Man Arrested In Connection With Disappearance Of Woman Last Seen At Seattle Mariners Game

Leticia Martinez-Cosman, a 58-year-old Washington woman who lived with her adult son, has been missing since the night of March 31. Almost a week later, on April 5, Brett Gitchel, 46, was arrested on multiple charges in her disappearance and the subsequent attempted murder of her son.

Martinez-Cosman appeared to be having fun on the night of March 31. She went to a Seattle Mariners game at T-Mobile Park with Brett Gitchel and apparently texted a friend a selfie of the two of them at the game, reported PEOPLE. Surveillance shows her leaving the game with Gitchel but she has not been seen since.

A text from Martinez-Cosman’s number canceled a planned babysitting job she planned for the next day. Her brother also received some messages that he said were uncharacteristic of her and odd.

In the early morning hours of April 2, Patrick Cosman, Martinez-Cosman’s adult son who has been diagnosed with autism, was awoken around 2 a.m. by a man now believed to be Gitchel. Gitchel’s cell phone activity is consistent with him being at that location at that specific time, according to court documents.

Gitchel allegedly told Martinez-Cosman’s son that his mother had been hurt and was in the hospital, and he said that he would take him to the hospital to see her. During the car ride, Gitchel pulled the car over and got in the back seat with Cosman. Gitchel then tried to put a bag over his head and choke him. Cosman fought back and was even able to bite the man’s hand, according to KIRO.

Cosman was able to run into the nearby forested area. He was then able to call 911.

Later that day, Martinez-Cosman's Honda CRV was discovered burned out on the side of the road. Police have station surveillance footage of Gitchel buying fuel, a lighter and a portable gas can prior to that, reported PEOPLE.

A couple of days later, when police interviewed Gitchel about the incident with Cosman, he had bruises on his face, arms, and body. He also had various visible injuries on his body, and his hands had many cuts and scrapes on them.

Police suspect that Gitchel was involved in a jewelry theft at a Seattle Costco where Martinez-Cosman had initially met up with him around a week and a half before her disappearance. On April 5, they were able to arrest Gitchel without incident.

KEPR reported that Gitchel was charged with attempted murder in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, theft in the first degree, and arson in the second degree.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked that Gitchel’s bail be set at $5 million. In court on April 7, prosecutors revealed that Gitchel’s cell phone was tracked to a remote, mountainous area hours after he was last seen with Martinez-Cosman. They also revealed that Gitchel has seven previous felony convictions, and he also has nine misdemeanor convictions. He didn’t appear in court but is now in jail.

Martinez-Cosman remains a missing person, and the investigation is ongoing. She is 5 foot 9 inches tall, has green eyes and brown hair, and weighs 135 pounds.

The Seattle Police Department requests that anyone with information about the case call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.