Four people in Oregon are dead after a man killed his girlfriend, her teenage son and her grandmother days before he died by suicide.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that Katie Lynn Kinder, her son, Evan Scott Kinder, and her mother, Patricia Lynn Campbell, were found dead in a home in Happy Valley, Oregon, on Tuesday, October 20.
Authorities learned of the incident when Katie’s employer called local police to report that she hadn’t shown up to work on October 19.
Officers were initially unable to get in contact with her, and her employer reached out to authorities again the next day to report that she had not come in to work for a second day. Police then entered her home, where they found Katie, 47, Evan, 15, and Campbell, 78, dead.
An investigation was launched into the case, and detectives learned that Katie’s boyfriend, Edward Villa, had also not shown up to work on both October 19 and October 20.
An arrest warrant on first-degree murder charges was issued for Villa, and officers located him at a hotel in Hammond, Oregon, on Wednesday, October 21. Villa then got into a brief standoff with officers.
“At about 1:00 p.m., U.S. Marshals surrounded the hotel and attempted to gain verbal communication with Villa,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement. “Shortly after arriving on scene, the U.S. Marshal officers heard what they believed to be a single gunshot inside Villa’s hotel room. Officers located Villa deceased.”
In light of the tragedy, Katie’s surviving relatives released a statement through the sheriff’s office that was later shared during a press conference.
“Our family is living through a nightmare that no family should ever have to experience,” the family said. “In one heartbreaking tragedy, we lost three beautiful people. There are no words strong enough to describe the pain, grief and devastation we are meeting.”
Authorities have not shared if they believe if Villa had a motive or what may have led to the murders. Additionally, it’s not currently known how long Villa and Katie had been dating prior to the incident or if they had a history of domestic abuse.
The sheriff’s office thanked the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, Oregon State Police, Warrenton Police Department and Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office for helping with the investigation.
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