Coroner identifies 82-year-old Thurston County woman allegedly killed by her son
An 82-year-old Thurston County woman who was allegedly murdered by her son Sept. 14 has been identified.
Rosalie Cunningham died of manual strangulation and her manner of death was homicide, Coroner Gary Warnock told The Olympian. Warnock said she also suffered a transection, or cutting, of the cervical spine and spinal cord as well as multiple blunt force injuries to her torso.
Adam D.J. Cunningham, her adoptive son, has been held in Thurston County jail in lieu $2 million bail since last week. Prosecutors initially accused him of second-degree murder and possession of a stolen vehicle. But they charged him with first-degree murder on Monday.
Rosalie Cunningham died at her home on the 7100 block of Glen Annie Lane Southwest, near the Delphi Golf Course southwest of Black Lake. A family member called 911 after finding her dead in her bedroom.
Witnesses and surveillance footage placed Adam Cunningham at the home the morning his mother died, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christina Garcia previously said.
Charging documents allege his “conduct manifested deliberate cruelty to the victim” and he should have known she was “vulnerable and incapable of resistance.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
