Authorities say Benjamin Charles Parker was known to the five victims, whose identities and causes of death remain undisclosed.
FOREST GROVE, Ore. — A 36-year-old man identified as the suspect in the deaths of five people at a rural property west of Forest Grove was found dead Sunday in Enumclaw, Washington, authorities said, one day after the victims and several domestic animals were discovered.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Benjamin Charles Parker. Officers with the Enumclaw Police Department located Parker’s vehicle and found him dead inside, according to investigators. Authorities believe Parker died by suicide. The sheriff’s office said Parker was the suspect in what it is investigating as a quintuple homicide and that officials no longer believe there is a danger to the public. The investigation into what happened at the Oregon property remains active.
The case began at 5:27 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, when Washington County sheriff’s deputies were asked to assist the Forest Grove Fire Department at 47350 NW Otis Lane in unincorporated Washington County. A 911 caller had reported a vehicle fire in the area, the sheriff’s office said. Fire personnel discovered human remains after arriving at the property and requested help from law enforcement. Responders later found a total of five people dead, along with several domestic animals.
Investigators have not publicly released the names, ages or genders of the five people found at the property. Their causes of death also have not been disclosed. Authorities have not said where each victim was found, how long they may have been dead or whether the reported vehicle fire was directly connected to their deaths. The types and number of domestic animals found dead also have not been publicly identified.
Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey said Parker was known to the five people who were killed, but investigators had not determined or publicly disclosed the exact nature of those relationships. A possible motive also remained unknown. Officials have not explained what evidence caused detectives to identify Parker as the suspect or what information led investigators to believe he had traveled to Enumclaw, a city in Washington state southeast of Seattle.
Enumclaw police located Parker’s vehicle Sunday and found him dead inside. Local reporting said the vehicle was found behind a Safeway store in the city. Enumclaw police said they would cooperate with Oregon investigators as the homicide investigation continued. The King County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol also assisted with the scene in Washington, according to local authorities.
The discovery of Parker came hours after sheriff’s officials held a briefing about the deaths and described the Oregon property as an unusually large and complicated crime scene. Detective Shannon Wilde said investigators were treating the case as the killing of five people. Sheriff Caprice Massey said the investigation stood out during her 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,” Massey said.
The size of the investigation prompted a response from numerous law enforcement, forensic and emergency agencies. The Washington County Major Crimes Team, an interagency group of detectives, joined the investigation. The Oregon State Police Crime Lab sent forensic personnel to process the scene, while sheriff’s office forensic and evidence teams also responded. Search and rescue personnel, a remotely operated vehicle team, crash reconstruction specialists and the Tactical Negotiations Team were among the units that assisted.
Other agencies involved included the Forest Grove Police Department and police departments in Beaverton, Cornelius, Hillsboro and Tigard. Washington County Animal Services, the Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office, the county Digital Forensics Lab, American Medical Response and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also provided assistance. Authorities have not said what specific evidence each agency was asked to examine.
Before Parker was identified, investigators said they did not believe the deaths resulted from a random act of violence. Officials also explained that more than a day passed before the first detailed public briefing because detectives were working to establish the victims’ identities, notify their relatives and process the large scene. Wilde said officials wanted to make sure information released publicly was accurate while detectives continued following leads in an active investigation.
After Parker was found, Massey said investigators did not believe the community remained at risk. The deaths of the five victims, however, remain under investigation. Their identities, their precise relationships to Parker, the causes and circumstances of their deaths, the connection of the reported fire to the case and a possible motive had not been publicly established as of Sunday night.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.