After months of investigating, Oregon authorities believe the deaths of 4 young women are connected

By Christina Maxouris and Jamiel Lynch, CNN

(CNN) — After months of probing and multiple investigations, authorities in northwestern Oregon now believe the mysterious deaths of four young women are connected, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The bodies of the four women, ranging from 22 to 31 years old, were all discovered earlier this year, and the cause and manner of their deaths has yet to be determined by the state’s medical examiner, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.

The women were identified as 22-year-old Kristin Smith, 22-year-old Ashley Real, 24-year-old Charity Lynn Perry and 31-year-old Bridget Leann (Ramsay) Webster, according to the release. All four have ties to Portland.

Authorities have interviewed multiple people in connection with the cases and have identified “at least one person of interest” who is linked to all four women, the release said. No charges have been filed in any of the cases.

“Based on the available information to investigators, there is not believed to be any active danger to the community at this time,” the district attorney’s office said.

The death investigations remain ongoing.

The announcement comes roughly a month and a half after police in Portland had said they had no reason to believe the deaths of six women in the region – which include some of the deaths that have now been linked – were connected, saying online speculation about a link was “not supported by the facts available at this point.”

CNN has reached out to Portland police for comment on the new developments.

What we know about the deaths of 4 women near Portland

In February, the Portland Police Bureau recovered the remains that it later announced belonged to Smith, who had been reported missing in late December. The remains were found in a wooded area, the bureau said.

Her family members spoke to CNN affiliate KPTV in May about Smith’s creativity and her love for animals – especially her cat. They told the news station they wanted answers.

“What happened?” her mother, Melissa Smith, questioned in an interview with KPTV. “I know she didn’t just suddenly die out there, somebody did something.”

“She deserves justice,” her mother added.

On April 27, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office posted about Charity Perry’s “suspicious death,” saying her body was found near a highway just northeast of Portland three days earlier.

“The last known area that Perry was known to frequent was downtown Portland … at the beginning of March,” the sheriff’s office said.

Perry’s mother, Diana Allen, spoke to CNN affiliate KATU in June, saying her daughter’s smile “could light up the world.”

Allen also mentioned that Perry had recently suffered from mental health issues.

The body of Bridget Leann (Ramsey) Webster was found on April 30 near Mill Creek, which is about 50 miles southwest of Portland, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The office called Webster’s death “suspicious,” and asked anyone who knew her or had information about her death to contact authorities.

“The last known area that Webster was known to frequent was the Portland metro area, particularly Portland, Oregon City, and Milwaukie,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

On May 7, a man who visited a heavily wooded area in Clackamas County, the county just south of Portland, called local authorities after he discovered human remains.

Authorities identified those remains as belonging to 22-year-old Ashley Real. Her death was suspicious in nature, the sheriff’s office there said.

Real had been reported missing to Portland police on April 4, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

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