Suspect in mass killing found dead

The sheriff said she's never "witnessed a scene quite this complex."

August 24, 2026, 9:09 AM

Authorities investigating a quintuple homicide in Oregon say the suspected killer has been found dead.

Firefighters found the five bodies while responding to a fire in a rural area near Forest Grove on Saturday morning, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. Forest Grove is about 30 miles outside of Portland.

Many dead domesticated animals were also at the scene, authorities said.

Investigators don't believe the murders were random, the sheriff's office said. The victims' identities have not been released.

"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," Sheriff Caprice Massey said at a news conference on Sunday. "This incident is deeply concerning to our community."

The suspect in the homicides, 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker, has since been found dead in his car in Enumclaw, Washington, from an apparent suicide, according to the sheriff's office. Property records show Parker as a resident at the scene of the homicides.

Authorities don't believe there's any danger to the public, the sheriff's office said, noting that the investigation is ongoing.