Portland man arrested for murder of 63-year-old woman in Northwest District apartment
Louis J. Chlumak, 51, was arrested on Interstate-5 and charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Vernetta G. Fish.
Portland murder suspect caught on I-5 after woman found beaten to death
A Portland man has been charged with second-degree murder following the beating death of a 63-year-old woman found inside an apartment in the city's Northwest District Neighbourhood, according to portland.gov.
The victim was identified as Vernetta G. Fish, 63, of Portland. The Multnomah County medical examiner determined she died of homicide by blunt force trauma. Her family has been notified and has requested privacy.
Portland Police Homicide Detectives identified a suspect during the course of their investigation: Louis J. Chlumak, 51, also of Portland. Information was shared across the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and other area law enforcement agencies.
On Thursday, 10 September 2026, at approximately 3:20 p.m., Oregon State Police located Chlumak in a vehicle travelling on Interstate-5 near milepost 236. Officers stopped and arrested him. PPB Detectives took custody and booked him into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
The initial call came in on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, at 12:32 p.m., when Portland Police Officers assigned to Central Precinct responded to a report of a possible assault at an apartment in the 600 block of Northwest 18th Avenue. Portland Fire & Rescue personnel arrived and found a deceased adult female inside. The suspect or suspects had left the scene before officers arrived, and no immediate arrests were made.
During the investigation, Northwest Irving Street was closed between Northwest 17th Avenue and Northwest 18th Avenue, and Northwest 18th Avenue was closed between Northwest Hoyt Street and Northwest Irving Street.
The Portland Police Bureau acknowledged the assistance of the Oregon State Police in securing the arrest.
Anyone with information about the case who has not yet spoken to investigators is asked to contact detectives at [email protected] or by calling 503-823-0479, referencing case number 26-264223.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)