Current:Home > NewsDeaths of 4 women found in Oregon linked and person of interest identified, prosecutors say -ApexWealth
Deaths of 4 women found in Oregon linked and person of interest identified, prosecutors say
View
Date:2025-04-12 20:27:50
Salem, Ore. — When the bodies of four women began appearing in wooded areas in northwest Oregon in February, police said the cases didn't appear to be connected. But on Monday, prosecutors dropped a bombshell, saying they are linked and "at least one person of interest" has been identified.
The state medical examiner hasn't determined the cause or manner of death of any of the women, prosecutors said in a statement.
But, in an about-face from a June 4 Portland Police Bureau statement that six deaths didn't seem connected, the Multnomah County District Attorney's office in Portland announced that investigators have concluded that four of them are.
"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 have interviewed multiple people in connection with these cases and have identified at least one person of interest that is linked to all four," the DA's office added.
The Multnomah County District Attorney's office in Portland says no charges have been filed against anyone but that the community isn't currently in any danger. Local media reported a man is in custody.
CBS Portland affiliate KOIN-TV says multiple sources at different agencies tell it Jesse Lee Calhoun, a 38-year-old man with an extensive criminal history is the person of interest, though it wasn't clear how he was connected to the cases.
The DA's announcement led to online reports of a serial killer, but officials didn't use those words in announcing the connections among the deaths.
The women's bodies were found in Portland and rural areas starting on Feb. 19, with the latest one found on May 7. One body was found about 45 miles southwest of Portland, near a creek in Polk County.
The first body discovered was that of Smith, 22, in a wooded area in a suburb southeast of Portland. Smith's disappearance was reported to police in suburban Gresham on Dec. 22, 2022.
"It's quite like a piece of you is missing, that's really the only way you can describe it," Hailey Smith, Kristin's sister, told KPTV, a Portland television station, as family members searched for the then-missing woman.
Family members hung up fliers and looked for Smith near homeless shelters and other sites in downtown Portland. And a private "Justice for Kristin Smith" Facebook page with over 600 members was created over four months ago.
Perry was 24 when she died. Her body was found on April 24 near a state park alongside the Columbia River, east of Portland.
Webster's body was found on April 30 near Mill Creek in rural northwest Polk County. She was 31.
Real, 22, was last seen at a fast-food restaurant near Portland on March 27, police said. She was reported missing on April 4. Her body was found on May 7 in a forest southeast of Portland.
Investigators from nine law enforcement agencies, including the prosecutor's offices in three Oregon counties and the Oregon State Police, have been collaborating on the cases and have interviewed multiple people in connection with them, authorities said.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Bears’ Douglas Coleman III immobilized, taken from field on stretcher after tackle against Chiefs
- Evictions for making too many 911 calls happen. The Justice Department wants it to stop.
- US Open 2024: Schedule, prize money, how to watch year's final tennis major
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Why Selena Gomez's Wizards Costar David Henrie Approves of Benny Blanco
- What polling shows about Americans’ views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- What’s for breakfast? At Chicago hotel hosting DNC event, there may have been mealworms
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Judge Mathis' Wife Linda Files for Divorce After 39 Years of Marriage
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- How to prepare for the Fed’s forthcoming interest rate cuts
- AP Week in Pictures: Global
- Biden promised to clean up heavily polluted communities. Here is how advocates say he did
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- How Jay Leno Was Involved in Case of Missing Hiker Found After 30 Hours in Forest
- Lady Gaga Welcomes First New Puppy Since 2021 Dog Kidnapping Incident
- Fantasy football 2024: What are the top D/STs to draft this year?
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Pink joined by daughter Willow in moving acoustic performance at DNC
Texas blocks transgender people from changing sex on driver’s licenses
A dreaded, tree-killing beetle has reached North Dakota
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
University of Maine System to study opening state’s first public medical school
Police misconduct indictments cause a Georgia prosecutor to drop charges in three murder cases
Injured Montana man survives on creek water for 5 days after motorcycle crash on mountain road