Elementary teacher found stabbed to death, Washington officials say

OLYMPIA – An elementary school teacher was found stabbed to death in a home in northwest Washington, officials said.

Her 41-year-old husband is missing and a person of interest in her death, the Anacortes Police Department said in a Facebook post. Friends and family said on social media 41-year-old Caitlin Follstad was found dead.

Police said they responded to a home at 4:38 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Anacortes. Follstad was found stabbed to death, and her husband and their vehicle were missing, police said.

Vehicle found, husband still missing

The man’s father called police, fearing the man could have been suicidal, authorities said. Their vehicle was later found on Deception Pass bridge.

Authorities said they searched for the man but couldn’t find him. A body had been reported in the water earlier in the day but hasn’t been found, police said. The couple’s children were reported safe with family members.

Friends and family said Follstad was a mother of three children.

“She has three beautiful and very small children who now don’t get to know her,” Karna Cristina shared on Facebook.

“She was one of those very rare people who I don’t think even knew how to say a bad thing about a person. She was ONLY sweet, kind, and caring,” Cristina wrote.

Follstad was a teacher who “adored her students and took delight in the unscripted moments that teaching and motherhood is known for,” her cousin said on Facebook.

Additionally, the Anacortes School District released a statement about Follstad.

“Her passion for education led her to Island View Elementary, where she served as a teacher, mentor, and friend,” the district said in an April 9 news release. “The Anacortes School District extends its sympathies to Caitlin’s family, friends, students, and colleagues during this difficult time.”

Anacortes is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Seattle.