A man who had only up to now been an unnamed person of interest in the January disappearance of 24-year-old Oakley woman Alexis Gabe, her ex-boyfriend at whose home she was last seen alive, was about to be arrested for her murder outside Seattle. But he allegedly charged at police with a knife and was shot dead.

The Oakley Police Department announced early Thursday that they had a "significant update" in the Gabe case, after her disappearance has remained in the headlines since she was last seen alive January 26. And they subsequently announced today that they had issued an arrest warrant for Gabe's ex-boyfriend, now identified as Marshall Curtis Jones, for her murder.

Jones was at a residence in Kent, Washington, in the Seattle area, on Wednesday, when members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offenders Task Force approached the home and knocked on the door. As Oakley police explain in their announcement, officers from the Seattle Police Department, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Marshals Service were present at the scene, believing that this home was where a "fugitive wanted for murder" was living.

As NBC Bay Area reports, after knocking on the door and identifying themselves as law enforcement, Jones allegedly charged at the group with a knife. He was then fatally shot by a police detective, a sheriff's deputy, and a U.S. marshal.

Oakley police were giving a press conference about the case at 11 a.m. Thursday via Zoom that attracted more than the 100 allowable participants.

"The totality of this investigation" led investigators to the conclusion that Gabe was murdered, Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard said in the news conference, and that includes the absence of any financial activity or phone activity from Gabe's accounts since January 26. Investigators do not believe that Jones transported Gabe, alive or dead, out of the state.

"This was not the outcome we wanted," Beard said, reiterating that the hunt for Gabe's remains would continue.

Jones had not been named as a suspect in the case until this week, despite the fact that police knew Gabe had last been seen going to his home on Benttree Way in Antioch.

Previously, police had identified a person of interest seen in surveillance video, who possibly dumped Gabe's car and cellphone elsewhere in Oakley, but they had not said that this was Jones. Gabe's car was found with the keys still in the ignition.

Investigators now say that they have video evidence to suggest that Marshall walked back to his home in Antioch after abandoning Gabe's car on a street in Oakley to which Gabe had no connection.

Gabe's cellphone case, with an image of Tupac Shakur on it, was found last month near where her car had been, and was considered a key piece of evidence.

Alexis Gabe's body still has not been found, and no motive for the crime has ever been publicly discussed.

A $100,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the location Gabe's remains. The family says that while they understand that police say she is likely dead, they continue to hold out some hope and will need to closure of her being found.

Oakley police continue investigating the crime and seeking Gabe's remains, and anyone with information is still encouraged to call the department at 925-625-7009 or email them at [email protected].

Previously: Missing 24-Year-Old Oakley Woman's Phone Case Found in Antioch, Considered 'Key Piece of Evidence'