In the last four months, the bodies of six women have been found around the greater Portland, Oregon area. Social media has been ablaze with rumors that these deaths are the works of a serial killer, a notion that the Portland Police Bureau has dismissed.
“These discussions have led to some anxiety and fear in our community, and we want to provide reassurance that the speculation is not supported by the facts available at this point,” the PPB said in a statement.
What Is Known About the Deaths of the Six Women?
Six women found dead in Portland could be connected to possible serial killer https://t.co/Qo5kl0Wv2b #OAN
— One America News (@OANN) June 5, 2023
Kristin Smith and Ashley Real were both 22 at the time of their deaths. The cause and manner of Smith’s death has not yet been ascertained.
In Real’s case, police admit that her death was “suspicious in nature,” but they have not confirmed whether or not it was the result of a homicide.
One of the six women is still unidentified. She was found dead inside of a tent in the Lents neighborhood of Portland, and according to police, there is no reason to suspect foul play.
In the case of 24 year-old Charity Lynn Perry, police believe that her mental health issues, most likely her schizophrenia, played a role in her death.
31 year-old Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster’s death has also been determined to be “suspicious.” Meanwhile, 34 year-old Joanna Speaks’s death has officially been ruled a homicide, as she suffered blunt injuries to both her head and neck.
Are There Connections Between the Six Women?
Possible link between three of six women in Portland deaths https://t.co/7vSHMjaZ13
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) June 9, 2023
Despite the police’s insistence that these deaths were not at the hands of a serial killer, a connection has been established between three of the women.
Charity Lynn Perry, Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster, and Joanna Speaks were known to frequent Southeast 82nd Town Avenue and Clackamas Town Center, a source close to the investigations told Oregon Live.
“It was premature to state that these deaths are unrelated or related,” the source said. “Investigators always look for commonalities with unsolved homicides.”
The source also claimed that the “personal histories” of the three women were similar, but they refused to elaborate further. Additionally, their bodies had been found within three weeks of each other, all within secluded wooded areas.
If a serial killer is indeed at large, many suspect that the police are doing damage control in denying the perpetrator’s existence, so as to counter the mass hysteria that has been festering via social media.
