Prosecutor asks for investigation into former Seattle mayor Durkan’s deleted texts

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has asked Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall to investigate the deletion of text messages from the phones of then-Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, the fire chief and then police chief in 2020.

Satterberg said typically, the prosecutor’s office doesn’t ask for an investigation to be conducted, but in recent weeks and months, he heard from people in the community that the matter was important to them.

“I considered it my responsibility to make this request to the sheriff before the end of my term. It wasn’t clear to me that anyone was going to start this investigation without prompting. Just like the public’s right to an open courtroom, people have a right to know what is in public documents – including text messages,” said Satterberg.

The sheriff’s office is reviewing the matter.