On Tuesday afternoon, October 10, 2023, in Ontario, Oregon, a 24-year-old woman was found dead in the trunk of her vehicle in a school parking lot. Law enforcement officials labeled the death as a criminal homicide based on the evidence present at the scene.
Daniela Perez had been reported missing along with her vehicle. Authorities traced her phone to a garbage can at a truck stop. They then utilized the vehicle’s on-star system to determine its location, leading to the grim discovery. It was determined that Perez suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
Key to the investigation was surveillance footage, which identified Connor Alexander Fry as the primary suspect. He was seen leaving the parking lot with Perez’s pink backpack and was later captured on additional footage playing video poker at a nearby coffee shop. Law enforcement tracked Fry’s movements using his cell phone data, leading them to a local shed.
Upon obtaining an arrest warrant for Fry, the situation escalated. Confronted by the Oregon State Police SWAT team, but with no shots fired, Fry burst from the shed and retreated into the surrounding vegetation. Shortly after, a single gunshot was heard. Authorities later found Fry dead, having succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Fry’s criminal background includes having relations with an underage girl, burglary, credit card fraud, and assaulting a police officer. Given the nature of Perez’s initial disappearance and Fry’s criminal history, deputies are considering the possibility that these events might have stemmed from a home invasion that took a fatal turn.