On the evening of December 6, 1986, 63-year-old James Whitacre was found unconscious on the sidewalk in front of a residence in the 2800 block of NE Davis Street in Portland, Oregon, after four unidentified young women alerted the homeowner that a man appeared to be asleep. Police arrived and Whitacre was taken to a hospital, where surgeons treated traumatic head injuries. He died of those injuries on December 20, 1986; the death was ruled a homicide.

Whitacre was described as a Caucasian man who struggled with alcoholism and frequently patronized bars in southwest and southeast Portland. He lived with a roommate not far from where he was found, and those who knew him said he had no known enemies. It is believed he had been drinking the night he was assaulted, but the sequence of events that led to his injuries remains unclear and no suspects have been publicly identified.

Anyone who knew Whitacre, saw him in Portland on the night of December 6, 1986, or has information that could help investigators is asked to come forward.