Police are investigating if the deaths of six women found dead in secluded areas and woods over the past sixth months near Portland are the work of a serial killer.
All the bodies have been found within 100 miles of each other since February.
A number of law enforcement agencies have been working to see if the cases are connected and could even have a single perpetrator.
The most recent grisly find was on May 7 when 22-year-old Ashley Real was found dead in a heavily wooded area near Eagle Creek. She was last seen at a transit centre in late March.
Another possible victim, Joanna Speaks, vanished in late March and her body was found in a rural area of Clark County on April 8.
She died of blunt force trauma to the head and neck, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office and her death was declared a homicide.
Her cause of death is the only one that has been revealed by authorities.
Her sister, Robyn Speaks told KGW8, she is concerned about the number of women being found dead in the area.
She said: “I don’t want to ever scare people but the reality is there are women dying at awful numbers."
And added: “With each one, we as a family, we’ve talked about it, shared it, looked at the details.
“We’ve talked to the detectives to see if there are any similarities.”
A spokesperson for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, one of the agencies investigating the deaths, said detectives are looking into possible connections.
The spokesperson said: “As we do with all investigations of this nature, our detectives are following up on every lead in this case, including several tips that are coming in from the public and comments being made on social media.
“We are working with our partner agencies to determine if there are any connections between this case in Clackamas County and any others in the region.”
Bridget Webster’s remains were discovered on April 30 in Polk County, the local sheriff said.
Charity Perry’s body was found the week before in Ainsworth State Park on April 24. She had vanished in early March.
On the same day Ms Perry's body was found the body of an unidentified Native American woman was found near Interstate 205 in Portland.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found near Southeast Deardorff Road and Flavel Street in Portland on February 19. She had been missing since December 2022.
Police have not yet shared if any suspects have been identified.
Here is a timeline of events so far:
- December 22: Kristin Smith goes missing
- February 19: Body of Kristin Smith found in wooded area in Southeast Portland’s Pleasant Valley neighbourhood
- March 27: Ashley Real goes missing
- April 8: Body of JoAnna Speaks found dead inside a barn
- April 10/11: Area of Portland with downtown fentanyl market, an where Charity Perry was frequently seen, cleared by police
- April 24: Body of Charity Perry found
- April 24: Body of an unidentified woman found less than three miles from body of Smith
- April 30: Body of Bridget Webster found
- May 7: Body of Ashley Real found
- May 25: Smith's body identified
