Oregon man jailed on suspicion of killing parents dies after suicide attempt

[July 03, 2015]  (Reuters) - An Oregon man accused of killing his parents and storing their bodies in a freezer in the family home has died a day after a suicide attempt in his jail cell, police said on Friday.

Jeremy Daniel Ringquist, 38, has been held since June 25 at the Lane County jail in Eugene on two counts of aggravated murder.

On Wednesday evening, guards performing an hourly check on prisoners found Ringquist with a ligature around his neck, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

Staff tried to revive him before he was transported to hospital, where he died about 24 hours later, it said.

Police said the bodies found in the freezer of the home in Springfield, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Portland, were those of Randy and Karen Ringquist, both in their 60s.

Police arrived at the house last week to do a welfare check. A note on the door said the family was away.

While police were checking again on the family, a man called emergency 911 asking for a police negotiator, authorities said.

Police found two bodies in a freezer when they entered the home and took Ringquist, who was injured, to a local hospital.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; editing by John Stonestreet)

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