Five people were killed at a rural property near Forest Grove, Oregon, over the weekend, and the man investigators named as the suspect was found dead in Washington state before he could face charges. Apparent suicide is the term officers use when an initial scene assessment points to a self-inflicted death, ahead of a formal medical examiner ruling. By Sunday, that was the finding in Enumclaw, Washington, where Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, was discovered deceased inside a vehicle.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office said it first responded Saturday morning to reports of a vehicle fire at a property in a rural community near Forest Grove, about 25 miles west of Portland. Officers found five people dead on the property, along with several domestic animals. Authorities have not released the ages or genders of the victims, how they died, or what possible connections they had to one another.
Detectives came to believe Parker was in Enumclaw, Washington. Officers from the Enumclaw Police Department located his vehicle and found him dead inside. Enumclaw police also found an unidentified person dead behind a Safeway grocery store in that city, a discovery that authorities linked to the Forest Grove investigation.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office has said there is no known threat to the public. Detectives do not believe the killings were random, but they have not publicly described what connection Parker may have had to the victims or offered any motive. The identities of all five people found at the property have not been confirmed. Detective Shannon Wilde said that any time investigators have one person deceased, let alone five, the situation presents a logistical challenge.
Sheriff Caprice Massey, who has worked in the county for 22 years, said she had not been part of or witnessed a scene quite this complex in that time. A dozen law enforcement agencies are assisting. Anyone with knowledge of the property near Forest Grove or the people who lived there is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.