Editor’s note: This article focuses on suicide, self-harm and other topics related to psychiatric distress. If you or a loved one is in crisis, call 988. Additional resources are available here.

The family of a young mother who told police she was raped and assaulted by a romantic partner have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in King County Superior Court after the woman killed herself with the man’s assault-style rifle.

The lawsuit alleges Seattle police officers violated state law and department policy when they left the rifle at the suspect’s home, where the woman had been staying in 2023. The officers arrested and eventually charged the man with felony domestic-abuse harassment and rape. However, they left the woman — who was intoxicated, in crisis and just two days out of the hospital

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