Investigators in Los Angeles have classified the deaths of former Milwaukie, Oregon Mayor Jeremy Ferguson and his wife, Mandy Zelinka, as a murder-suicide, leaving the small Portland-area community he once served reeling from the tragedy.
Ferguson and Zelinka were discovered dead from gunshot wounds inside their Venice, California, residence in what authorities are describing as an apparent murder-suicide. The Los Angeles Police Department formally classified the incident as a murder-suicide, with Ferguson’s gunshot wound determined to be self-inflicted.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner classified Zelinka’s death as homicide, noting she had been shot in the head. A firearm was recovered at the scene.
The Circumstances of Discovery
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the couple’s home on the 600 block of Superba Avenue in Venice just before 11 a.m. after Ferguson emailed a suicide note to a friend, who rushed to the residence and called police upon arrival. Both Ferguson and Zelinka were found dead inside.
The deaths have stunned Milwaukie, a tight-knit city of roughly 21,000 residents just south of Portland. The Los Angeles Police Department has not publicly identified a motive, and the medical examiner’s office is expected to release official cause of death determinations in the coming weeks. Toxicology reports in such cases routinely take months to complete.
The couple had been living in the Los Angeles area, where Ferguson served as director of operations and placemaking for Downtown Santa Monica Inc., a nonprofit focused on economic development. He also served on the board of the Santa Monica History Museum.
Ferguson’s Political Career
Ferguson served as mayor of Milwaukie from 2009 to 2015, becoming a familiar face at City Hall, ribbon-cuttings and community events. He also spent nearly two decades working for TriMet, the Portland area’s regional transit agency.
During his time as mayor, he was known for engaging directly with constituents on issues ranging from downtown revitalization to public safety and parks investment. Colleagues remembered him as energetic and accessible, the kind of small-city mayor who answered his own emails and showed up at neighborhood meetings without an entourage.
After leaving office, Ferguson largely stepped out of the political spotlight, though he remained connected to civic life in the region. Milwaukie, perched along the Willamette River, has in recent years wrestled with growth pressures, transportation challenges and the spillover effects of Portland’s ongoing struggles with housing and homelessness.
Zelinka, 49, a Portland native, was a well-known entrepreneur and stylist who co-founded and co-owned a salon in the city’s Pearl District. She was described by acquaintances as warm and devoted to her family. The couple had been married for years and were considered by those who knew them to be a stable, affectionate pair, making the circumstances of their deaths all the more difficult for friends to process.
A Stunned Community Responds
Friends and former colleagues in Oregon described the news as shocking, saying they had not been aware of any acute crisis in the couple’s life. Word of the deaths spread quickly through Milwaukie and the broader Portland metro area as local outlets confirmed the identities of the couple.
Current city officials, former council members and residents took to community forums and private messaging groups to share memories and express disbelief. For a city that prides itself on its small-town feel — with its historic downtown, riverside trails and locally owned shops — the loss of a former mayor under such tragic circumstances has hit especially hard.
Several residents said they planned to organize an informal vigil in the coming days, though no official memorial had been announced. Mental health advocates in Oregon used the moment to remind the public of the warning signs of domestic crisis and the resources available to those struggling.
Experts have long noted that murder-suicides, while statistically rare, are devastating events that often leave families and communities searching for answers that may never fully come.
Investigation Continues
The Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation remains active, and detectives are expected to interview family members, friends and anyone who may have had contact with the couple in the days leading up to the deaths. Few details about the circumstances have been publicly released.
In Milwaukie, city leaders have so far declined to issue extensive public statements, citing respect for the families involved and the ongoing investigation. Privately, however, current and former officials have begun the difficult work of grieving a colleague whose public service once shaped the trajectory of their city.
For now, the small Oregon community is left to grapple with a tragedy that began hundreds of miles away in California.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available 24 hours a day by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Resources for those experiencing domestic violence are available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.