True crime cases in Oregon span decades of criminal history, from unsolved disappearances in rural communities to high-profile investigations in the state's largest cities. Oregon law enforcement agencies, from local police departments to the state bureau of investigation, have tackled cases ranging from cold-case homicides and serial offenders to fraud schemes and domestic violence tragedies. CaseSleuth tracks each Oregon case with comprehensive timelines, profiles of victims and persons of interest, evidence summaries, and links to media coverage and court documents. Browse the cases below to explore the full scope of criminal investigations in Oregon.
2 cases found
Diane Downs shot her three children on a rural Oregon road on May 19, 1983, killing 7-year-old Cheryl and severely wounding Christie and Danny. She claimed a stranger attacked them, but was convicted of murder and attempted murder in 1984.
On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 flying from Portland to Seattle. He claimed to have a bomb, demanded $200,000 in cash and four parachutes, then jumped from the aircraft's rear stairs over southwestern Washington and was never seen again. Despite a 45-year FBI investigation examining over 1,000 suspects, the hijacker was never identified. It remains the only unsolved case of air piracy in U.S. commercial aviation history. The FBI officially suspended the active investigation in July 2016.