But Rachanda Pickle's disappearance remained unsolved. Circumstances: Rachanda was last seen at her home on July 10, 1990. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. John then reportedly left the home by himself, and wouldn't return until approximately 12:30 PM (roughly three hours later). This involved search effort would cease their searches after Friday - three days after Rachanda had last been seen alive - but the Linn County Mounted Posse would carry on, and would be joined by employees from the U.S. Forest Service. This is about 150 miles southeast of Portland and about 80 miles northeast of Eugene. He asked her if she wanted to go for a drive with him to go and take some pictures of deer in the nearby woods, but that she said no, claiming to have some chores to do around the house. Rachanda was described as being your typical teenage girl. Unfortunately, any additional evidence would be hard to come by in this case, and it would remain stagnant for more than a decade until it was revived years later, in the most unlikely of ways. We just don't want people to forget that she's gone.". He dropped off Linda at the resort and continued east on Highway 20 to the state maintenance shop in Bend. Since investigators had not yet uncovered any physical trace of Rachanda, they (along with prosecutors) were prepared to seek a case centered around a "no-body" homicide, which would require proof that the victim was no longer alive. Rachanda had gone to visit him shortly before her disappearance, and it was initially theorized that she might have gone out to see him. Seiber, 41, said Rachanda and her older brother, Byron, came to school with bruises. Detectives refused to name this a cold case, continuing to work on it regularly, but would have very little to show for it after several months. "I don't think this was out of bounds or anything. This would usually lead to him being sentenced for the crime, but the attorneys involved agreed to suspend sentencing for an indefinite period meaning that he received no actual sentence for this crime. It was important to Ackroyd to have his plea sealed, prosecutors said. Russell Barnett, a Portland criminal defense lawyer who represented Ackroyd along with Elizabeth Baker, declined to say why Ackroyd wanted the deal to remain secret. 'Ghosts of Highway 20': Reader questions answered - oregonlive Linda would consider calling the police that evening, but John - citing the mistaken belief that you needed to wait 24 hours to file a missing person's report - told her to wait until the following day. You have permission to edit this article. 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. He later told police that when he did return, the front door was partly open, and a pellet gun he owned was propped up against a camper, with a box of pellets nearby. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. In 1978, Kaye Turner disappeared while on a morning run during a Christmas visit to isolated Camp Sherman. Sheila Swanson was 19 and from nearby Lebanon. They also might have belonged to an indigenous person that lived in the area centuries beforehand. Most nights, the pair could be found at Sharis in Lebanon, where teens and adults gathered to talk on CB radios and drink coffee. This includes the 1977 rape of Marlene Gabrielsen, who identified Ackroyd as her attacker at the time, but police chose not to pursue rape charges; instead, taking John at his word when he simply said their encounter was consensual. Rachanda Lea Pickle - Brian Ladd's dream predictions 2020 - Worlds top Linda, meanwhile, would attempt to defend her husband from accusations that she deemed unfounded, telling reporters that: "John ain't a violent man; he don't even beat the kids. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. The family lived at the state highway division compound at Santiam Junction, where U.S. 20 and Oregon 22 meet. Despite the disappearance of Rachanda Pickle causing massive changes in the lives of those that had known her, her case would remain unshakeable over the next several years. Please subscribe to keep reading. She was a young teenage girl with hopes and dreams, he said. Didnt do anything to Channy? the cop pressed. At the same time, a dozen investigators working the Turner case seized on Ackroyds shifting accounts. From there, the search would be extended outside of the area around the maintenance complex that Rachanda lived in, to a roughly 50-square-mile area near Lost Lake, Hoodoo Butte, and Potato Hill. Beck and his wife lived in a trailer not far from Camp Sherman, where Kaye had disappeared. Prior to her disappearance, Rachanda and her brother regularly went to school with bruises, and Rachanda told her friends Ackroyd had caused the injuries. You do what you need to do to keep a dangerous person incarcerated.". Rachanda Leah Pickle. "My guess is the prosecution was in a bind in terms of how tough this case was and so I think when the state has cases that are weak, they tend to pursue creative options," Beloof said. SWEET HOME Rachanda Pickle was wearing a T-shirt, black sweat pants and tennis shoes when the 13-year-old on vanished on July 10, 1990 from her home at the state highway maintenance compound near the Santiam Junction. Rachanda was incredibly close with her mother, Linda, and her aunt JoAnn Serdy would later recall to the Albany Democrat-Herald: "You could almost set your clock by her. However, as recounted by family members, later on, she never ventured too far out into the woods unless she had her big brother Byron with her. And now here he was, more than a decade later, having been the last known person to see his stepdaughter alive. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. One of the major factors in this determination was that if she had run away, Rachanda had done so without any of her belongings. They continued to believe that Ackroyd was involved in his stepdaughter's disappearance, and began to go through his statements with a fine-toothed comb. We think the greatest likely scenario is that she's probably out there not of her own volition and is deceased either by violence or nature. Rachanda and her brother regularly went to school with bruises, and Rachanda told her friends Ackroyd had caused the injuries. He had his sisters image tattooed on his arm last year. None of the chores she had been assigned that day had been accomplished, but none of her clothing or belongings seemed to be missing (indicating that Rachanda had not planned to leave). One of John Ackroyds coworkers was working on Highway 20 the morning Rachanda disappeared. He had his sisters image tattooed on his arm last year. Rachanda Pickle - The Charley Project Blog Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. This skull would be sent off for analysis in May of 1996, but months would pass before it was announced that scientists from Pennsylvania State University had been unable to extract DNA from the partial pieces of bone. The television was on. These sporadic sightings extended not only through Oregon, but throughout a large chunk of the country; in particular, along the west coast, ranging as far south as California and as far north as Vancouver. These many months later, John Arthur Ackroyd claimed to have discovered bone fragments while walking his dog in a wooded area nearby. His wife, Pam, said the two men were around the trailer for most of the morning, which helped give Ackroyd an alibi. There's certainly the possibility that we've got a crime committed here. Pickle,Rachanda L.missing July 10,1990 - Porchlight International for Rachanda Lea Pickle - Oregon Missing Person Directory He even pretended to aid in the fruitless search for the girl. Both had been seen with John a short time before their deaths, and it's believed that he had taken a liking to them. Weeks after his death, prosecutors publicly acknowledged for the first time that Ackroyd had entered a plea in 2013 in the disappearance and presumed murder of Rachanda Pickle, his stepdaughter. Santiam murder suspect arrested - McKenzie River Reflections Linda Monville, Rachanda's mother, keeps this photo of Rachanda and Byron on a shelf in her home. She introduced the women to him and they climbed in. Linda cited their home's proximity to Highway 20, as their home was the closest to the highway out of all of them at the maintenance complex. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Ackroyd would recycle the same stories. John's accomplice, Roger Dale Beck, was convicted on almost identical grounds and continues to be housed in the Oregon State Penitentiary. John had also been one of the last people to see her alive, and - if you recall from the introduction - had led police to her partial remains eight months later (which he claims he discovered through mere happenstance). When speaking to news station KRWQ, Steven would state that he believed Rachanda had run away from home, citing some missing clothing from her bedroom. Despite having a rather low libido, John - as recounted by the great "Ghosts of Highway 20" project, this caused a great deal of stress on his relationship with Linda - had decided to initiate sex with Rachanda's mother on the night of the teenage girl's disappearance. What we're afraid of is that someone came up to the house, found her alone here and took her.". Her disappearance set off one of the largest search efforts in Linn County history; her remains were never found. Read the story Tagged: The Oregonian Support Longreads John and Linda checked around with the other families in the maintenance complex for a little bit and were ultimately unable to find any sign of the missing thirteen-year-old. An employee of Oregon's Highway Division, John had been away at a job that morning in Bend but had decided to come home during a break. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). John would tell investigators, loved ones anyone interested, really, that he didn't know what had happened to the missing girl. Ackroyd, too, hung out there. Sadly, this is where the story just kind of ends. 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. He thought she was pretty, he said, and noticed that shed begun to develop. A dozen or so work crews called the junction home. Facebook You should know. McAnulty wondered if an ex-wife might see the events of the distant past in a different light. A tipster had claimed that Rachanda was still alive, and residing in eastern Linn County. I did not do nothing. Hed returned to Sweet Home to live with his mother and split for good with Linda. Story by Noelle Crombie Photography by Beth Nakamura Video by Dave KillenTHE OREGONIAN | OREGONLIVE. We must have laid 150 miles of string line laying out the grids, Mueller said. She said no and he left. In 2012, Linn County authorities took another look at her disappearance. Police had still not uncovered any sign of her whereabouts, and this conviction seemed to essentially slam the door on any likelihood of her being found alive. For that reason, he had been on the shortlist for suspects, but police had no additional evidence to suspect Ackroyd's involvement in what was still listed as a missing persons case not a murder (yet). By his account, Rachanda was gone when he returned a couple of hours later. Also, it was determined that John's accomplice, Roger Dale Beck, had told friends and family about the killing and had threatened them never to tell or they would suffer the same fate. Officials with the Linn County Sheriff's Office would continue to routinely check in on the case over the next several months; typically, whenever they received reports of sightings of Rachanda. After Rachandas disappearance, Ackroyd was transferred out of Santiam Junction, where his connection to the case and his behavior made women uncomfortable. Hed pored over Ackroyds police interviews from 1979 when the highway worker admitted he was the last person to see Kaye Turner. 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 . Last updated April 1, 2021; clothing/jewelry description and details of disappearance updated. She also believed that a commonly-used payphone, which was just about forty yards away from their home, might have played a part, stating in that same interview: "It's really a good access and if anybody had come up and asked her directions and asked if her mother was home, she would have said no. They would also spend hours going through the Ackroyd home, taking photographs and looking for any evidence that pointed to a struggle having taken place inside. Despite the case officially being "solved", the loved ones of Rachanda are left with just as many unanswered questions today as they had back in 1990. This was unusual and definitely out of the ordinary, but it wasn't enough for John to take notice at the time, it seems. She said no and he left. Her mother was at work at the time of her disappearance. The prime suspect in the disappearance of a 13-year-old Linn County girl pleaded no contest to murder three years ago as part of an unusual agreement unsealed Wednesday by a Linn County Circuit Court judge. The men drove by Santiam Junction, slowing as they passed the eastern edge of the highway compound where Ackroyds manufactured home backed up to the woods. Rachanda nicknamed Chandy and her brother, Byron, had gone to live with their biological father, Steve Pickle, in Medford. Over the next few years, investigators would continue to receive reports of potential sightings from the area, including a rather high-profile sighting from August of 1999. In August of 1979, a man that lived in the region - named John Arthur Ackroyd - came forward with information. 0. You can cancel at any time. Before Ackroyd entered their lives, their mother cycled through boyfriends and husbands. Ackroyd had actually been one of the few witnesses who claimed to have seen Kaye Turner jogging on the morning of Christmas Eve, on what would have been mile four of a planned six-mile jog. A grand jury would hear the case. While they had never discovered what had happened to the missing teenager, there was another unsolved case that John Ackroyd was attached to On June 12th, 1992, John Arthur Ackroyd was arrested while at work in Corvallis, Oregon. Each March 16th from this point forward would mark another year gone, in which the girl's loved ones didn't get to experience what she would have been like as a teenager, and then eventually, as an adult. In one transcript of an interrogation, Ackroyd offered this explanation of what could have happened to Rachanda: Somebody could have just come in, Ackroyd told police, knocked her over the head, throw her over the shoulders and just walk out without anybody seeing her.. "The settlement reached a point where we were able to have the certainty that he would be in prison forever," Marteeny told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Linn County Sheriff's Office Within weeks, Melissa and Sheila were dead. In 1990, Rachanda Pickle lived with her mother, brother and stepfather, John Ackroyd. He appeared to become sexually aroused when shown a pair of pants that police had found in the woods and initially suspected belonged to Rachanda. This fact alone made investigators suspicious, but paired together with all of the other red flags in John Ackroyd's past, put him at the very top of their suspect list. Piecing Together the Story of an Oregon Serial Killer Sadly, for all of these cases - as was the case with his stepdaughter's disappearance - Ackroyd went to the grave with whatever answers he may have had. Linda was getting ready to head to work at Black Butte - near Sisters, about thirty miles east - and asked for some help doing her hair. So, lots of NKOTB, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Martika - you know, all the old school late 80's/early 90's goodness. During the summer of 1990, when Rachanda was thirteen years old, she and her brother Byron had gone to spend a couple of weeks with their father, Steve, in Medford. While this plea deal provided some kind of closure in the case, John Arthur Ackroyd was not required to provide any kind of proof in the murder case of Rachanda Pickle. Vacuum the house. McAnulty, whod been promoted to detective just 10 days earlier, dutifully examined old newspaper articles and reports. She's real fond of her makeup.". Twenty-five years have passed since Rachanda's aunt made those remarks, and they remain just as true. There are lots of nooks and crannies that you cant see by air, Martinak said, adding that a helicopter search was especially useful for steep areas where someone on foot or horseback couldnt effectively search. She said he threatened to do to me exactly what they did to Kaye Turner., REMEMBERING RACHANDA (Photo 1 of 4): Byron Pickle is 42 and lives in Aumsville with his wife and two children. However, she agreed to go with him later to pick up Linda from work. He loved her. They were restless and broke, living an itinerant existence, drinking too much and keeping dangerous company. Over the course of the investigation, he acted strangely. Sheriff Art Martinak supervised the search operation over a rugged 50-square-mile area in the Lost Lake, Hoodoo Butte and Potato Hill areas that are lined with jagged lava beds. The first time he stared ahead as Corinna Strouse waved hello.
