Man Charged with Murder After 80-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in a Suitcase Near Oregon River

Mar. 15, 2025

A man has been charged in connection with the murder of an 80-year-old woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Oregon.

Michael Darwin Moody was arrested and charged with murder in the second degree and additional offenses on Feb. 20, after authorities “gathered evidence establishing probable cause” in the case, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MSCO) said in apress release.

His arrest and subsequent charging were tied to a homicide investigation that kicked off after the body of Judy Hurley was found in a suitcase on the west bank of the Willamette River in Sauvie Island days earlier on Feb. 17, per police.

The pair told the outlet they met Hurley last spring to discuss their interest in purchasing her home on North Syracuse Street in Portland. They claimed that Hurley was “bedridden” at the time and alleged that people were living in her home “without her permission and stealing from her.”

According to the man, he and Ortiz “grew really attached” to Hurley and “helped her move out of this home and into a retirement home.”

The couple said that Hurley eventually moved out of the retirement home “for medical reasons” and they lost contact with her after that, per the outlet.

It is not immediately clear what happened to Hurley following her departure from the retirement home, or her ties to Moody. The investigation is ongoing, as detectives continue to gather evidence in the murder investigation, including a cause of death.

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The MCSO is asking anyone with information tied to the case to contact investigators at (503) 988-0560 and reference case number 25-6042.

source: people.com