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A suspect in the killings of five people whose bodies, and those of several animals, were found on a rural property in Oregon was found dead Sunday, officials said.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office identified Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, as the suspect in the “complex investigation.”
“Officers from the Enumclaw Police Department located Parker’s vehicle and found him deceased inside,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday. “It is believed he died by suicide.”
Enumclaw is a small city in Washington state.
Detectives do not believe the quintuple homicide was random, according to the sheriff’s office. Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey said they believe Parker “was known to the subjects,” in remarks Sunday night.
Officials initially responded Saturday morning to a 911 call about a vehicle fire in unincorporated Washington County, outside the city of Forest Grove.
Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Shannon Wilde said at a news conference Sunday that they are trying to confirm the identities of the victims.
Wilde said the “large scene” is on a rural property with some other homes around and “a lot of vegetation.”
Massey said, “I will say that 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.”
There is no continued threat to the public, according to the sheriff’s office.
Forest Grove is about 25 miles west of Portland, Oregon, and 190 miles southwest of Enumclaw.
Joe Kottke is an assignment editor at NBC News covering breaking news across the Americas, including politics, immigration, crime and severe weather.
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