Current:Home > ScamsDeaths of 4 women found in Oregon linked and person of interest identified, prosecutors say -Core Financial Strategies
Deaths of 4 women found in Oregon linked and person of interest identified, prosecutors say
View
Date:2025-04-16 10:47:55
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! (87971)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Tesla recalls Cybertrucks due to faulty accelerator pedal that can get stuck
- Jim Harbaugh keeps promise, gets Michigan tattoo in honor of national championship season
- Campbell “Pookie” Puckett and Jett Puckett’s Fire Date Night Looks Are Surprisingly Affordable
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- North Carolina officer fatally shoots man suspected of killing other man
- Milwaukee teenager gets 13 years for shooting inside restaurant that killed 2 other teens
- LSU gymnastics gets over the hump, wins first national championship in program history
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- House on the brink of approving Ukraine and Israel aid after months of struggle
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Jury weighs case against Arizona rancher in migrant killing
- California man goes missing after hiking in El Salvador, family pleads for help finding him
- The U.S. Olympic wrestling trials are underway: TV schedule, time and how to watch
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Boston Dynamics' robot Atlas being billed as 'fully-electric humanoid': Watch it in action
- Nikola Jokic leads NBA champ Denver Nuggets past LeBron James and Lakers 114-103 in playoff opener
- Online gambling casts deepening shadow on pro sports
Recommendation
Sam Taylor
National Cold Brew Day 2024 deals: Where to get free coffee and discounts on Saturday
Autoworkers union celebrates breakthrough win in Tennessee and takes aim at more plants in the South
A rabbi serving 30 years to life in his wife’s contract killing has died, prison officials say
What to watch: O Jolie night
Massive honeybee colony takes over Pennsylvania home; thousands removed from walls
15 people suffer minor injuries in tram accident at Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles
War, hostages, antisemitism: A somber backdrop to this year’s Passover observances