‘It’s horrible’: 80-year-old woman found dead in suitcase prompts murder investigation

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - What started as a call regarding suspicious circumstances on Monday has turned into a murder investigation.

Authorities said they found the body of an 80-year-old woman inside a suitcase on the banks of the Willamette River on Sauvie Island.

A young couple who knew the victim and ended up purchasing her home described her as a woman who was incredibly kind and believed it was her kindness that ultimately led her down a path of being taken advantage of.

Leslie Ortiz and Justin Misner identified the woman as Judy Hurley. They said they first met her in the spring of 2024 when being interested in buying her home on North Syracuse Street in the St. John’s neighborhood.

The couple said Hurley was bedridden and people were living in her house without her permission and stealing from her.

“Judy was in a pretty bad spot,” Misner said. “People would come to the house and essentially use it as a base of operations to commit crimes.”

The couple said people were squatting in Hurley’s house and she didn’t know about it being bedridden.

“She didn’t even know who was living there,” Misner said.

With no family in the picture, the young couple ended up becoming the closest people to her.

“We helped her move out of this home and into a retirement home as well as helping her to doctor’s appointments,” Misner said. “We grew really attached. She would tell us that she loved us and told us that she thought we were family. She told us we were the only ones that, like, actually helped her the last couple of years.”

However, after Hurley left the retirement home for medical reasons, the couple said they lost contact with her. But that changed Friday when they discovered what had happened to her body.

“I was disgusted and it’s horrible. Nobody deserves to go that way regardless of your history,” Ortiz said.

According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Officer, Hurley was killed on Monday before her body was found inside the suitcase days later.

“It’s hard to hear about any passing in general but to hear how she passed is really heartbreaking. I personally think it could’ve been prevented,” Misner said. “I believe that she was just a really kind person that just got taken advantage of.”

After gathering evidence to establish probable cause, 54-year-old Michael Moody was arrested at an apartment complex in north Portland. He was arraigned Friday on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse. He’s expected back in court on March 3.

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