Sister of woman killed in Portland says police are trying ‘to keep the public from panicking’
The sister of a woman found dead in Portland has warned that the ‘numbers are rising’ after six bodies were found in just three months.
Joanna Speaks, 32, was found in a rural Oregon area within 100 miles of the other five women found dead in suspicious circumstances — raising fears of a serial killer.
She is the only one officially ruled a homicide, with a medical examiner saying she had signs of blunt force trauma to the head and neck.
Her sister Robyn told NewsNation’s Banfield that authorities have been “very helpful” in her sister’s case, adding that “women are dying.”
She said, “I think the police are trying to make sure the public doesn’t go too crazy over a serial killer. Anyway, women are dying. And the numbers are rising.’
Joanna Speaks, 32, was found in a rural Oregon area within 100 miles of the other five women found dead in suspicious circumstances — raising fears of a serial killer
Joanna, a mother of three, was a recovering drug addict and was found dead in a barn on April 8, shortly after she disappeared.
Police say her body was moved to the location where she was found after she was killed.
All six women were found in disused barns, on the side of the road or hidden in bushes, the first found on Feb. 19 and the most recent on May 7.
Except for Joanna, the police are tight-lipped about the cause of death of the other five women.
Robyn added that her sister was “fun and excited about life” but struggled with addiction and homelessness.
She said: “The police haven’t told us about a link, but we do know that some of the other girls have that kind of demographic.
“We’re reaching out to the other women’s families, and we’ve gotten a lot of tips from the community, and we’re passing on whatever we get to detectives so nothing goes unseen or unheard.”
Three local police departments are working together to see if the deaths may be related, although it is currently unclear if or how they are related.
Her sister Robyn told NewsNation’s Banfield that authorities have been “very helpful” in her sister’s case, adding that “women are dying”
The women’s bodies were all found within 100 miles of each other near Portland, Oregon, between Feb. 19 and May 7.
On April 30, 31-year-old Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster was found dead and, according to police, she was known in downtown Portland.
On April 24, police found the bodies of an unidentified Native American or Alaskan woman (left behind in a computer-generated image). Charity Perry (right) was also found that same day
Paul Holes, an investigator who helped identify the Golden State Killer and his arrest, has warned that the victims belonged to a “vulnerable group.”
Speaking to Banfield, he said, “Victimization is huge. It sounds like some of these victims belonged to a vulnerable population.
“And right now, my experience is, … that population is where the predators go, because they try to find the victims to meet their own needs.
“Often even very experienced homicide detectives have never worked on such cases.
“There are some subtleties left by the perpetrator in multiple cases that are overlooked.”
He added that police need to find something linking the murders and said authorities are typically “ill-prepared” for serial killer cases.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found on Feb. 19 after disappearing in late December. Her remains were found in a wooded area near an intersection in Pleasant Valley.
The last body to be found was that of 22-year-old Ashley Real. Her remains were spotted on May 7 by a fisherman in a heavily wooded area in Eagle Creek. She was last seen on surveillance footage at a fast food restaurant on March 27 (right)
Medical investigators have yet to rule on the cause of death, and her family has been looking for her on their own and setting up a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found on Feb. 19. She had been missing since December
On April 24, Charity Perry, 24, was found dead near Ainsworth State Park, but officers have not released any further information for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.
An unidentified woman was found near a highway on the same day as Perry, and authorities say she is of Native American or Native Alaskan descent.
She had two different tattoos: a black music note with the letter V and a Buddha on her upper right back.
When she was found dead, she was wearing rings and bracelets, a green long-sleeved shirt, a black and white zip-up jacket, jeans and black and white Adidas shoes.
On April 30, 31-year-old Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster was found dead and, according to police, she was known in downtown Portland.
The last body found by police was 22-year-old Ashley Real, whose remains were spotted by a fisherman on May 7 in a heavily wooded area in Eagle Creek.
She was last seen on surveillance footage from a fast food restaurant on March 27.
“We are working diligently with those respective law enforcement agencies to determine if these deaths are related.
“Our detectives are actively working on every lead, including tips that we have received,” Deputy John Plock of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office told DailyMail.com.