A gruesome discovery at a remote Oregon property has left authorities investigating the deaths of five people, with the suspect in the killings later found dead in Washington state. According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker is believed to have died by suicide. Parker’s body was found in Enumclaw, Washington, on Sunday, a day after emergency crews responded to a vehicle fire at a property near Forest Grove, Oregon, approximately 30 miles west of Portland.
The property, where the five bodies and several dead domestic animals were discovered, has become a sprawling crime scene. The investigation into the killings is ongoing, with few details released so far. Authorities have not identified the five victims, disclosed their ages or genders, or revealed how they died.
The connection between the victims and Parker, if any, also remains unknown. The investigation began early Saturday when authorities responded to reports of a vehicle fire at the rural property. Responders subsequently discovered the five bodies and the animals, turning the property into a sprawling crime scene.
Washington County sheriff’s Detective Shannon Wilde stated that investigators were still working to identify the victims, citing the size and complexity of the investigation as a logistical challenge. ‘Any time you have one person deceased, let alone five, that’s a logistical challenge,’ Wilde said. Authorities faced questions about why they waited until the following afternoon to publicly disclose the discovery. Wilde explained that investigators had been working to identify the victims and notify their families while pursuing what she described as a ‘very active investigation with a lot of moving pieces.’ She added that officials also wanted to ensure any information released to the public was accurate.
Sheriff Caprice Massey urged anyone with information about the case to contact investigators.
