Suspect in Oregon Mass Killing Found Dead

A 36-year-old man linked to a grisly discovery on an Oregon property was later found dead in Washington state, authorities say. The Washington County Sheriff's Office on Sunday named Benjamin Charles Parker as the suspect in the killings of five people and several domestic animals found a day earlier near Forest Grove, west of Portland, NBC News reports. The bodies were found in a secluded home in a rural area after firefighters responded to a 911 call about a vehicle fire early Saturday morning, reports KATU.

Police in Enumclaw, Washington, almost 200 miles away from Forest Grove, located Parker's vehicle and found him dead inside. "It is believed he died by suicide," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. Sheriff Caprice Massey said the victims were likely known to Parker and that the large, rural crime scene is unusually complicated, calling it unlike anything she has seen in 22 years on the job. Detectives are still working to identify the victims, but they say there is no ongoing threat to the public.