Eric Kulp was taken into custody in the Marblemount area of Skagit County by the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office with the help of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office after a brief standoff on the afternoon of Friday, April 13. According to San Juan County Prosecutor Randy Gaylord, Kulp suffered serious self-inflicted wounds during the stand-off and is currently in Harborview in Seattle.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office developed probable cause to arrest Kulp for second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Abigail Finney, 38. Her body was found Thursday, April 5 on their property on Blind Bay Road, Shaw Island, where she lived with Kulp, formerly known as Eric Tubbs.

Once Kulp goes before a judge regarding his arrest, the prosecutor’s office has 72 hours to file charges.

Gaylord, who is also the county coroner, said a determination of the cause of death will await the completion of the autopsy report in a couple of weeks. Gaylord agreed with Sheriff Krebs that talking to Kulp is important to the determinations that need to be made by the coroner.

Watch for updates on this story at www.sanjuanjournal.com.

Shaw Island resident Eric Kulp, 44, wanted in connection with the death of his wife, was taken into custody in the Marblemount area of Skagit County on April 13.

He was detained by the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office with the help of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office after a brief standoff in Marblemount.

According to San Juan County Prosecutor Randy Gaylord, Kulp suffered serious self-inflicted knife wounds to his neck and abdomen during the incident and is currently being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office developed probable cause to arrest Kulp, formerly known as Eric Tubbs, for second-degree murder in the death of his wife Abigail Finney, 38. The prosecutor’s office is preparing to file charges of murder in the second degree and unlawful imprisonment.

Finney was reported missing by her mother in November 2017 and the sheriff’s office obtained a search warrant for Kulp’s Shaw property on Blind Bay Road in early April of this year. Her body was found Thursday, April 5 in a vehicle on the property, where she lived with Kulp.

Gaylord, who is also the county coroner, said a determination of Finney’s cause of death will await the completion of an autopsy and toxicology report in a few weeks.

Kulp’s name, photograph and physical description were released to the media after Finney’s body was found, and Gaylord said the public provided tips to law enforcement, which played an important role in locating the suspect in Skagit County.

According to Gaylord, Kulp cannot currently appear before a judge due to his medical condition. In the meantime, the prosecutor’s office will be preparing its case.

“We have a good deal of detail about the history going back to the spring – bits and pieces of the relationship between the two as well as additional facts about the death of Abby,” he said.