A report of a burning vehicle at a secluded Oregon property turned into one of the region's most disturbing crime scenes: five people and several domesticated animals were found dead outside Forest Grove.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office is investigating the deaths as a quintuple homicide. Officials identified 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker as the suspect and said he was later found dead inside a vehicle in Enumclaw, Washington, in what appeared to be suicide.
A fire call uncovered a much larger scene
Firefighters reached the rural property Saturday morning after receiving the vehicle-fire report. Once the bodies were discovered, law enforcement launched a large forensic investigation involving multiple agencies.
Authorities have not publicly released the victims' names, ages or causes of death while identification and family notifications continue. They also have not explained the precise relationship between Parker and the victims, although investigators said they do not believe the killings were random.
Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey described the scene as unusually complex. Detectives have asked anyone with information about the property, its residents or recent activity there to contact the sheriff's office.
No continuing threat reported
Officials said they do not believe there is an ongoing danger to the public following the discovery of Parker's body. That does not mean the investigation is finished. Detectives still must establish a timeline, determine how the victims died and explain what led to the killings and vehicle fire.
The scale of the scene—and the presence of dead animals along with five human victims—has shaken the rural community roughly 30 miles west of Portland. Authorities are withholding further details until forensic work and notifications are complete.
Sources: Associated Press, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and KATU.
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