Forest Grove Quintuple Murder Suspect Found Dead in Enumclaw

Investigators work to identify five victims found at rural Oregon property

FOREST GROVE, Oregon — A man identified by investigators as the suspect in the deaths of five people at a rural Forest Grove property was found dead inside a vehicle in Enumclaw, Washington, on Sunday, one day after authorities discovered the victims’ remains following a vehicle fire.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said investigators believe 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker died by suicide. Authorities said Parker’s death meant there was no continuing danger to the public, while stressing that the broader investigation into the five deaths remains active.

Deputies and emergency responders were called early Saturday to reports of a vehicle fire at a property in Forest Grove, about 30 miles west of downtown Portland. After arriving, responders located the remains of five people as well as several domestic animals, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities have not released the victims’ names, ages or genders, and investigators have not publicly disclosed how they died. The sheriff’s office also has not detailed the type of animals found dead at the scene or said whether the fire was connected to the killings.

Suspect’s vehicle found behind Enumclaw Safeway

Parker was found in a vehicle behind a Safeway store in Enumclaw, according to the Enumclaw Police Department, as reported by KOIN-TV. Officials have not explained how investigators identified Parker as a suspect, how they tracked him to Washington state, or what evidence led them to conclude he was responsible for the deaths.

Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey said Parker knew the victims, according to KOIN. That apparent relationship is a key part of the investigation, though authorities have not said whether the victims lived at the property, what their connections to one another were, or what may have preceded the violence.

At a Sunday news conference, Washington County sheriff’s Detective Shannon Wilde said investigators were still working to establish the identities of everyone found dead. She described the work as especially difficult because of the size and complexity of the scene.

“Any time you have one person deceased, let alone five, that’s a logistical challenge,” Wilde said, noting that detectives were managing a large crime scene and multiple investigative tasks at once.

Authorities cite need for careful victim identification

Officials addressed questions about why initial details were not released until the following afternoon, saying investigators needed time to identify the victims, contact next of kin and avoid distributing unconfirmed information during a rapidly developing case.

Mass-fatality investigations often require coordination among detectives, medical examiners, fire investigators and victim-identification specialists. In this case, the vehicle fire and the presence of several deceased animals add further elements for authorities to examine as they reconstruct what happened at the Forest Grove property.

Massey urged people familiar with the property or those who lived there to contact investigators with information. She said that in 22 years with the sheriff’s office, she had not previously encountered a scene of this complexity involving this type of investigation.

The suspect is dead and authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the community. Investigators have not announced a motive, identified the five victims or released a timeline for when additional findings will be made public.