A 37-year-old mother and her three children were found dead in a Cornelius home on Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly after 3 p.m., WCSO deputies arrived at a home in the 300 block of North 15th Avenue. An unnamed 911 caller reported discovering the four victims in a structure behind the house.
The mother was identified as Hong Phuong Le, and the children were Thanh Tien Dam, 7, Ha Ngan Dam, 5, and Viena Mai Dam, 2.
According to neighbors, the two eldest children went to Cornelius Elementary, which is nearby.
The Forest Grove School District stated that the two eldest children were students at Cornelius Elementary School.
Forest Grove School District issued a statement:
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office told us yesterday of the tragedy that occurred in the Cornelius community. Two of the people, aged five and seven, attended Cornelius Elementary School.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is still conducting an open investigation, and there is little information available.
We have talked with school families and are providing bereavement and mental health care resources to kids, faculty, and families at the school.
At this time, we ask that you respect our elementary school community by addressing any additional queries to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Our students are going through a lot, and they need to focus on getting the help they need while still staying as focused on their academic routines as possible.”
According to neighbor Casey Dennis, a fire broke out at the victims’ house a few months ago, cutting off their electricity.
“Seeing the kids happily playing, and they would happily come down the driveway,” Dennis said. “The mom taking them to school back and forth every day seemed like a very nice routine, and they seemed like just another family in the neighborhood.”
Neighbors also mentioned that the victims felt alienated in the community due to a language barrier, but that the children always smiled and waved.
“Even though they weren’t part of the normal communications in the neighborhood, they were a part of it,” said neighbor Heather Murphy. “They had pretty bright smiling faces, I will remember,” she said.
At this point, the WCSO reports that it is a death investigation, and no arrests have been made. They claim there is no threat to the public at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to call the WCSO Investigations Division at 503-846-2500 and reference case number 50-25-4892.
This is a developing story, and it will be updated as more information becomes available.