Derrick Shepherd was 22 when he was found mortally wounded near the driver’s side of his car at Northwest 6th Avenue and Couch Street in Portland on the evening of Wednesday, September 16, 1981. A passerby alerted a nearby business, which contacted police; Shepherd was taken to a hospital with severe stab wounds and died shortly after arrival. The death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators learned Shepherd had been involved in selling imitation narcotics, and officers believe that activity may have been tied to the events that night. Witnesses reported an argument between Shepherd and another man just before the stabbing. Police describe the unidentified suspect as an African-American male about 5 feet 6 inches and 140 pounds, but no arrests have been made and the case remains unsolved.

Does anyone have information about Shepherd, his associates, or that area of Portland in September 1981 that could help bring answers?