The man who killed five people at a rural property near Forest Grove confessed to his mother that the killings were premeditated, Washington County investigators revealed at a Tuesday, Aug. 25 press conference.

The property at 47350 N.W. Otis Lane sits in unincorporated Washington County, and the investigation is led by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, headquartered in Hillsboro. The Hillsboro Police Department assisted in the case alongside more than a dozen other agencies.

Detective Mark Povolny, lead investigator with the Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit, reconstructed the killing sequence at the press conference. The five victims are Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85, of Portland; Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60, of Forest Grove; Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, of Forest Grove; Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26, of Portland; and Alvin Raymond Chu, 27, of Portland.

The suspect, Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, was Stella Kimsey's boyfriend and lived at the property, which Rowan Kimsey owned.

How investigators say it unfolded

Investigators believe the violence began Thursday evening or early Friday, Aug. 21, after Stella and Parker got into what Mary Kimsey described in a text message as a "horrible fight." Stella told Parker he had to leave.

Povolny said at the Aug. 25 press conference that Parker killed Stella first, then Rowan when she came to check on her daughter. Haraldsen had been on the phone with Stella when the call dropped. Unable to reach her, Haraldsen contacted Rowan, who said she would check on Stella and call back. Rowan never did. Haraldsen drove from Portland to the property, where Parker killed her. Mary Kimsey and Chu arrived together and were killed last.

All four women were shot multiple times with a .22-caliber firearm. Investigators believe Chu was killed the same way.

Confession and flight

Cellphone records show Parker's phone left the property at 4:42 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, and traveled through Forest Grove and Cornelius before being turned off at 5:15 a.m. The first 911 call came at 5:07 a.m. when a neighbor reported a fire.

Parker's phone reappeared at 7:55 p.m. Saturday near Enumclaw, Washington, where he made a lengthy call to his mother that ended at 9:11 p.m. She contacted law enforcement more than 12 hours later, Povolny said.

At the press conference, Povolny relayed what Parker told his mother: "He said he had been planning this for a while and that it was premeditated. He said he planned to kill three people, but two more people were also killed. He confessed to killing the animals, setting the fires and trying to burn the property down … He did not identify who he killed or explain a motive."

Parker did not specify which three people he intended to kill. Investigators have not determined a motive.

Suspect's death

Parker set two vehicles on fire and started fires at the bodies, the carport and the main home. He covered bodies on the ground with tarps before igniting them. Two dogs and two cats were found shot dead; a third cat was euthanized Monday, Aug. 24, due to a gunshot wound.

Enumclaw police used Flock license plate-reading cameras to locate a silver Toyota Tacoma registered to Rowan Kimsey. Parker was found dead inside from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. A .22-caliber handgun recovered from the truck is believed to be the weapon used in all five killings.

Local resources for survivors

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said domestic violence cases have accounted for about two-thirds of homicides in the county over the past three years.

Hillsboro is home to the Family Peace Center, a first-of-its-kind resource hub that opened in late April 2026. The center brings more than 20 partner agencies under one roof, including a Hillsboro Police domestic violence detective, the Washington County DA's Office and the Domestic Violence Resource Center. The Hillsboro Police Department was the first law enforcement agency to join the center.

More than 100 people have worked on the Otis Lane investigation, which the Washington County Sheriff's Office said will continue for months.

Residents experiencing domestic violence can contact the Family Peace Center at 503-430-8300 or the Domestic Violence Resource Center at 503-469-8620.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.