Mother’s Mission: How a Group of Relentless Moms Cracked an Oregon Serial Killer Case presented by Brian Entin with family survivors of Kristin Smith, Melissa “Mel” (mother) and Hailey (sister)
**Trigger Warnings: VAW, marginalized people, serial offender**
Presenter:
Brian Entin is an investigative journalist with NewsNation.
Portland 5 Victims:
- Kristin Smith, 22
- Charity Perry, 24
- Bridget Webster, 31
- Ashley Real, 22
- Joanna Speaks, 32
Brian Entin didn’t have to run much of the conversation with Melissa “Mel” Smith, one of the surviving mothers of the Portland 5. “Momma Mel”—as she said all the friends of her own kids called her—is well-versed in public speaking throughout two years of telling their story. The story about the Portland 5 when broken down into pieces is a full timeline from 2023 to now.
The purpose of the panel was not only to inform the general public about Kristin’s and the other women’s murders, but to emphasize that nothing would have moved the law enforcement and judicial branches if it had not been for Mel and the other family members doing all the legwork. They called people their daughters knew. They canvassed neighborhoods. They held press conferences trying to get the police to look for the presumed-missing Kristin, then her murderer once her body was found. It was Mel who felt in her gut that her daughter’s murder was absolutely related to the other cases that came up in her research.
The mothers would meet up and do the detective work manually looking for commonalities between all five of the women’s Facebook profiles. From one connected Facebook friend to another, the mothers came up with one name: Jesse Lee Calhoun. As the mothers posted to social media, tips came in from strangers pointing them to possible persons of interest and suspects. Mel started organizing data on her own. She ended up with 9 binders, one of which she showed at the presentation.
Who Was Kristin Before?
According to her mother, Kristin was strong and independent. When she first left home, she was well, had her own apartment and had started to plan career paths. She wanted to be a CNA (certified nursing assistant) and then move on to a job where she could work with animals. Her boyfriend broke up with her. That was an inciting incident for Kristin’s life to change.
Kristin got involved with another boyfriend. Mel said that before Kristin disappeared, Kristin had told her she feared for her life and that this boyfriend also threatened her family. He could have been a suspect, but the police wouldn’t look into that low-hanging fruit.
Digging for Data
Mel tried demanding that the police take DNA samples and compare them to unclaimed Jane Doe bodies. She said that wasn’t done immediately when asked. The only reason anyone was charged is because of Melissa Smith and the other loved ones of the victims. Police would not take them seriously.
According to Mel, the police gave predictable excuses like, “She’s over 18. She’s houseless. She’s using drugs. Unless your daughter comes up dead, we’re considering her lack of contact a choice.”
It was one moment of relief when Kristin’s information was finally put into a national missing persons database. They got over the hurtle of Kristin being an unhoused adult with a substance addiction and history of abusive boyfriends.
Melissa described her frustration with raw emotion almost as if she were still trapped going in circles. She said the non-emergency police lines were useless with long hold times. When answered, they were no help. The media wouldn’t give these victims much attention either. No one (in authority) did anything to help. The newly formed team of family sleuths said there could be a serial killer in their area and they weren’t sure if there was one suspect or more out there in the Portland area murdering women. The team of sleuths hung up posters which got torn down. They hung up more. They were not going to be stopped until justice was done.
Police refused to start the process to obtain Kristin’s dental records. Mel got them herself in 17 minutes and called the detective back. This was the keystone to the entire case. The results of the dental analysis would determine whether Kristin matched a body that was found or if she was still considered missing by her family.
Perhaps the strangest twist is that Calhoun’s girlfriend, Krista, was willing to help them while still being supportive and seemingly in love with the prime suspect.
The Wait
The detective had the weekend off. On Monday, he actually did his job and immediately made a match to Kristin. Mel was notified at 6pm.
The best response Mel got was from the DA (perhaps because she was also a woman had something to do with her quick action). She personally sent the case to Homicide. The official position was still that the cases were unrelated.
Mel kept searching for evidence after police cleared scenes. Wearing gloves, she and others went through a property owned by a school which was also not willing to help them. Brian Entin was invited to the scenes which were part of his NewsNation show. Mel said she was detained twice herself for doing work officials wouldn’t.
When Could Calhoun Have Done This?
Calhoun can deny that he murdered these women. This is a man with a long criminal record. He was in prison when the mothers were tipped off about him. What happened? The governor had commuted the sentence Calhoun had been serving (that doesn’t mean expunge) allowing him and other convicts to go fight wildfires. It gave him the necessary freedom to become a repeat offender, a serial killer (allegedly).
Reports by Oregon Live state Calhoun pleaded not guilty to three counts each of second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the 2023 deaths of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Webster, 31, and JoAnna Speaks, 32. It wasn’t until August 2025 that the DA added a fourth count for Kristin’s homicide.
The Portland 5 Story to Come
The Smith family and other victims’ families have signed a documentary deal which will not be completed until the trial likely to be in 2027. Money can’t bring back their daughters, but it can reimburse them for all the expenses of the past two years. Mel had lost her job during her time as a civilian investigator.
Other Resources:
Sparling, Zane. “Jesse Lee Calhoun now accused of killing 4th woman who disappeared in Portland area,” Oregon Live /The Oregonian, Updated: Aug 05, 2025, 10:39 p.m.
Levy, Angenette. “Suspected Serial Killer Caught Creeping Around West Coast,” Crime Fix with Angenette Levy, Episode 597, Aug 12, 2025. Wondery, LLC.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.