Nearly a month after a woman was found gunned down in her Centralia home, the suspect is in custody in Idaho and is expected to be extradited back to Lewis County to face charges.
Douglas Bowen, 56, is accused of murdering 55-year-old Centralia resident Patricia Marceaux.
Her body was discovered in her home in the 1200 block of Marion Street in Centralia on Aug. 5, according to Centralia police.
A warrant has now been issued for Bowen’s arrest, but he’s not on the run — he’s currently being held in the Kootenai County Jail.
The Centralia Police Department issued a news release on Thursday announcing the break in the case.
In the release, police recalled that on Aug. 5, officers responded to Marceaux’s residence for a welfare check after she didn’t arrive at work. Marceaux was found dead inside the home. An autopsy determined her death was a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
During the ensuing investigation, Centralia detectives — assisted by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol — were contacted by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho, which was investigating a June 2026 homicide at the time.
Bowen, a Hayden, Idaho, resident who previously lived in Lewis County, was identified as the suspect.
According to Centralia police, investigators determined that a vehicle associated with Bowen traveled from Idaho to Washington and was in Marceaux’s neighborhood at the time of her death. Flock cameras were used to confirm he had made the trip.
Centralia detectives then coordinated with Kootenai County detectives on a plan to detain Bowen and to seek search warrants for his vehicles, residence and storage unit, according to a news release from Centralia police.
On Aug. 12, Centralia detectives traveled to Hayden, Idaho, to assist in the investigation.
“The following day, Bowen was stopped and detained by the Kootenai County Regional SWAT Team and assisting agencies,” Centralia police wrote in the release. “He was interviewed by detectives from both agencies and arrested in Idaho on two counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a destructive/explosive device. Search warrants were executed on Bowen’s residence, vehicle and storage unit. Detectives seized items of potential evidentiary value, including a firearm. Forensic examination of evidence collected in the investigation is ongoing.”
Bowen remained in custody in Idaho on the weapons-related charges while detectives continued their work.
On Aug. 26, Centralia detectives returned to Idaho and conducted a followup interview. Detectives then presented the case to the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which obtained a warrant charging Bowen with first-degree murder in the death of Marceaux.
Bowen is expected to be extradited to Lewis County in the coming weeks, where he will be booked into the Lewis County Jail.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. No further information will be released at this time, according to police.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Centralia Police Department at 360-330-7680.
