The Vancouver woman found dead Friday morning at a Portland hotel had been a victim of sex trafficking, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Ashley Renee Benson, 24, died of “homicidal violence,” according to police. Her exact cause of death was not disclosed, and police said they didn’t know if her death was related to sex trafficking.
Police from the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct responded to a report at 10:44 a.m. Friday that a woman had died at the DoubleTree Hotel Lloyd Center, 1000 N.E. Multnomah St. Benson’s body was discovered in a stairwell at the hotel.
Homicide detectives, criminalists from the Portland Police Bureau’s Forensic Evidence Division and the Oregon State Medical Examiner responded and began a death investigation. The medical examiner conducted an autopsy Saturday.