big argument in the bathroom, Barnum said.

"I went out and waited, and a half-hour later, (Loreno) comes out and says to me, 'I'm going to go home with Michelle,' " Barnum said. "She was visibly shaken. And that was the last I've seen of her."

After Loreno disappeared, Pacific County Sheriff John Didion said authorities often asked the Knoteks about her. They always had the same answer, he said: She had moved to California with her boyfriend, a truck driver.

Prosecutors believe Loreno died of abuse.

According to court documents, the family member, Shane Watson, came to live with the Knoteks in the early 1990s and apparently took photos of Loreno's injuries. In court documents, police said they thought David Knotek was afraid Watson, who would have been 28 this year, would someday "go into a bar and spill all the information about Kathy Loreno."

Police think David Knotek confronted Watson in the garage and shot him. They think the Knoteks burned Watson's body and scattered his ashes in the ocean and that Loreno's body was also burned and her ashes scattered.

After Watson disappeared, his friends called the Knoteks asking for him. They were always told he was fishing in Alaska. Yesterday, Didion said investigators were looking for trace evidence of the cremation of Loreno and Watson.

Raymond is typical of southwest Washington coastal towns, largely dependent on timber, fishing and tourism. The Weyerhaeuser Mill is still king. And like most small towns, when people go missing, they are remembered.

News of the arrests has sparked rumors tying every single missing-persons case in the Willapa Harbor to the Knoteks, including an 11-year-old Laotian boy who disappeared about eight years ago.

"The information we have suggests only three victims," Didion said. But he added his office will revisit anything suspicious. "We're not ruling anything out."

Ian Ith: 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com; Michael Ko: mko@seattletimes.com