Authorities released an alert in Portland, Ore., over theories linking the deaths of six women in the past three months. Several media outlets and social media users are toying with serial killer theories regarding the appearance of six dead bodies in a 100-mile radius around Portland.
Five different police agencies are involved in the various investigations, as the bodies of the six women were found in different locations. One of the bodies was even found across the Columbia River, which separates Oregon from Washington. The Portland Police Bureau confessed that these reports have created "some anxiety and fear in our community."
Press Release: Addressing Online Rumors Surrounding Regional Death Investigations of 6 Women (Photo)
Link: https://t.co/qbkOgRI8tB pic.twitter.com/n9hq6NIcLc— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) June 4, 2023
The most recent case is that of Ashley Real, a 22-year-old woman whose body was found on May 7 in the Eagle Creek area of Clackamas County. Real disappeared during the month of March. Joanna Speaks went missing in late March, and her body was found in a rural area of Clark County on April 8. According to authorities investigating her death, she was found with contusions to her neck and head.
These deaths come alongside those of Bridget Webster, found April 30 in Polk County, Chaty Perry, found a week earlier in Ainsworth State Park, and one other woman who has not been identified. Authorities specified, however, that she was a young woman of American Indian or Alaska Native ethnicity.
It was Speaks' sister who, in an interview with KGW8, said she was concerned about the number and circumstances of the deaths. According to the New York Post and the Daily Mail, officials from Clackamas and Polk counties mentioned a potential link between the deaths. "Our detectives are following all leads in this case, including several tips that are coming in from the public and comments being made on social media," the Clackamas Sheriff's spokesman told the New York Post. "We are working with our partner agencies to determine if there is any connection between this case in Clackamas County and any others in the region," he concluded.
Portland Police deny connection between the deaths
In a statement issued Sunday, the Portland Police Bureau wanted to calm anxieties in the city. After media outlets and social media began to warn of a potential serial killer, the Portland PD assured that there is no evidence to support a link between the deaths of the six women.
"While any untimely death is concerning, and we will diligently investigate deaths occurring in our jurisdiction in collaboration with the Multnomah County and State of Oregon Medical Examiner's Offices, the PPB has no reason to believe these 6 cases are related," the statement reads.
