The sister of a woman found dead in Portland has warned ‘numbers are rising’ after six bodies were found in just three months.
Joanna Speaks, 32, was found in rural Oregon, less than 100 miles from five other women who were found dead in suspicious circumstances – raising fears of a serial killer.
She is the only one to have been officially convicted of homicide, with a medical examiner saying she showed signs of blunt force trauma to her head and neck.
Her sister Robyn told NewsNation’s “Banfield” that authorities had been “very helpful” in her sister’s case, adding that “women are dying.”
She said: ‘I think they (the police) are trying to make sure they keep the public from being too scared of a serial killer. Either way, women are dying. And the numbers are growing.
Joanna Speaks, 32, was found in rural Oregon, less than 100 miles from five other women who were found dead in suspicious circumstances – raising fears of a serial killer
Joanna, a mother of three, was a recovering drug addict and was found dead in a barn on April 8, shortly after she went missing.
Police said her body was moved to where she was found once she was killed.
The six women were found in abandoned barns, by the side of the road or hidden in bushes, the first being found on February 19 and the most recent on May 7.
Apart from Joanna, the police have remained silent on the cause of death of the other five women.
Robyn added that her sister was ‘fun and excited about life’ but struggled with addiction and homelessness.
She said: “The police haven’t told us about the connections, but we know some of the other girls have that kind of demographic.
“We’re reaching out to the families of other women, and we’ve gotten a lot of tips from the community, and we’re passing on whatever we get to detectives so nothing is unseen or unheard of.”
Three local police departments are working together to see if the deaths can be linked, although it is currently unclear if or how they are linked.
Her sister Robyn told NewsNation’s Banfield that authorities had been ‘very helpful’ in her sister’s case, adding ‘women are dying’
The women’s bodies were all found within 100 miles of each other near Portland, Oregon, between February 19 and May 7.
On April 30, Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster, 31, was found dead and was known to frequent downtown Portland, according to police.
On April 24, police found the bodies of an unidentified Native American or Alaskan woman (left in a computer-generated image). On the same day, Charity Perry (right) was also found
Paul Holes, an investigator who helped identify the Golden State Killer and his arrest, warned that the victims were “part of a vulnerable population”.
Speaking to Banfield, he said: ‘The victimology is huge. It appears that some of these victims belonged to a vulnerable population.
“And right now, in my experience…that population is where the predators go because they’re trying to find the victims so they can meet their own needs.
“Often, even very experienced homicide investigators have never worked on this type of case.
“There are certain subtleties that the offender can leave behind in several cases that are missed.”
He added that cops need to find something that connects the murders and said authorities were generally “ill-prepared” for serial killer cases.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found on February 19 after going missing in late December. His remains were found in a wooded area near an intersection in Pleasant Valley.
The last body found was that of 22-year-old Ashley Real. His remains were spotted by a fisherman in a heavily wooded area of Eagle Creek on May 7. She was last seen in surveillance footage at a fast food restaurant on March 27 (right)
Medical examiners have yet to rule on the cause of death, and her family has conducted their own research for her and set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
Kristin Smith, 22, was found on February 19. She had been missing since December
On April 24, 24-year-old Charity Perry was found dead near Ainsworth State Park, but officers have not released any further information for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.
An unidentified woman was found the same day as Perry near a highway, and authorities say she is of Alaskan Native American descent.
She had two separate tattoos: a black musical note with the letter V and a Buddha on her right upper back.
When she was found dead, she was wearing rings and bracelets, a green long-sleeved shirt, a black and white zip-up jacket, jeans, and black and white Adidas cleats.
On April 30, Bridget Leann Ramsey Webster, 31, was found dead and was known to frequent downtown Portland, according to police.
The last body found by police was Ashley Real, 22, whose remains were spotted by a fisherman in a heavily wooded area of Eagle Creek on May 7.
She was last seen on surveillance footage at a fast food restaurant on March 27.
“We are working diligently with these respective law enforcement agencies to determine if these deaths are related.
“Our detectives are actively working on every lead, including the tips we’ve received,” Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Deputy John Plock told DailyMail.com.
