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The Today File

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April 28, 2012 at 10:20 AM

Body inside North Bend bunker believed to be survivalist Peter Keller

The King County Sheriff's Office on Friday located the bunker that homicide suspect Peter Keller is believed to have been hiding in. (Photo: King County Sheriff's Office)

Peter Keller is charged with murder and arson.

UPDATE 10:20 a.m. | Officers believe a body found inside a Rattlesnake Ridge bunker is that of murder suspect Peter Keller.

A pistol and a pool of blood were found near the body at the entrance to an elaborate bunker where officers believe Keller has been hiding since the shooting deaths of his wife and daughter.

Law officers used explosives Saturday morning in an attempt to blow the roof off the bunker. Enough of the roof was removed for officers to spot the body inside. A sheriff’s department spokesman said the area may be booby-trapped, so officers are moving carefully.

Keller has been charged with the shooting deaths of his wife and daughter last Sunday.

King County Sheriff’s officers and SWAT team members surrounded the bunker all night. Four officers were taken to the hospital for exhaustion and dehydration overnight after navigating the rugged terrain around the bunker. They believed someone was alive inside overnight because they saw lights going on and off.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Katie Larsen said Saturday morning the officers “will be very aggressive in trying to contact whoever is in the bunker today. ” They had megaphones and hostage negotiators on the scene Saturday morning.

Tear gas they put into the entrance to the bunker had no effect, and officers believed the person inside may have a gas mask.

Keller has been building the underground bunker on the side of a remote hillside for eight years.

Comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: bunker, explosives, Peter Keller

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The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and edited by Assistant Metro Editor Nick Provenza.

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