Detectives believe a physical argument between an adult son and his elderly father late last month led to the man’s death early this month.

The incident dates back to Thanksgiving Day when the 56-year-old Lynnwood man and his adult children went to his parents’ home in unincorporated Edmonds for the holiday. During the holiday, the 56-year-old man’s daughter complained that her 88-year-old grandfather had inappropriately touched her. And later in the day, the young woman’s father witnessed a second alleged incident involving inappropriate touching of his daughter by his elderly father.

A couple of days later the 56-year-old son went back to his 88-year-old father’s house to confront him. The elderly man denied any knowledge of such behavior and the two got into a heated argument. Twice during the argument the son slapped his father on either side of his head hard enough to cause the man’s hearing aids to come out of his ears.

On Dec. 1 the 88-year-old father became ill and his wife called medics. The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where doctors discovered he was suffering from a head injury (subdural hematoma). The elderly man died in the early morning hours of Dec. 2. The wife later told doctors about the fight between her husband and son several days earlier, and doctors concluded the man’s injury had been caused by the two slaps by the son.

Detectives arrested the 56-year-old son Sunday (Dec. 6) and booked him into the Snohomish County Jail on one count of second-degree murder.

The case remains under investigation. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy and confirm and release the victim’s name.