On June 25, 2021, in the quiet hours of a late spring afternoon, the body of a 47-year-old Black male, Olance Antjuan Upton of Portland, Oregon, was discovered at the intersection of Southeast Clatsop Street and Southeast 147th Avenue. Emergency responders—including officers from the Portland Police Bureau's East Precinct, investigators from the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, and the county medical examiner—were summoned to the scene to investigate what was initially deemed a
suspicious death. The Oregon State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined that he had died from a gunshot wound, ultimately ruling the death a homicide.
As detectives combed through fragments of evidence scattered across Southeast Portland, word of the 47-year-old Black male's death reverberated through the community. Crime Stoppers of Oregon, supported by family members, circulated information about the case and even offered a cash reward for tips that might help bring clarity to the tragedy. Yet, despite earnest leads, the case remained unresolved for years, the image of Olance Antjuan Upton—a Black male, aged 47, whose life was cut short by violence—haunting the shadows of a city seeking justice.
Time wound forward, carrying the memory of the 47-year-old Black male victim through each passing year. The investigation persisted, every stone questioned but no arrest made. Then, on July 30, 2025, more than four years after the fateful day in June, a breakthrough arrived. The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force tracked down and arrested a 53-year-old man, Isaac S. Harden Sr., in North Portland's 1500 block of North Rosa Parks Way, in connection with the homicide of the Black male victim, age 47, Olance Antjuan Upton.
The man arrested, Isaac S. Harden Sr., age 53, was taken into custody and lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center. He now faces multiple charges: second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. As of the latest reports, no additional suspects have been named, and authorities have not publicly stated any relationship—if any existed—between Harden and the 47-year-old Black male victim.
In the end, what once began as a sudden loss—a 47-year-old Black man gunned down on a summer day—has taken a turn toward accountability. While grief lingers, the arrest offers a measure of resolution: a suspect now in custody, facing serious charges for a life extinguished too soon.
