The Portland Police Bureau in Oregon took a strong stand against “online rumors” on Sunday, shutting down ideas of a possible serial killer after the deaths of six women under 40 in the last three months.
The agency spoke out against the rumors, saying that social media posts and news stories were spreading “anxiety and fear in our community” without being “supported by the facts available at this point.”
“While any death before its time is sad…”PPB has no reason to think that these six cases are linked,” the police agency said in a press release.
Officers with the PPB found human remains for the first time in February in Multnomah County, Oregon. They later found out that the remains belonged to Kristin Smith, 22, who had been reported missing on December 22.
A press release from the PPB says that the reason of Smith’s death is unknown and that the investigation into her death is still going on.
The tweet below verifies the news:
After 6 women found dead, Portland officials warn against serial killer speculation https://t.co/khn5dboqff
— MSN (@MSN) June 6, 2023
More than a month later, on an abandoned property in nearby Clark County, cops found the body of 32-year-old Joanna Speaks. The Clark County Coroner said that Speaks’ death was caused by “blunt head and neck injuries,” which is what ABC station KATU said.
On April 24, cops in Multnomah County found two more bodies. Charity Lynn Perry, who was 24 years old, was found dead in a ditch by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office deputies. As a strange death, the police are looking into the case.
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office says that on the same day, a woman’s body was found in a tent in the Lents area of Portland. The woman’s name was not known. Officials are still trying to figure out who the women are. They think they are between 25 and 40 years old and maybe Native American or Native Alaskan.
A release from the PPB says, “There is no evidence that the [Medical Examiner] on the scene or the officers who were there to help thought there was foul play.”
The body of Bridget Leann (Ramsey) Webster was found a week later by people from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. KATU says that the public is being asked for information about the strange death.
Ashley Real, who was 22 years old, was found dead in a wild area of Clackamas County on May 7. This is what PPB says. Real was last seen in late March. Her death is being looked into as suspicious, but police say it is not clear that she was killed.
Even though the PPB has talked to other agencies about some of the strange deaths, the group has pushed back against the idea that this means the cases are linked.
“As we do with all investigations of this kind, we are in regular touch with our law enforcement partners,” PPB said in a statement. “This has happened, but that doesn’t mean that a link has been made.”
If you are interested in learning more about this subject, I suggest checking out the following links:
- Drunken Shooting ‘Game’ Ends in Painful Death of French Woman
- Historic Church Consumed by Flames in Aftermath of Lightning Strike
PPB said that the cases do not pose a “articulable danger” right now and that they will let the public know if anything changes.
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