Police: Woman murdered, estranged husband found dead

HILLSBORO, Ore. - Police agencies investigating two deaths in separate locations Monday morning said the incidents are related.

Hillsboro police said they responded to a call at about 1 a.m. on Northeast Grant Street in Hillsboro and found Cindy Givens, 40.

She was alive when officers first arrived but later died. Before she died, she told officers she had been attacked by her estranged husband, according to Hillsboro Police spokesman Lt. Michael Rouches.

Three children were also in the home during the attack but were not involved and not hurt, Rouches said. Police said they were asleep and did not witness the incident.

The children are 11, 16 and 17, police said.

Meanwhile, Oregon State Police closed Highway 26 in the Coast Range at about 1:15 a.m. after a man was found dead in a pickup truck on the side of the road by a Washington County Sheriff's Deputy near Manning.

An OSP spokesman said the man was Steven Leon Givens, 45.

Manning is located northwest of Hillsboro.

Court records show that Cindy filed for divorce in February 2011. She also filed a restraining order a day later.

OSP investigators called Steven Givens' death "suspicious" and said the man did not die from natural causes, although they have not yet released the exact cause of death.

Steven Givens was arrested in 1997 on criminal mischief and harassment charges.

Police did say the pickup was in a turnoff area where people often stop to rest or make a phone call. Givens' body was removed from the vehicle and the highway was reopened at about 6 a.m.

Neighbor Connie Ethell said police officers knocked on her door around 2:30 a.m. to say there had been a murder across the street and that investigators were in the neighborhood.

"They just wanted us to know they were in the neighborhood and they'd be there for a while and not to panic," she said.

Ethell said both the husband and wife were "wonderful people."

"My kids grew up with them and you couldn't have asked for better parents to those children," she said. "I just can't believe it happened."

Police said they are not looking for any suspects at this time and an autopsy is scheduled to how Steven Givens died. They did not give a cause of death for Cindy Givens.

The children in the Hillsboro were taken to the home of a relative, Rouches said. Counselors will also be at the children's school, Rouches added.

Through a friend, the family released a statement Monday night: "The Hunsaker Givens family is very saddened and are in disbelief by this tragic family loss. Thank you for your generosity and respecting our privacy. Cindy was a cherished daughter, sister, mother and friend. We all miss her very much."

A memorial fund has been set up for the children. Donations are accepted at any US Bank under the Cindy Givens Children's Memorial Fund.