Authorities say the 36-year-old suspect was found dead in Washington a day after five people and several animals were discovered in Oregon.
FOREST GROVE, OR — A man identified as the suspect in the killings of five people at a rural property outside Forest Grove was found dead inside a vehicle in Washington state Sunday, authorities said, as detectives continued investigating what the sheriff described as an unusually complex crime scene.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker. Investigators believed Parker had traveled to Enumclaw, Washington, where local police located his vehicle and found him dead inside. Authorities said they believe Parker died by suicide. The sheriff’s office said it no longer believes there is a danger to the public, but the investigation into the five deaths remains active. Officials have not publicly explained how investigators identified Parker as the suspect or what connection he had to the people found dead.
The investigation began early Saturday, Aug. 22, after a 911 caller reported a vehicle fire at 47350 NW Otis Lane in unincorporated Washington County outside Forest Grove. Washington County deputies were dispatched at 5:27 a.m. to assist Forest Grove firefighters. Fire crews discovered human remains at the property and asked law enforcement to respond. Investigators eventually found five people dead, along with several domestic animals, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities are treating the deaths as a quintuple homicide and have said they do not believe the violence was random. The identities, ages and genders of the five people had not been released Sunday night. Officials also had not disclosed their causes of death, where on the property they were found or what relationship they may have had to one another. Investigators have not said what role, if any, the reported vehicle fire played in the deaths.
Detective Shannon Wilde said during a Sunday afternoon news conference that the size of the property and the number of deaths created major challenges for investigators. Officials were still working to confirm the victims’ identities and notify their families. Wilde said authorities delayed releasing extensive details while detectives processed the scene, checked information and tried to make the required family notifications.
Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey said the scene was unlike anything she had encountered during more than two decades with the agency. “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,” Massey said. She said investigators had committed extensive resources to determining what happened.
The rural property is in a heavily vegetated area of hills and forest outside Forest Grove. The investigation brought a large law enforcement and forensic response to Northwest Otis Lane through the weekend. The Washington County Major Crimes Team is assisting sheriff’s detectives, while the Oregon State Police Crime Lab and county forensic personnel have been involved in processing the scene.
Other agencies assisting have included police departments from Forest Grove, Beaverton, Cornelius, Hillsboro and Tigard, along with the Forest Grove Fire Department, Washington County Animal Services, the county medical examiner’s office and federal authorities. Sheriff’s Office specialty units, including search-and-rescue and remotely operated vehicle teams, also supported the investigation. Authorities have not released detailed findings from the forensic work.
Earlier Sunday, before Parker was located, investigators said no suspect was in custody but that evidence indicated the killings were not a random act. Later that evening, the sheriff’s office announced that detectives had identified Parker as the suspect and traced him to Enumclaw. Officers there located his vehicle and found him dead. Authorities have not publicly described the investigative steps that led them from the Forest Grove property to Parker in Washington.
Detectives are continuing to work on identifying the victims, establishing their relationships to Parker and reconstructing what happened at the property. The sheriff’s office has also sought information from people familiar with the residence, its occupants or their associates. No motive has been released, and investigators have not announced a timeline for completing the crime-scene examination or releasing the victims’ identities.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.