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Authorities are searching for the two brothers, Tony Reed, left, and John Reed, who are believed to have been involved in a property dispute with a missing Washington state couple.

Police in Washington State say a property dispute may be at the centre of the disappearance of a former B.C. resident and her husband in a case that began as a missing-person search but quickly turned into a murder investigation.

Monique Patenaude, 46, and Patrick Shunn, 45, were reported missing by neighbours last Tuesday, the day after they were last seen. Their vehicles were discovered in a wooded area a few days later, and police announced over the weekend they believe the couple was murdered. Their bodies have not been recovered.

Police are now searching for brothers John Reed and Tony Reed, both convicted felons, who were described as armed and dangerous.

The couple's former lawyer said Ms. Patenaude and Mr. Shunn lived up a logging road from John Reed along the Stillaguamish River. The couple sued some of their neighbours in a property dispute more than two years ago, but they avoided naming Mr. Reed as a defendant because they did not want to anger him, said the lawyer, Thomas Adams.

"They weren't looking forward to any kind of conflict with Mr. Reed," Mr. Adams said on Monday. "They didn't want to provoke any kind of an issue with him."

Ms. Patenaude previously lived in the Vancouver region and worked as a care aide, a friend said.

Sheriff Ty Trenary said his office believes there may have been a property dispute between the parties. Shari Ireton, a Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said investigators are still looking into the apparent dispute, after hearing of it through the couple's neighbours.

Ms. Patenaude was last seen near the couple's home, in Arlington, Wash., about 75 kilometres north of Seattle. Mr. Shunn was last seen at his workplace.

Police issued a news release last Wednesday, saying the disappearance was considered suspicious because it was unusual for the couple not to be in contact with family or friends.

A day later, police discovered the couple's vehicles in a remote area. Police said both vehicles appeared to have gone over an embankment and suffered extensive damage. They were about 61 metres apart.

On Sunday, the Sheriff's Office announced it had established probable cause for the arrest of two men suspected of murder.

The Sheriff's Office said it has obtained surveillance footage linking the Reed brothers to the disposal of the vehicles. It said evidence collected from the scene where the vehicles were found, as well as John Reed's former home, led investigators to conclude Ms. Patenaude and Mr. Shunn were slain.

"The recovery of Patrick and Monique is our agency's number one priority right now, for the sake of their families," Sheriff Trenary said on Sunday. "Our second priority is getting the Reed brothers into custody and off the streets."

A vehicle belonging to John Reed was discovered in the city of Ellensburg on Saturday. The Sheriff's Office said the brothers are believed to be in possession of a red 2007 Volkswagen, licence plate AXH5106. The vehicle belongs to their parents.

Police have said they are focusing their search on a large area north of Ms. Patenaude and Mr. Shunn's home, near the community of Oso.

Cynthia Fawcett, Ms. Patenaude's best friend of 25 years, described Ms. Patenaude as "super sweet."

"Everybody that meets her loves her right away," said Ms. Fawcett, who worked with Ms. Patenaude as a care aide in the Vancouver region.

Ms. Fawcett said she is still hoping her friend will be found alive.

"She's a really strong person, she's a fighter," she said.

Ms. Fawcett said Ms. Patenaude was an outgoing person who loved animals and the outdoors.

With a report from The Associated Press

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