The Forest Grove mass murder investigation has produced a timeline that is difficult to read, and harder still to accept, because it shows five people dying one after another as each arrived to check on the person who came before.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect on Monday as 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Enumclaw, Washington, after fleeing Oregon on Saturday, 22 August.

Those Who Died

Five people were killed at the property near Forest Grove:

Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85, of Portland, grandmother to Stella.

Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60, of Forest Grove, Stella’s mother.

Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, of Forest Grove, who had been in a relationship with Parker.

Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26, of Portland, Stella’s closest friend.

Alvin Raymond Chu, 27, of Portland, Linsey’s partner.

How It Began

According to lead investigator Detective Mark Pavoni, the sequence traces back to a serious argument between Stella Kimsey and Parker that occurred either Thursday night or in the early hours of Friday. It ended with Stella telling Parker to leave.

That instruction, made after a fight, is a point investigators have identified as the trigger for everything that followed.

Friday: A Dropped Call and a Chain of Concern

The killings unfolded across Friday, 21 August, in a pattern investigators describe as sequential.

During the afternoon, Stella was speaking on the phone with Linsey Haraldsen when the call abruptly cut off.

By evening, Linsey still could not reach her. She called Stella’s mother, Rowan Kimsey, who lived on the same property. Rowan went to check. She never called Linsey back.

Growing worried, Linsey drove to the Forest Grove property herself.

At 8:30 that night, Stella’s grandmother, Mary Kimsey, texted a friend to say she also could not reach anyone and was heading to the property with Alvin Chu to see what was happening.

Investigators believe the order of the killings mirrors the order of arrivals. Parker is thought to have killed Stella first, then Rowan when she came to investigate, then Linsey when she reached the property, and finally Mary and Alvin when they arrived.

Three cats and two dogs on the property were also shot. All the killings involved a .22-caliber firearm.

Saturday Morning

Cell phone data documented Parker’s departure.

At 4:42 a.m., his phone left the property. At 5:15 a.m., after moving through Forest Grove and Cornelius, the phone was switched off.

At 5:27 a.m., neighbors called 911 to report a fire. Firefighters arrived to find a burning vehicle and two bodies, and immediately contacted law enforcement.

What Was Left Behind

Before leaving in a silver Toyota Tacoma registered to Rowan Kimsey, Parker covered bodies on the ground with tarps and set separate fires at each of four bodies. He also attempted to burn the main house, a carport, and the car containing Stella’s body.

The Confession

Parker’s mother contacted detectives on Sunday.

She reported that her son had called her at 7:55 p.m. Saturday from Enumclaw, Washington, and confessed.

According to her account, Parker said the attack was planned in advance, and that he had originally intended to kill three people but ended up killing five. He indicated he was unwilling to face the consequences of first-degree murder.

Shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday, Enumclaw police located the Tacoma behind a Safeway grocery store. Parker was found dead inside from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

How the Families Responded

A statement from the Kimsey family described Mary as the matriarch who held the family close, and as an activist. They remembered Stella as fiercely passionate and Rowan as a skilled traditional tattoo artist.

The family thanked investigators for arranging new homes for the surviving farm livestock.

In a message shared by Stella’s sister, Alexis, the family asked the public to extend the same compassion and respect to Parker’s family as they work through their own grief. That request, made days after losing five relatives and friends, is remarkable.

The Pattern Underneath

Investigators have described this as a domestic dispute that escalated, and the shape of it is unfortunately recognizable to those who study these cases.

Separation is a documented period of heightened danger in abusive relationships. The moment a partner is told to leave frequently marks the point where risk rises rather than falls.

The chain of victims here follows another known pattern. People who arrive to check on someone they cannot reach often become victims themselves, because the danger is still present and they have no reason to expect it.

None of this predicts any individual case, and it is not offered as explanation. It is context for why advocates urge people to involve law enforcement rather than conducting welfare checks alone when someone has gone unreachable after a volatile breakup.

Where to Find Help

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available around the clock at 1-800-799-7233, with an online chat option available through its website.