Murder investigation underway after woman’s body found off forest road near Estacada

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) - An investigation is underway after a woman was found dead off of a forest road in the Mount Hood National Forest earlier this month.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says human remains were found off Forest Service Road 45 near South Hillockburn Road, just southeast of Estacada, on Sept. 1. The remains were found by someone recreating in the area.

Deputies, along with detectives, crime scene investigators and the medical examiner, responded for the investigation and gathered evidence.

Following an autopsy, the medical examiner identified the remains as 38-year-old Jennifer Ruth Stuart, of Oregon City. The sheriff’s office said her death was ruled a homicide.

No arrests have been made at this time, and detectives are following up on leads, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said Stuart had not been previously reported as missing to law enforcement.

Stuart was believed to be homeless and would frequently be around the Clackamas Town Center or the Fred Meyer on Southeast 82nd Avenue and Southeast Johnson Creek Boulevard, according to those that knew her.

Other homeless people who knew her say it was suspicious that her body was found so far away.

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“She was a good girl, but she’s in a better place I guess,” Stuart’s friend Mike Chaney said. “When I found out, it hit me in my stomach, it hurt. Why do we have to lose the good ones when there are so many bad people out there.”

While Chaney is devastated to hear about her sudden death, he is glad to hear the sheriff’s office is taking Stuart’s case seriously.

Anyone with information that may be helpful to the investigation, or has recently had contact with Stuart or may have seen her in the Estacada area, should contact detectives at 503-723-4949.

The sheriff’s office is also asking people who live along South Hillockburn Road, southeast of Estacada, and anyone with trail cameras in the area to check their footage from August for anything unusual or out of the ordinary.

Tips can also be submitted online here.