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.
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.