Erika Caroline Walker Evans, 26, was fatally shot at Wallace Park in Portland, Oregon, on September 23, 2022. Police were called at 11:23 p.m.; paramedics treated Evans at the scene but she died before she could be taken to a hospital. A medical examiner ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound and classified it a homicide. Bullet casings were recovered in the park and also in her car, which was later located in Corvallis, more than 80 miles south of Portland.

Evans was a musician, poet, henna artist and painter who had been on a long West Coast road trip with her boyfriend after leaving Austin, Texas, in mid-August. Her father, Paul Evans, said she loved performing along the California coast and had been enthusiastic about the trip. He also noted she had previously been the victim of domestic violence in a 2020 relationship that resulted in a guilty plea for fourth-degree assault.

Portland police initially asked the public for help and did not immediately name a person of interest. In September 2023, Jake Phillips, 38, was identified as a suspect; he was indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury on charges including domestic violence murder and was to be extradited to Multnomah County to face those charges.

If anyone knew Erika, saw her in Portland or Corvallis around September 23, 2022, or has information relevant to the case, please come forward.