The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday that the 78-year-old woman found dead inside her Hazel Dell home was strangled to death.
Patricia Jimerfield’s death was ruled a homicide, meaning it resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.
The medical examiner’s office said she was strangled with a ligature.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies and Clark County Fire District 6 responded to a medical call at 9:41 p.m. Tuesday at a home on the corner of Northwest 26th Avenue and 99th Street. They found Jimerfield dead inside, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Detectives with the sheriff’s office Major Crimes Unit were at the residence overnight and into Wednesday morning.
There were no signs of forced entry or burglary at the home. The sheriff’s office said Thursday that Jimerfield had been notified by her bank Tuesday morning that there were pending fraudulent charges on her account. Jimerfield discovered her wallet was missing and filed a fraud report with the sheriff’s office. Investigators are looking into the fraudulent charges.
Portland TV news stations including KOIN-6 and KPTV reported that Jimerfield’s daughter, Stephanie Ayersman, said her mother, a retired nurse, was found assaulted and strangled.
Ayersman said she spoke daily to her mom, who had told her the house was broken into twice recently.
It’s not known if the theft or break-ins are connected to Jimerfield’s death.
Ayersman told reporters she flew from Phoenix to Portland on Tuesday evening and texted her mom for a pickup. She got no response and called an aunt. The aunt went to Jimerfield’s home and discovered the body.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
