According to an experienced cold-case investigator, whether or not Portland, its surrounding communities, have a serial murderer, the sheer volume of missing persons cases in the region should be cause for concern.

In a statement released last week, police downplayed the possibility of a serial murderer after six bodies were found in the city and its environs in the span of five months.

According to the online database of Oregon, Multnomah county, which includes Portland, has had 140 missing persons cases so far in this year. About half of them are women or girls. There are currently 401 missing-persons cases in Oregon.

Joseph Giacalone is a retired NYPD Sergeant who is now an adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College. He said that the sheer number of incidents should be taken into consideration, even if there are no suspicions of foul play.

According to the official count, the number of cases open involving missing girls and women in the first six months of 2018 is already higher than the 46 that will be left at the end 2022. Portland police, which keep a separate log and is responsible for only part of Multnomah County (466 square miles), said that they investigated 489 reports of missing persons last year.

Giacalone suggested that some of the disappearances could be related to Portland’s liberal policy on homelessness and open air drug markets.

He told Fox News Digital: “You cannot have tent cities or open-air drug market, as they only encourage this type of behavior.” It doesn’t even have to be for a bad reason.

He believes that there will be more bodies found. These are likely to be the result of overdoses. They may have been hidden by other users in a panicked state who didn’t want to draw attention.

He said: “If you believe that these six bodies are the only ones in that area, you would be wrong.” “A full investigation is needed, including cadaver dog detection and other methods.”

The remains of Kristin Speaks, 22, Joanna Speaks 32, Charity Perry 24, and an unidentified female on April 8, Bridget Webster 31, and Ashley Real 22, were found by police on May 7.

Investigators have publicly declared only one homicide out of the bodies they found – that of Speaks who died of blunt head and throat injuries in an abandoned barn located 22 miles north from Portland.

At least one of the cases has been connected to open-air drug markets and homeless camps.

Diana Allen, Perry’s mother, told Fox News Digital that Perry had a history with substance abuse and mental problems.

Perry’s mother thought her daughter lived in a tent near Vancouver, just north of Portland, but later learned that she was last seen in an open-air market for fentanyl in Portland, where she overdosed.

Her mother, Fox News Digital, said that Perry was transported to the hospital where she was revived by a Narcan dose.

The hospital didn’t contact her mother about the incident, nor did they verify her address.

Allen, speaking to Fox News Digital, said: “I was trying to find her but she wasn’t there every time I went out to the tent where she stayed.” “At first I did not know that she had gone to Portland until the detective told me about it. They cannot give me the exact date of death but are fairly certain it was in April.

Allen, who could not comment on the specifics due to an ongoing investigation, said that she believed the evidence showed her daughter had been taken to the park location to try to hide her remains.

She said, “It’s a lot to do for a drug-overdose.” “I’m trapped on this f—ed-up ride that I call the Ring of Fire. The other side is reaching for anything that could have a more innocent reason behind it. “The other side sucks me down a rabbit-hole that I fear I will never be able to get out.”

Perry’s mother said that despite her problems, she was friendly and always eager to meet people.

A report by The Oregonian states that investigators are investigating a possible link between Speaks’ death, the only confirmed homicide and the deaths of Perry and Webster. The three deaths occurred within a span of three weeks.

Giacalone stated that even if investigators haven’t found any evidence of a serial killer, they are still likely to look for patterns. However, it is too early to rule out a possibility.

He said that serial killers always prey upon the most vulnerable, such as drug users, prostitutes or homeless people, because they are transient. “People don’t look for them anymore after a while, and the groups they hang out with, be it the drug or prostitution scene aren’t very friendly to the police.”

A search in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System revealed that at least four Jane Does had been found in the area in 2022. One woman was located in Lowell in Oregon in May, another in Salem in Oregon in November, and two others in Woodland in Washington in March and April. One had been hit by a train. Two of them were found along rural roads, and a fourth was discovered floating in the Columbia River.

Giacalone stated that if a serial murderer was involved, they would have the perfect cover. “We have people from different parts of the country, coming to the open-air drugs scene, prostitution and all the other things. And you have the city with the ‘abolish police’ movement.” “This is a serial killers’ sweet spot.”

Portland has struggled with homelessness in recent years, as have many other West Coast cities.

Residents can also call 311. Residents can also dial 311.