BREAKING: Body found in Mike Webb's house

Police are investigating a suspicious death case after a body was found inside a house in the 2000 block of 3rd Avenue West around 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to police.

Police said the owner of the house found the body inside the rental home where former KIRO radio personality Mike Webb lived before he disappeared in April.

Police said it is impossible to tell whether the body is that of Webb.

"The body is badly decomposed at this time," said Assistant Police Chief Nick Metz. "We can't determine the person's gender, age, race, and that all will not be able to be determined until we work with the King County Medical Examiner's Office to determine all of that."

Webb was last seen on April 13th and has been reported missing since. Police said they searched Webb's home after the initial report of his disappearance, though they can't specify exactly when they made their visit.

read Blatherwatch coverage here, and here. Click here for more analysis.

Comments

[riame47]

BLATHERWATCH is partly at fault for his death!! Shame on you!!

[sparky]

His family was there cleaning up the house, the police have been there several times...all spent a lot of time searching for him...I dont understand... How could you not find a dead body if you search the whole house, especially one that had supposedly been there long enough to decompose that badly??
I hope it is not Mike, and Im sorry for whoever it turns out to be.

[spooky11]

CONGRATS Michael Hood and BLATHERWATCH - You now have BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS!!

Nice Work!

[chucks]

riame47
You obviously have knowledge that most of us don't.
Do you know for a fact that it is Mike?
If so, do you know for a fact how he died? Was it natural? Murder? Suicide? Accidental? OD?
If you have such knowledge, how did you come by it. When did you come by it.
Before you start laying blame on others, let the evidence come out. In the mean time, Mike has people here who do care about him. Others may not, but let them stiffel themselves while those who do care wait for the truth.

[Jim Flack]

Oh my Gosh. Whose body COULD it be? This is horrible news. And, yes, riame47, I must agree with you. Mr. Hood hounded that man throughout his termination from KIRO and his two trials.

I only produced his show a handful of times at KIRO, but was lucky enough to say I worked with him since he was a former PD at my former employer, KVI, before it went talk.

The glory days of huge radio talents has fallen by the wayside over the last 20 years for many reasons, too many to list here. If it is Mike, he wasn't the first to take his life because he lost a precious position that paid the bills and he won't be the last.

When you lose the call letters behind your name, it's a huge blowa ---a HUGE blow. You feel as though you don't belong anymore; you're outside the fishbowl, looking in. I know it, I've felt it, I've been there. It's very easy to fall into depression, paranoia, and worse--and since there are really only about 50 full time talk show hosts jobs in the nation, the supply outweighs the demand by 1000%. But when you're hounded and ridiculed by a website like this, I can only imagine how Mike may have been forced into something drastic.

I am fortunate that I have entered into a second career with endless possibilities, leaving radio behind in the rearview mirror.

But I pray it's NOT him...but...as long as I've been involved in news and news/talk, I am very afraid of the next news we'll hear.

[sparky]

All of Grace's siblings are running amok

[Some Guy]

It could be anyone's body. Earlier reports had said people had moved into the home.

[Liz]

Wait a minute, if the body was decomposing, it would have been a musician. A deceased radio host would be denouncing.

Blood on the hands of Blatherwatch? I don't think so, this was an adult who chose to end his life. No one can "make" someone commit suicide. It's a personal (tragic) decision. Anyone who would react in such a manner to anonymous posts on an internet message board has greater problems than dealing with faceless meanies.

I am sorry for his family that he made this selfish choice.

[are you the meisha?]

"selfish choice"? You've obviously never suffered from major depression.

[I am me]

What kind of idiotic police department do we have here? How come they didn't find him earlier.

Michael Hood drove that man to his death. You just had to take things too far.

[joanie]

C'mon you guys, probably not Webb but someone's joke triggered by the publicity given Mike's disappearance. Seems like the most logical to me right now. Unless someone enjoys moving around dead bodies for fun.

[Janice D]

No one is "forced" into ending their life by a website. There is no "blood on blatherwatch's hands" regardless of who's body it turns out to be. Suicide is no one's fault besides the victim.

[Jim Flack]

Joanie, you must be delusional. A "joke"? If it were a joke, then there would not be a police spokesperson talking about a death.

If you read the Seattle Times report, police were not able to enter the house previously; that's why the body wasn't found until now.

[KS]

I was never a Mike Webb fan, in fact I loathed him often - but to insinuate this is a joke is soulless. It's sad and smells like foul play. Enough said.

[MikeFan]

All I can say is that Mike had more guts to speak up, and speak out, than 99 % of the rest of us. We just jump on the band wagon when public opinion moves this way or that. He said what he thought, and that was that. It was not easy being a gay man during the years he grew up. The loss of his loved ones left him very alone...and when KIRO dumped him, I am sure that was very tough to swallow. All of us make stupid mistakes. He was a PERSONALITY that KIRO used for their benefit. Try to separate the person from the "personna"!

A little grace would go a long way here. He has family and friends who care about him.

[Greg]

I was never a fan of Mike Webb either. But, I have to agree with the comment above. When we let political views, no matter how strong, blur our sense of humanity, then what have we become? Please set aside political ideology for one moment, and pray, or reflect, or whatever you do, for this deceased individual.

[so so 55]

If it turns out to be Mike, Hood and the rest of Blatherwatch should feel sick about themselves. Look back on this blog at the relentless personal attacks and harrasment toward this individual with mental health issues. It may or may not have contributed to this potential tragedy, but was it really necessary to be so cruel?

[lildevilgrrrl]

This is his neice. I love him dearly and reading what some of you have to say is pretty unsettling. He was a wonderful man. Supportive and kind. He had opinions and he enjoyed debate. My father whom we lost 2 years ago to a heart attack was a repulican and they even debated on the air once. Debate all you want, but please keep in mind that he was a person. One that I love dearly. I pray it isn't him, but most likely it is. I can also say that I know in my heart he didn't kill himself. Someone did this and stuffed his body where they hoped it wouldn't be found.

[Mike Webb will be missed!]

Mike Webb was a great and courageous man.

The BLATHERWATCH Blog is responsible for his horrific end.

Why not use your tasteless R.I.P. Michael Hood?

This Blog MUST be shut down for good.

Shame on you Michael Hood!

[Hugh Janus]

I just feel sick about this.

I feel badly because I used to make fun of the guy... his lack of judgment, whatever.

I never posted or said anything on-air.

But I feel like one of those guys who bullied the weak kid at school, and then the kid killed himself.

I'm sure my words never got back to Mike, but this is a sign. A sign that I need to be more kind in my life. I pray for Mike, and I pray for Michael to work on the kindness thing too.

[FREMONT]

OHMYGOD, NO!

[joanie]

How'd the police know things were missing then?

Sounds like an Agatha Christie mystery to me. Duffman, you playing all the roles?

[mercifurious]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here: The body is not Mike Webbs. In fact, I strongly suggest that Bla'M check the IPs for the above posts.

Let's see, suddenly a ton of brand-new anonymous posters, all blaming Bla'M, and all praising Webb, AND all coinciding with this police finding.

Believe me, none of us here wanted anything bad to happend to Webb. Being an observer of Webb's total self-destruction doesn't put blood on one's hands

[sparky]

Like I said...Grace's siblings all running amok...

[joanie]

Oh, BTW, I spent my whole childhood (after grade 2) in the 1900 blk of 3 AV W. We might have been . . . neighbors!

[JC]

If it is Mike and if he did do this to himself, blaming this site is crazy. Mike was in the business of offering critical views of public figures in a public forum, just as this site is. Webb is a fair target for critical commentary, but fair commentary, as is Blatherwatch. Trying to blame Hood for Webb's possible death is not fair.

[mark]

Blaming B'lam for this is wrong. Mike Webb made some poor choices recently. As a in your face public figure, a thick thin was required unfortunately this does not seem to be the case. Hopefully he has found peace.

[flub]

<

Believe me, none of us here wanted anything bad to happend to Webb. Being an observer of Webb's total self-destruction doesn't put blood on one's hands>>

Yup, exactly what Mike did so many times before. Time to phone home buddy.

[flub]

Oops, my comment got "flubbed"

was referring to this:

"Let's see, suddenly a ton of brand-new anonymous posters, all blaming Bla'M, and all praising Webb, AND all coinciding with this police finding."

That's what he did several times in the past.

[Proregressive]

This guy had mental problems that were apparent when he was still on the air. It should come as no surprise that he wasn't well from all of his courtroom antics during the trial.

Look, it's a sad day when someone is sick and doesn't get treatment, but I don't see how anyone could hold Michael or this blog responsible for what happened to the man.

[John McMullen]

Ladies & Gentlemen,

While many of us are bewildered and saddened by the news of Mike's disappearance the past two and a half months, I would encourage everyone here to wait until we hear from th authorities the results of the investigation being done by the Medical Examiners office. Mike and I began a long and, at times, difficult friendship more than ten years ago. I truly want to believe that the body found at his home is not his and that he is still - hopefully - very much alive.

For people to jump to the conclusion that Mike committed suicide is a far stretch, in my opinion. There are those on this site who have tried to paint Mike as a deeply, emotionally troubled person. He wasn't. He was simply a human being who faced some pretty difficult challenges at times.. the kind that lead people to become extremely distressed for short periods of time. But, I was close to Mike through a few difficult patches - including one when his employment with the company I founded and brought him into - came to an end in 2000.

Prior to the trial, and throughout that period, including during the period of his "observation" between trials, I had many many long conversations with Mike. I know that he understood that his ultimately being convicted was NOT the end of his life, or of his career. After I left SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and throughout Mike's legal challenges, I was speaking with him about an opportunity to participate in a new venture. He was positively motivated by the prospect. He had other opportunities we was working on, too. Mike was impacted by his conviction, but he was not "beaten" by it. He did speak of his emotions about what people were saying about him, here and elsewhere, but he wasn't obsessed about it. Annoyed? Yes. Obsessed? No. Who wouldn't be?

I reminded Mike often that having a felony conviction was not going to be the end of the road for a talk show host. Treason against the United States didn't keep Oliver North off the radio. Violation of laws enforcing the acquisition of and use of controlled substances didn't keep Rush Limbaugh off the air. Being a part of one of the most notorious federal crimes motivated by politics GOT G. Gordon Liddy his job. Of course, all of these guys were Republicans. Ha. Mike and I would laugh about it. His world had not faded to black.

The support of his sponsors, like Korum, was a big source of stability for Mike. Knowing that he continued to strike a chord with listeners - it didn't matter that he no longer rode on the call-letters of KIRO. He had the pride of carrying the largest ratings shares of any daypart on the station in the market. That's what mattered to him. He was always about creating radio that was entertaining, even if it was agitating to some.

I recall when MIke worked for me at Stellar Networks as our VP of Production and a talk show host on the company's GAYBC Radio Network, that he had a way of striking fear in the hearts and minds of conservatives. So much so that he continued to receive threats like those he had received at KIRO before he left them the first time to join us. The FBI was no stranger to Mike Webb, and until his conviction, Mike was licensed to carry a concealed handgun because there were very REAL threats made against his life.

I have always admired Mike's ability to irk people THAT MUCH. Because, even if you hate to hear his points of view, it's still entertaining and he always has known what it takes to have people talking about you. People would call his show and tell him, "I'm never going to listen to you again!" And, yet, three weeks later, there they were calling in and telling him, "I'm never going to listen to you again!"

Mike personifies the craft of talk radio. People may have hated his perspective -- enough to even want to murder him. But, they couldn't quit listening.

A badly-decomposing body would not have gone un-noticed by family and by authorities who previously had accessed the home over the period of the many weeks he's been missing. News reports have said that shady characters have been going into and out of Mike's home on Queen Anne. Seems most likely that someone moved a corpse into that house. Therefore, I'm holding out hope that my friend is still alive.

I have dozens of other Mike Webb stories that I hope to laugh about over a soda with him the next time I come back to Seattle. Certainly, the time that has elapsed since Mike's disappearance does not bode well. But, at the very least, I'm not going to that really dark spot where one thinks that he took his own life. Bob Hardwick was not only a very good friend of mine. He was one of my mentors. I worked with him in 1978 at KVI and again in 1982 when I built the Northwest Radio Network. Bob blew all of our minds when he blew out his own in a suicide. But, unlike Robert E. Lee Hardwick, Mike Webb had hope of new beginnings.

Mike was a very compassionate man who helped people with problems far deeper than his own. Throughout the toughest days he faced in the past year, he didn't compromise his many years of sobriety. Mike has discipline that most aren't even aware of. So, please, keep him in your thoughts. If the body that his landlord found turns out to be his, there's much greater liklihood that Mike was murdered, because he sure as hell couldn't kill himself, then get up and leave the house, then return after several people have been through the place, all decomposed, waiting for a convenient end with the landlord's discovery.

[trickydick]

So I would probably be one of those "anonymous" posters since I have only posted once or twice in the past year despite being a faithful reader. I am generally conservative in nature (and never agreed with mike webb on anything when I listened to him) but could be sad to hear if this was him as he would keep my attention which is more than a lot of hosts can do. While I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say "blood" on their hands, I would definitely say there was significant glee on Bla'm and merci's part at the plight he was in despite his having obviously gone off the deep end. It definitely was absolutely fascinating watching it unfold...

[Caleb]

I am a good friend of Mike and I received an email from him on the 12th of April (the day before he disappeared). In the email he spoke about getting together sometime and some of the new radio things progressive networks was working on.

I DO NOT believe that Mike took his own life.

[seattlejew]

To John McMullen

So many thanks, how can I offer them? Your message is wonderful and a tribute to Mike.

I too hope that he is alive, both out of respect and, frankly, out of missing his wit and ... to coin a phrase, blather.

As for blame, Mike himself engaged in personal attacks, he may have been many good things be a good guy, I really think so, but he could hurt too. I suspect that the criticism here was sincerley meant and surely no worse than Mike might have done do in verso.
SeattleJew

[Bob]

John:
Thank you for putting this terrible situation into perspective. I have known Mike for 12 years, and I don't believe he would do himself in. He was down, but not out.

I talked to him just days before his disappearance and he was very optimistic over some projects we were working on together.

None of this makes sense.

[RAy]

I liked Mike. He would piss me off sometimes, while making me think. I disagreed with him most of the time but still listened.
Mike if you gone RIP. I truely hope you are still with us.

[rhumbaseat]

First off: Tonight, Hood showed just how sleazy and tacky an individual he really is. Of all the people who should have been on the evening news tonight, he should have been below the bottom of the list. He has a "bad feeling"? Good. He probably had as much to do with it as everything that Mike Webb legitimately brought upon himself.

Yes, Mike Webb had issues, of which we can only guess. His later shows were becoming more and more irrational. You couldn't talk to him unless you agreed with everything he said. He was as obsessed with President Bush as this web site is about KIRO. If he hadn't made a habit of heading out to the quickie-mart in the middle of his show, who knows? He might still be on the air over there.

Yes, Mike Webb is surely responsible for the situation he created. However, Hood, this site and the hecklers who reside within were surely factors in whatever fate has befallen him. Knowing Webb's obsession about being photographed, Hood nonetheless went out of his way to get, and publish as close to being first as possible, a picture of Webb in the courtroom. Webb's reaction to seeing Hood was predictable, and Hood gleefully reported on every moment of Webb's discomfort.

Were it not for Bla'M, would Mike Webb still be here? Who knows? I'm convinced it didn't help any though, and that's a sad commentary on this web site. It seems clear that the bulk of the content here is posted at the expense of others, and done so in the name of journalistic freedom.

Attaching political alignment to this site's contents isn't the point, though I'm sure there are those who have pretty strong opinions there. The fact that Hood had the nerve to show up on TV, acting the concerned citizen over anything having to do with Mike Webb shows what a totally worthless shithead he is.

[JC]

BREAKING:

PI story suggests Mike was murdered:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/321748_webb29.html

Property manager David Neth, a longtime acquaintance of Webb's, said he discovered the body Thursday while cleaning out a basement crawl space in the abandoned house.

A day laborer hired for the job had removed two bookshelves that had been covering the entrance of a 3-foot-high crawl space packed with boxes, Neth said. Under the boxes, Neth said he found a blue tarp covering a body on the crawl space's dirt floor.

"I am pretty certain that the body will be determined to be Mike's," Neth said. "But I find suicide to be a pretty hard sell unless he had a person 'helping him' who didn't really like him."

He also said two "unusual items" were near the body, but declined to say what they were.

[matt]

if this is mike, i am not surprised. i just knew something like this was going to happen. you could see mike spinning out of control on the air and after his dog died and he lost his job you just knew bad things were going on in his world. i really enjoyed hearing him rail against the world oh kiro, made me feel like i was not alone in my own views. he reminds me of mike malloy on am 1090---strange thing, i just found out about this after logging on to the seattle pi site minutes ago and i am listening to kbco.com in boulder,co-- this is the song that was playing while i read the story....

ripple/greatful dead
"If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,
Would you hear my voice come thru the music,
Would you hold it near as it were your own?

Its a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,
Perhaps theyre better left unsung.
I dont know, dont really care
Let there be songs to fill the air.

Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again,
Let it be known there is a fountain,
That was not made by the hands of men.

There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone.

Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.

But if you fall you fall alone,
If you should stand then whos to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home.

La dee da da da, la da da da da, da da da, da da, da da da da da
La da da da, la da da, da da, la da da da, la da, da da."

god bless, mike. hope your little friend is waiting for you across the rainbow bridge. thanks for all the great nights of talk radio and music.

[JDB]

Whatever is or has happened to Mike Webb, the sole person responsible for it is Mike Webb.

The strange thing is that it was the constant need to shift fault from where it truly belong that led Mr. Webb exactly to this end.

[Mactwinny]

Yes, it made me kind of sick to see someone with the title of Blatherwatch standing outside of Mike Webb's house and being interviewed on TV all so concerned. My gawd how they have hounded him - what hypocricy! It was almost like an arsonist watching a burning fire that he lit and enjoying it!

[8ball]

I hope Mike's ok.

I loved his show, because I hated his opinions.

I called in a several times to debate him, good times. He had a good show.

I hope his family is ok.

Sparky, Blogs don’t kill people, sorry.

Chucks, Whatever. “When you lose the call letters behind your name, it's a huge blowa ---a HUGE blow.” Do you think these feeling also maybe occur with other people, in other industries, just maybe?

If you’re going to post any lyrics, it should be some New Order; he used them as bumper music. Ripple? Come on, what’s next “Stairway to Heaven”?

[8ball]

"Hood, this site and the hecklers who reside within were surely factors in whatever fate has befallen him."

Ok, so if he was murdered (which is unknown at this point) this blog had something to do with it?

Man, I wish I had started posting here earlier, if this place has such POWER!

[Kahoneez]

I'm with you Mike, I don't like cops either and where ever you are, thanks for the passion and entertainment.

[John McMullen]

Sadly, the latest news does seem to point to Mike having been murdered. But, would those of you who play this self-righteous game of saying "whatever he got, he brought it on himself" please... exit.

I really said what I had to say above. We had just re-launched GAYBC Radio and Mike was excited about being a part of it, on the web, on HD Radio, and beyond. I was scheduled to take Friday off and not do my show there. Instead, I'd like to open up and do a tribute and retrospective to Mike at 3 pm Pacific Friday at gaybc.com. Those who wish to join, are welcome to do so.

May Mike finally rest in peace.

Devastated.

John McMullen
[email protected]

[chucks]

8ball
the words you credit to me are actually those of Jim Flack.
The posters signature follow the posting here.

[AprilMayJune]

It it so sad. I miss hearing Mike Webb, I always enjoyed listening to him. And thinking he may have come to such a tragic end... heartbreaking.

I am glad to learn of gaybc.com - Mike would have been right at home!

[sparky]

hey 8ball..,what Chuck said...
I didnt say blogs kill people. A poster's name is under the dotted line at the end of the comment.

I wish Bla'm would go through this thread and delete all the posts being made by all of Grace's and Brians' siblings.

Talk about leaping to conclusions...the only thing anyone knows right now is that a body was found. Period. Conjecture is a nice way to pass the time, but some of you are taking every comment as fact.

[8ball]

sparky and chucks, you're right: sorry about that.

I should have caught that formatting, but I get nervous when I post on a site which has as much influence over who lives and dies as this one.

[Jim Flack]

KOMO TV reporting that Mike's sister has confirmed that police report the body IS Mike Webb.