The three of us had a favorite restaurant on the road. Her sneakers and socks were still on her feet. The Oregonian has published the 1977 polygraph reports for both John Arthur Ackroyd and Marlene K. Gabrielsen, who credibly alleges that he raped her at knifepoint. Secondary trauma from reporting stories like this is real. I would describe it as unsatisfying and extraordinary. His parents worked as a maintenance man and as an office worker at the police department. She couldnt see the house number from the truck. It seemed like decent shorthand for conveying the remoteness of this area. We will go through the lives and deaths of Kaye Turner, Rachanda Pickle, Melissa . How much was revision involved in accomplishing this? Within months, without a body or physical evidence implicating Ackroyd, so did the investigation. I have a baby thats not even a year old, she pleaded. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped along the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. I spoke with his coworkers and friends. It was so essential to the chronology that the cash-strapped county that tried Ackroyd years later flew in a Timex exec from the East Coast to testify about the watch and its timekeeping. His high school diploma indicated that he had been a "special education" student. Why? Most of your sentences are short and simple; subject-verb-object, short sentences, short paragraphs. The highway worker had hurt Rachanda, stuffed her into a garbage bag and hauled her away, Linn County Sheriffs Detective Jim Salsbery said during one of their interviews. After leaving drama school in Birmingham in 1970, John worked for 10 years or so in repertory theatres all round England, playing dozens of roles. The couple drove about 90 miles from their home in Lebanon and set up camp near the rodeo grounds. The anecdote revealed that Ackroyd knew Melissa and Sheila and that the young women were comfortable enough with him to climb into his truck. But detectives long suspected Ackroyd preyed on women who disappeared along or around Highway 20 from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. . This time, the DA and the cops who believed Ackroyd had gotten away with Kaye Turners killing were determined to get the highway worker off the street for good. The body count tied to Ackroyd was now up to four. I built this profile from those various sources. The focus seemed wrong. Its a testament to taking a second or third look with fresh eyes and newer forensic techniques at old crimes. janne. I never got a clear answer about why it was sealed or who made that request. For a moment, she considered how lucky she had been to escape unharmed. State (s) Oregon. So you dont know where shes at, he asked. The three of us had a favorite restaurant on the road. Its also a newspaper story, not a book. Interviews with Rachanda Pickles brother, Byron, and one of her childhood friends. I wanted the reader to grasp the precarious position these women were at the time they disappeared. Two more young women disappeared about a month before Ackroyd was arrested and charged in Kayes death. High in the lush canopy, he noticed a birds nest perched on a branch. She talked about how it was late spring. How do we create a person's profile? Beck left Oregon. Plows stood ready to rumble onto the mountain pass during winter storms. He said very little that day but thanked us for making the trip. Vulnerable and adrift, Melissa and Sheila knew nothing of Ackroyds sinister background when he entered their lives. I knew from his coworkers that his truck likely didnt have AC. Its not a transcript. Search by city, ZIP code, or library name Search Learn more about precise location detection. I moved my desk next to Daves. We felt and processed their profound grief. He stuffed his cell with food from the prison commissary dozens of packages of processed meats and cheese, candy bars and beans. Then he started swinging at her with his hand.. The two had history that extended to childhood. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped along the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. They looked for similarities how none of the victims had been buried, for example. Ackroyd was charged with Rachanda's murder in 2013, and pleaded no contest. Ackroyds low libido was the source of such open conflict that Lindas teenage son, Byron, knew of their troubles. What was your source and why did you use it when so many other times you chose to paraphrase speech? In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. Seven months after it ran, Crombie continues to receive emails and letters from readers grateful that these forgotten women have been remembered. I like how direct, clean and certain Hanlons quote is here. Why did you open the series this way? Sheila Swanson was 19 and from nearby Lebanon. This scene has a cinematic quality cops gathering on an empty road days before Christmas reenacting an abduction using a woman deputy and then deciding to give the story their own happy ending. When you have one you really hang tight to them. What role did she play? But these are long stories and I didnt want to lose readers, so it was a question of using scenes and descriptions that were most telling. Explore genealogy for Arthur Ackroyd born 1882 died 1929 New Zealand including research + children + more in the free family tree community. He read about how Ackroyd had been with an old hunting buddy on the morning of Kayes killing. He told police he was poaching when Kaye was killed. I had to rely on their description of what he said. It also won best special section in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Associations annual awards. Later, the men told her that theyd mistaken Kaye for a deer and fatally shot her. The story reaches its powerful chronological conclusion. You shift now to the killer. She thinks those factors played a role in their handling of the investigation. It turned out that Jane Morris had an earlier brush with Ackroyd as well, months before Kaye went missing. I also wanted to touch on the idea that this story served as a form of justice for Marlene. Melissa Sanders was 17 and from Sweet Home. The two camps on the ending: Stop at Ackroyds death with a scene of a cop looking around the killers cell for a confession but finding nothing. It was a single handwritten sentence. Its damning circumstantial evidence linking Ackroyd to the deaths of these two women, Melissa and Sheila. Marlene Gabrielsen was John Ackroyd's first known victim, and the one who survived. Sometimes they would drive away and turn back to get her. He lies down in the dirt and stares up: Is this what his sister saw before she died? If a jury acquitted Ackroyd, it could clear the way for him to seek parole. Was that a conscious decision? Melissa and Sheila joined a list of girls last heard from or seen late at night in this coastal community. The last time the two saw each other, Rachanda was in the backseat of a Chevy Blazer headed home. The cops cheered. She answered right away and was willing to tell me about her experience so the three of us headed to Salem to interview her. Marlene K. Gabrielsen wants you to remember her name. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. Again, he didnt respond. I used a massive spreadsheet for reference. The breadth of his crimes has never been revealed until now. When cops went back to her years later, she apparently felt more at ease talking about what really happened. So while I did the interviews, reporting and wrote the stories, their work helped elevate the project into something pretty special. You could win the lottery four or five times before something like that would happen, Salsbery said. It was my way of saying the state felt they had enough to prove this case and thats as close as this case would get to justice. I listened to them all, some multiple times. Polygraph "test" of Marlene K. Gabrielsen conducted by Sergeant Phil R. Ensminger of the Lane County Sheriff's Office . We sought ways to simplify and streamline. Ackroyd stopped. View John Ackroyd results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. She admitted it could have been her. Benson and Snow set out to find the men who had the strange encounter with Ackroyd. My editors advised me at one point to look for ways to mix things up with more complex sentences and longer graphs. No, the bewildered dispatcher said, thats not true, not with children. The area was about a half-hour drive from where Marlene was raped. Kayes gold Timex watch with the vinyl band was there, too. Marlene glimpsed a .22-caliber rifle on a rack in the cab and a hunting knife stuck in the lid of an old coffee can near the drivers seat. Police photos showed her watch in the woods near where her partial remains were found. Ackroyd was abusive to both Byron and Rachanda. He eluded police even as their suspicions about him deepened. Once, he invited neighbors over to watch horror movies, becoming so animated over scenes of women being chopped up that hed hit rewind again and again. Ending with her in this way allowed me to highlight her resilience. Pretty much all the details of the attacks and deaths are sickening in the series. That meant he was on the road unusually late. Serial Killer John Arthur Ackroyd was a true monster. Two were Jane Does. Christmas presents Noel bought for his wife were wrapped and in the car. Harmon, the investigator who spent hours interviewing Ackroyd, was there, too. He was convicted in the 1978 murder of a woman who never returned from a holiday jog and the prime suspect in the 1990 disappearance . She went missing in 1990 12 years after Kayes killing and just down the highway. We encourage you to research and examine these . You dont describe the rape, instead skipping over graphic details. He talked his boss into letting him drive 750 miles to California to find out. Within weeks, Melissa and Sheila were dead. Ackroyd disclosed yet another curious detail: He hadnt been alone on Christmas Eve morning. Im in real trouble, he confided. The case went cold. They noted in their report how the original officers had failed to pursue the rape case even though physical evidence corroborated Marlenes account. We were smacked by paddles and a lot of people who are are like, Oh big deal, a paddle. No, there was paddles that were designed with holes drilled in them and stuff and they would brag about it helps cuts through the air and you get a harder spanking. Ackroyd was very predominant in discipline. I wanted him to know that the reporting was continuing and that a story would likely appear sometime in the coming months. He was painting the tailgate. Kelley Benham French read one of those footnoted drafts and suggested that we publish them all. Among the files were details from grand jury testimony, which included precise accounts of Kayes state of mind and the days and hours before and after her disappearance. Did she feel shed been raped? Instead, they focused on Kayes husband and possible ties between Kayes disappearance and extramarital relationships she had with two men at the time. Vacuum the house. His wife, Pam, said the two men were around the trailer for most of the morning, which helped give Ackroyd an alibi. Guilty. This time, the DA says come on down and I met with him and his chief deputy and they basically walked me through the grand jury presentation. They ran away from home with plans to make it to California. john arthur ackroyd childhood john arthur ackroyd childhood. This day, prosecutor Bill Hanlon told jurors, has been long in coming.. His wife sat by his side. Both men received life sentences. At the beginning of my reporting, I wrote a letter to Noel Turner, the husband of Kaye Turner who had disappeared on the Christmastime run. These are key characters in this story. Her mother noticed the girls hairbrush, makeup and earrings were still there. He was drawn to Melissa and Sheila, making a point to chat them up. Then Ackroyd died and I approached folks again. We had multiple victims across a large swath of rural Oregon and crimes that covered a long period of time. I wanted the reader to hear Ackroyds reaction when confronted with the detectives suspicions. And then there was Ackroyds eerie talk of hunting. His parents worked as a maintenance man . He had diabetes and a bad heart. He said he returned home to find his stepdaughter under a blanket on the couch. Her description provided a distinct sense of place. Ackroyd, too, hung out there. He was using a paddle at that time. She had been drinking and her husband was known to local cops in their small town. It was my way of saying the state felt they had enough to prove this case and thats as close as this case would get to justice. Melissa had a turbulent life, too. most spectacular scenery from the Cascade foothills to the coast. This is heartbreaking. I never got a clear answer about why it was sealed or who made that request. She woke to find his fingers squeezed tight around her legs as he dragged her out of the truck. Enough time had passed to conclude Rachanda was dead. They were there because they were investigating the killing of Kaye Turner, the woman who is the subject of Day 2. This is a crucial moment where Ackroyd is confronted with one of these crimes, in this case Rachandas disappearance. Their stories have another connection: One man is linked to all five crimes. There were days when we were depleted after doing interviews or looking at these files and crime scene photos. After one year, the couple divorced, but they continued to live together with Linda's children. But those relationships shifted over time. Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. Sandy Turner, Noels wife, answered and greeted us warmly. One man committed all the crimes and he is held responsible for the first time here. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison John Arthur Ackroyd - Top podcast episodes The men heard a truck pull into the yard. Were other approaches considered? That beating she got was over, over the top. Did you have to listen to them to be able to write that sentence? And to explain why this story has currency and impact today. In a 7,000-word series, its important at the start to clearly establish who and what readers will encounter as they stay with an unfolding narrative. Killen had. Hunters had found the bodies of two young women who had vanished during a camping trip on the coast. If you had to characterize the way the system worked in the Rachanda Pickle case, what words would you use? Unsatisfying because he pleaded no contest but his sentence was suspended as part of the plea so he was never formally convicted and his plea deal didnt require him to reveal what hed done with Rachanda. The subject matter is horrific. A young deputy played Kaye. Read millions of eBooks and audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. Shed gone around town hanging missing posters but hadnt called police. Ackroyd would recycle the same stories. We bounced ideas off each other and checked facts. How did you reconstruct the details included in this long section about Marlenes rape and the aftermath? What had the original investigators overlooked? Then theres Ackroyds first known victim. An acquaintance told a detective how he once watched in horror as Ackroyd, then a young man, hacked up puppies using a machete, saying the dogs were his and nobody else could have them. When it concluded, the judge sealed the court records. Hed planned to fix snowplows but decided to take the day off after learning parts hadnt arrived, a claim that baffled his supervisor, who said there was plenty of work to keep Ackroyd busy. Had police believed her, none of the subsequent murders committed by Ackroyd would likely have occurred. It felt clunky to me to stop and quote a source. John Arthur Ackroyd was a state highway mechanic whose route took him along Route 20 from the Cascade Foothills to the Pacific Ocean's coast. Its also a testament to the human need to find answers and how these disappearances and Ackroyd himself affected people who knew there had to be a connection. To some, she seemed lost, almost invisible. Plus, in an era of smartphones, a Timex wrist watch gives readers the sense that this crime happened in another era. Marlene flew out of the pickup, a blur moving toward the house. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/OregonLive. They continued to live together, though, raising Lindas two kids, Rachanda and her older brother, Byron. He glanced skyward. He is most likely one of the Ghost of The Ghosts of Highway. It was shocking. The lead prosecutor has a formidable memory and kept meticulous notes that were part of the case file. Her father, Richard Sanders, kept her jewelry box, which looked like a miniature china cabinet, under a counter in the old trailer where he lived outside Sweet Home. The familys kittens were curled up on the girls lap, he said. I had some of these details from my initial interviews with Marlene, but Kelley pressed me to go back for more, to really flesh out that evening in detail. Its dramatic and I wanted to draw it out for the reader. United States. Was it difficult to learn about Kaye Turners husband since her murder? Were other approaches considered? I asked her about his clothing. An examiner asked a series of questions: Did she tell the truth about being raped? Kayes husband Noel remarried. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for John Arthur Ackroyd . Decades later, their cold case murders were tied to suspected serial killer John Ackroyd. It moved around a bit until it landed here. But as time went on and fresh eyes viewed the case files, investigators finally pursued justice for numerous victims. Why? They climbed back into the truck and continued west on Highway 20. His story about inviting the girl to photograph wildlife that morning never made sense to Rachandas family and friends. She always made the project a priority and didnt make me feel like, Oh, God, Im not contributing or my colleagues are having to pick up the slack. It was just a hell of a story. She clearly is trying to process why a mother would wait so long to report that her child has disappeared from a remote highway compound. I can hear him on the recording that the detective made. Would he give up the body? You use just 67 words to effectively condense the details of a crime that must have been full of detail. His excuse for his bloody arms and hands around the time Melissa and Sheila vanished was that hed just gutted a roadkill deer. Biography Edit. I heard the river on one of those trips and took the liberty of saying he would have heard it too if his windows were rolled down. Without the film, do you think you would use more voices? At one point before the trials, investigators had returned to Camp Sherman to re-enact theories of what had happened. Ackroyd, now 63, went over the timeline of the day Rachanda disappeared, spinning the same old lies. One man committed all the crimes and he is held responsible for the first time here. How to say John Arthur Ackroyd in English? He picked her up 41 years ago at a campground outside Sisters, Oregon. Their stories have another connection: John Arthur Ackroyd.A highway mechanic who targeted women on the long stretch of highway that he know so well from endless trips.Calm and collected on the exterior, his personality hid the predator that raged within. He claimed hed reached down to touch the slain womans arm and hair. Karen Lee, 15, and Rodney Grissom, 14, were friends. It was a poignant detail in a horrifying account. And this guy basically got away with it.. She carried her baby book as a reminder of a time when she was happy. We gobbled up newsroom resources and space online and in the paper, but theres a limit and thats the reality of the job and format. The ending because you want to leave readers with a meaningful and hopefully memorable coda, the lasting impression. Be sure to examine it, as it makes for compelling and highly instructive reading. I hired a high school student to come in and Bates stamp them. Reporting on this series was emotionally grueling. Forensic experts and search-and-rescue workers spent nearly a week looking for her remains. By this point, it was time to flesh him out. You end this section by withholding what happened with the grand jury. When John Arthur Ackroyd was born on 18 March 1902, in Bradford St James, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, his father, George Ackroyd, was 26 and his mother, Annie Sharp, was 25. Kaye Turner vanished 40 years ago while running along an empty road in a rustic central Oregon retreat. She was a bright and witty woman who seemed destined to live a full life. The language of the story is spare and lean. Is this the theme of the story? Account & Lists Returns & Orders. Finding no sign of her, he panicked and called police. We bounced ideas off each other and checked facts. This scene has a cinematic quality cops gathering on an empty road days before Christmas reenacting an abduction using a woman deputy and then deciding to give the story their own happy ending. Beth Nakamura / The Oregonian/OregonLive, A lone truck makes its way along Highway 20 at dusk. She had been drinking and her husband was known to local cops in their small town. There was the rivet found near Sheila and a beaded seat cushion used at the time in cars and trucks. Now, two years after Rachanda went missing without a trace from the family home, the young women who left a camping trip were dead. If you have experienced sexual violence and need support, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. If you change your mind and want to show me, Harmon called out, let me know.. Though they had grown apart in their marriage, he remembers Kaye with fondness. A dozen or so work crews called the junction home. Ackroyd heaved his body out of the chair. Kaye and husband, Noel, had joined friends on a holiday getaway at Camp Sherman, a vacation and fly-fishing retreat along the pristine Metolius River off Highway 20 with a two-room school, country store and 200 year-round residents. Prosecutors said she also had been raped. Yes, youre right. It was my way of acknowledging to the reader that this has been an epic tale that wont have a Hollywood ending. Organization, extensive footnoting and a decent system for records that involved seven three-ring binders helped me keep it all straight. We were smacked by paddles and a lot of people who are are like, Oh big deal, a paddle. No, there was paddles that were designed with holes drilled in them and stuff and they would brag about it helps cuts through the air and you get a harder spanking. Ackroyd was very predominant in discipline. But the story cant be fully appreciated without viewing Killens gripping documentary; so far its YouTube views top 847,000 hits and 22.6 million minutes of viewing time, Bottomly said. The restive pair quickly grew bored and wanted their boyfriends to pick them up. That may have also played a role in their response. Its a combination of rhythm the variety is more interesting and simply finding ways to weave in the necessary details of who, what, when, where and why without overwhelming readers. Ackroyd had indeed come across Kaye but didnt go to police, even though he saw posters with her picture at the nearby Santiam Junction highway compound, where he lived. It felt clunky to me to stop and quote a source. Their stories. Later that morning, the door to the house opened unexpectedly. She didnt talk much about what had happened. The men were told to drop it. Rachandas green nightgown was on her bedroom floor. Its definitely hard to read but written, I hope its seen, with deliberation and circumspection. She answered right away and was willing to tell me about her experience so the three of us headed to Salem to interview her. Her Timex wristwatch read about 8:15 a.m. What lay behind that decision? There was stuff I wanted to say about them that didnt really fit in elsewhere so this seemed like a good spot for that. In scene after scene, over a couple of long days as the Christmas holiday approached, the investigators playing Ackroyd and Beck would snatch her off the road. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped off this same stretch of lonely road in rural Oregon, which winds through some of the Northwest's most spectacular scenery. Its ugly to describe and imagine these killings.
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