Major update in manhunt for notorious child sex offender and animal abuser who escaped house arrest

Daily Mail​

13-05-2025

A notorious child sex offender and animal abuser has been arrested after fleeing court-ordered home detention in Seattle.
David Williford, 38, vanished from his mother's home in West Seattle's North Admiral neighborhood on May 5, just days after being fitted with a GPS ankle monitor.
Authorities say he cut off the device shortly after checking in with his assigned Department of Corrections officer.
Although law enforcement responded within 40 minutes, Williford had already disappeared.
But on Tuesday, officials confirmed he had been taken back into custody and booked into the Mason County Jail.
Williford had been released from the Washington Corrections Center on April 30 following a conviction for first-degree incest in Mason County.
He was sentenced to 13 months in custody followed by three years of community supervision, to be served under house arrest.
'He needs to be scooped up quickly before he does a last hurrah — or worse,' Jim Fuda, executive director of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, told KOMO news.
'When he cut that ankle bracelet off, he knew people would be looking for him.'
Williford's history paints a chilling picture. In 2015, he was charged with multiple counts of child rape and molestation — including allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted a woman who lived with him.
Another survivor reported that Williford raped her when she was just 14 years old.
The same year, he was also charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty after police made a grim discovery on his Olympia property.
Acting on a tip, officers arrived at Williford's home in Thurston County and found over 20 dead guinea pigs, rabbits, and dogs — along with dozens of other animals in cages soaked with urine, littered with feces, and devoid of food, water, or light.
Some of the surviving animals were so malnourished they required immediate veterinary care.
One dead guinea pig had suffered blunt force trauma, according to the vet who examined it.
Williford allegedly acquired many of the animals by offering to adopt unwanted pets on Craigslist, pretending he was giving them a loving home.
He told animal control officers he was slaughtering the animals for meat, but no evidence supported that claim.
'He would actually go on the web and look for animals to take,' Fuda said. 'He would torture them and then kill them.'
Despite the severity of his record — and protests from law enforcement — Williford was granted home detention instead of prison time for his most recent conviction.
That decision is now under fire, as officials warn he may pose a serious threat to the community.
Williford is described as 6 feet tall, 190 pounds, bald, and missing the last joint of his right index finger.
He has several tattoos, including the word 'Every Day' and an infinity symbol on his left hand, a puzzle piece on his left forearm, and four hash marks on his left wrist, according to Fox 13 Seattle.