Man faces murder charge after woman found dead in NE Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A man has been arrested and is facing several charges after a woman was found dead in northeast Portland's Parkrose Heights in 2022, authorities announced.

On July 19, 59-year-old Vincent Scroggins of Portland was arrested by the United States Marshals Service and was charged with second-degree murder, domestic violence and unlawful use of a weapon.

Just after 1:30 a.m., in August 2022, Portland police responded to a reported assault on Northeast 104th Avenue, where officers found 59-year-old Penelope Fagan dead. Medical examiners determined Fagan died by homicide from blunt force trauma.

The events leading up to Fagan’s death are not clear.

During the investigation, neighbors KOIN 6 News talked to said they felt uneasy about the lack of information surrounding the case.

“Since they’re not saying anything, we’re just left wondering and letting the wheels spin as parents,” said a neighbor who lives at the nearby Beverly Grove Apartments. “It’s really unnerving because you’re not sure if it was a domestic violence dispute or something more sinister that we as residents should be afraid of.”

The neighbor who agreed to speak with KOIN 6 asked to remain anonymous, as she said a spike in violent crime coupled with the lack of information from law enforcement on the homicide left her community in fear for their safety.

The neighbor said, as a mother, the lack of information during the investigation was a terrifying reality. She told KOIN 6 News she and her family had already felt unsafe due to the rise in violent crime in their area before the murder took place.

“When we came out and saw all the caution tape and investigators, my daughter asked if we could stay in a hotel, since she didn’t feel safe,” the woman recalled. “Honestly it breaks my heart. As someone who cares a lot about this community and the people in this community, not just my own family. I know there is a collective trauma happening because of all the violent crime, and it’s not just my daughter that my heart breaks for.”

Another neighbor, Doug Jones, told KOIN 6 “It is bizarre to know that something like that could happen right next to where I live,” Jones said. “We’re still shaken up and trying to process it all.”