Charges Filed Against Man in Family Slaying Case

Murder charges have been filed against a missing Portland man whose pregnant wife and three young children were found slain in the snowy woods.

Authorities continued to search Tuesday for Edward Morris, who is suspected of killing his family in rural Tillamook County on Friday.

The arrest warrant was issued late Monday.

Authorities said they consider Morris, 37, to be armed and dangerous.

Also Tuesday, the FBI filed a federal arrest warrant that charges Morris with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Such warrants are issued when officials believe a suspect has crossed state lines or international borders to avoid authorities.

Officers kept watch on his Portland home in case Morris tried to return, and border authorities in Canada and Mexico were asked to watch for him.

The bodies of 31-year-old Renee Morris, 10-year-old Bryant, 8-year-old Alexis and 4-year-old Jonathan were found Saturday in Tillamook State Forest.

Autopsies completed Monday showed the victims died of “homicidal violence,” Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said. He would not elaborate.

Aggravated murder can be punishable by death, but prosecutors did not say whether they would seek the death penalty. Investigators have not disclosed a motive in the case.

Before the charges were issued late Monday, authorities stressed that Morris could also have been a victim.

Relatives and neighbors described the Morrises as devoutly religious and dedicated to their children.

But they said Edward Morris had trouble holding a job and started several roofing and landscaping businesses over the last years.

The Morrises filed for bankruptcy in 1993 for one of those businesses, according to court records.