Authorities in Oregon are investigating a suspected quintuple homicide after five people and multiple animals were found dead at a rural property over the weekend, before the man identified as the suspect was discovered dead from an apparent suicide inside a vehicle.
The victims, along with “several” domesticated animals, were located early Saturday on a secluded property near Forest Grove, roughly 25 miles from Portland, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
The disturbing discovery was made just before 5:30 a.m. when firefighters arrived to handle a reported vehicle fire and found the scene, prompting them to immediately alert law enforcement, officials said.
Investigators later identified the suspect as 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker. He was found dead inside a car in Enumclaw, Washington, a small city about 50 miles from Seattle, and appeared to have died by suicide, police said Sunday.
Officials have not publicly named the five people who were killed, and they have not confirmed whether the victims were members of the same family or otherwise related.
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During a Sunday news conference, Washington County Detective Shannon Wilde said the case is being treated as a “quintuple homicide,” adding that investigators do not believe the killings were carried out at random.
Sheriff Caprice Massey told reporters late Sunday that Parker knew the victims, according to KOIN6, but she did not disclose the nature of their relationship or say whether investigators have established a motive.
Authorities have also not released how the five victims were killed, nor have they explained how the vehicle fire or the dead animals may factor into the ongoing investigation.
Records show Parker lived in the home where the bodies were found at one point, but it’s unclear whether he still resided there, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
“In my 22 years here, I have not been a part of or witnessed a scene quite this complex involving this type of an investigation,” Massey told reporters.
“I recognize that this incident is deeply concerning to our community. Our investigators are working to determine what happened, and we have dedicated every available resource to this case,” Massey said.
