EAGLE CREEK, Ore. (KGW) — A forested area off Southeast Judd Road in rural Clackamas County is where deputies discovered the remains of Ashley Real.
The 22-year-old was last seen in late March at a fast food restaurant and transit center in Portland. Surveillance photos of Real are some of the last before she turned up dead in that heavily-wooded area near Eagle Creek.
“It’s just so heartbreaking and it’s really hard to put into words, I guess, how heartbreaking it is,” Robyn Speaks said. “No matter the circumstances that’s someone’s baby.”
Speaks did not know Real, but she is following her case closely. Like Real, Speaks’ sister, Joanna Speaks, vanished in late March only to turn up dead in early April in a rural area of Clark County.
“We’ve gotten through the celebration of life and we were able to come together for that and it was really awesome but now it’s kind of hitting us more that it’s real and we keep seeing on the news all these new girls,” Speaks said.
All these new girls. Five in total. Amongst them, Bridget Webster. Her body was also found in late April in Polk County.
About that same time, authorities discovered the body of Charity Perry in Ainsworth State Park. Perry had been missing since early March.
And then there is Kristin Smith, who vanished in December 2022. The 22-year-old’s body was found two months later near Southeast Deardorff Road and Flavel Street in Portland.
“With each one, we as a family, we’ve talked about it, shared it, looked at the details,” Speaks said. “We’ve talked to the detectives to see if there are any similarities.”
KGW reached out to detectives with all of the agencies investigating these disappearances and deaths. The Polk and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Offices got back to us said they’re talking to partner agencies to see if their respective cases are connected to any others.
“I don’t want to ever scare people but reality is there are women dying at awful numbers,” Speaks said.
While it’s unclear if any of these cases will turn out to be connected, Speaks is adamant about one thing.
“Women need to pay attention and they need to know there are dangers and they’re clearly taking the lives of people we love,” she said.
Anyone with information about any of these cases is urged to contact authorities.
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