In the summer of 2017, the life of a 36-year-old Caucasian male, Brian Elton Spaulding, was tragically cut short in his Northeast Portland, Oregon home. On the afternoon of Monday, June 12, 2017, his parents, George and Carolyn Spaulding, made a devastating discovery. After their son failed to show up for his job as a massage therapist, his concerned parents went to check on him at his residence in the 3500 block of Northeast 10th Avenue, near Irving Park.
It was there they found their only son, the victim of a fatal shooting.
Responding North Precinct officers and medical personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene. The subsequent investigation, led by Homicide Detectives, and an autopsy by the Medical Examiner confirmed that Brian Spaulding had been the victim of a homicide. Despite the years that have passed, the case remains unsolved, leaving a void in the lives of his family and friends. No arrests have been made, and authorities have not publicly identified any suspects in his murder.
Brian was remembered by his family as a kind and gentle person who enjoyed the simple things in life. He was a massage therapist, co-hosted a podcast with friends, and had a passion for brewing his own beer. His father believes the shooting was a deliberate act, possibly an armed robbery gone wrong, carried out by someone familiar with the layout of the house Brian shared with a roommate. However, investigators have noted that nothing appeared to have been stolen from the home.
In the years following his death, Brian's family has repeatedly pleaded with the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the case. The family and friends of Brian Spaulding have raised a reward of over $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death. The Portland Police Bureau's Cold Case Unit is actively looking into his case, and the family holds onto hope that someone will come forward with the information needed to bring them a sense of justice and closure.
