By Maxine Bernstein
oregonlive.com
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. — A Forest Grove fire engine company was first on the scene after a 911 caller reported a vehicle fire at 5:27 a.m Saturday at 47350 NW Otis Lane, a rural property in unincorporated Washington County outside of Forest Grove.
The firefighters found a car on fire and then discovered at least one body with a gunshot wound to the head.
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“We have a deceased victim up here,” a lieutenant radioed to dispatch, and called for police or the sheriff’s unit to respond, in case there were others.
There were – investigators eventually found five people dead on the property. The following day, officials announced that the suspected killer, Benjamin C. Parker, 36, was found dead by suicide in Washington state.
“We’re gonna just take our hoses and get out of here,” a firefighter on scene alerted dispatch.
The three to four firefighters assigned to the engine company backed their truck down what was described as a tight, dirt and gravel driveway to get to a safe spot and allow sheriff’s cars to reach the property.
Forest Grove Fire Chief Jim Geering said putting out the fire and ensuring there’s no threat to others is paramount to firefighters, followed by scene safety.
“Of course, when there’s a fire burning, we want to take care of it so it doesn’t spread and make sure there’s not a danger of other things catching fire,” the fire chief said. “We’re going to knock the fire down and make sure it’s not a hazard.”
Within minutes, firefighters confirmed to the sheriff’s office that one of the deceased had a gunshot wound to the head and there was duct tape around the bodies, according to audio of the dispatch.
Backing out and calling in law enforcement is done to preserve the scene, the chief said.
Police did not release any information about the quintuple homicide scene until Sunday afternoon, then revealed police had found Parker dead from a suspected suicide that evening in Enumclaw, Wash. As of Monday morning, officials had not identified any of the people found dead at the Otis Lane property.
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