Three of the six women found dead in remote wooded areas in Oregon, Washington are believed to have “visited the same places in the months leading up to their deaths.”
Between February 19 and May 7, six women between the ages of 22 and 32 were found within a 100-mile radius, leading to claims that a serial killer was on the loose.
Law enforcement officials are convinced there is “no connection” between the women, but a source close to the investigation said the comment is premature.
It is claimed that investigators are now looking into possible connections between JoAnna Speaks, 32, Charity Lynn Perry, 24, and Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster, 31.
The three women “were known to frequent Southeast 82nd Avenue and an area near the Clackamans Town Center,” the source said. Oregon Live.
“It was premature to say that these deaths are unrelated,” the source said.
“Detectives are always looking for similarities to unsolved murders.”
DailyMail.com has contacted the Portland Police Department regarding the claims, but did not immediately hear back.
The “personal histories” of Speaks, Perry and Webster “share similarities,” the source told the outlet — declining to provide more information.
It remains unclear whether a single person is connected to the deaths of the three women, the source added, but they all died within three weeks of each other in April.
Speaks, a mother of three and recovering drug addict, was found dead in a shed on April 8, shortly after she disappeared. She died of blunt force trauma and her case was ruled a homicide by investigators.
Her sister, Robyn, told NewsNation’s “Banfield” that authorities were “very helpful” in her sister’s case but feared “women are dying.”
“I think they (the police) are trying to keep the public from going crazy over a serial killer. Anyway, women are dying. And the numbers are rising,” she said.
Perry and Webster both died under “suspicious circumstances,” detectives said, and no other information has been released.
Oregon State Police Forensic Science & Pathology Bureau headed by Major Alex Gardner said in an email to the outlet that state police are prioritizing forensic work and DNA analysis on suspected homicides.
Gardner did not provide a time frame for completing them in these cases.
Six women aged 22 to 32 were found between February 19 and May 7 within a 100-mile radius, sparking claims that a serial killer is on the loose
An unidentified woman was found near a highway on the same day as Perry, and authorities said she is of Native American or Alaskan Native descent. She had two signature tattoos: a black music note with the letter V and a Buddha on her upper right back
Speaks was found April 8 in a Clark County barn on an abandoned lot in Ridgefield, Washington, about 22 miles north of Portland. She died of blunt head trauma and neck injuries.
Perry’s body was found April 24 by Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies in a culvert, a drain, or waterway crossing under a road or rail line, on East Historic Columbia River Highway and Northeast Tumalt Road, near Ainsworth State Park in eastern Multnomah County.
Webster’s body was found on April 30 on Harmony Road near Mill Creek in northwestern Polk County.
Little has been released about Perry and Webster’s circumstances, but police did say Perry was known to frequent an area of downtown Portland known for the open-air trade of fentanyl.
Around the same time as Speaks, Perry and Webster, three other women were also found dead.
An unidentified woman was found near a highway on the same day as Perry, and authorities said she is of Native American or Alaskan Native descent.
She had two signature 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.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found on Feb. 19 after disappearing in late December. Her remains were discovered in a wooded area near an intersection in Pleasant Valley.
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.
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.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found on Feb. 19. She had been missing since December
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)
She was last seen on surveillance footage from a fast food restaurant on March 27.
Three local police departments are working together on the cases.
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 to link the murders and that authorities are generally “ill-prepared” for serial killer cases.