A 39-year‑old white male, identified as Michael Zven Arch—also known as Reiner Ralph Schmolling, Jr.—met a violent end on the afternoon of September 19, 2017, in the rural outskirts of North Plains, Oregon. He was discovered fatally shot outside a home in the 16000-block of Northwest Dairy Creek Road, around 5 p.m. on that day. The victim, a white male aged 39, had a documented criminal history in Washington County, including a notable 1997 standoff during which he shot a
county detective and was responsible for the death of a K9. More recently, around May 2016, he had faced convictions for aggravated theft, assault, menacing, and attempting to elude law enforcement—a troubled past that marked his final days with complexity and unrest. The violent quiet of North Plains was shattered as deputies treated the scene as a homicide, and the victim's identity was confirmed the very next day. The white male victim, aged 39, appeared to have been known to this place—whether by choice or circumstance remains unclear, but his presence at that remote property set the stage for a tragic reckoning.
Over the following days, investigators published appeals for information. Law enforcement believed that the slaying did not involve strangers but was rooted in familiarity—a belief that unraveled when they released the name of a suspect: 38‑year‑old Chad Brandon Pitcher. Classified as armed and dangerous, Pitcher was linked to the shooting on the basis of developing evidence by about September 22, though authorities withheld full details to preserve the integrity of their work. The description of the homicide—not as a random act, but one wound tightly with personal connection—deepened the tragedy of the white male victim, age 39, whose life was extinguished not in a random act of violence, but likely by someone he knew.
Ten days after the shooting, on September 29, 2017, a second suspect emerged in custody: 40‑year‑old Christopher Stephens was arrested and held in connection with the crime. Shortly thereafter, on November 8, authorities apprehended the primary suspect, Chad B. Pitcher, in Wilsonville. Pitcher was formally charged with murder and held without bail in Washington County Jail. As investigators pieced together what had transpired, the portrait grew of a violent act embedded in personal history—a white male victim of 39 years, Michael Zven Arch, who had legally changed his name from Reiner Schmolling, entangled in relationships and conflicts that ultimately proved fatal.
In the fabric of the case, the white male victim, aged 39, emerges not merely as a statistic but as a figure shaped by past transgressions and a longstanding link to law enforcement. He was discovered lifeless in a rural setting at dusk, this white male of 39 years whose history included violent confrontation and legal entanglements. In the aftermath, authorities named both suspects: one arrested quickly, another after weeks of pursuit. Though motives remained veiled, the tightening circle of known names painted a clearer picture of personal conflict and tragedy in a farm-framed Oregon evening.
