Body of 80-year-old woman found stuffed inside suitcase on island, Oregon cops say

The body of an 80-year-old woman found inside a suitcase on the shore of an island led to an arrest, Oregon sheriff’s officials reported.

Judy Hurley, also known as Judy Fivecoats, was found dead on Sauvie Island in the Willamette River near Portland on Monday, Feb. 17, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 21 news release.

“It’s our understanding that someone connected with some work that was being done on a house looked out from a deck, saw the suitcase on the beach, and had gone down to investigate,” nearby resident Phil Allen told KGW.

The medical examiner’s office determined Hurley’s death was a homicide, sheriff’s officials said.

Investigators arrested Michael Darwin Moody, 54, at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, in northeast Portland on a charge of second–degree murder, officials said.

Friends told KPTV that when they met Hurley, she was bedridden and people were squatting in her home to commit crimes.

“I believe that she was just a really kind person that just got taken advantage of,” friend Justin Misner told the station.

Detectives ask that anyone with information call 503-988-0560.

Sauvie Island is about a 20-mile drive northwest from Portland.

This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Body of 80-year-old woman found stuffed inside suitcase on island, Oregon cops say."