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Portland couple pleads for tips in son's slaying in 2017

June 12 marks four years since Brian Spaulding was found shot to death at his home near Irving Park.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Brian Spaulding is remembered as an easy-going, happy bachelor. Not a day goes by that his parents, George and Carolyn, do not think about him.

"Every day," George said. "I think about him every day. It would be counterproductive to dwell on it all the time but every day I think about him."

KGW learned that Brian's parents went to check on him at his home on Northeast 10th Avenue near Irving Park on June 12, 2017, after he failed to show up to work. They found him dead from a gunshot wound. 

"It's my suspicion that the intent was burglary or robbery and it went horribly wrong horribly fast," George said.

Nobody knows for sure what happened as there have been no arrests in the case. Brian's family worries that the recent spike in crime throughout Portland is making his murder case less of a priority for the detectives assigned to it.

"Both of them are absolutely swamped and not just with homicides," George said. "Because of the riots and stuff going on they've been pulled off to deal with some of that."

Credit: Spaulding Family
Brian is remembered as an easy going, happy bachelor.

On this fourth anniversary of Brian's death, his family is pleading for answers. They believe somebody knows something. 

"There's one person out there who knows exactly why this terrible thing happened to Brian and that's the person who shot him," George said. "And it's reasonable to assume there's one other person out there who knows they did it or suspects they did it."

Family and friends have raised $20,000 in reward money for information that leads to an arrest. Crime Stoppers is offering $2,500. Anyone with information about the case should contact the Portland Police Bureau. 

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