Who murdered Dewayne Ruschman in Portland, OR in 1991? On the morning of June 12, 1991, an employee of Western School Supply in Portland, Oregon, made a grim discovery. While walking through the warehouse located at 5800 NE Hassalo Street, she found the body of her 56-year-old male co-worker, Dewayne Ruschman. She immediately had someone call for emergency services. When police and homicide detectives arrived, they found clear signs of a struggle in the area where Ruschman's body was located.
An autopsy later determined that he had died from blunt force trauma, confirming he had been involved in a violent altercation before his death.
Investigators learned that the evening before his body was found, Ruschman had received a phone call at his home around 10 p.m. He told his wife he had to return to work, which was not an unusual occurrence for him. Described as a workaholic by both his wife and co-workers, Ruschman often worked long hours and would frequently go back to the office at night. As the warehouse manager, he sometimes handled cash sales to customers, and at the time of his death, a public sale was being held at the business.
Detectives discovered that Ruschman's brown, tri-fold wallet, which contained cash, his identification, and numerous credit cards, was missing. It was also noted that he was known to carry cash in his front shirt pocket, but no money was found on his person. Neither the wallet nor its contents have ever been recovered. To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Dewayne Ruschman, and the case remains an active cold case investigation. Authorities continue to ask for the public's help for any information that might lead to the arrest of a suspect or suspects.
