Man suspected of killing five in rural Oregon found dead in Washington state

Washington county, Oregon, sheriff's officials said the man suspected of killing five people was found dead in his vehicle on Sunday in Enumclaw, Washington, about 45 miles (72km) from Seattle. Authorities believe he died by suicide.

The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker. The five victims were discovered on Saturday at a home in a rural community near Forest Grove, Oregon, roughly 30 miles (48km) outside Portland, after authorities responded to a report of a vehicle fire. An unspecified number of dead domesticated animals were also found at the property.

Washington county sheriff Caprice Massey said that in 22 years on the job, she had never encountered a crime scene this complex. Detectives said they do not believe the killings were random, though they did not elaborate further.

Investigation ongoing

At a Sunday afternoon news conference, investigators had not yet publicly released the victims' ages, genders, exact cause of death, or any relationships between them. Sheriff's office detective Shannon Wilde said identifying even one deceased person is a significant undertaking, and doing so for five is especially demanding.

Asked about the gap between the discovery of the bodies and the release of information the following afternoon, Wilde said authorities first needed to confirm victims' identities and notify their next of kin. She described the case as a highly active investigation with many moving parts, adding that officials wanted to ensure information released to the public was accurate.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass murder as an incident with four or more victims, this marks at least the 16th such case in the US this year, and the fourth since 7 August.