The suspected killer of a 29-year-old woman murdered in North Portland almost three decades ago has been arrested, police say. CNN quoted Portland police Detective Meredith Hopper as saying that “The main thread that kind of is woven through this story is the fact that they were all victims of sex trafficking, and he would patronize services of these women and women like them, and he targeted them for that reason”. In a related report by the Inquisitr, the DNA evidence from a 30-year-old cold case linked the victim to a man named Michael Jones.
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Simpson said more details of Jackson’s arrest would be released late Friday afternoon.
Essie Jackson, 23, was found on March 23, 1983 at the bottom of a steep embankment in Overlook Park.
Tonja Harry, 19, was found dead on July 9, 1983.
Later that year, on September 22, 1983, a potential homebuyer inspecting a residence in the 400 block of Northeast Going Street discovered the body of a young African American girl in the upstairs bedroom. Detectives said the house was locked and vacant with a for sale sign and a lock box on the front door.
Latanga Watts, 29, was found dead in the grass near a pedestrian bridge on March 18, 1987. Detectives learned that Watts had been a victim of sex trafficking and was last seen on Union Avenue the night before her body was discovered. They believe there may be more victims.
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Jackson has a long criminal history dating back to 1983 for such crimes as burglary and criminal mischief.
