FOREST GROVE, Ore. (KATU) — Update (7:00 p.m.): Detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday night that the suspect in this quintuple homicide investigation was found dead.
Deputies found Benjamin Parker, 36, dead inside his car in Enumclaw, Washington. “It is believed he died by suicide,” said Sheriff Caprice Massey. “Detectives do not believe there is a danger to the public.”
The investigation is ongoing, according to WCSO.
Original:
Officials in Washington County confirmed today that five people were found dead Saturday in a secluded home outside of Forest Grove, Oregon.
Investigators from multiple agencies were working to determine what happened at the home after firefighters responding to a vehicle fire on Northwest Otis Lane, a dead-end street off Hillside Road, reported suspicious circumstances.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference on Sunday, Aug. 23, but said it could not provide much information.
Detective Shannon Wilde with the sheriff’s office told reporters that five people were found dead, as well as “multiple” dead domesticated animals.
The agency has not yet publicly identified the victims.
Local authorities confirmed on Sunday that five people were dead after investigators were working to determine what happened at a home in Forest Grove/Felisha LeCher
Wilde said the sheriff’s office will not reveal more information about the animals found dead at this point, including how many and what kind of animals.
The Sheriff’s Office said no arrests have been made and detectives do not believe the deaths were a random act of violence. The case is being investigated as a homicide and Detective Wilde reiterated that all five people were “murdered.”
When asked to clarify more about the property, Wilde said it’s a “rural area, and there are other homes out there, but there’s a lot of vegetation and and land and hills and and forests out there. So I’ll just say it’s a rural area that’s got a lot of various various properties on it.”
The sheriff’s office also did not tell reporters where exactly the bodies were found on the property.
The detective emphasized that this is a “very active investigation.”
“There is someone that we don’t have in custody that committed this act,” Wilde said of the suspect.
LISTEN TO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE BELOW:
Sheriff Caprice Massey said that in more than 20 years of working in the area, she has never seen a “scene this complex.”
“I will say that in my 22 years here, I have not been a part of, or witnessed, a scene quite this complex, involving this type of an investigation. And I’m just going to lead in and say that I recognize that this incident is deeply concerning to our community. Our investigators are working to determine what happened, and we have dedicated every available resource to this case,” Sheriff Massey told reporters.
Anyone with information about the residents of the property or their associates is asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 and reference case number 50-26-11866.
“I want to make it clear, investigators would love to talk with anyone familiar with this residence or the people that live there. There are no details too small,” Sheriff Massey said.
Wilde said the local community should “always exercise precaution. Lock your doors. If you see anything suspicious, please call us.” Wilde said there remains heavy law enforcement presence in the area.
Local authorities confirmed on Sunday that five people were dead after investigators were working to determine what happened at a home in Forest Grove/Felisha LeCher
When asked why the sheriff’s office took over 24 hours to reveal information about the scene, Detective Wilde said, “This is a very complex investigation. The number of personnel we had, and the activeness of it once we determined the severity of what happened.”
“We wanted to make sure that we had accurate information to release and that we are doing that in a responsible way. We recognize that the amount of time is a concern. However, again, just balancing the investigative piece. There’s also, we were trying to identify these people and notify their next-of-kin before we had a press conference, so that’s a factor in any death investigation, trying to notify people’s families of what happened. But again, very active investigation with a lot of moving pieces,” Wilde continued.
What we know about what happened Saturday
The investigation began after initial reports of a vehicle fire Saturday, Aug. 22, at about 5 a.m. KATU News arrived at the scene at 47350 Northwest Otis Lane outside of Forest Grove after reports of a vehicle fire.
Detective Wilde said during Sunday’s press conference she cannot speak to the extent of the fire and “what that looked like.”
Forest Grove Fire & Rescue spokesperson Dave Nemeyer told KATU News at the time that firefighters responded to a car fire around 5 a.m. Saturday morning, observed “suspicious circumstances,” and referred the scene to the sheriff’s office. The fire agency confirmed firefighters did not treat anyone at the scene before calling law enforcement.
Dispatch audio from firefighters indicated there was at least one death at the location. “We do have a deceased victim here. We are going to need law enforcement,” a firefighter said in the audio.
Later, another transmission said, “We need a police unit, or a sheriff’s office unit code 3 at the scene. Just in case, we have two victims here.” A third transmission added, “This is some suspicious circumstances certainly. So we’re going to take our hoses and get out of here, and let the sheriff’s office clear this.”
At the time on Saturday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told KATU News there is an “ongoing investigation in the area,” and that the agency could not provide additional information. The sheriff’s office confirmed only that it was conducting a “death” investigation and had not said how many victims were at the scene.
A drone was deployed at the scene Saturday, and a Hillsboro Police mobile command unit was also seen in the area. The investigation was taking place on Northwest Otis Lane, a dead-end street off Hillside Road.
A Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirmed to KATU that a reverse 911 call was sent out to residents in the area initially and was lifted shortly after. KATU News reached out to some residents listed in the area and received no response.
Agencies at the scene told KATU News there was an extensive amount of ground to cover and they expected to announce more official information Sunday morning.
The investigation had a large response by multiple different agencies.
Sheriff’s Office detectives, assisted by the Washington County Major Crimes Team, are leading the investigation. The Oregon State Police Crime Lab Forensics responded to process the scene, along with members of the Sheriff’s Office Forensics and Property & Evidence.
The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation has also been supported by its Remotely Operated Vehicle Team, Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team, Search and Rescue, and Tactical Negotiations Team.
The Sheriff’s Office said multiple agencies assisted during the investigation, including the Forest Grove Fire Department, Forest Grove Police Department, Beaverton Police Department, Cornelius Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, Tigard Police Department, Oregon State Police Crime Lab, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Washington County Animal Services, the Washington Medical Examiner’s Office, the Washington County Digital Forensics Lab, and American Medical Response.
KATU News will update this article with any new information that arises.