A 30-year-old Gresham death investigation is suddenly back in the spotlight after the Multnomah County medical examiner reclassified the case as a homicide, prompting detectives to reopen the file on the 1993 death of 45-year-old Astrid Bridges.
Bridges was found dead on July 2, 1993, at a home on Overlook Court in southwest Gresham. The case, once considered accidental, is now officially treated as a killing, and investigators from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office are backing up the renewed effort by Gresham detectives.
In a Thursday Facebook update, the Gresham Police Department said detectives have formally moved the Bridges case back into active status after the medical examiner’s office changed its classification from accidental to homicide. The post identifies Detective Tyson Conroy as the contact for tips and notes that prosecutors are working alongside police as the investigation ramps back up.
Public records from the time confirm Bridges died on July 2, 1993, and an obituary in the North Pacific Union Gleaner lists her age as 45. City materials place the scene in southwest Gresham on Overlook Court. For anonymous tips or other information, the City of Gresham lists a crime tips line at 503‑618‑2719 along with additional reporting options.
Why Detectives Revisited the Case
City officials say this cold case did not move forward for years largely because detectives simply did not have the bandwidth to dig back into old files. That changed after recent staffing and funding shifts gave the department more room to maneuver.
"Thanks to the combined impacts of the voter‑approved police and fire levy, our work with the Gresham Police Officer’s Association to hire additional detectives, and our patrol division’s efforts... we are now able to" move cases back to active status, Mayor Travis Gullberg said in the department’s Gresham Police Department Facebook post. The department adds that those changes, along with targeted patrol initiatives, freed up investigators to revisit long‑dormant investigations like Bridges’ death.
How To Contact Detectives
Detective Tyson Conroy is the lead contact on the case and can be reached at [email protected], according to the department. Anyone who prefers to remain anonymous can call the crime tips line at 503‑618‑2719 or visit the City of Gresham for additional reporting options.
