The deaths of four women found dead within 100 miles of each other in three months in Oregon are linked, after police tried to silence fears of a serial killer ‘to keep the public from being confused’
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in Portland, Oregon, announced Monday that one arrest has been made in connection with the four murders of four women — Christine Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster and Ashley Ryall — among 100 people found dead in the past three months. All the women, miles from each other, were from the Portland area: their cause of death has not yet been confirmed
The bodies of four women found in or near Portland, Oregon over a three-month period, have been linked and at least one person of interest has been identified, authorities said Monday.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in Portland said no charges have been filed against anyone, but the community is not currently in any danger.
Local media reported that one person was taken into custody.
The women were between 22 and 31 years old, and their bodies had been found in Portland and rural areas since February, with the latest being found in May.
A body was found near a creek in Polk County, about 45 miles southwest of Portland.
PORTLAND, Oregon (pictured) Prosecutors said Monday that the bodies of four women have been found in the past three months. A suspect is in custody
The state medical examiner has not determined the cause or manner of death for either woman, authorities said. They are all from the Portland area.
Officials did not use the term ‘serial killer’ when announcing the connection between the deaths.
‘Investigators and prosecutors from multiple law enforcement agencies are working together… and have determined that there are connections between four cases: Christine Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster and Ashley Real,’ the prosecutor’s office said.
Investigators from nine law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor’s office in three Oregon counties, as well as the Oregon State Police, are cooperating on the cases, authorities said.
The first of the four – 22-year-old Christine Smith – was found dead in the woods in Pleasant Valley on February 19. His body was identified on May 25.
Two months later, on April 24, Charity Perry, 24, was found dead at Ainsworth State Park.
The following week, on April 30, Bridget Webster, 31, was found dead near a creek in Polk County, 45 miles south of Portland.
And a fourth victim, 22-year-old Ashley Rial, was discovered on May 7, a month after she went missing from a fast food restaurant.