Local
Three family members found dead in Happy Valley home; suspect later found dead on coast
Authorities identified Katie Kinder, her 15-year-old son Evan and her mother, Patricia Campbell, as the victims of a triple homicide in Happy Valley. The suspect, Katie Kinder’s boyfriend Edward Villa, was found dead in a Clatsop County hotel room before he could be taken into custody.
Authorities have identified three people found dead in a Happy Valley home as Katie Kinder, her 15-year-old son, Evan Kinder, and her mother, Patricia Campbell. Investigators believe Edward Villa, Kinder’s boyfriend, killed them earlier this week, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Evan was a 10th-grade student at New Urban Online, part of the North Clackamas School District. Villa worked for the district, officials said.
Police went to the home after Kinder’s coworkers became concerned when she missed work Monday and again Tuesday. The coworkers visited the home and called police, who found all three victims, sheriff’s Detective Matt Lysaght said.
U.S. Marshals located Villa Wednesday at the South Jetty Inn in Hammond, a coastal town in Clatsop County more than two hours’ drive from Happy Valley. Villa died by suicide before officers could take him into custody, the Marshals Service said.
The circumstances immediately preceding the killings remain unclear. Sheriff James Rhodes said domestic violence and violent crime “has no place in Clackamas County.”
In a statement shared by law enforcement, the victims’ family called the deaths a “heartbreaking tragedy,” saying the three were loved ones and an irreplaceable part of their lives. North Clackamas School District officials said students and families have the right to live free from fear, abuse and violence at home and in their community.