Police ID suspect accused of killing five in rural Oregon

The Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon identified a 36-year-old man as a suspect in the murder of five people that took place outside Portland over the weekend, according to a Sunday update. First responders located the remains of five people and several domesticated animals at the scene of a vehicle fire early Saturday morning, Washington County Detective Shannon Wilde said at a Sunday press conference. Investigators continued working to identify the five homicide victims, Wilde said.

The detective refrained from sharing where victims were found at the scene or what kind of domesticated animals were found dead. Wilde characterized the scene in Forest Grove, west of Portland, as rural and large. Wilde also confirmed that the FBI was not involved in the investigation.

What is known about the suspect? Officials identified the suspected murderer as Benjamin Charles Parker, who investigators found dead inside a vehicle in a suspected suicide. The Enumclaw Police Department in central Washington state found the car with the suspect’s remains in Enumclaw, Wash., nearly 200 miles north of the murder scene.

Investigators characterized the crime as targeted and identified no ongoing threat to the public. Wilde characterized the investigation as extremely complex and vigorous, adding that detectives continued working to understand the timeline of the fire and murders. Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey described the scene as the most complex she’d encountered after more than 20 years in local law enforcement. Every available resource within the department had been assigned to the case, she added.