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That beating she got was over, over the top. Though Ackroyd offered their mother stability, the teens dreamed of the day they could leave home for good. He was beset with chronic health problems and hadnt left his cell much. Back then, if traffic was light and his window was rolled down, Ackroyd would have heard the South Santiam River rushing alongside the highway as he headed west out of Sweet Home. The watch played a key role in helping to pin down when she was killed. Who was this guy and what made him tick? Kayes killing serves as the cliffhanger at the end of Day 1. Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990. All these years later, the Turner trial would be the first step in bringing the killer to justice. Did you and your colleagues ever worry whether readers would care about cases that happened so many years before? An examiner asked a series of questions: Did she tell the truth about being raped? Kaye Turner was killed in 1978, followed by Ackroyds stepdaughter, Rachanda, in 1990. When it snapped, he smacked her repeatedly with his open hand. Read "John Arthur Ackroyd, Serial Killer" by Ruth Canton available from Rakuten Kobo. She didnt talk much about what had happened. It seemed like decent shorthand for conveying the remoteness of this area. A stranger had driven his pickup over two young women as they slept at Cline Falls State Park, less than an hour southeast of Camp Sherman. Melissa and Sheila joined a list of girls last heard from or seen late at night in this coastal community. This detail is so specific. Marlene had hitchhiked plenty and didnt think twice as she squeezed into the front seat between the men. I produced a separate online version of the story with more than 150 footnotes showing the interviews and records that supported crucial passages. Then theres Ackroyds first known victim. We had multiple victims across a large swath of rural Oregon and crimes that covered a long period of time. How did you track down Laront? Peter Ackroyd, (born October 5, 1949, London, England), British novelist, critic, biographer, and scholar whose technically innovative novels present an unconventional view of history. Marlene started this series and it seemed fitting to end with her. I lied like hell back then, she told McAnulty. Instead, they focused on Kayes husband and possible ties between Kayes disappearance and extramarital relationships she had with two men at the time. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped on the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. She planned an 8-mile run. As investigators scoured the woods for clues, a state police trooper rested against a tree. Beautiful scenery but what this man did was not beautiful in any sense. Ackroyd shuffled into the courtroom, where Byron sat in the gallery clutching a photograph of his sister. It was earlier in the year, though he couldnt recall the date. He was responsible for clearing wrecks, helping people whose cars broke down on the highway, and maintenance. What lay behind that decision? . Happier times. I did not have any models in mind. Marlene slowly stood, wearing only her T-shirt and jacket. Gillmore knew Ackroyd had abducted a runner near Highway 20. It seems clear that for many of those involved, including most importantly the victims and their families, the system (and to a larger extent society) failed them. 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. He died in prison in 2016.[6][7]. How do we create a person's profile? Her description provided a distinct sense of place. She talked about how she thought he was a logger or someone who made a living in the woods. Melissa and Sheila had waited until dawn to leave the familys campsite. Its damning circumstantial evidence linking Ackroyd to the deaths of these two women, Melissa and Sheila. Resources and contacts also are listed at the end of the story. In it, he thanked me for telling the stories of Ackroyds other victims. I can hear him on the recording that the detective made. [4] Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990. That meant he was on the road unusually late. Police photos showed her watch in the woods near where her partial remains were found. I did not do nothing. After Rachandas disappearance, Ackroyd was transferred out of Santiam Junction, where his connection to the case and his behavior made women uncomfortable. They met once a week in Bensons office to dive into thousands of pages of old files, spending hours devouring details about the case. I would imagine there were several possible structures for the series. Her face and name are tattooed onto his left bicep, a memorial to the aunt his children never knew. Ackroyd had once speculated to police that his stepdaughter might not have been buried either. 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. My mom was yelling at John to stop. Did she feel shed been raped? Even today parts of the road are so narrow and quiet the highway has the feel of a country lane. In 1986 he became the . Melissa Sanders was 17 and from Sweet Home. They show similarities with the other attacks off the highway in the woods, restraints or some sort of overpowering, abuse and then stashing the womens bodies out of the way, leaving them for the elements and animals to destroy. I know from watching Dave Killens powerful documentary that much of what you summarize in the story, especially peoples voices, appears there instead of the print narrative. Rachandas brother struggled to cope with the loss of his sister. I knew I wanted to use this somewhere in this series. Why? [1] He married Linda Pickle in the mid-1980s. They matter because some of their stories have never been told. Sheilas ankles were bound with leggings. He worked overseas as a mechanic and was caught stealing equipment. It wasnt long before teenagers Melissa Sanders and Sheila Swanson disappeared from a camping trip to the coast. Investigators suspected the rivet a quick fix used in field repairs had fallen out of the pocket of her attacker. Rachanda was so uneasy living at Santiam Junction that she routinely brought a change of clothes to school hoping to stay with friends. Few kids lived there and the ones who did werent Rachandas age. Raised in southern Oregon, she was an only child who remained close to her parents and had recently returned from a visit. The medical examiner speculated that the young women had been strangled, but the condition of their remains made it difficult to determine a cause of death for either. I also was liberated by knowing the companion photos and video would fill in many of the details in a different way. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. Alarmed, Weston went to get her husband, who called state police. She read some drafts early on. Within days of the discovery of Melissa and Sheilas bodies, police zeroed in once again on the highway worker. Why the shift? So instead of hundreds of footnotes, we ran about 150 in a separate version of the story that also links to original source material. Margaret (Haberman) agreed and suggested that we pare them down to a manageable number for publication. A cop once mentioned to me that Ackroyd always had a bunch of these candies in his pocket and would pop them into his mouth during interrogations. How were you able to describe the dispatcher as bewildered? Seven months after it ran, Crombie continues to receive emails and letters from readers grateful that these forgotten women have been remembered. I burned through so many leads before landing on this one. This time you dramatize the action instead of summarizing it. Two were Jane Does. What followed likely altered the path of Ackroyds life, along with those of at least five young women and everyone who loved them. I knew from the time Id spent with her that shes a strong person, and Day 1 of this series didnt capture that. Rachanda disappeared on July 10, 1990. Interviews with Rachanda Pickles brother, Byron, and one of her childhood friends. Melissas parents awoke to find the young women gone, their tent empty. Later, they mentioned the bizarre encounter to a foreman, but the anecdote never made it past shop gossip. Those footnotes helped me sleep at night. He was the only son of an office worker at the local police department and a maintenance man. A doctor identified bruising on her back, legs and knee. Biography. Its 41 years too late, but finally she is believed. Linda and John Ackroyd left for work, she as a housekeeper at Black Butte Ranch, a resort community about 30 minutes away, and he as a highway mechanic. Crombie was just wrapping up a four-year stint on the cannabis beat she had created when Bottomly called her into her office and told her about the case. He claimed she turned down his invite . Lucinda Williams The Ghosts of Highway 20, One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book. Once in a while, Bart Swanson makes his way to the isolated logging road where Sheilas body was found just feet from her friend, Melissa Sanders. Click here to find personal data about John Ackroyd including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. Hello, Sign in. Why did choose to organize by chronologically, by victim? On Christmas Eve morning in 1978, she went out for a run in Camp Sherman, where she, her husband and friends planned to spend the holiday. They could prove only a single case Turners 1978 murder. The couple had since divorced and Pam had moved to California. I knew from his coworkers that his truck likely didnt have AC. But its worth noting that it took many years for this particular serendipity to play out. In a war with the French king Philip II, he lost Normandy and almost all his other possessions in France. For convenience, the salient portion of each report is transcribed below. Did you tear off her bra? Before she left, she had slipped into her fathers workshop in the garage, writing Hi Dad, I love you, Kaye in neat cursive on a yellow legal pad for him to find later. He thought she was pretty, he said, and noticed that shed begun to develop. By then, Becks ex-wife had lost touch with Ackroyd but remained fond of him. For a moment, she considered how lucky she had been to escape unharmed. Months later, the highway worker led police to the wooded area where scraps of her clothing and her jawbone were found. His work meant long hours alone on Highway 20, the route that bisects Oregon from east to west. When I outlined each days story, I focused on cliffhangers, kickers and which scenes could propel the narrative. This is a crucial moment where Ackroyd is confronted with one of these crimes, in this case Rachandas disappearance. Its ugly to describe and imagine these killings. What was your greatest writing challenge? In your Emmy acceptance speech, you singled out your editor, Margaret Haberman. The two investigators crowded Bensons office with more whiteboards, scribbling fine points from each case. The beginning because you have to engage and explain but not overpromise, all the while getting the tone right. At first, shes just taking the info from Linda Ackroyd. How did you find out she tied her hair back and that the couple couldnt afford the buckskin boots she wore, and what she told her daughter? Goodreads members who liked. From a writers perspective, the story behind the story is almost as fascinating. Karens mother, Violet Gillmore, long believed Ackroyd was behind her daughters disappearance. He even pretended to aid in the fruitless search for the girl. They were thin slats of wood. The lead prosecutor has a formidable memory and kept meticulous notes that were part of the case file. Sandy Turner, Noels wife, answered and greeted us warmly. I have a baby thats not even a year old, she pleaded. The investigators glanced at each other, stunned by the damning account all these years later. He sliced off her boots and her underwear and threw her to the ground. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. John Arthur Ackroyd (October 3, 1949 - December 30, 2016) . Marlene and Ackroyd agreed to be polygraphed. Then he said he left. What the heck happened to you? Laront asked. That late summer day, Ackroyd headed straight for Weston. "This . We talked about this stuff pretty much nonstop at work and when we hung out together outside of work. The two friends had gone camping with Melissas family at Beverly Beach State Park, a windswept strand of sand and headlands on the central Oregon coast. The nut graf is: One woman was raped, four others disappeared. putter loft and lie adjustment; you my baby daddy i want child support; apartments for rent in gander nl; Search Was it difficult to learn about Kaye Turners husband since her murder? While recordings from his earlier police interrogations on the Kaye Turner and Rachanda Pickle cases filled hours of tape, Ackroyd was silent on Melissa and Sheila. Ackroyd was born on October 3, 1949, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. At this point in the story, I didnt want to reveal too much about why the cops were taking another look at Marlenes rape. Beck left Oregon. Marlene found a friend to care for her baby, pumped breast milk and wrote out a napping schedule. Here is the . He took out an envelope of old photos of Ackroyd, his pickups and Santiam Junction all from the original police file. There was nothing in the record that showed where this request came from or why it had been sought. The Oregon Department of Justice has additional information and resources for survivors of sexual violence. He had an older and younger sister. Harmon, the investigator who spent hours interviewing Ackroyd, was there, too. It seems remarkable in hindsight that he managed to elude police despite such compelling circumstantial evidence and his rape a year earlier of another woman off Highway 20. 1977-1992. Dave listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen. In our meetings early on, I filled every square inch of the board with dates, victims, themes, etc. I am not going to gamble this guy getting away with it, Byron thought. She went missing in 1990 12 years after Kayes killing and just down the highway. Yet Ackroyd went on working for the state, responding to broken down cars, clearing wrecks and fixing state rigs along the highway, alone. Was the use of such sickening details debated before the story ran? Ghosts of Highway 20, Episode 5 - ACKROYD. One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book about what happened and her search for her assailant. You shift now to the killer. I also wanted to touch on the idea that this story served as a form of justice for Marlene. I wanted the story to be easy on the reader. The project won the integrated storytelling award from the national Society of Features Journalism, while The National Womens Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation awarded it the National Journalism Impact Award. When the dispatcher asked why she hadnt called sooner, Linda said she assumed she had to wait 24 hours to report a missing person. Did you discover Jane Morris in the trial transcript? The Oregonian has prepared a complete dossier on the crimes of John ACKROYD. The state police detective assigned to investigate the killers death found Ackroyd on the floor of his cell, his sleep apnea machine still whirring and the breathing tube stuck in his throat, left over from last-ditch efforts to save him. Hanna was returning to his place in Camp Sherman after working the night shift. Our partnership was the projects secret ingredient. Ackroyd heaved his body out of the chair. The nut graf is: One woman was raped, four others disappeared. They simply felt they had enough. This story is complicated and confusing. I asked him for an interview. What lay behind that decision? Constant references make Highway 20 a character in its own right? Your lead is a classic roundup that focuses on several people or events. It was produced by senior staff writer Noelle Crombie, videographer Dave Killen and photographer Beth Nakamura, who worked side-by-side for nearly two years an unusual arrangement given the buyouts and layoffs that have hollowed out Americas newsrooms, including those in Oregon. I had to rely on their description of what he said. And then there was Ackroyds eerie talk of hunting. He enlisted in the Army after having been accused of felony theft. 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. 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. But as time went on and fresh eyes viewed the case files, investigators finally pursued justice for numerous victims. Early on in the project videographer Dave Killen and photographer Beth Nakamura were riding together on Highway 20 on one of our many reporting trips. They were there because they were investigating the killing of Kaye Turner, the woman who is the subject of Day 2. She vanished on July 10, while Linda was at work; Ackroyd took the day off, and was the last person to see the teen alive. We sought ways to simplify and streamline. We talked to grieving loved ones. Faryion Wardrip born March 6, 1959, was an American murderer who raped and killed a total of five . He said very little that day but thanked us for making the trip. Showing : Public Libraries K-12 Schools Library Name Distance. He rolled up the window and slammed the door.