"Lazukin died as a result of what is consistent with a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head," said Lt. Dave Okada with the Salem Police Department.

The other victims were identified earlier as 26-year old Natalya Lazukin, 3-year old Angelica Lazukin, and 1-year-old Zoe Lazukin, who all died as a result of gunshot wounds and Sefi Lazukin, an infant, who died of probable asphyxiation, according to medical examiners.

Nikolay's body was found in a vehicle in Cottage Grove about 60 miles away from where the other bodies were found, in the Lazukin family home.

Police were investigating the case as a likely murder-suicide.

They were an "absolutely wonderful family" with a close group of friends and strong relationships with extended family in Salem, said Peter Ignatovich, the Slavic Christian Church administrator who said he knew them well. They were at church most Sundays, he said.

He was skeptical the incident was a murder-suicide, noting that the police have not said conclusively that the father killed his family or himself.

"It was really disturbing to watch the news portray this monstrous kind of event," Ignatovich said. "I would not see him do it in any way. He loved his kids, loved his wife."

Authorities have not said if a weapon was discovered in the house they believe was intentionally set on fire.

Firefighters carried the four bodies out of the burning home in the 2500 block of Fisher Road around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The husband is a "person of interest" in the murders, Okada said. His body was found around 11 a.m., inside a vehicle in Cottage Grove, about 60 miles away.

"At this time investigators believe this to be a domestic related murder-suicide situation," Okada said.

They said the dead woman's husband was also the father of the slain children.

"It was just really surreal what was going on down there.  I basically witnessed people screaming and saying that there were people in the house and I just feel bad for the family,” said neighbor Dan Grove.

Nearby, a delivery driver on Tuesday discovered the body 21-year old Devan Matlock along the road about 4:20 a.m. near the intersection of Fisher and Devonshire Streets.

"Devin was everyone's friend," said Colleen Matlock, Devin's mother.  "It's not fair."

"It's hard," added sister Amanda.  "Whoever did this needs to pay for it."

That case "may be connected," State Medical Examiner Larry Lewman said Wednesday.

More: Man found dead along road in Salem

The three were taken into protective custody by Department of Human Services.

Around 9:30 a.m., a man told 9-1-1 he heard children's voices coming from a shed behind his house, in the 7900 block of SE Rhine Street.

Some homeless persons nearby told the officers the children were abandoned there the night before, by a woman believed their mother.

The youngest girl was described as an olive-skinned infant, between approximately 8-15 months old, weighing 15 pounds. She has short black hair and brown eyes, and is showing two front, lower teeth.

A girl toddler was described as olive-skinned, approximately 2 years old, 28 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes.

A boy toddler is described as olive-skinned, approximately 3 years old, 28 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the DHS Child Abuse Hotline at 503-731-3100.

The letter, part of a string of hoaxes, claimed to be tainted with deadly anthrax but turned out to be non-toxic.

According to a search warrant obtained by KGW, the FBI believes Andrew Barnett sent the threatening letter while in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. In the search warrant, an FBI agent says Barnett sent three letters to an assistant United States Attorney in downtown Portland.

Between late April and early May at least six letters containing a white powdery substance were sent to buildings across Portland.

Background: Suspicious envelope at courthouse

On April 26, an office worker at the U.S. Attorney's office opened the envelope and found white powder folded in a blank piece of white paper. The envelope also contained a letter which encouraged the federal prosecutor to snort the purported anthrax and says "I want you gone!!!"

The return address on the envelope was listed as "Andrew Barnett" at the Multnomah County Detention Center.

Barnett has not been charged for the recent string of hoaxes. Court records suggest agents are testing Barnett's DNA against DNA obtained from evidence.

More: FBI investigates several suspicious envelopes

In a press release dated May 11, the FBI stated that police believed they had "stopped the sender or senders' ability to continue this stream of threats."

More: FBI says white powder letters 'stopped'

Barnett is now being held in the Columbia County jail on a US Marshals hold.

Court records show Barnett has a history of sending threatening mail, including letters sent to the Washington County Sheriff's Office in 2008.

More: Read NWS Alert

According to the NWS, video evidence indicated a funnel cloud from a thunderstorm near Albany around 12:30 p.m.

KGW viewer John Camp snapped some photos of what he thought was a funnel cloud forming overhead near Highway 26 east of Albany. (See photo & video above)

The NWS alert noted that the normal atmospheric forces that organize stronger thunderstorms that lead to funnel clouds or tornadoes were not present Thursday, but "on occasion a stronger updraft associated with a thunderstorm can interact with a preexisting weak circulation or swirling winds near the ground and cause the circulation to increase in intensity and form a funnel cloud or a weak tornado. This is likely the mechanism that caused this funnel cloud to form."

According to the NWS, additional funnel clouds were not likely but could not be ruled out if another stronger thunderstorm and updraft form.

Isolated thunderstorms were forecast to continue over southwest Washington and northwest Oregon through the afternoon and into the early evening.

The NWS advised people to use caution and take cover should any threatening weather approach.

More:

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The stretch of Cornelius Pass Road between U.S. 30 and Hillsboro carries more than 10,000 cars and trucks a day.

Tammy Bellwood’s daughter, Taijia was killed four years ago when her car went off the road and landed upside down in a creek.

“So you could just see the tire marks in the gravel, there were no brake marks,” she said as she visited the spot Wednesday morning.

Tammy says there may have been ice and she wishes there would have been a guardrail.

“In the days after her death the road was the last thing on my mind. It was a friend who said 'I want to get petitions for guardrails' and that’s how it all started,” she remembered.

The Taijia Bellwood Foundation formed, uniting the Scappoose High School community where Taijia had been a student.

“Had this been someone else, she would have been the one saying 'we need to do something,'” Tammy explained. Do something they did, and the state capitol was their target.

“We had probably 10,000 letters signed and at one point state senator Betsy Johnson said 'I got it. You don’t have to send any more letters,'” said Tammy.

Senator Johnson recalls the extensive research the family conducted,

“They compiled more information than ODOT or either of the counties had on the road.”

A Multnomah County study showed 90 accidents on the road in a five-year period. The road runs through two counties and districts. So Johnson, who's a Democrat, joined forces with state senator Bruce Starr, a Republican.

Together they lobbied fellow lawmakers to allocate $9.5 million dollars in federal money.

“The road will have significant improvements in striping, turn lanes, and guard rails. The road will be more drivable and more safe,” said Starr.

Tammy Bellwood drives the road every work day, passing a memorial roadside cross along the way.

“When it comes to government officials, you don’t think you have a chance," said the mother as she reflected on what was accomplished in her daughter’s memory. "But if enough people come together, you can make a difference. This is what I hope can be taken away from this."

Fire crews said the fire broke out at 7709 Southwest Pfaffle Street just before 5 p.m.

"It was a lot of black smoke that came out," said witness Jan Saur.

Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue said it was declared a crime scene and called in Tigard Police detectives.

"It's sad that somebody died," said Saur.  "No one should die."

It is unclear what sparked the blaze.

Southeast Foster Road is considered a high-crash corridor. The area has become a high priority because of several deadly accidents involving pedestrians the last few years.

Sharon White posed as a pedestrian to crack down on drivers who failed to yield at marked crosswalks near SE 68th and Foster Road Wednesday afternoon.

For nearly two hours, police chased down drivers who blew through the crosswalk without stopping.

Robert Teyema who works nearby says drivers aren't the only problem on this busy street. He's seen his share of careless pedestrians.

“I've seen some kind of really lackadaisical, not really paying attention at all. Sometimes I'll cross to get a coffee, of course I'll make sure there's no traffic coming, of course I go down to the light use the crosswalk,” Teyema said.

Police handed out a total of 15 tickets and warnings for failing to yield to pedestrians. A ticket costs up to $280.

Top five breeds that made women more attractive (in reverse order, with "1" being the best):

5. Beagle
4. Poodle
3. Chihuahua
2. Labrador Retriever
1. Golden Retriever

Top five breeds that made men more attractive

5. French Bulldog
4. Siberian Husky
3. Labrador Retriever
2. Golden Retriever
1. German Shepherd

Klooff also found that:

• Women twice as likely to see a man who owns a Boxer or a French Bulldog as just a “hook up” than a man who owns a Pit Bull or Labrador Retriever.
• Women are more than 10 times more likely to see a man who owns a Golden Retriever as "marriage material" or "boyfriend material,” than a man who owns a Pit Bull.
• Women are 10 times more likely to see a man who owns a Pit Bull as “slimy” or “sketchy” than a man who owns a Siberian Husky.

Key findings About men

• The vast majority of men think that a woman who owns a Chihuahua is more likely to be dumb.
• Men are overwhelmingly more likely to see a woman who owns a Golden Retriever as girlfriend material than a woman who owns a Chihuahua.
•Men are more than 5 times more likely to see a woman who owns a Chihuahua as someone to only have a “one night stand” with than a woman who owns a Golden Retriever.

He will use the station's grappling arm to pull the unmanned Space X Dragon capsule into an airlock.

The Dragon was launched Tuesday and Pettit told mission control he had spotted it for the first time early Thursday morning.

More: Private rocket blasts off for space station

Pettit graduated from Silverton Union High School in 1973 and received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Oregon State University in 1978

He was selected by NASA in April 1996 and has made three successful missions into space, including the December 21 launch of the ISS Expedition 30/31.

Background: Astronaut from Oregon launches into space

Jennifer Warren, who worked at Columbia Community Mental Health, was stabbed to death in Brent Redd's home at SE 15th Street and Cowlitz Street, according to St Helens Police Chief Steve Salle.

"She was a very genuine person. She took care of everybody," said friend Curt Williams.

Redd called 911 himself and reported a disturbance, Salle said. Warren was at his home to provide mental health services for him when she was killed.

"Our thoughts and prayers are out there to Jennifer's family," said Debbie Redd, Brent's mother.  "We are so sorry for what happened."

"It just broke my heart," added Doris Stanger, Brent's grandmother.  "I can't believe he would do something like that."

The murder left many asking why Warren was put in such a vulnerable position and an independent investigation has been launched over employee safety.

"Any time a service provider is in someone’s residence, like the police do on a regular basis, there’s always a possibility something bad will happen," Salle said.

Redd was at the home when police arrived. He was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, in Portland, for injuries that were not reported to be life-threatening.

"I think it’s always tragic when a human life is taken," neighbor Patrick Birkle told KGW. "I think it’s especially tragic when it’s someone whose goal is to help."

In 2007, Redd pleaded guilty except for insanity for attempting to murder a family member. He was sent to the state mental hospital. Then, in 2010, the Psychiatric Security Review Board granted him a conditional release back into the community.

"The question Oregonian should be asking is 'why hasn't he kept at the state hospital?" said Steve Doell with Crime Victim's United.

In a statement, the state board said "This incident is the first time in 34 years when any client under the board's jurisdiction has been alleged to have committed a violent act of this nature."

Fellow social workers said they wondered what information, if any, was provided to Warren about her patient's past before she entered his home alone.

Friends and fellow workers told KGW they want to know if there is any way this tragedy could have been prevented.

(KGW Reporters Kyle Iboshi and Tim Gordon contributed to this report)

Richard Ward Mowery is accused of encouraging Ashley Long and other teens to inhale from the tank to make their voices sound funny. He was arrested Tuesday at his home.

The Mail Tribune reports (http://is.gd/Mm2x7r) the eighth-grader collapsed at the party in February and died of an air embolism that blocked a blood vessel.

The party was held at the apartment of an older sister of one of the teens. That woman, 27-year-old Katherine Diane McAloon, was indicted on charges of delivering alcohol and marijuana to minors.

___

Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/

At the erotic store, Fantasy, located on West Burnside, MaryKay Taketa spruces up the deliberately feminine friendly displays. One room over, devices found in the book are selling fast. “This is a flogger,” she said, holding a short whip-looking instrument. It's one of many that are suddenly popular. “Also known as a 'Cat of 9 Tails' but it can also include any sort of paddles or whips and spanking devices," she said.

Sales of all things spanking related increased 117 percent at Fantasy’s five stores over the same three months of last year, according to Taketa. She attributes that directly to the book. Taketa believes the erotic novel took off because a bigger portion of our society is becoming more relaxed about sexuality.

“K-Y's commercials on national television and Brookstone selling personal massagers, it really is over the past decade slowly become more acceptable to discuss and buy and be curious about,” she said.

Over at the Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland, the doormen with their beefeater costumes made it into the book and that's not all. “The hotel is mentioned 19 time-plus, in the first issue alone,” said General Manager Chris Erickson. He's not sure how the hotel and rooms like the symphony suite got featured so prominently in the book. But he's glad it did.

Erickson said it's driving new business. “Any hotel in the world, this is very unique. The fact that they've sold ten million copies, that a book is being downloaded every second of each day and that the momentum does not seem to be waning at all, is actually growing. It's very unique," he said.

Chapter five in the book specifically mentions the sun sculpture on the headboard in the suite. Other sections mention the elevator and the bar. The hotel created two separate customer packages related to the book, one includes a tie similar to Mr. Grey’s.

Not far away at Spartacus, the buzz from the book is evident as well. Sesha Brown said "Fifty Shades of Grey" seems to be prompting a wider range of women to check out the store.

“Yah, we're seeing a broader range from not just 20-year olds and 30-year olds, but now 40's, 50's even 60's and plus. You know, we're definitely seeing every age group in here," she said.

Some of the mannequins in the store were decorated with themes inspired by the book. And discussions seem to be making more and more moms curious.

“We've seen a lot of groups of moms having cocktail hour, maybe across the street in the Pearl District, and you know, they wander over and have fun playing with some of the different items we have on our shelves," Brown said.

"I expect stations to increase prices as much as 10-35 cents per gallon by the conclusion of the weekend, with some stations starting to raise prices immediately," said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst.

A survey by AAA-Oregon earlier in the week found that gas prices in Oregon were at $4.23 per gallon, which was already 54 cents above the U.S. average.

DeHaan warned that tight supply was boosting prices significantly throughout the entire West Coast region, with the worst prices in the nation likely to soon be found in Oregon and Washington.

Wholesale gasoline prices, the price stations pay before taxes and freight charges, is at its highest level ever recorded for the Pacific Northwest.

"I expect the situation to slowly resolve itself over the next few weeks, but as gasoline prices tend to fall slowly, motorists may not have a sense of real relief until late-June or July," DeHaan said.

According to the website gasbuddy.com, the lowest gas prices in Oregon on Thursday were found in Eastern Oregon. 

Also: Oregon gas prices far above national average

More: Find Lowest Gas in Portland

Auto club AAA estimated that 34.8 million Americans will take trips of at least 50 miles.

That's a half-million more than Memorial Day 2011 but equal to the number who traveled two years ago. Roughly 30.7 million - or 88 percent of those traveling - will drive, up 1.2 percent from last year, AAA says.

Forecast | Gas prices & traffic | Travel | Weekend

Memorial Day tends to be a good indicator of summer travel overall. The difference is, people will be traveling closer to home. The average trip will be 642 miles this Memorial Day, compared with 792 miles.

Half of those surveyed said they'll travel less than 400 miles.

Gas in Oregon is more than 40 cents higher on average than the rest of the nation, a search showed on Monday.

A AAA survey showed that those making under $50,000 a year will make up about a quarter of all Memorial Day travelers, down from nearly a third a year ago. Higher gas prices eat up a larger share of lower-income families' household budgets.

AAA says a 66 cent increase in the average gas price from January through early April made many people skittish about taking long road trips.

The average round-trip domestic airfare this summer is expected to be up 9 percent to 10 percent from last year, according to Travelzoo.

That's on top of a 5 to 7 percent increase between 2010 and 2011.

AAA ranked the top five "gas tank getaways" around the Portland area as; Lincoln City, Cannon Beach, Newport, Bend and Astoria.

KGW Meteorologist Nick Allard said showers and cold upper level air can turn to heavy showers, with highs in the upper-50s.

Lightning strikes were reported throughout the Willamette Valley up into Southwest Washington.

The current storm system should move south Friday and be replaced with sunny skies, warmer temperatures and a chance of showers later, Allard said.

More: Forecast | Weekend | Memorial Day travel

Just before 10 a.m. a plastic water bottle filled with an unknown substance exploded inside the school, according to Jay Remy of the Salem-Keizer School District.

"Students were coming from an assembly when they heard a loud boom," Salem Police Lt. Dave Okada told KGW. He said the device had exploded in a garbage can.

No injuries were reported. The school was evacuated as a precaution.

Classes and activities were canceled for the remainder of the day, with buses scheduled to start taking students home at noon. Students who did not need bus service were allowed to leave just before 11:30.

Investigators were searching the building to ensure there were no more devices inside.

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Nearly 250 cases have been reported this year to poison control centers nationally. Though they remain a tiny fraction of the thousands of poisoning calls received every year, doctors are concerned.

The Oregon Poison Control Center told KGW they've taken an average of one call a day about the detergent packs over the past several months. The Washington Poison Control Center has documented 6 calls this year.

The symptoms they see in connection with ingesting the packets -- such as nausea and breathing problems -- are more severe than typical detergent poisoning.

"We're not quite sure why it's happening," said Dr. Kurt Kleinschmidt, a Dallas toxicologist. "But we've clearly had some kids who have become much more ill. We look at these pods as being clearly more dangerous than the standard detergent."

Both Tide and Purex introduced laundry detergent packets in March. The light plastic packets contain a single-use amount of detergent that dissolves in water. They're intended to be dropped into a laundry machine in place of liquid or powder detergent.

Poison control centers began fielding calls about the packets soon after they were introduced.

Paul Fox, a spokesman for Procter & Gamble, the parent company of Tide, says all cleaning products need to be handled carefully. He said Tide was working with poison control centers and advocacy groups to make sure parents know more about the risks.

"The packs themselves are safe, regardless of who manufactures them, provided that they are used for their intended purpose," Fox said. "The risk becomes when they're left like any other household product within reach of small, inquisitive hands."

KGW News would like to hear from local families with children that have eaten a detergent packet. Please email newsdesk@kgw.com

Service for a 35-gallon can will increase by $1.20 from $28.50 per month to $29.70 per month.

City officials say the increase is due to higher gas prices and the need for new garbage trucks.

The rate increase comes after the implementation of a controversial new composting program that added weekly composting, but reduced garbage can pickup to every other week.

A KGW investigation found that some 'compost cheaters' were putting their trash and even used diapers into their compost bin.

Residents interviewed by KGW justified their actions, citing the reduction to bi-monthly garbage pickup, but city officials say co-mingling garbage contaminates the compost and costs the city more in the long run.

More: 'Compost cheats' add to trash debate

Background: Curbside composting begins in Portland

At the same meeting the City Council also voted to raise sewer rates by an average of five percent, effective July 1. The council also discussed an increase in water rates, but decided to delay voting on that proposal until next week's session.

Joseph Conklin had been on paid leave since the incident in January. He pleaded guilty last week to resisting arrest as part of a plea deal in which his police certification was revoked.

He was sentenced to five years of probation.

The 29-year-old had worked more than three years with state police in Florence. The Register-Guard reports  Conklin's probation requires him to continue mental health treatment and stay away from alcohol and weapons.

It's crunch time for everyone setting up for the Rose Festival. Even in a muddy mess, that's not slowing anyone down.

Crews scrambled to get the park ready for Friday evening. Organizers set up tents and put floors down to prepare for the soggy weather.

The stage for RoZone where you can see national concert acts is ready to go.

In the past, rain is a given on opening night, but this year the weather forecast for this festival's first weekend is warm and sunny. More: Forecast

City Fair's new ride MegaDrop is the tallest carnival ride to ever be on the Waterfront. For all you thrill seekers, the ride lifts you 131 feet in the air then drops you within seconds.

City fair opens at 5 p.m. Friday and admission is free. You will have to pay for rides. The fireworks show starts at 10 p.m.