Ashley Real, a young woman with a heart of gold, was just 22 years old and living in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Described by her family as a kind, loving, and sweet person, Ashley was deeply cherished. Her sister, Masciell Real, considered her not only a sibling but a best friend who always looked out for her. Her father, Jose Real, remembered her as a sweet girl who never hurt anyone, recalling memories of watching her grow up and play with her brother.
The last day anyone saw
Ashley was March 27, 2023. She was seen at a fast-food restaurant on Southeast Division Street and possibly at the Gateway/NE 99th Avenue Transit Center MAX Station. After that, her family and friends heard nothing. For over a month, they waited and worried, their hope dwindling with each passing day. The search for Ashley came to a devastating end on May 7, 2023. A person fishing in a pond in a heavily wooded area off Southeast Judd Road in rural Clackamas County discovered her remains and called 911.
The investigation into Ashley’s suspicious death soon connected her case to a string of others in the Portland area, sparking fears of a serial killer. Investigators identified a person of interest: Jesse Lee Calhoun. The link between Calhoun and Ashley was chillingly direct. Months before her disappearance, in November 2022, Ashley had bravely reported to the Portland Police Bureau that Calhoun had assaulted and choked her. Her father recounted that she had come to his home crying, with marks on her throat, and he had taken her to the hospital before a police report was filed.
Jesse Lee Calhoun, a man with a prior criminal history, was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole violations. As the investigation progressed, the scope of his alleged crimes became horrifyingly clear. He was eventually charged with the murders of Ashley and four other women: Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32. Later, he was also indicted in connection with the death of a sixth woman, 32-year-old Elizabeth "Libby" Gibson. In Ashley's case, Calhoun faces charges of Murder in the second degree and Abuse of a corpse, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
For Ashley’s family, the legal proceedings have been a long and painful journey. They attended Calhoun’s arraignment, finding a small measure of relief in seeing him behind bars. "I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn't around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there," Masciell Real said through tears. "But it also doesn't take away the fact that my sister isn't here anymore."
The family expressed their enduring love and pain. "She'll always live in my heart, and that of my husband and family," her mother, Maria Trinidad Jimenez, said. Her father, Jose, lamented the day he was unable to protect her. "I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this," he said. Despite their grief, the family held onto hope for justice, a hope bolstered by the support of the families of Calhoun's other alleged victims.
The case against Jesse Lee Calhoun is currently awaiting trial. Prosecutors have expressed their intent to try him for all the murders at once. For the families of Ashley Real and the five other women, the court process is a difficult but necessary step toward accountability for the man accused of cutting their lives tragically short.
