Spokane police arrest 36-year-old woman suspected of killing at northeast Spokane home

Spokane police arrested a 36-year-old Spokane woman on suspicion of second-degree murder Friday afternoon after a body was found in a northeast Spokane home on Thursday.

Melissa Lee Ann Martin was booked into the Spokane County Jail at about 2:30 p.m. Friday, according to jail records. Her bond had not been sent by a judge as of 6 p.m. Friday.

Martin’s arrest comes the day after police investigated a death at a home near Rogers High School in northeast Spokane. Police haven’t released the gender or age of the adult victim, how the person may have died, or Martin’s connection. Martin’s charges include domestic violence as a factor.

Police investigated the death after receiving a call at about 2:20 a.m. from a “third party” who described suspicious circumstances at a residence in northeast Spokane, according to a news release. Officers determined the call stemmed from an incident at a home at 1644 E. Rockwell Ave.

Neighbors described hearing loud bangs around midnight, and one man reported seeing a fire at the residence. Officers asked some if they heard gunshots or sounds indicating violence at the residence, as well as if they smelled anything unusual overnight. One man said he smelled smoke.

Next-door neighbor Samantha Kurle said the home where police located a body was often the scene of screaming between a couple who lived there. She said the house had lots of other people who would come and go from the house. The residents had never introduced themselves to her, she said.

Officers had been processing the scene of the death as recently as Friday afternoon, according to police Lt. Dan Waters.

Martin has no previously criminal record in Spokane County, according to court records.