In the last three months, six women in Portland, Oregon, have been found dead within 100 miles of each other, leaving authorities to wonder if they’re dealing with a serial killer, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The victims were all found in suspicious circumstances in woodland areas, discarded barns, on the side of the road, and hidden among bushes.
The first victim was found on February 19, while the most recent was discovered on May 7. Authorities so far have only released the cause of one of the victim’s deaths believing that she died due to blunt force trauma to her head and neck.
Police are still trying to determine what the women have in common to help narrow down potential targets. Three local police departments are working together on the case to determine whether the deaths could all be connected.
The victims’ families are also starting to go public, fearing the killer will target more women.
“I don’t want to ever scare people, but the reality is there are women dying at awful numbers,” Robin Speaks, the sister of one of the women, local news outlets.
“Women need to pay attention, and they need to know there are dangers, and they’re clearly taking the lives of people we love,” she continued.
Her sister Joanna, a mother of three, was found dead in a barn in early April, just a few weeks after vanishing. Joanna was also reportedly a recovering drug addict believed to be clean by the time of her murder.
Police say her body had been moved to where she was found.
On April 24, a few weeks after Joanna’s death, Charity Perry, 24, was found dead near Ainsworth State Park.
Police are choosing not to release more details about her death for fear of compromising the investigation.
A Native American or Native Alaskan descent woman was also found the same day dead near an Interstate.
22-year-old Kristin Smith had been missing since late December. Her remains were found in a wooded area near an intersection in Pleasant Valley. The coroner had not yet ruled on a cause of death.
Her family set up a GoFundMe to help pay for her funeral expenses and are asking anyone with information to please contact the police to help catch whoever killed Kristin.
“We are working diligently with those respective law enforcement agencies to determine if these deaths are connected.”
“Our detectives are actively working every lead, including tips we have received,” Deputy John Plock of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office told DailyMail.com.