PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. – The family of a Bonney Lake woman who was fatally shot at her child's father's apartment complex told KOMO News they asked her not to go to that apartment alone.
Kayla Vallee, 40, died Dec. 9 from multiple gunshot wounds. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department (PCSD), Vallee died while picking up her 10-year-old son during a heated custody exchange.
Vallee's family told KOMO News that they are in the process of filing a custody petition against the boy's father. That's why family members said they worried for her safety when she went alone to pick up her son that Saturday morning.
“I begged her. I said, 'Kayla, please don't go into this apartment alone.' And she said, 'Mom, this might be my last chance to get my son back,'” said Christine Kingsbury, Vallee's mother. “Perhaps she should have been more nervous, but she was blinded by her love for her son.”
It would be the last time Vallee's family would see her alive.
Hours later, they said they watched in horror as Vallee's ex-boyfriend unexpectedly dropped his son off in their driveway without seeing Vallee. They said the child's father then sped off and refused to answer their calls regarding Vallee's whereabouts.
“We panicked and started calling (Vallee), calling 911, calling everyone,” said Thomas Proulx, Vallee's stepfather.
Vallee's family told KOMO News her ex-boyfriend was verbally abusive and often explosive.
“He was really nice and sweet, and two days later the switch was flipped,” Kingsbury noted.
As a result, Vallee's family said they are convinced he lured her to the apartment to harm her.
“He convinced her that she was going there to have a little family chat,” Kingsbury said.
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“We believe (the murder) happened virtually right as she walked in,” Proulx added. “We don’t think she was ever able to talk.”
Vallee's family ended up applying for a welfare check in Buckley because they couldn't reach her. Vallee's car was eventually found in the parking lot of the apartment complex where her son's father lived. After entering the complex, PCSD deputies said they found Vallee dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
Vallee's family said her death likely occurred while her 10-year-old son was sleeping in the same apartment. The boy remained unharmed.
Hours later, officers located Vallee's ex-boyfriend sitting in his car in Buckley. PCSD told KOMO News the man refused to come out, which led to a standoff by the SWAT unit. They said the incident ended when he was shot with a stun gun.
The 42-year-old man was hospitalized for several days before being booked into the Pierce County Jail on Thursday afternoon. As of Thursday evening, he had not been formally charged with Vallee's murder, so KOMO News is not naming him yet.
Vallee's family added that they are planning a candlelight vigil for her on Saturday, Dec. 16, outside the apartment complex where she was shot.
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