A young mother was found dismembered and decapitated and packed in suitcases in the trunk of BMW in Aloha, Oregon, on Thursday, Jan. 25.
Deputy Jeff Talbot, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, told The Oregonian that the body was found late Thursday near Southwest Sarala Street and Hargis Road after the agency got word of a possible homicide.
Later that night a resident in the nearby town of Beaverton, Michael Larsen, heard a man in the woods near Southwest Murray and Teal boulevards screaming for help, KATU reported. Larsen called 911.
The car in which the 28-year-old woman was reportedly found. (Washington County Sheriff's Office)
“It was really cold and rainy, and he’s just sitting out there leaning against a tree,” Larsen told FOX 12.
The man had tried to kill himself by slitting his wrists and throat but was unsuccessful, and Beaverton police took him into custody. His name has not yet been released, but it is known that he was a resident of Aloha.
On Friday, Jan. 26, police searched a house on the corner of Southwest 166th Avenue and Hargis Road, about three blocks from where the car containing the body was found. Police revealed that the search was related to the murder, KATU reported.
A Model, a Mother, an Adventurous Person
The body in the trunk was identified on Friday as Sara Zghoul, 28, a young mother and an aspiring actress and model who lived in Aloha.
According to her Facebook pages, Zghoul was an adventurous young lady who had traveled around the country and around the world, visiting Amman, Jordan, the Bahamas, Oahu, Hawaii, as well as traveling across the American continent.
One of her Facebook pages said she spoke four languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, and Japanese.
Zghoul started studying to be a pharmacist at Portland State University in 2007. But she did not stick with that.
People who knew her described Zghoul in positive terms, a caring, giving person who was devoted to her young son.
“Sara was funny, kind, and a great mother,” Natasha Thomas posted on Twitter, according to The Oregonian.
Thomas had known Zghoul for 10 years. “She was the kind of person to give you the shirt off her back. Even in rough times, she was grateful.”
Gregory McKelvey grew up in the same neighborhood as Zghoul in Portland, Oregon. In a message to The Oregonian he said, “She was known for being a great person and she touched so many people. It felt like she knew everyone and losing her is a big loss for the community.”
Zhgoul had difficulties to deal with, including problems with substance abuse, but according to one of her Facebook posts, she had that behind her. “Recovery works,” she posted several months before her death.
