In the fall of 2022, a grim discovery was made on a rural property in Camas, Washington, unveiling a heart-wrenching story that crossed state lines. On October 9, 2022, the body of a White/Caucasian female, 55-year-old Melissa J. Minton Stephan, was found by a real estate agent who was showing the vacant property. Responding deputies from the Clark County Sheriff's Office found that she had sustained what appeared to be a gunshot wound.
The Clark County Medical Examiner's office would later confirm that Melissa Stephan's death was a homicide resulting from a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into Melissa's death quickly led authorities to a person of interest, her wife, Ruby M. Stephan, 48. The day after Melissa’s body was discovered, on October 10, 2022, investigators found Ruby Stephan deceased in a hotel room in Beaverton, Oregon. Her death was determined to be the result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. This discovery shifted the focus of the investigation towards a tragic case of murder-suicide.
Further investigation by the Clark County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit, in collaboration with the Beaverton Police Department, revealed that the married couple had recently relocated to Oregon City, Oregon, from Texas. While authorities have not released a motive or a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the tragic incident, the investigation has centered on the conclusion that Ruby Stephan was the sole person of interest in Melissa Stephan’s murder. No other suspects have been identified, and the case is being investigated as a contained murder-suicide. The Clark County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit has served multiple search warrants in connection with the case as they continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the couple's deaths.
