Washington Man Strangled Parents to Death, Then Told Relatives They Were ‘Sleeping’—Bodycam Video Reveals Chilling Discovery

Mick Carmichael of Federal Way, Washington, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after allegedly strangling his parents, Grace, 69, and Gregory, 68, to death in their home. 

The investigation began on January 22, 2026, when Grace failed to show up for her shift with U.S. Customs. Because she was a diligent worker who was rarely absent, her supervisor went to check on her at her Federal Way home but received no response. Police were called to conduct a welfare check. However, despite knocking loudly on the doors and windows multiple times, no one answered. Since they didn’t have a warrant to go inside, they contacted the family and asked them to check on Grace.

When relatives arrived, they found her son Mick inside, who appeared to have just woken up. Calmly walking outside, he told them his parents were sleeping and asked them not to disturb them. He then walked away, boarded a nearby bus, and left the scene.

After Mick left the house, the family entered the home and discovered the couple lying dead. A medical examiner later ruled they had been strangled.

Police bodycam footage posted by Daily Dose of Crime on YouTube shows officers arriving at the house, their initial conversations with the family members, and later Mick being taken into custody.

Police first spoke with Grace’s sister, who had been waiting outside the house. She told officers that her husband had gone inside and found two people in the home.

“My sister’s cold… It looked like my brother-in-law was hit in the head. They’re both here. There’s two.”

Another witness approached an officer and revealed, “There’s two deceased in there. Guy named Greg Carmichael. He’s in a chair that’s tipped over in the living room. Gracie’s in the bedroom. She’s cold and dead.”

Officers then entered the house, secured the scene, and began tracking Mick’s cellphone. 

Court records revealed Mick had a long criminal history in both Washington and Arizona involving violent offenses. He was convicted in 2015 for choking his father and again in 2021 for hitting both of his parents. In one instance, he repeatedly beat his father after an argument, leaving him with a broken nose that required stitches. At the time of the murders, he had an active arrest warrant for failing to report to court after his 2021 conviction.

Officers separately interviewed Grace’s sister and her husband, who had entered the house. The brother-in-law described finding the home in disarray. 

“All the doors were closed. I went in the main bedroom, and it was all covered up with clothes and bedding. And Gracie was sleeping. Well, she was dead in the bed. But she had her hands crossed, and she’s got rings and stuff on her fingers. I shook her and said, “Hey, Gracie, come around, you know, wake up.” And she didn’t. And then I felt her; she was cold.”

The sister also recalled how she first learned something was wrong: “I got a call from my sister in the West in um area California, and she was crying, and she says there’s something going on at Grace’s house. We can’t, um, she didn’t show up for work.”

She continued, “…the car is there. Her purse is in the car. She said that Grace’s boss or somebody from her work came to see what was going on. I think they must have called the police, but they said they didn’t have probable cause. So, they asked us to go in and get in the house and check it out.”

Investigators also collected additional evidence, including security footage from a neighbor’s home that captured what happened outside the Carmichael home, and phone records that showed Grace stopped reading texts late that night, which helped detectives narrow down the timeline of the murders.

Officers detained Mick from a Federal Way park with bloodstains on his clothes along with cuts and bruises on his face, chest, and arms.

During questioning, Mick claimed he had no idea what had happened to his parents. He said Gregory’s injuries came from an assault by his own son. Investigators also noted that Mick believed Gregory and Grace were not his biological parents.

Detectives later interviewed Mick’s friend who had known him for 16 years. “I’m sorry about everything that happened. And I just want to say that it so could have been avoided. It really could have.”

The friend said she had repeatedly warned Grace about Mick’s mental health. “She knew he had schizophrenia, and I told her so many times, ‘Do not let him stay there. You can’t let him stay there. Call the police. I don’t care if you have to call the police 75 times in one week.’”

She added that Mick had not seemed like himself during their last conversation. “I don’t know why this happened. I don’t know what triggered it. I talked to Mick on Tuesday night. He seemed like he hadn’t had enough sleep or was drunk.”

“He believed they weren’t his parents for the last six years. First he said they weren’t his parents. Then the story grew to they kidnapped me when I was two. That’s my house. One day he drove over to my house in his car, and his passenger seat on the passenger seat was paperwork from the floorboard up to the top of the car.”

Prosecutors charged Mick with two counts of first-degree murder with domestic violence enhancements, arguing he planned the attack on his parents in advance.

A judge set his bail at $5 million due to the serious charges and his past attempts to run. The case is awaiting trial. Because Washington State has abolished the death penalty, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.