Officials provide timeline of murders of 5 people outside Forest Grove

Key Points:

• Five people and five animals were found shot to death on a rural property near Forest Grove, Oregon, with arson also involved; the suspect, Benjamin Parker, was identified and later found dead by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Washington state.
• The victims included Stella Kimsey, her mother Rowan Kimsey, grandmother Mary Kimsey, Stella’s best friend Linsey Haraldsen, and Haraldsen’s partner Alvin Chu; all had been shot with a .22-caliber gun, and fires were set at the crime scene.
• Investigators believe Parker planned the killings, confessed to his mother during a phone call, and fled the scene before dying by suicide; phone data and witness reports were critical in piecing together the timeline and suspect identification.
• The motive remains unclear, though Parker had a history of bipolar disorder and had a violent altercation with Stella Kimsey shortly before the killings; authorities continue forensic work and have rehomed surviving livestock from the property.
• The Kimsey family released a statement honoring the victims’ passions for family, animals, and nature, and expressed gratitude to those involved in the investigation and care of the farm animals.