The Portland Police Bureau, in cooperation with Crime Stoppers of Oregon, is asking for the public's help to locate the suspect in a homicide and multiple sexual assaults.
On Monday February 27, 2017, at 3:44 p.m., East Precinct officers responded to the report of a deceased male and a deceased dog inside a residence in the 8300 block of Northeast Sandy Boulevard.
Officers arrived at the scene and located 59-year-old Eleazar "Tony" Herrera Villegas deceased inside the residence as well as a deceased Jack Russell Terrier named Max. The Medical Examiner determined that Herrera Villegas died of homicidal violence.
During the course of the investigation, Homicide detectives developed information that 33-year-old Alex Rico Ortiz was the suspect in a sexual assault that occurred earlier Monday morning at a nearby hotel and ran from the scene when police were called to investigate. The hotel property is adjacent to the apartment complex where Herrera Villegas was killed. Detectives further learned that Ortiz was wanted in Hillsboro, Oregon in connection with a sexual assault that occurred in mid-February.
Ortiz has a warrant in connection with the Hillsboro sexual assault and probable cause exists to arrest him for the Portland sexual assault and homicide.
Ortiz is described as a male Hispanic, 5'8" tall, 200 pounds, very short brown hair (almost shaved), brown eyes, slight facial hair and goatee, and may wear eye glasses. Ortiz is a registered sex offender and potential armed career criminal.
Three images are being released to aid in this investigation: A surveillance image from the Red Roof Inn on the day of the homicide, a recent photo depicting Ortiz wearing a white hat and glasses, and his Oregon driver's license photo.
Anyone seeing Ortiz is cautioned not to approach him and to immediately call 9-1-1.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in any unsolved felony crime and tipsters can remain anonymous.
Information about any unsolved homicide is eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,500. Information about any other unsolved felony crime is eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
Information learned from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube should be shared as these tips may lead to the identification of a suspect or suspects. Links can be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Submit an anonymous tip:
Text CRIMES (274637) - Type 823HELP, followed by the tip.
Online at http://crimestoppersoforegon.com/submit_online_tip.php
Call 503-823-HELP (4357)
Visit http://www.tipsoft.com to download the TipSubmit app for the iPhone or Droid.