x
Breaking News
More () »

Search for serial arsonist in Portland ends with discovery of suspect's body

Portland Fire & Rescue said that the body of suspect Fredy Javier Paredes-Kancab was found four days after the series of fires on Sept. 20.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The man suspected of setting a string of fires in Portland last Wednesday has been found dead, according to an update from Portland Fire & Rescue.

Police and fire investigators were looking for the man responsible for 11 fires in the Kerns, Buckman, Hosford-Abernethy and Brooklyn neighborhoods, apparently set between the hours of 3 and 7 a.m. on Sept. 20. Investigators said that they were looking at a serial arsonist, a man seen in several surveillance videos during the spree.

The fires started near Northeast 28th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard, according to a news release from PF&R. From there, the arsonist apparently moved in a southwest and then southerly direction, setting off more fires in the Kerns, Buckman, Hosford-Abernethy and Brooklyn neighborhoods, with the final fire occurring just after 7 a.m. in Hosford-Abernethy.

Credit: Google Earth
Location of fires set around Portland the morning of Wednesday, September 20.

At the time, authorities requested help from the public in locating the man responsible, but did not identify him. According to the latest statement from PF&R, they identified the suspect on Friday as Fredy Javier Paredes-Kancab, 35.

But the search for Paredes-Kancab took an unexpected turn a few days later. Portland police officers responded to the discovery of a man's body on Sunday. After confirming his identity and recognizing the name, the Portland Police Bureau contacted PF&R's Arson Investigations Unit to let them know.

An initial statement from fire officials did not elaborate on the circumstances of Paredes-Kancab's death.

According to PF&R, Paredes-Kancab had a recent history of arson that wasn't limited to 11 fires originally noted in Portland. In all, investigators were aware of Paredes-Kancab starting 14 confirmed fires in Portland last week, and he'd been arrested in Gresham on Sept. 18 for a separate three-fire arson spree, PF&R said.

Paredes-Kancab was arrested in July after he allegedly used a brick to smash the windows of seven businesses in Northeast Portland. After Paredes-Kancab failed to appear for a hearing at the end of August, the court issued a warrant for his arrest. He had several subsequent unrelated run-ins with law enforcement, although court records do not show any arson-related case out of Gresham.

Court records show that the judge in the vandalism case had signed an order to dismiss the case on Friday, before police found Paredes-Kancab's body, because the prosecution could not proceed.

Before You Leave, Check This Out