KVSP 4 Oregon murders now believed to be linked, DA says
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 18, 2023
(PORTLAND, Ore.) — More than a month after the Portland police spoke out against online speculation about a possible serial killer in the Pacific Northwest, investigators are now saying that four recent mysterious deaths of women in the area are linked.
Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster and Ashley Real were all found dead this year between February and May in different locations throughout Oregon, investigators said.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday they have collected information from various law enforcement offices in Oregon to determine the homicides are now linked to a person of interest.
The office declined to elaborate on more details, but said several people were interviewed in relation to the four murders.
“Based on the available information to investigators, there is not believed to be any active danger to the community at this time,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
The body of Kristin Smith, 22, who was reported missing on Dec. 22, 2022, was found on Feb. 29, police said.
Charity Lynn Perry, 24, was found in a culvert near E Historic Columbia River Highway on April 24, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said.
Officials with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said they located the body of Bridget Leann (Ramsey) Webster, 31, six days later.
The body of Ashley Real, 22, who was reported missing on April 4, was found by Portland Bureau Police (PBP) in a wooded area in Clackamas County, the police said.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office is still working to determine how the four victims were killed, the DA’s office said.
In June, the PBP released a statement condemning online speculation that the four deaths, and two other cases where a corpse was found, were connected.
“These discussions have led to some anxiety and fear in our community, and we want to provide reassurance that the speculation is not supported by the facts available at this point,” the department said in a June 4 news release.
The PBP hasn’t provided a statement about Monday’s update from the DA.
The DA’s office said it is still looking for clues in the four murders and asked the public to help.
Anyone with tips is urged to submit them to Crime Stoppers of Oregon, the DA’s office said.
ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
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