Cold Case Closed: 1983 Death Investigation Cleared After Suspect Commits Suicide

On January 2, 1983, at 10:38 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 17300 block of SW Rivendell Drive in the Durham neighborhood of then-unincorporated Washington County. 30-year-old Randal “Randy” McEvers called 911, stating his wife, 28-year-old Nancy McEvers née Pepper, had committed suicide. When deputies arrived, they found Nancy with a gunshot wound to the head. EMS transported Nancy to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Randy and Nancy, along with their 1-year-old son, were home alone at the time of the incident. When Randy talked to deputies on the scene, he provided two different versions of events that led up to the shooting, and detectives were called in to investigate further. They were assisted by the Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Oregon State Police Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab.

In 1983, detectives gathered forensic evidence, an autopsy was conducted, and the gun was tested. The evidence pointed out that the shooting was not self-inflicted, and by April 1983, Randy refused to cooperate with the investigators. In August 1983, the original investigators suspended the case due to a lack of other leads, and the case became cold.

In August 2022, detectives assigned to the Violent Crimes Unit, who also handle cold case investigations, re-opened the investigation into the death of Nancy. Over the past several months, they developed multiple new leads on the case.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Unit re-examined items of evidence. The Oregon State Police Crime Lab reviewed all the evidence from 1983 and concluded that the lab results from 1983, ruling out suicide, were still accurate and conclusive.

Detectives interviewed over 20 additional persons, including detectives, deputies, and firefighters who responded to the scene in 1983. The interviews led to numerous new additional items of evidence.

In January 2023, detectives interviewed Randy, who had been living in the city of Tigard.

After the interview, the case was referred to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Before the case could be reviewed, Randy committed suicide on February 8, 2023. The 40-year-old cold case into the death of Nancy McEvers is now closed.

Nancy is survived by her son, two sisters, and mother.

Detectives would still like to speak to anyone with information about Randy and Nancy McEvers. Please call the Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700 with any information.