Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. In the late spring of 1977, 20-year-old Marlene Gabrielsen went to Sisters, Oregon for the rodeo with her husband. There was an error processing your request. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. His name was John Arthur Ackroyd, who would join the ranks of Ted Bundy, "Green River Killer" Gary Ridgway, and other notorious predators who have trolled the Pacific Northwest for vulnerable and marginalized women. Last updated April 1, 2021; clothing/jewelry description and details of disappearance updated. John Arthur Ackroyd, 67, was found unresponsive in his cell at about midnight. [4], In August 1979, Ackroyd reported that he had found Turner's remains in the woods, about a half mile off the road that she had been running along. Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley said he is confident his staff had the right man. Thank you very much in advance. He died behind bars in 2016, leaving behind no confessional note to those crimes or any others (Crombie recounts some other unsolved cases from the area). Authorities were able to identify her by finding her living sisters. "Some of his Victims:Kaye Jean Gray Turner F/G #171981794 Rachanda Lea Pickle F/G #114327981 Melissa Kay Sanders F/G #128436399 Sheila Marie Swanson F/G #144985042 An inmate at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem died early Friday morning, state officials said. United States (Oregon) You can always change this later in your Account settings. Brandon BAUMGARTNER, David John I haven't seen a good timeline that pinpoints exactly when Ackroyd returned to the area after his military service. In 2013, while in prison for Turners murder, Ackroyd was arraigned in Linn County on murder charges in Pickles death. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. The conclusion of the Oregonian/OregonLive's five-part series. Melissa and Sheila's bodies were found about a month before Ackroyd was charged for the murder of Kaye Turner. cemeteries found in Salem, Marion County, Oregon, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. We heard from so many readers who said they binge watched it or they went online first thing to watch the next episode. It was a really strong, powerful force for us that we were going to have the privilege of telling these stories for people who were never going to have justice and whose stories were really cast aside.. "This is a messy story with loose ends and unanswered questions," she writes for the Oregonian/OregonLive. In late 2016, I began investigating a little-known killer named John Arthur Ackroyd, who, decades earlier, had stalked a stretch of U.S. 20 through Oregon.My editor wanted to know if a handful of cold cases involving young women whose bodies or clothing had been found in the surrounding woods were linked to Ackroyd, a former state highway mechanic who traveled the route for work and who was . Two years later, in December of 2018, The Oregonian published Ghosts of Highway 20. The five-part narrative series includes revelations of a secret plea deal, more than two hours of documentary videos and an annotated version of the story with links to source material. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of John Ackroyd (206340289)? John Arthur Ackroyd is accused of killing his stepdaughter, Rachanda Pickle, who vanished in 1990. Gender If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. December 30, 2016 (aged 67)Salem, Oregon, United States In 1986, two Forest Service workers found a partial human skull, some additional bone fragments and one tooth near Government Camp off U.S. 26 on Mount Hood in Clackamas County, Oregon. Steven Leriche, the district attorney in Jefferson County, where Ackroyd was prosecuted for Turners death, said he wondered what secrets Ackroyd took to his grave. After Rachanda disappeared, he and her mother separated, and her mother moved to California and remarried. Her mother was at work at the time of her disappearance. Get our roundup of longform stories every Saturday. An inmate at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem died early Friday morning, state officials said. Read more in our, John Ackroyd ended up dying in prison in 2016. RICHLEY, Robert Leslie When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Accomplice(s) The Highway 20 Serial Killer Unexplained Oregon. Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990. Turner, of Eugene, was 35 at the time of her death.Oregon State Police's Criminal Investigation Division is conducting an investigation into Ackroyd's death. Marlene wanted to go back home.[1][2]. Oops, we were unable to send the email. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206340289/john-arthur-ackroyd. janne. Investigators zeroed in on the encounter, suspecting that harming Rachanda had excited him. After she pleaded to be taken to her home and her baby, he decided to drive her to her mother-in-law's house in Lebanon. It was pretty extraordinary given all the pressures here that we got the time and resources to do this work.. In 1992 he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. Sign up for our Daily Headlines newsletter, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. To keep creating He is most likely one of the Ghost of "The Ghosts of Highway 20. Country Suspected Serial Killer [4][5] It was not until Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990 that the police began to earnestly investigate Ackroyd and collect new information. For years Ackroyd was the prime suspect in Rachanda's case, and her family believed he had murdered her. New Zealand : Arthur Paul BAIRD II: September 7, 1985: 3: Indiana, USA . Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. You have permission to edit this article. John Rodney McRae. This kind of work took organization from the very beginning. John Loveman REESE . We really didnt know what we were getting into with this story, said Oregonian reporter Noelle Crombie, so we went back to the very beginning.. [8], In addition to the four homicide and one non-fatal assault and rape victims of Ackroyd, he is also believed to have been responsible for the deaths of a number of other people in the area at the time he was suspected to have been active. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. John Arthur Ackroyd, a state highway worker convicted in the 1978 murder of a woman who never returned from a holiday jog and the prime suspect in the 1990 disappearance of his 13-year-old. While there was no physical evidence linking the state highway mechanic to her death, the trial featured some compelling testimony, though not from Ackroyd. Thomas Hanna, a state highway worker who lived at Camp Sherman, spotted her running south and he also saw another highway worker, John Ackroyd. He held a knife to her neck and dragged her into the woods where he ripped off her jeans, cut off her underwear and boots with the knife. Although the evidence, including the rape kit and her bruised body supported her story, the police did not prosecute Ackroyd. Genealogical investigation and DNA testing on the skull identified Wanda Ann Herr, aged 19, as a potential match. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. Select any of the free newsletter below, enter your email address and click 'Sign Up.". They interviewed Ackroyd who got off of work at 6:30 a.m. [1][2] John Arthur Ackroyd, a highway mechanic with the Oregon Department of Transportation, was a suspect in these cases. Ackroyd was charged with Rachanda's murder in 2013, and pleaded no contest.[1]. [11] Assumed to be dead, searches for her continued into 1993. [4], On Christmas Eve, she went on a run by herself before breakfast at about 8:15 a.m. She embarked on a run expected to take one hour along a two-lane camp road. In the series, that stretch of road is not just the scene, said Margaret Haberman, The Oregonians managing producer who edited the project. I was informed this morning that Mr. John Ackroyd has died in prison, District Attorney Doug Marteeny said Friday afternoon. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Our entertainment reporters give you the scoop on the local scene. [15][8], Ron Benson, an investigator for the Lincoln County District Attorney's Office, made the likely connection between the cases of Marlene Gabrielsen in 1977, Kaye Turner in 1978, followed by Ackroyd's stepdaughter, Rachanda, in 1990, and Melissa and Sheila in 1992. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Verify and try again. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Ackroyd said that he saw her remains two months after her disappearance, but did not report the sighting. He'd been in prison since Jan. 11, 1994.Ackroyd and Roger Dale Beck were both convicted in 1993 of killing Kaye Jean Turner in the Metolius River area in 1978. A fast and unbiased roundup of whats happening in the world today. There was a problem saving your notification. Thank you very much in advance. One matched Turner's Nike shoes. By then, Ackroyd was dead; he had died in prison in late 2016. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. The question from the beginning, Nakamura said, was how to display a project with just woods and people talking? Gone, by Jerry Mitchell, published in the Clarion-Ledger in 2016 and led to the conviction of Felix Vail. Try again later. However, detectives were only able to prosecute the murder of Kaye Turner of 1978,[1] for which he was sentenced to five life sentences for aggravated murder. Edward Arthur Anthony The area is remote and there were no children her age there. They got one. He died in prison in December of 2016. If an internal . new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help Race/Ethnicity She is believed to have been Ackroyd's first victim. When asked what happened to the carcass, he said that he threw it in the brush. SALEM John Arthur Ackroyd, who in 2013 was charged with the 1990 murder of his stepdaughter Rachanda Pickle, has died of natural causes at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. that is degrading to another person. [15], Their bodies were found by local hunters near an old logging spur off of Highway 20. He was covered in blood, which he stated was because he had run into a deer and had to "gut him out". Try again later. based on information from your browser. Son: Donald Ackroyd was born on 06/25/1971.John Arthur Ackroyd was an American murderer, rapist and most likely a serial killer. He brought pain to many lives, said Leriche. left with Lee intending to hitchhike to California, who disappeared two days after he did. Start every day with all the essential news in Central Oregon. There is a problem with your email/password. Thats a significantly bigger number than The Oregonians enterprise journalism usually brings in, Bottomly said. On August 27, 1978, at 7 a.m., two hunters from Milton-Freewater, Oregon were hunting in the Finley Creek Cow Camp close to Elgin when they came across bone remains at a nearby grave. Therese Bottomly, director of news at The Oregonian, paid the freelancer a tip fee. Physical evidence proved he had been sexually abusing Rachanda prior to her disappearance. ), footballer for Exeter City, Grimsby Town and Rotherham County. John Arthur Ackroyd The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Noelle Crombie knows that. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Make sure that the file is a photo. A moss hunter in Linn County at Sweet Home, Oregon, discovered the unidentified skeletal remains of a woman on July 24, 1976, along Highway 20 close to Swamp Mountain Road. In 1992 he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. "We went back in our clips. Ackroyd told investigators that he had seen the Eugene woman on the day she disappeared, but it wasnt until 1990, when his 13-year-old stepdaughter, Rachanda Pickle, vanished from the familys Santiam Junction home, that investigators zeroed in on him for Turners death. person will not be tolerated. Family members linked to this person will appear here. RESNOVER, Michael Wayne Crombie, Killen and Nakamura all went (after a bit of convincing.). Ackroyd is the prime suspect in her presumed murder but her identity still remains unestablished and she is referred to by authorities as the Swamp Mountain Jane Doe.[17]. What happened to Craig Coyner III? [1][2], Kaye Turner spent the Christmas holiday of 1978 with her husband and their friends at Camp Sherman, Oregon in central Oregon. John Arthur Ackroyd is accused of killing his stepdaughter, Rachanda Pickle, who vanished in 1990. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. English Marlene Gabrielsen, of her ride with John Arthur Ackroyd[3], John Arthur Ackroyd gave her a ride, during which she fell asleep. Please subscribe to keep reading. Ackroyd was found guilty, but he never came clean on exactly what transpired in Turner's final hours. Foul play is suspected in Rachanda's disappearance due to the circumstances involved. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Gabrielsen reported that John Arthur Ackroyd had raped her while giving her a ride home along Highway 20. [7] Beck, who bragged to his family about killing Turner,[8] was also found guilty in November 1993 of the aggravated murder of Kaye Turner by a Jefferson County Circuit jury at a separate trial. I am especially grateful to George Eder and Coleen Cerda who prosecuted this case on behalf of the citizens of Linn County, Marteeny said. He had been in poor health for some time. [4] Her husband Noel Turner drove through Camp Sherman looking for his wife when she had not returned by 10 a.m. The requirement has been in place since August 2021. The title was adopted by The Oregonian, which published the cold-case stories of the forgotten women who disappeared along the route. John Arthur Ackroyd was a longtime state highway mechanic whose route along U.S. 20 wound through some of Oregon's . Before joining faculty, All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2023, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3. Noelle Crombie knows that. [15] Since Ackroyd was already in prison and it would be expensive to prosecute the case, the case was closed. Part V opens with Ackroyd in 1993 going to trial for the 1978 murder of Kaye Turner, who was killed while out on a Christmas Eve run near Highway 20 in Camp Sherman, Oregon. We have many John Arthur Ackroyd, a highway mechanic with the Oregon Department of Transportation, was a suspect in these cases.However, detectives were only able to prosecute the murder of Kaye Turner of 1978 . In the second, he'd been dead for years. Thanks for your help! When he returned to their home a short time later, she was gone. An independent source of exclusive news and insight about state government delivered conveniently by email each Friday to subscribers. The freelance pitch that led to the five-part series came in 2015. Everyone wanted this one.. She described him as someone big and burly who may have worked in the woods. [1] We won't share it with anyone else. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Investigators located the men who had seen Ackroyd arrive very late after his shift, and covered in blood. Support responsible news and fact-based information today! Levi jeans, a platform sandal, and a fringed leather coat were among the clothes discovered. They lived at Santiam Junction at Oregon 22 and U.S. Highway 20, where state highway work crews lived. This account has been disabled. ). Span of crimes (Getty Images), Ex-EMT: It's Cops' Fault I Didn't Render Aid to Tyre Nichols, Judge's Sentencing Remark Shows Murdaugh Family Pull, 'Lady in the Fridge' Identified 28 Years Later, Wedding Crashers Found Guilty of Killing Groom, Alex Murdaugh Receives Two Life Sentences, MI5 Had Chance to Stop Manchester Bombing, Maryland Mayor Arrested Over Alleged Child Porn, Jury Convicts Alex Murdaugh in Slayings of Wife and Son, Judge Removes Murdaugh Juror Amid Laughter, Cops: Suspect Dead After Hobby Lobby Shooting, Days After Missing Aristocrat's Arrest, Baby's Remains Found, Looks Like It's the End for One of DC's 'Greatest Mysteries', CNN Anchor's Baby Arrived in Most Surprising Way, 'It Looked Like He Was Basically Sliding Down the Mountain'. RICHARD, Miguel A. On Christmas Eve 1978, Kaye Turner went on a run on a remote road off Highway 20 and never returned. Avon The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Linn County Sheriff's Office Ackroyd, 67, appears to have died of natural causes, the state Department of Corrections said. I am wanting to learn more and hopefully get some closure for our family. Ensuring that Mr. Ackroyd was never released from prison has been a primary objective this office has pursued for a number of years. Be Truthful. From the outside, he seemed to lead an ordinary life: Raised in small-town Oregon, he hunted and fished, held a steady Alvin . On April 27, 1978, another unidentified woman's skull was found in a wooded area off of U.S. Route 20 in eastern Linn County, Oregon. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Clinton Ackroyd was also awaiting trial for the 1990 murder of his 13-year-old stepdaughter, Rachanda Lee Pickle of Sweet Home. Weve updated the security on the site. In 1992 he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. Ackroyd mentioned that he had seen a runner in a clearing, but the police did not consider him a suspect. Get the Daily Headlines, delivered FREE to your inbox. She worked on the series with video editor and producer Dave Killen and photojournalist Beth Nakamura. BRIDGES, Richard Clifford It may not display this or other websites correctly. Photos of Ackroyd are posted with this case summary. And it had not been told," said Bottomly, now the Oregonian's editor. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. He was based in Santiam Junction, Oregon and drove to Camp Sherman, about 25 miles from work. Biography [ edit] Ackroyd was raised in the small logging town of Sweet Home, Oregon. Human remains found off Forest Service Road 417 in Linn County, east of Sweet Home. He is most likely one of the Ghost of The Ghosts of Highway. Learn more about merges. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. To keep creating new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help the Murderpedia project stay alive. Charles RUSSELL Jr. George When he returned to their home a short time later, she was gone. The Ghosts of Highway 20 refer to a number of girls and women who disappeared, or were victims of rape and murder, along Highway 20 in the U.S. state of Oregon from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. RECTOR, Gregory cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Going out this weekend? No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Murder suspect Ackroyd found dead in Salem prison cell. There was an error deleting this problem. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? This time, he decided not to be interviewed by the police. That is what has happened and we are pleased with that outcome. The following year, her bones were discovered in a shallow grave in the woods near Green Peter Reservoir's Thistle Creek exit on Highway 20 in Linn County. JavaScript is disabled. 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