Police: Human remains found at missing Beaverton woman's home, son arrested

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Police arrested a 24-year-old man Monday after he told officers that he burned his mother's body in the backyard of her Beaverton home.

"I got a text from an owner yesterday," said neighbor Vicky Hall, who lives in condos next door to the home. "Her daughter wanted to know about -- she saw some smoke. But I wasn't home, so it just made me in a panic."

Officers were called out about 3:30 p.m. Monday to conduct a welfare check at 57-year-old Katherine McDowell’s home on SW 11th Street.

During the welfare check, officers said her son, Matthew Gutierrez, told them that he had burned her body in the backyard fire pit. He was arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail on first-degree abuse of corpse charges.

But police said Gutierrez has not admitted to killing his mother.

"Other that he burned his mom's body," said Beaverton Police Department spokesman Officer Bryan Dalton, "that's all he would say. And we've tried a number of times to interview him, and we're still not getting any information from him about what actually happened."

Investigators searched the fire pit and found human remains that "are believed to be Katherine McDowell," Beaverton Police officials said.

Officers say Gutierrez has mental health issues, and police have been out to the house several times in the past for disturbance calls.

"In March," said neighbor Maria Meyers, "there was an incident that happened that kind of let everybody know. The mom had to be evacuated by the cops because she felt threatened by her son."

Court documents show Gutierrez was in trouble with the law recently.

He was arrested by Beaverton police for missing a court appearance in a May hit-and-run case he'd pleaded guilty to. Gutierrez was released from custody Thursday after that arrest.

Gutierrez didn't make any statements during his first court appearance in connection with his mother's disappearance Tuesday afternoon.

Police say it may take some time to figure out whether the burned remains belong to Katherine McDowell because they describe the fire involved as "intense."