Gunman allegedly murdered girlfriend and her family in quintuple homicide on rural property outside Portland
A gunman shot dead his girlfriend, three members of her family and friends, and several of her pets at a rural property near Forest Grove, Oregon, before killing himself hours later some three hours away in Washington state. Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, is believed to have murdered his girlfriend Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, along with her mother, grandmother, her best friend and the friend's partner, in what the Washington County Sheriff's Office described as a quintuple homicide. The motive remains unclear, and investigators are also examining whether Parker set a vehicle alight at the scene before fleeing.
Firefighters responding to a vehicle fire at the property on Otis Lane first discovered the bodies early on Saturday morning, alerting deputies who found five people dead along with two cats, two dogs and a third cat that later had to be euthanised. Deputies traced Parker's phone signal and used automatic licence plate recognition to locate a stolen vehicle in Enumclaw, Washington, where local police found him dead in the car from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, with a gun still in his hand. Stella's ex-partner, Devin Allys, told The Oregonian he was contacted by deputies asking about who lived on the property, which also housed sheep, chickens and goats.
- Oregon man allegedly killed girlfriend, family, friends and pets
- Suspect Benjamin Parker found dead by suicide in Washington state
- Motive for the quintuple homicide remains unknown
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Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, and Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, were girlfriend and boyfriend. Kimsey lived on a rural property near Forest Grove, Oregon, a small town roughly 25 miles west of Portland, alongside family members and pets. Parker is accused of killing Kimsey, her mother and grandmother, and her best friend and the friend's partner there before fleeing.
Investigators from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, which covers the Forest Grove area, are leading the inquiry. Parker was later found dead in Washington state, roughly three hours away, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, meaning he cannot be formally charged or tried. His relationship to the victims, and what may have driven him to the property, are central to understanding how the case has been pieced together.
The case is being described by authorities as one of the deadliest single incidents of its kind in the area in recent memory, which is why it has drawn wide attention. Because the suspect is dead, much of what is known comes from physical evidence, phone tracking and accounts from people connected to the victims, rather than from Parker himself.