Happy Valley, Oregon: Sheriff Names Mother, Son and Grandmother Killed at Home, Suspect Found Dead at Coast Motel

Three generations of one family were killed inside their home in Happy Valley, Oregon, and the man detectives believe shot them was found dead at a motel on the Oregon coast a day after police discovered the bodies, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said.

At a press conference on Thursday, October 22, the Sheriff's Office identified the victims as Katie Kinder, 47, her son Evan Kinder, 15, and her mother Patricia Campbell, 78. The Clackamas County Medical Examiner's Office determined that all three died from gunshot wounds. Happy Valley sits roughly 10 miles southeast of Portland.

Found after she missed work

Kinder had not shown up for work for two days, and her coworkers grew worried. At about 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, some of them went to the house in the 13000 block of Southeast Highpointe Drive, got inside and called police for help, according to The Oregonian. Sheriff's deputies entered the home and found the three family members dead.

Investigators believe the three were killed sometime between Sunday evening, October 18, and early Monday, October 19, although the exact timeline was still being pinned down.

The suspect lived in the home

Detectives quickly turned to the fourth person who had been living in the house. The Sheriff's Office identified Edward Villa, 45, as Kinder's boyfriend and said investigators had established probable cause to believe he intentionally killed Kinder, Campbell and Evan and acted alone. Sheriff James Rhodes characterized the case as domestic violence. An arrest warrant for Villa was issued on Wednesday, October 21.

Villa had worked for the North Clackamas School District since 2007, most recently as a student and community engagement specialist, and the district said he did not show up for work on Wednesday. Evan was a 10th grade student at New Urban Online, a district program. The district told families that law enforcement had said there was no threat to schools or facilities.

Tracked to a motel in Hammond

The search led about 100 miles northwest to the South Jetty Inn in Hammond, near Warrenton and Astoria. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service tried to make contact with him at the motel room on Wednesday and got no response. Tear gas and munitions were deployed, and a drone sent into the room found his body, The Oregonian reported. Warrenton police said Villa died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and no law enforcement officers fired their weapons.

"A suspect was identified, tracked, and located a little more than 24 hours after Happy Valley Police arrived on scene," Rhodes said in a statement. Happy Valley Police Chief Marcus Mendoza said: "This was a tragic incident for all involved and will have an impact on our normally peaceful city."

A family asks for privacy

On Thursday the Sheriff's Office shared a statement from the victims' family. Relatives said they had lost a mother, a sister and a nephew. They described Campbell as someone who helped hold the family together, Kinder as a loving aunt who brought joy and laughter, and Evan as a young person who had his whole life ahead of him. "There are no words strong enough to describe the pain, grief, and devastation we are feeling," the statement said in part. The family asked for privacy and thanked the community for its support.

The investigation is still open. Officials have not released a motive.