Deadly stabbing: 'There is still a murderer at large'

By KATU.com Staff Published: Sep 17, 2012 at 8:04 AM PDT Last Updated: Sep 18, 2012 at 11:16 AM PDT

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. -- One man died after a stabbing at his home near Lake Oswego Monday morning. Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies are still searching for the suspect.

Deputies identified the victim as 57-year-old Fredrick "Fritz" Wheeler Hayes, Jr.

Witnesses said Hayes was walking his dog with his wife when the suspect stabbed Hayes outside their home.

The suspect ran away after the attack and Hayes' wife called 9-1-1.

Deputies said there is no indication that the suspect and Hayes knew each other before the attack.

"We want to remind people to exercise good safety precautions this evening," said Sgt. Adam Phillips with the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office. "Lock your doors, be aware of your surroundings, report anything suspicious. There is still a murderer at large."

Deputies and police dogs searched the area with the help of deputies in an airplane, although they didn't have any luck spotting the suspect. Police made reverse-9-1-1 calls to about 4,000 homes with a description and warning about the suspect.

"We're thinking he may have been in this area in the time leading up to this morning's attack," said Phillips.

Neighbors said Hayes was a hardworking man, a loving father and an excellent neighbor.

"He was more than an employee and coworker. He was a brilliant engineer and caring mentor, and most of all a good friend," said Hayes' former employer Robert McMillen in a statement.

"Fritz retired only a few months ago and was as happy as we had ever seen him as he was planning his well-deserved time off," McMillen said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and he will be sorely missed."

Deputies did not say what the motive for the attack might have been or if anything was taken from the home.

"The person is armed with knives, more than one," Phillips said. "This is a stranger-on-stranger attack," he added.

The suspect is described as a 6-foot tall white male with a brown beard, slender build, wearing a "headwrap" and light clothing. They said the suspect had several "edge weapons."

Three schools were put into lockdown mode near the home on Atwater Road, which is just outside the Lake Oswego city limits. The home is near Lake Oswego Country Club.

The stabbing took place at about 6:30 a.m., deputies said.

Lake Oswego High School, Lake Oswego Junior High, and Forest Hills school were all placed in lockdown as a precaution during the search. The lockdown was lifted just after 10 a.m.

Danny Ruben said he went to get his son, Andrew, from school after hearing about the stabbing. He said school staffers "were extremely calm, really professional."

"It was working," Ruben said of the lockdown. "All the teachers locked the doors, there were adults in the halls and you wouldn’t know anything is going on by going in there."

Ruben said they students were not allowed to go to their lockers but added he felt "pretty good about the way they handled it."

Local residents are asked to call 9-1-1 immediately if they see the suspect. Carl Grossman, who lives near the scene, said he received one of the reverse 9-1-1 calls but said there are about 10 acres of undeveloped property nearby.

"A lot of places to hide," he said.