Oregon man allegedly claimed his estranged girlfriend committed suicide. He’s now accused of her murder

An Oregon woman was found dead in a truck and her estranged boyfriend is accused of her murder after claiming she tried to commit suicide, authorities said.

On July 23 around 10 a.m., police responded to a call for a welfare check on Angela Christian, 33.

“Subsequently, the relatives of 34-year-old James Loren Anderson, had contacted the Benton County Sheriff’s Office filing a report he was in violation of an active Linn County Circuit Court domestic violence release agreement,” investigators said, according to Medford’s KTVL.

In that case from late June, Anderson allegedly threatened Christian’s life with a baseball bat, and police charged him with strangulation, unlawful use of a weapon, fourth-degree assault and menacing. He was released from jail after posting bail.

According to authorities, before Christian disappeared, she and Anderson “had been together in a rural area of Benton County in violation of the agreement.”

Christian’s family reported her missing early the evening of July 23.

Police said the victim’s father “had checked her residence and found what he believed to be evidence a crime had occurred inside.”

“A short time later, investigators located a deceased female in the rural area of Mary’s Peak in Benton County," police said. "It was confirmed to be Angela Christian.”

The Corvallis Gazette-Times reported Anderson first told authorities Christian had picked him up around 11 a.m. July 22 and the two had driven together to Mary’s Peak.

There, Anderson claimed, he got out of the vehicle to go to the bathroom and Christian drove off, stranding him.

The affidavit states Anderson said he eventually made his way down the mountain. A friend later told detectives he picked Anderson up and drove him to a location near Christian’s house so the suspect could get his car.

Anderson, who a detective noted had a swollen right hand, allegedly later told investigators Christian had killed herself by driving off the road. The affidavit states a deputy medical examiner determined Christian suffered head and face injuries before she died.

Detectives reportedly spoke with a neighbor of Christian who recalled hearing a woman screaming and a pounding sound around 7:30 a.m. July 22, one day before the victim’s body was discovered.

That same morning, according to court documents, Christian sent a message to her workplace saying she was sick.=

“Angela’s supervisor attempted to call Angela, but she did not answer his phone calls and made excuses via text why she could not talk,” the affidavit states.

Anderson was booked into the Linn County Jail without bail and faces charges of second-degree murder and contempt of court for violation of a no-contact order.