Deaths of four women found dead within 100 miles of each other in three months in Oregon ARE linked, cops admit after trying to silence serial killer fears ‘to keep the public from being freaked out’
- Multnomah County District Attorney’s office in Portland, Oregon announced on Monday that a person has been arrested in connection with four murders
- The four women – Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, and Ashley Real – were all found dead in the last three months within 100 miles of each other
- All women were from the Portland area: their cause of death is yet to be confirmed
The deaths of four women whose bodies were found over the course of three months in or near Portland, Oregon, are linked, and at least one person of interest has been identified, authorities said Monday.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office in Portland says no charges have been filed against anyone but that the community is not currently in any danger.
Local media reported that a man is in custody.
The women were aged from 22 to 31, and their bodies were found in Portland and rural areas starting in February, with the latest one found in May.
One body was found about 45 miles southwest of Portland, near a creek in Polk County.
Kristin Smith, 22 (left), was the first victim: she was discovered on February 19. On April 24, the second, Charity Perry, 24 (right), was found dead
Bridget Webster, 31 (left), was found on April 30, and Ashley Real, 22 (right), on May 7
Prosecutors in Portland, Oregon (pictured) said on Monday that four women found dead in the last three months are connected. A suspect is in custody
Authorities said the state medical examiner has not determined the cause or manner of death for any of the women. They were all from the Portland area.
Officials did not use the word ‘serial killer’ in announcing the connection between the deaths.
‘Investigators and prosecutors from multiple law enforcement agencies have been working collaboratively … and they have determined that there are links between four cases: Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, and Ashley Real,’ the prosecutor’s office said.
Investigators from nine law enforcement agencies and prosecutor’s offices in three Oregon counties, as well as the Oregon State Police, have been collaborating on the cases, authorities said.
Mike Schmidt, Multnomah County district attorney, said they did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the public
The first of the four – 22-year-old Kristin Smith – was found dead in the woods in Pleasant Valley on February 19. From Gresham, Oregon, she was reported missing by her family on December 22, and her body was identified on May 25.
Two months later, on April 24, Charity Perry, 24, was found dead in Ainsworth State Park.
The following week, on April 30, Bridget Webster, 31, was found dead 45 miles south of Portland, near a creek in Polk County.
And the fourth victim, 22-year-old Ashley Real, was discovered on May 7, a month after vanishing from a fast food restaurant.
One other woman who was killed in the area – 32-year-old Joanna Speaks, found dead on April 8 in an abandoned barn – is not believed to be connected.
