PORTLAND, Oregon — Family members of four women who died under suspicious circumstances in the Portland metro area came together for a fundraiser on Saturday.
Investigators and prosecutors have connected the women's deaths and have identified "at least one person of interest" in the cases. The four women are Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster and Ashley Real.
News outlets named Jesse Lee Calhoun as the person suspected in the killings, with Willamette Week the first to identify Calhoun as a suspected "serial killer," citing law enforcement sources.
Family members hoped the fundraiser over the weekend would help raise awareness of the cases and ensure that the women did not die in vain.
"This can't be for nothing,” said Ariel Hanby, whose sister, Joanna Speaks, died suspiciously. "They couldn't have died for nothing."
Speaks was not one of the four women, whose cases law enforcement linked together, although Hanby believes there’s similarities in Speaks’ death to the others.
"There are so many pieces that do really link Joanna with the girls and with a person of interest," Hanby said.
Family members said even before the women’s remains were found, they knew something tragic happened.
"I searched for five months for Kristin," said Melissa Smith, the mother of Kristin Smith. "I knew something was wrong. I don't want anybody to ever go through what I go through."
Even though there is a person of interest, Charity Perry’s mother, Diana Allen, said there is no suspect currently in Perry’s case.
Family members continue to worry that more tragedies will occur across the Portland metro.
"By May, Multnomah County had more people missing than they did the whole previous year. And that's women and kids," Allen said.
Their hope is that fundraisers like the one on Saturday, with pictures of the women, will raise awareness of potential dangers. They also provided lists of resources for people dealing with sex trafficking.
They’re also hopeful someone with information into their deaths will come forward. Until then, they will continue to search for more information.
"We're not going anywhere," Allen said. "We're not letting it go, we're not sitting down, we're not shutting up."