A quiet student housing complex near the University of Washington became the scene of a horrifying crime Sunday night after a 19-year-old student was found stabbed to death inside a laundry room, sending shockwaves across the campus community and raising fears among students already worried about safety near off-campus housing.

Seattle police are now searching for a man they describe as armed and dangerous after the deadly attack at Nordheim Court Apartments, a housing complex populated largely by University of Washington students. Authorities say the suspect fled the scene moments after the killing and remains at large.

The victim, who police believe was a University of Washington student and a transgender woman, was discovered shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday in a laundry room inside Building 7 of the apartment complex on 25th Avenue Northeast.

Officers rushed to the scene after receiving reports of a stabbing. When police and firefighters entered the building, they found the young woman critically injured.

Despite desperate attempts to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

As investigators worked through the night collecting evidence, students living at the apartment complex described an atmosphere of fear, disbelief, and heartbreak.

Many said the realization that a young woman had been killed just steps away from where they sleep, study, and socialize felt almost impossible to process.

Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Munoz warned that the suspect should be considered extremely dangerous.

“This individual just committed a homicide; they should be considered armed and dangerous,” Munoz said during a media briefing.

Police described the suspect as a man between 25 and 30 years old, standing approximately 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 tall, with a beard, wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. Investigators believe he ran from the apartment complex immediately after the stabbing.

Authorities have not yet announced a motive, and investigators have not publicly confirmed whether the victim knew her attacker.

Still, the fact that the victim was identified as a transgender woman has intensified concerns among students and LGBTQIA+ community members who fear the possibility of a hate crime.

Police have not classified the case as bias-motivated, but students living at Nordheim Court admitted the circumstances immediately triggered anxiety.

“I know my roommates and I were really upset to hear that,” said Audrey, a freshman architecture major who lives at the complex. “We were worried it was a hate crime of some sort.”

The apartment complex itself remained tense and heavily secured in the hours following the killing. Campus police initially instructed residents to remain indoors while officers searched the area for the suspect. That shelter-in-place request was finally lifted shortly before 1 a.m., but many students said sleep was impossible afterward.

Some residents gathered in hallways and common spaces, exchanging information and trying to understand what had happened.

Others called parents and loved ones, shaken by the realization that violence had erupted inside what many students considered one of the safer housing options near campus.

Ella, a Bellevue College sophomore who had been visiting a friend at Nordheim Court Sunday night, said students initially assumed police were responding to some sort of fight outside.

“We thought maybe there had been an altercation outside the courtyard,” she explained. “But to find out it was a transgender woman killed in the laundry room — that’s scarier.”

As detectives continued processing the crime scene into the early morning hours, yellow tape surrounded parts of the apartment complex while investigators photographed evidence and interviewed students.

The killing quickly spread fear beyond Nordheim Court itself.

Parents, students, and community members gathered near the scene Monday, some praying for safety and demanding stronger protections for students living off campus.

Among them was Debbie Delatorre, who said she personally came to the complex because both her granddaughters and niece attend the University of Washington.

“Nobody should have to send their kids to school worried they’re not going to be OK,” Delatorre said emotionally.

She explained that the tragedy struck especially close to home because one of her granddaughters had previously dealt with a frightening stalking situation while living in another off-campus apartment building.

According to Delatorre, repeated calls to police and the installation of a Ring camera eventually scared the person away.

Now, after Sunday night’s killing, she fears students remain vulnerable.

“We said prayers here,” she said. “We hope they do something so nothing else like this happens. They need to increase security for the students here.”

The murder has also reignited broader concerns about safety around university housing complexes, particularly those operated privately but closely associated with student populations.

Nordheim Court, while heavily populated by University of Washington students, is operated by Greystar. University officials said they are now working closely with the company to provide counseling resources and support for traumatized residents.

University of Washington President Robert J. Jones released a statement expressing condolences to the victim’s loved ones while acknowledging the fear spreading through the campus community.

“There are no words that can express the profound loss of a student,” Jones said.

He also addressed the concerns emerging among LGBTQIA+ students and staff.

“While investigators have not yet identified a suspect or a motive, I want to recognize that when violence affects a trans person, it can be especially worrying to our LGBTQIA+ community members,” Jones said.

He added that the university’s Division of Student Life has begun reaching out to students affected by the tragedy and offering emotional support resources.

The University of Washington also confirmed that Seattle police — not campus police — are leading the homicide investigation.

UW spokesperson Victor Balta said the school would not release the victim’s name until family members had been formally notified.

“We are unable to confirm the identity of the student who was killed in the laundry room at Nordheim Court Building 7 until the student’s family has been notified,” Balta said.

He emphasized that investigators have not yet established a motive or identified a suspect publicly.

Meanwhile, homicide detectives continue reviewing surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses, and tracing the suspect’s movements before and after the stabbing.

Students who spoke with local media described seeing large numbers of officers sweeping the property overnight. Some residents reported hearing yelling and emergency sirens before police flooded the complex.

Others said they remained awake for hours, terrified the suspect might still be nearby.

The emotional weight of the killing has been especially intense because of the victim’s age. At only 19 years old, she was at the beginning of adulthood, living away from home while pursuing her education.

For many students, the realization that someone their own age died violently inside a shared residential space has shattered any sense of normalcy.

The timing of the crime — on Mother’s Day — also struck a painful chord for many residents.

“For me, thinking about it happening on Mother’s Day and that girl is someone’s baby — her mom had to get that news — is so heartbreaking,” Audrey said quietly.

As news of the killing spread online Monday, students and community members flooded social media with tributes, safety concerns, and demands for answers.

Some called for increased police patrols around student housing.

Others demanded better lighting, stronger access controls inside apartment buildings, and additional protections for transgender students who may already feel vulnerable.

For now, however, the biggest question remains unanswered: who killed the young student, and why?

Police insist they are aggressively pursuing leads and urged anyone with information about the suspect to come forward immediately.

Detective Munoz emphasized that while investigators do not currently believe the public faces an ongoing immediate threat, the suspect remains dangerous.

“It’s important we catch them and bring them to justice as fast as we can,” he said.

As the investigation continues, grieving students are now left trying to navigate finals, classes, and daily life while processing the terrifying reality that one of their own was murdered inside the very place many once considered home.