PORT ANGELES — Family and friends of the three people shot and killed at 52 Bear Meadow Road are heartbroken and searching for answers as law enforcement officials continue to look for the killer.
Law enforcement officials believe Darrell C. Iverson, 57, his son Jordan D. Iverson, 27, and the son’s girlfriend Tiffany A. May, 26, were all killed on or about Dec. 26. The Iversons’ bodies were discovered after a concerned family member went to the property New Year’s Eve and May’s body was found in a locked outbuilding the next day.
Each had been shot multiple times.
“The entire family is just in disbelief,” said Chere’l Buchanan, Darrell Iverson’s niece. “We have faith in [law enforcement] that they’ll find whoever did it.”
Clallam County Sheriff’s Staff Sgt. John Keegan said Thursday that investigators continue to conduct interviews and have no suspect.
The deaths happened as the younger Iverson and May were helping Darrell Iverson through the recent death of his partner Lori Nichols-Buchanan — Buchanan’s mother — who died suddenly Sept. 6.
Chere’l Buchanan said investigators found her mother’s ashes next to his bed.
“He was grief-stricken, trying to figure out his life without her,” Buchanan said. “This is horrible for our family.”
Darrell Iverson, a trucker, owned a logging business and at one point in his life had worked hauling trailers. Buchanan said he has always worked for himself and that he loved what he did.
Buchanan said that despite her uncle’s rough and grizzly exterior, he was one of the nicest people she knew.
“He was a huge teddy bear,” she said. “He’s one of those people who looks intimidating, but he’s not.”
With the help of his son, Jordan Iverson, Darrell was able to keep his logging truck running. Those who knew Jordan Iverson described him as an accomplished mechanic who could fix anything.
He took great pride in his ability to get things running again, Buchanan said.
“He was a wizard,” she said. “If it was broken, he could fix it.”
Neighbors have said that whenever they drove past the 5-acre property the Iversons were typically outside, often working on the truck.
The son had been with May for awhile, Buchanan said. It was after the death of Buchanan’s mother that she really got to know May, she said.
“She was a sweetheart,” Buchanan said. “She would do anything for anyone. She and Jordy were like a match made in heaven.”
She was unsure exactly how long they had been together, but said they were inseparable. Both struggled with addiction, but Buchanan said they had turned their lives around and found solace together.
“He had a different outlook on life and was trying to do something with himself,” Buchanan said of Jordan Iverson.
Rumors
Buchanan said she has read on social media people speculating about the reasons her loved ones were killed and that has only added more pain to her grief.
“When I see that stuff … all the drug comments … it’s horrible for someone to put that black cloud over his head,” she said of her uncle. “I could never imagine he could have any kind of drug-related thing.”
Law enforcement officials have said that though they are familiar with the property, no one on the property was the target of any investigation and there was nothing in their history to suggest they would be targets.
Keegan said rumors have been circulating on social media and urged people to stop spreading false statements.
“It’s not good for the family, it’s not good for the investigation and the citizens in general,” Keegan said. “We’ve had a tragic event that has happened.”
He said anyone who has real information that could help the investigation should call the tip line at 360-417-2540.
Keegan said investigators are continuing to talk to people who knew the victims and who had been staying on the property.
Candlelight vigil
Friends have organized a candlelight vigil for Monday, one week after the victims were identified.
It is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Jessie Webster Park, 609 E. Third St., Port Angeles.
“It’s nice that they are doing that,” Buchanan said. “The family appreciates it.”
The memorial is being organized by Jenni Tiderman and Siouxzie Hinton, who said they have known the Iversons and May for years.
“They were so happy and so generous,” Tiderman said.
The last time she heard from May was when May sent her a message wishing her a Merry Christmas.
Tiderman said May and the Iversons had strongly supported her while she was in recovery from drug addiction.
When Tiderman was homeless, May would always let her go to her place to take a shower and have a hot meal, she said.
“She was a kind person to talk to when you were having a problem,” Tiderman said. “The transients on their property was because they couldn’t allow strays” without doing something to help.
‘A joke for everything’
Tiderman said she especially will remember Jordan Iverson’s sense of humor.
“He had a joke for everything,” she said. “Sometimes you didn’t think he was taking anything seriously, but he was just joking in a very loving way.”
Tiderman said she is struggling to understand why anyone would kill the Iversons and May.
“There are so many people that are affected by this,” Tiderman said. “They knew a lot of people and I really think with everyone having a hard time, it reflects on the kind of people they were.
“We wouldn’t be hurting so much if they weren’t the awesome people they were.”
Hinton said she has known May and Jordan Iverson since they were both teens.
She described them as kind-hearted people who would do what they could to help others.
“They overcame massive obstacles in life,” she said. “They didn’t deserve to die violently.”
She said the memorial will give people a chance to mourn together as they honor and respect their loved ones.
Still, with the killer remaining free, Hinton feels uneasy, she said Thursday.
“This has affected all of us in one way or another,” she said.
“I think the hardest part is knowing that the assailant who caused this tragedy is also part of this community.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
Investigators were not at 52 Bear Meadow Road, the scene where three people were shot and killed, on Thursday afternoon. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)