PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – A woman was found dead inside a Northwest Portland apartment Wednesday afternoon, prompting a homicide investigation by the Portland Police Bureau.
Officers were dispatched just after 12:30 p.m. to an apartment building near Northwest Irving Street and Northwest 18th Avenue after someone called to report a possible assault.
Police said Portland Fire & Rescue crews found a woman dead inside the apartment. Any suspects had left the area before first responders arrived.
Detectives at the scene Wednesday focused their investigation on the Emmons Place North building. FOX 12 reached out to PPB for confirmation that the building was the location of the reported crime.
Josh Erdman, who lives in a second-floor unit, said she remembers hearing a heated argument between a man and a woman on the first floor.
“He said, ‘Come down to my unit, see what’s up.’ And that was the last thing I heard after the elevator,” Erdman said.
Neighbors along 18th Avenue said the homicide is the most alarming incident yet in a long line of ongoing safety concerns, including car break-ins and stolen packages.
“Knowing that this just happened, it’s like, that just brought my fears even worse. It’s like, I don’t want to live where there’s been a fresh killing,” Erdman said.
Police said the woman’s cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
During the investigation, Northwest Irving Street was closed between Northwest 17th Avenue and Northwest 18th Avenue. Northwest 18th Avenue was also closed between Northwest Hoyt Street and Northwest Irving Street.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact homicide detectives at homicidetips@police.portlandoregon.gov or call 503-823-0479. Reference case number 26-264223.
Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.