Relatives of two of the four women found dead in Oregon earlier this year said Tuesday they hope justice will be served after authorities identified a person of interest in the killings.
The name of the person linked to the deaths has not been disclosed by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Officebut family members said the development was the first positive news they had heard in months.
The bodies of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Ashely Real, 22, were discovered in and around Portland, Oregon, between February and May, sparking fears among some residents that a serial killer was in their midst.
“This is the first step, so we just have to move forward and go through the process,” said Smith’s mother, Melissa Smith, whose daughter was found dead Feb. 19 in Southeast Portland. “I’m trying not to get too emotional. It would certainly be nice to get the justice that my daughter and these three girls deserve.”
No charges have been filed in the cases, and the four deaths remain under investigation by the state medical examiner’s office.
“Officially, we have not named a person of interest,” Liz Merah, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said in an email Tuesday. “Investigators have interviewed several people in connection with these cases and have identified at least one person of interest who is linked to the four deceased.”
They did not say how the four deaths were related to the person of interest, and at least one family member said it was too early to believe the suspected killer had been found.
“Hopefully, there will be an outcome (of this) and then everyone can take a deep breath and move on with their lives,” said Webster’s stepfather Tom, who did not want his full name used because of of privacy I’ll wait and see what happens.”
Perry was discovered in a culvert on the East Historic Columbia River Highway in Multnomah County on April 24.
Webster was found six days later on a rural road in nearby Polk County, while Real was found in a wooded area in another nearby county, Clackamas, on May 7.
KGW, NBC affiliate in Portland and other media first reported that two other women were found dead in the region during the same period, but officials did not mention them when they confirmed that the four women may be related.
Relatives of one of those women, JoAnna Speaks, said in a statement Tuesday that they were trying to gather more information about why she was not among the four deaths linked to the person of interest.
“We are very grateful, however, that we are one step closer to getting answers for the families of Kristin, Charity, Bridget and Ashley – hopefully soon for JoAnna as well,” the family said in a statement. “Please allow us time to digest all of this new information and work towards further clarification. We have no further comment at this time.”
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said they did not believe there was any danger to the community.
The Portland Police Bureau said last month that authorities had found no evidence linking the deaths and that social media posts and news reports suggesting otherwise were causing fear and anxiety.
Nine law enforcement agencies in northwest Oregon worked together to determine the four cases were related, officials said.
