That meant he was on the road unusually late. Dave, Beth and I spent a lot of time deep in the woods where these women were assaulted, killed and abandoned. Over the course of hours of interviews with The Oregonian/OregonLive, she unburdened herself of every ugly detail. We relied on each other for support. Happier times. Why did Pam Ramirez lie when first interviewed by the cops? Still, police seemed skeptical. Kaye Turners killing became a faded memory. Ackroyds name emerged early on. Talking about some other people that are dead up in that area., Oh, said Ackroyd, now youre trying to lay some others on me?, No, Im just asking you, the detective said. I listened to them all, some multiple times. We had a lot of discussion about the ending. The language of the story is spare and lean. Why dont you quote directly from his statement? I can hear her bafflement on the 911 audio, which Ive listened to over and over. Marlene waited in the truck, afraid to move. Oh, I think you do, Harmon said softly. Was he ready to talk? So here: Whos responsible for this carnage? john arthur ackroyd childhood. [1][2] They lived at Santiam Junction, a state highway division compound at Oregon 22 and U.S. Highway 20. He returned to duty last year as a volunteer deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. Marlene K. Gabrielsen wants you to remember her name. He seemed to relish gruesome speculation about what harm had come to her. The day after Christmas, experienced trackers whod joined the search made a disturbing discovery in a clearing near the area where Ackroyd saw Kaye. We will go through the lives and deaths of Kaye Turner, Rachanda Pickle, Melissa . A sergeants conclusion went into a typed report, which was placed in a file: Marlene was lying. This is the story of, Rachanda Pickle, Kaye Turner, Marlene Gabrielson, Melissa Sanders, Shiela Swan, and potentially many others. Their stories have another connection: One man is linked to all five crimes. Ackroyd heaved his body out of the chair. The interview sputtered to a halt. The Question and Answer section for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Actually, the beginning and the ending were the most rewritten parts of the series, as we knew they would be. These are important stories to be told, he wrote. How were you able to describe the dispatcher as bewildered? 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. The memory of an infamous crime, one year earlier, was still fresh in central Oregon. This is a such a powerful, almost poetic detail. Structurally, why did you decide to break here for a biography of Ackroyd? 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. As for what happened to Rachandas body, Ackroyd gave no clue. Each of the multimedia elements in powerful in its own right. There was no chance to give Rachanda a proper burial. Ackroyds low libido was the source of such open conflict that Lindas teenage son, Byron, knew of their troubles. But its worth noting that it took many years for this particular serendipity to play out. Structurally, what was your intention? 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. Were other approaches considered? Burly and barrel-chested, Ackroyd favored jeans and blue work shirts from the local Sears. Their stories have another connection: John. Here is the . The reason for concealing the documents and who insisted on secrecy have been lost to time. I relied on hundreds of pages of transcripts from police interviews with Ackroyd for some of these details. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. You could win the lottery four or five times before something like that would happen, Salsbery said. And, most significantly, the teens friends confirmed what investigators had long suspected: Ackroyd had been sexually abusing the girl before she vanished. Did you have a knife in your hand when you had sex? Why? She was 20 at the time. Court and police files contained several references to Jane. I was punching way above my weight from the start. I wanted the reader to hear Ackroyds reaction when confronted with the detectives suspicions. 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. I dont think we talked about that because he died so early in my reporting. Would he give up the body? Pretty bleak. Rachanda was a good kid, helping around the house and taking care not to stray far. At this point in the story, I didnt want to reveal too much about why the cops were taking another look at Marlenes rape. Melissa and Sheila joined a list of girls last heard from or seen late at night in coastal Lincoln County. This section could perhaps have served as a nut graf, placed much higher in the story. He stuffed his cell with food from the prison commissary dozens of packages of processed meats and cheese, candy bars and beans. I can hear him on the recording that the detective made. Explore genealogy for John Ackroyd born 1839 Halifax, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom died 1921 Temuka, South Canterbury, New Zealand including father + descendants + more in the free family tree community. An ominous lead. He married Emma Richardson on 30 July 1927, in Clayton, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. She carried her baby book as a reminder of a time when she was happy. You dont describe the rape, instead skipping over graphic details. We worried about this constantly. He claimed hed reached down to touch the slain womans arm and hair. Marlene Gabrielsen is the one who got away. I also was liberated by knowing the companion photos and video would fill in many of the details in a different way. I listened to them all, some multiple times. Trigger warning: This story includes details of a rape. Yes, youre right. Im just asking you., I have never killed anybody in my life, Ackroyd said. Google says its about a half-hour to Sisters, the nearest town where the family would have bought groceries. Tagged: The Oregonian. 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. Months later, I wrote him another letter. Detectives moved on. That late summer day, Ackroyd headed straight for Weston. In it, he thanked me for telling the stories of Ackroyds other victims. Trauma had seared these details into her memory. We bounced ideas off each other and checked facts. Im in real trouble, he confided. They sat around the fire drinking beer. What followed likely altered the path of Ackroyds life, along with those of at least five young women and everyone who loved them. This is heartbreaking. I have the audio of this conversation. Why dont you quote directly from his statement? It was my way of acknowledging to the reader that this has been an epic tale that wont have a Hollywood ending. They noted in their report how the original officers had failed to pursue the rape case even though physical evidence corroborated Marlenes account. He was the only son of an office worker at the local police department and a maintenance man. . What was your greatest writing challenge? Companies played included two seasons at the old Derby Playhouse, two seasons at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe, The Swan Theatre, Worcester and notably three years with the EMMA Theatre Company based in Loughborough. Now the district attorney could use his sisters death to keep Ackroyd from hurting anyone else. Ackroyd would recycle the same stories. He had done all his talking to investigators during hours of interrogations after Kaye vanished. Did you discover Jane Morris in the trial transcript? Sense of smell is so evocative, yet writers rarely take advantage of its power. Plows stood ready to rumble onto the mountain pass during winter storms. Lucinda Williams The Ghosts of Highway 20, One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book. But it works for me. 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 time had stopped. Plus, in an era of smartphones, a Timex wrist watch gives readers the sense that this crime happened in another era. He got creative: What if cops and prison officials arranged for Ackroyd to share a Christmas or Thanksgiving meal with his family on the outside? Was it important to use it here? If we said we really needed to go to California, she said yes. Investigators suspected the rivet a quick fix used in field repairs had fallen out of the pocket of her attacker. Rachandas brother struggled to cope with the loss of his sister. Book details & editions Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Arthur Ackroyd (1892 - 1953) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Even before hunters had stumbled upon the teens remains, Ackroyd told a friend: They are assuming its me.. I used a massive spreadsheet for reference. Over time, the story took on even darker tones. Christine and Kim discuss the excellent documenatry--"Ghosts of Highway 20" regarding John Arthur Ackroyd, a state highway worker who had access to roam the state. They were still after him when Ackroyd died alone in his prison cell two years ago. My mom was yelling at John to stop. A detective reached out to request an interview. They dont want the stigma and the shame associated with these crimes. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped off the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. The anecdote revealed that Ackroyd knew Melissa and Sheila and that the young women were comfortable enough with him to climb into his truck. Why? He picked her up 41 years ago at a campground outside Sisters, Oregon. For a man suspected of murder, Ackroyd was impassive under intense grilling by Salsbery and McAnulty. After the rape, Ackroyd slapped the knife against his grimy jeans held up by orange suspenders. Ghosts of Highway 20, Episode 5 - ACKROYD. That was something that kept me up at night, having to describe this landscape, these small towns, how to breathe life into people who died a long time ago, these investigations that were very old. Ackroyd was already serving a life sentence for the 1978 murder of Kaye Turner, a Eugene woman he killed after finding her running alone on an isolated road in central Oregon. Melissa had a turbulent life, too. Why do these victims matter now? The ending because you want to leave readers with a meaningful and hopefully memorable coda, the lasting impression. 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. I wanted the story to be easy on the reader. She once showed up at Sheilas with bruises on her face and asked if she could stay. John Arthur Ackroyd was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. US Highway 20, 1976-1992. Both were present for almost every interview. We encourage you to research and examine . The hearing lasted about seven minutes. It was scary. The focus seemed wrong. Had Ackroyd left a note telling them where to find her? Do you consider this your nut graph? She often wore a black leather jacket that her parents paid for on installments. There was nothing in the record that showed where this request came from or why it had been sought. Serial Killer John Arthur Ackroyd was a true monster. She talked about her plans to run in Camp Sherman, inviting a friend to join her that morning. Anyone who is reporter, you said, knows that a good editor is hard to come by. And Bill Hanlon, the prosecutor who helped put Ackroyd away. [4] Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990. Highway worker after highway worker said they werent there that night, they couldnt vouch that it had happened. Did you use an outline or timeline to keep things straight in this convoluted case? Ackroyd was raised in the small logging town of Sweet Home, Oregon. Ackroyd considered her for a long moment, then reached into the back of the truck and held out a dingy pair of plaid pants. Some of the most important sources never appear in the print component of this project. I wanted to show that at this point Ackroyd was a very sick man. A Forest Service rangers account of seeing Ackroyd that day in a sno-park near Santiam Junction hours later than Ackroyd claimed blew a hole in the highway workers alibi. He thought she was pretty, he said, and noticed that shed begun to develop. These particular details are important as circumstantial evidence. He struggles to breathe and its clear he takes time to move around. As investigators scoured the woods for clues, a state police trooper rested against a tree. The murder trial made headlines around the state. She was calm as she told the dispatcher that her daughter, a homebody, had gone missing. Ackroyd was raised in the small logging town of Sweet Home, Oregon. But none of these seemed to work. Organization, extensive footnoting and a decent system for records that involved seven three-ring binders helped me keep it all straight. Then he started swinging at her with his hand.. She read some drafts early on. He steadfastly maintained his innocence, admitting only that he had seen Kaye that morning and found her remains. She went missing in 1990 12 years after Kayes killing and just down the highway. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Arthur Ackroyd (1903 - 1914) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. I sought to write a driving narrative that relied on detail, dialogue and description with a bedrock of reporting and research. Sheila, then 19, was the older of the two but seemed younger. It provided readers with a sense of place but also helped propel the story along. We had a lot of discussion about the ending. Constant references make Highway 20 a character in its own right? In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison John Arthur Ackroyd - Top podcast episodes Sometime after he moved, Ackroyd was in his truck with the daughter of an old friend. Police had done extensive interviews with his supervisors and friends as well. They met once a week in Bensons office to dive into thousands of pages of old files, spending hours devouring details about the case. He was the middle child between two sisters. 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. It was a sensational crime that remains unsolved. A young deputy played Kaye. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. How do we create a person's profile? After Rachandas disappearance, Ackroyd was transferred out of Santiam Junction, where his connection to the case and his behavior made women uncomfortable. It was scary. It was a single handwritten sentence. She understood how ambitious we were trying to be and was really supportive of that. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/OregonLive We coped with it in our own ways, but we relied on each other. katelyn akins disappearance. 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. A few months later, in 2013, the Linn County district attorney took Rachandas case to grand jurors. The Oregonian newspaper and others have alleged that Ackroyd was involved in the murder of several more women. Yes and it was something I struggled with. She hadnt been out since her daughter was born three months earlier. The prime suspect all along, Ackroyd wasnt charged in the case. What had led Ackroyd to conclude the items in the ponderosa pine thicket were Kayes? I knew I wanted to use this somewhere in this series. Now he admitted hed not only stopped but also had spoken with her. The extraordinary arrangement meant Ackroyd would die in prison. His work meant long hours alone on Highway 20, the route that bisects Oregon from east to west. Who was this guy and what made him tick? Margaret runs a very busy team that does all breaking news, all crime and justice coverage and enterprise. He spent Christmas patrolling Camp Sherman, quietly marking Kayes disappearance decades earlier. He knew how to navigate the hills and hairpin turns during winter, when fierce storms swept through the Cascades. She hadnt been out long when a state highway worker named Thomas Hanna spotted her, running south, alone. This is a crucial moment where Ackroyd is confronted with one of these crimes, in this case Rachandas disappearance. Beck left Oregon. I wanted him to know that the reporting was continuing and that a story would likely appear sometime in the coming months. You end this section by withholding what happened with the grand jury. How did you reconstruct the details included in this long section about Marlenes rape and the aftermath? This is another of the few times when we read extended dialogue, a hallmark of classic narrative. Both reports are attached to this post. 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. Biography. It was scary. 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. Rachandas green nightgown was on her bedroom floor. Ackroyd did little to look for her and later picked up Linda from work. He showed signs of a disturbed mind. She introduced the women to him and they climbed in. By this point, it was time to flesh him out. She recounted the attack in detail, how the man cut off her underwear and boots. That may have also played a role in their response. These are heartbreaking stories of isolation., We asked Crombie to tell us about the process of producing the project, and the emotional toll it took, and then to help us annotate the reporting and writing of Ghosts of Highway 20.. When you have one you really hang tight to them. What role did she play? My footnotes for this passage: Oregonian interview with Byron Pickle: They had paddles. A hunter would likely overlook the bits of cloth and bone as nothing more than trash and animal carcasses. My mom was yelling at John to stop. Acclaimed biographer Peter Ackroyd vibrantly resurrects the legendary epic of Camelot in this modern adaptation The names of Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad, the sword of Excalibur, and the court of Camelot are as recognizable as any from the world of myth. Marlene Gabrielsen was raped by John Ackroyd in 1978. Court and police files contained several references to Jane. Victims of sexual assault often ask to remain anonymous. Was it difficult to have to summarize so much of the story when your reporting had turned up more than enough details to dramatize the action? Hanna was returning to his place in Camp Sherman after working the night shift. Its definitely hard to read but written, I hope its seen, with deliberation and circumspection. There was Ackroyd, standing at the back of his Ford pickup. So you dont know where shes at, he asked. If I put 50 dollars on a gamble that there wasnt punishment in a week I would lose that 50 dollars. When John snapped, it was scary. There was so much information to move through. Had police believed her, none of the subsequent murders committed by Ackroyd would likely have occurred. Harmon thought back to the handful of cases from the 1970s that remained unsolved: the bodies or clothes of women and one young man found in the isolated wilderness of Linn County, not far from Highway 20, the route Ackroyd spent years traveling for the state. The Oregon Department of Justice has additional information and resources for survivors of sexual violence. My sister was denying it. We spent time with Marlene, the lone survivor. 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. . Like Kayes watch and her hair in the birds nest, this Fireball detail is one I knew I would use. I looked for ways to make that as seamless as possible. Sinister Sunday topic about serial killer John Arthur Ackroyd, who committed his crimes along Highway 20 in Oregon between 1978 - 1992. It was a great detail that I needed to work into the story. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. Was there ever a concern about libeling Ackroyd before he died and rendered the question moot? 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. The district attorney delivered his decision on whether to prosecute. The subject matter is horrific. Beck had bragged to family members about killing Kaye. Ackroyd was charged with Rachanda's murder in 2013, and pleaded no contest. He and his wife walked out of the county courthouse, where he paced and wept. Why bother? I asked him for an interview. What was the justification to go ahead and use them in a family newspaper? Did you tear off her bra? We encourage you to research and examine . If you have experienced sexual violence and need support, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. This is the area where Marlene Gabrielsen was raped off Highway 20 by John Ackroyd. Its a testament to taking a second or third look with fresh eyes and newer forensic techniques at old crimes. It took weeks the woman had changed her name since the early 1990s but she remembered the men and their names. Laront asked what Ackroyd had done with the carcass. Why do you suppose that was the case? Kaye had been raped and shot, Beck told Pam.