(NewsNation) — Portland residents are concerned a possible serial killer is on the loose as the city deals with this chilling mystery of six women who have been found dead within 100 miles of each other in the past three months.
The bodies have been discovered mostly in wooded, secluded rural areas.
According to law enforcement officials in Portland, all of the women are believed to have lived in Oregon or frequently have visited the state.
It’s still unclear if there are any possible connections or links of the women’s deaths and disappearances, however, the Portland Police Bureau and multiple county sheriff’s departments are investigating for any possible connections.
The first body was discovered by authorities on Feb. 19. Authorities discovered the human remains of 22-year-old Kristin Smith in southeast Portland’s Pleasant Valley neighborhood.
The cause or manner of Smith’s death is “so far undetermined per the Medical Examiner,” Portland Police Bureau’s Sgt. Kevin Allen said in a statement.
Just over a month later on April 8, police and firefighters in Clark County found the dead body of Joanna Speaks inside a barn on an abandoned property in Ridgefield, Washington, about 22 miles north of Portland.
According to the county medical examiner, Speaks died of blunt head and neck injuries. Authorities also believe her body was moved to the location where it was found.
On April 24, authorities discovered two more bodies. The body of 24-year-old Charity Lynn Perry was found in a culvert along the historic Columbia River Highway. Authorities cited an ongoing suspicious death investigation regarding Perry’s body.
On the same day, authorities would discover another women’s dead body in southeast Portland’s Lents neighborhood.
Authorities are seeking the public’s help to identify the woman, who was possibly Native American or Native Alaskan and between the ages of 25 and 40.
Six days later, on April 30, officials found the body of 31-year-old Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster in northwest Polk County.
Authorities say she is from Milwaukie and would visit the Portland metro area frequently.
Portland residents speculate that a serial killer is on the loose and remains at large. The question that everyone wants answered is are these murders connected?
Until that mystery is solved, residents remain on edge.