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Woman identified in Madison Valley suspicious death — UPDATE: Devan Schmidt remembered

The woman whose May 2nd death inside a Madison Valley home is being investigated by Seattle Police has been identified by authorities.

A roommate said Devan Schmidt was found unconscious and unresponsive around 11 AM Saturday, May 2nd inside the house near E Denny Way and 29th Ave E. 911 dispatchers assisted the caller in performing CPR, a Seattle Fire spokesperson tells CHS. Arriving medics ceased CPR and pronounced Schmidt dead.

Seattle Police said they were investigating the death as suspicious and that Crime Scene Investigators and homicide detectives were at the home collecting evidence. There were no reported signs of fatal trauma, according to police radio reports and Seattle Fire.

Friday afternoon, the Medical Examiner said its investigators had not yet determined the manner and cause of the 29-year-old woman’s death.

Schmidt arrived in Seattle late last year after moving from Alaska, according to a friend of the woman who did not want to be identified. She worked as a server in a downtown Seattle comedy bar, according to her Facebook profile.

Friday, police told CHS detectives were still awaiting reports from the Medical Examiner and were continuing to investigate Schmidt’s death.

UPDATE 5/22/2015 10:06 AM: Seattle Police and the Medical Examiner say the investigation into the May 2nd suspicious death remains an open case. Pathologists have not yet announced the manner of the cause of death and nearly three weeks have passed. A representative for the Medical Examiner said it’s not unusual for cases to take as much as six to ten weeks to complete. SPD says their investigation remains open and active.

1012988_10203663623167212_6960263592159199885_n (2)Devan Chanel Schmidt was remembered earlier this month by family in Florida:

Devan Chanel Schmidt, 29, of Seattle, WA , formerly of Anchorage and Girdwood Alaska, Melbourne and Palm Bay FL, Shirland IL., and Madison, WI, died suddenly Saturday, May 2, 2015 at her residence in Seattle, WA.

Born in Madison, WI, Devan is survived by mother Pamela Schmidt, sister Lia Kendall, and two brothers Sylas and Nick. Devan was a resident of Madison, WI until the eighth grade when she moved to Illinois where she lived until the age of sixteen. At sixteen along with her mother Pam, and sister Lia, she moved to Palm Bay, FL, where she graduated from high school in 2004. In the year 2008 she attended Brevard Community College where she pursued a degree in Associates of Science until 2010.

According to her obituary, Schmidt was once crowned Miss Shirland, Illinois and was described as a minimalist and an optimist. “A bright light in the darkest of rooms she will be remembered with a smile on her face.”

UPDATE 6/10/2015: The case remains under investigation. According to the Medical Examiner, typical cases involving toxicology investigations can take up to eight to ten weeks to complete.

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[…] Valley suspicious death update: Authorities have identified the 29-year-old woman in a May 2nd suspicious death inside a Madison Valley home but medical investigators have yet to […]

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[…] Schmidt was found unconscious and unresponsive around 11 AM Saturday, May 2nd inside the house where she was living with roommates near E Denny […]