What began as an early-morning vehicle fire led deputies to five victims, multiple fires and a cross-state search for a suspect.
FOREST GROVE, Ore. — The first emergency call from the rural property west of Forest Grove was about fire, not homicide. Within minutes, firefighters found human remains, withdrew from the scene and summoned deputies, beginning an investigation that would identify five victims, several dead animals and a suspect who was already leaving Oregon.
The Aug. 22 response at 47350 N.W. Otis Lane quickly grew into one of the most complicated homicide scenes Washington County Sheriff Caprice Massey said she had encountered in more than two decades with the agency. The victims were later identified as Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85; her daughter, Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60; Rowan’s daughter, Stella Jade Kimsey, 26; Stella’s best friend, Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26; and Haraldsen’s partner, Alvin Raymond Chu, 27. Detectives identified Stella’s boyfriend, Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, as the suspect.
A neighbor reported flames shortly after 5 a.m., and Forest Grove Fire & Rescue headed toward the rural address. The property was reached by a narrow driveway and contained several buildings, sheds and farm structures. Firefighters initially believed they were dealing with a burning vehicle. As the fire was brought under control, crews discovered a dead person and then another. Radio traffic documented the rapid shift from a routine fire response to a potentially dangerous crime scene, prompting firefighters to back away until law enforcement could secure the property.
Deputies arrived within minutes and formed a team to search the grounds. All five victims were found in or around the driveway near the main residence, investigators later said. Chu was inside the vehicle that had burned, while Mary Kimsey was outside it. Stella Kimsey was in another vehicle, Haraldsen was nearby on the ground and Rowan Kimsey was found near the walkway toward the home. Authorities said the positioning of the bodies, shell casings, cellphone information and evidence from the property became the basis for reconstructing a sequence that had unfolded before the fire call.
The scene also presented investigators with misleading damage that had to be sorted out. Early observations raised questions about whether some victims had been restrained, but detectives later said that was incorrect. Lead investigator Mark Povolny said there was no evidence the victims had been bound or moved after they were killed. Investigators said tarps had been placed over some bodies and later burned, producing melted material that could be mistaken for restraints. Correcting that early impression became part of the broader effort to separate initial observations from conclusions supported by forensic evidence.
Authorities said all five people had been shot with a .22-caliber firearm. Multiple fires were set, including fires involving the victims, and investigators said there were unsuccessful efforts to ignite a carport and the main home. Two dogs and two cats were found dead, and another cat was taken for veterinary care before being euthanized because of its injuries. Detectives said the animals had been shot. The surviving livestock required care while the property remained under law enforcement control and were later rehomed with approval from the Kimsey family.
The identities of the dead were not immediately clear, and that uncertainty complicated the early hours of the case. Investigators did not initially know whether Parker was among the five bodies or somewhere else. Cellphone location data became an important clue. Detectives said Parker’s phone left the property early Saturday, moved through the area and was later detected near Enumclaw, Washington. That information helped investigators conclude that he was not one of the deceased people at Otis Lane and allowed them to focus on finding him as a suspect.
As forensic teams worked the property, detectives built a second timeline from phone calls and text messages. They said Stella and Parker had a serious dispute late Thursday or early Friday, and Stella told him he had to leave. Later Friday, Haraldsen was on the phone with Stella when the call ended. Haraldsen could not reach her again and contacted Rowan, who said she would check on Stella. Rowan did not call back. Haraldsen then went to the property. Mary, unable to reach Stella, Rowan or Haraldsen, picked up Chu and headed there as well.
Investigators believe Stella was killed first, Rowan second and Haraldsen after she came looking for them. Mary and Chu arrived together later and were also killed. The sequence turned what may initially have looked like a single clustered crime scene into a chain of separate arrivals, with each person drawn to the property by concern for someone who had stopped responding. County officials later described the case as beginning with domestic violence. The sheriff’s office has not released a complete motive, and Parker’s death means there will be no criminal trial to test the state’s theory.
The search for Parker led authorities about 190 miles north. Detectives said he was driving a Toyota pickup registered to Rowan Kimsey. His phone was detected near Enumclaw, and Washington County authorities contacted local police. Enumclaw officers used automated license-plate reader data to determine the pickup had been in the city and had not apparently left. They located it behind a Safeway. Because Parker was believed to be armed, officers approached cautiously and found him dead inside. Authorities said he appeared to have died by suicide and that a small-caliber handgun was recovered.
Investigators said they were preparing an arrest warrant for five counts of first-degree murder when Parker’s mother provided another significant piece of evidence. She told detectives that Parker had called her Saturday night and confessed to the killings, saying he had planned them, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities said he also acknowledged killing the animals and setting fires. The reported statement was relayed through his mother rather than tested in court, so detectives have continued using physical, digital and forensic evidence to corroborate the account and fill gaps in the timeline.
The breadth of the scene required help from numerous agencies and specialized teams. The Washington County Major Crimes Team coordinated with forensic personnel, the medical examiner, digital evidence specialists, animal services and agencies in both Oregon and Washington. More than 100 people worked aspects of the case, investigators said. The Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division and county evidence personnel spent days documenting and preserving material. Officials said laboratory analysis, firearms work, autopsy findings and reconstruction of digital records could continue for months despite Parker’s death.
Only after the initial scene work and identification process did authorities begin releasing more about the victims themselves. Rowan owned the property and lived there, while Stella and Parker shared the main home. Mary lived in Portland. Haraldsen was Stella’s longtime best friend, and Chu was Haraldsen’s partner. The Kimsey family described Mary as a caring matriarch, Rowan as an artist and mentor, and Stella as someone deeply attached to farm life and animals. Haraldsen, the family said, had become part of their family over years of friendship.
The fire that first drew responders to Otis Lane ultimately became only one piece of a much larger reconstruction. Investigators still have to reconcile witness information, phone records, ballistics, laboratory results and medical findings into a final account. The sheriff’s office has said there is no continuing threat to the public, but the case remains open because the deaths of the suspect and the five victims do not eliminate the need to document what happened. Officials continue to seek relevant information from anyone familiar with the residents, the property or events immediately before Aug. 22.
Author note: Last updated September 30, 2026.