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I think the local DA wanted to take another look at this cluster of unsolved cases involving young women, and Melissa and Sheila were among them. At the wrong place at the right time.. He told Linda to wait until the next day to call police. She carried her baby book as a reminder of a time when she was happy. This spectral photograph opens Ghosts of Highway 20, a stunning multimedia narrative series published last December by The Oregonian/OregonianLive. He worried hed become a burden for his family. By then, Becks ex-wife had lost touch with Ackroyd but remained fond of him. This is heartbreaking. Beautiful scenery but what this man did was not beautiful in any sense. He drove off as she banged frantically on the door. I can hear him on the recording that the detective made. It was scary. Where is she? Linda asked Ackroyd as darkness enveloped the highway compound. His false teeth had been knocked to the floor. Christmas presents Noel bought for his wife were wrapped and in the car. Sinister Sunday topic about serial killer John Arthur Ackroyd, who committed his crimes along Highway 20 in Oregon between 1978 - 1992. Account & Lists Returns & Orders. I can hear her bafflement on the 911 audio, which Ive listened to over and over. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped along the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. They tracked down Marlene Gabrielsen, who easily could have been the killers first victim but managed to escape after Ackroyd brutally raped her in 1977. How do we create a person's profile? Kayes mother attended, but her father, shattered by the loss of his only child, didnt live long enough to see the case come to a close. Why did you include a trigger warning at the top of the story? Then it was time to go. You end this section by withholding what happened with the grand jury. The girl, 13 years old, had never been found. I wanted the reader to feel rooted in that time and place. Click here to find personal data about John Ackroyd including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. 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? Ackroyd was jailed in 1993 for a 1978 . 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. When he returned, she asked for his phone number to help identify him but also to make him think she liked him. Highway worker after highway worker said they werent there that night, they couldnt vouch that it had happened. I would describe it as unsatisfying and extraordinary. How come he had all this blood on his hands?. He dropped off Linda at the resort and continued east on Highway 20 to the state maintenance shop in Bend. We had a lot of discussion about the ending. There was Ackroyd, standing at the back of his Ford pickup. Now, a woman had gone missing, triggering a massive search that made headlines clear to Portland: Husband fears kidnap: Turner searchers losing hope, one read in The Oregonian four days later. Marlene Gabrielsen was John Ackroyd's first known victim, and the one who survived. is there quicksand in hawaii. Pretty much all the details of the attacks and deaths are sickening in the series. Roger Beck was also found guilty in the murder of Kaye Turner at a separate trial. I found her through Nexis, I think. I had to gut him out.. Constant references make Highway 20 a character in its own right? This let us quickly introduce the five women we write about but also put them first in the mind of the reader. My editors advised me at one point to look for ways to mix things up with more complex sentences and longer graphs. 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. There was nothing in the record that showed where this request came from or why it had been sought. Thats when Ackroyd picked up a woman from the side of the road, dragged her into the woods and raped her. She invited us in and we waited for Noel to return from running an errand. The answer was no. In it, he thanked me for telling the stories of Ackroyds other victims. But Ackroyd was already serving a life sentence. Harmon wondered if time had softened the old highway worker. Again, he didnt respond. Serial Killer John Arthur Ackroyd was a true monster. Marlene and Ackroyd agreed to be polygraphed. So I went back to Marlene and slow-walked her through her preparations for going out that night. Her father waited a few more days before calling police, then the FBI. 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. You shift now to the killer. We spent countless hours together on this project. But detectives long suspected Ackroyd preyed on women who disappeared along or around Highway 20 from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. She gasped. At first, shes just taking the info from Linda Ackroyd. Take hot dogs out of the freezer. Google says its about a half-hour to Sisters, the nearest town where the family would have bought groceries. He glanced skyward. She answered right away and was willing to tell me about her experience so the three of us headed to Salem to interview her. Rachanda disappeared on July 10, 1990. Later, the men told her that theyd mistaken Kaye for a deer and fatally shot her. Kaye headed out alone, her feet pounding a two-lane camp road tinged red from volcanic ash. That day, she tied her hair back and pulled on her green Levis. Detectives moved on. Its not a transcript. The area was about a half-hour drive from where Marlene was raped. They matter because some of their stories have never been told. What was your source and why did you use it when so many other times you chose to paraphrase speech? You aim to anticipate the next question theyll have. The home showed no signs of foul play. Plus, in an era of smartphones, a Timex wrist watch gives readers the sense that this crime happened in another era. We encourage you to research and examine . In 1977, Ackroyd raped Marlene Gabrielsen. I knew those important voices would have their say in the video so it liberated me to write with more authority. She went missing in 1990 12 years after Kayes killing and just down the highway. He was the main suspect, but the case had vanished from local news reports even though her disappearance triggered one of the largest search efforts in the countys history. A few days later, I received a handwritten letter from Noel. Do investigators believe Ackroyd was responsible for these unsolved deaths? Although many versions exist of the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir . Ackroyd would recycle the same stories. It seemed like decent shorthand for conveying the remoteness of this area. Also, Ackroyd was a local guy whose mother worked at the police department as an office worker. Then Ackroyds teenage stepdaughter disappeared and a new group of investigators reopened Kayes case. Months later, I wrote him another letter. Marlene flew out of the pickup, a blur moving toward the house. Ackroyd was later charged with Kaye's murder -- the only killing he was ever prosecuted for. I built this profile from those various sources. This time you dramatize the action instead of summarizing it. She confided in two girls who were sisters. Sandy Turner, Noels wife, answered and greeted us warmly. No evidence, physical or otherwise, ever linked Ackroyd to any of them, but their timing and proximity to Highway 20 prompted investigators to wonder if the mechanic had a hand in them. He was convicted of a sex crime in Minnesota, served seven months in prison, and moved to California. They were restless and broke, living an itinerant existence, drinking too much and keeping dangerous company. Somebody could have just come in, he said, knocked her over the head, throw her over the shoulders and just walk out without anybody seeing her. When I outlined each days story, I focused on cliffhangers, kickers and which scenes could propel the narrative. Noel Turner drove through Camp Sherman to look for his wife. Organization, extensive footnoting and a decent system for records that involved seven three-ring binders helped me keep it all straight. What followed likely altered the path of Ackroyds life, along with those of at least five young women and everyone who loved them. FamousFix profile for John Arthur Ackroyd including biography information, wikipedia facts, photos, galleries, news, youtube videos, quotes . 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. By now, investigators knew who they were dealing with. How did it affect you? He listened quietly and wept. The style of the series is elliptical in that it leaves out information, such as dialogue, names of source and other details. I moved my desk next to Daves. Why? You mentioned the watch earlier. 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? Please take me home.. . 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 It was the first time shed seen him since that summer morning. He knew how to navigate the hills and hairpin turns during winter, when fierce storms swept through the Cascades. Why did choose to organize by chronologically, by victim? No, the bewildered dispatcher said, thats not true, not with children. In passing, the piece mentioned that the killer might have been involved in other murders. 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 understood how painful it could be to have us revisit this traumatic time in his life so I respected his decision. She was looking for a ride and wandered out of the campground onto Highway 20, the route that leads through the heart of Sisters, back then little more than a dusty outpost amid pine forests in central Oregon. Span of crimes. Melissas parents awoke to find the young women gone, their tent empty. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Arthur Ackroyd (1902 - 1997) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Its a testament to taking a second or third look with fresh eyes and newer forensic techniques at old crimes. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. Beck left Oregon. When the couple pulled into the compound that evening, Rachanda wasnt hanging around outside like she had the day before. We relied on each other for support. It was a sensational crime that remains unsolved. He had an older and younger sister. They led her into a small room with a desk. They ran away from home with plans to make it to California. sat and waited to hear his fate. At a time when journalists credibility is under assault, extensive footnotes seemed like a compelling way to show our work. Lucinda Williams The Ghosts of Highway 20, One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book. The police didnt believe Gabrielsens accusation at the time and her case, which bookends the series, is an example of justice long overdue in the #MeToo era. Ackroyd was raised in the small logging town of Sweet Home, Oregon. Great verb choice! So here: Whos responsible for this carnage? Why did you choose to end the narrative with Marlene Gabrielson? What was your reaction when you discovered it? Biography Edit. During his school years, he was a loner who was bullied. She went on to work at a local bank. In 1986 he became the . Did you discover Jane Morris in the trial transcript? It is available in multimedia format. Biography Current Affairs & Politics General Nonfiction History Music, Film & Performing Arts Religion Social Sciences. john arthur ackroyd childhood john arthur ackroyd childhood. What was the justification to go ahead and use them in a family newspaper?. The men heard a truck pull into the yard. The unglamorous task fell to Ron Benson, an investigator for the district attorney, and Linda Snow, a retired legal assistant. They simply felt they had enough. He hadnt told his wife the full story of Rachandas life and how he remained tormented that he hadnt hugged his kid sister the last time he saw her. To do that in a way that was going to keep a readers interest through five installments was herculean. She hadnt been out since her daughter was born three months earlier. I was taken aback by how much emotion and support there was for Marlene in the room. Why did Pam Ramirez lie when first interviewed by the cops? US Highway 20, 1976-1992. Few kids lived there and the ones who did werent Rachandas age. Police and court records. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. A doctor identified bruising on her back, legs and knee. But they heard about forensic testing on Kayes clothing. Two of the victims brothers have quietly suffered for years. Sometime after he moved, Ackroyd was in his truck with the daughter of an old friend. I asked her about his clothing. Ending with her in this way allowed me to highlight her resilience. The others: Did you force her to have sex at knifepoint? Some of these details were included in police reports. I knew from the time Id spent with her that shes a strong person, and Day 1 of this series didnt capture that. Why? He went inside to get a soda and use the bathroom. Laront asked what Ackroyd had done with the carcass. 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. Its also a newspaper story, not a book. I wanted to pick up the watch detail again because we first saw Kaye wearing the watch as she heads on a run and now the watch is a detail in her killing. Find a Digital Library with John Arthur Ackroyd, Serial Killer near you. A young deputy played Kaye. I relied on interviews with a detective and the woman deputy to reconstruct this scene. Resources and contacts also are listed at the end of the story. John Arthur Ackroyd was a longtime state highway mechanic whose route along U.S. 20 wound through some of Oregon's . Then 29, Ackroyd had worked for the highway department for nearly a year. Is this the theme of the story? 2-7+. 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. I relied on hundreds of pages of transcripts from police interviews with Ackroyd for some of these details. john arthur ackroyd childhoodwho would you save on a sinking ship activity. He said her body was lying in the same wooded area where scraps of her clothing and bits of bone were found. A report from the trial in the Bend (OR) Bulletin. The familys kittens were curled up on the girls lap, he said. If a jury acquitted Ackroyd, it could clear the way for him to seek parole. These are key characters in this story. Can you describe the collaboration between you, Dave Killen and Beth Nakamura? He was painting the tailgate. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/OregonLive She lives in Hillsboro with her husband. John Ackroyd had an unusual arrangement with Rachandas mother, Linda. Now the district attorney could use his sisters death to keep Ackroyd from hurting anyone else. In late 2016, then-director of news Therese Bottomly was presented a freelance story about a retired prosecutor who ran every Christmas Eve in memory of a murdered jogger whose killer he helped put behind bars for life. It was earlier in the year, though he couldnt recall the date. But it works for me. They noted in their report how the original officers had failed to pursue the rape case even though physical evidence corroborated Marlenes account. The investigators glanced at each other, stunned by the damning account all these years later. Didnt do anything to Channy? the cop pressed. 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. Kids. The shopkeeper, Christine Weston, recognized him. The three of us had a favorite restaurant on the road. John Arthur Ackroyd (October 3, 1949 - December 30, 2016) . He had diabetes and a bad heart. They were turned over to her husband and cremated. A grand jury would hear the case. I kept approaching the local cops, detectives, some quite elderly, retired. Even today parts of the road are so narrow and quiet the highway has the feel of a country lane. I listened to them all, some multiple times. There was stuff I wanted to say about them that didnt really fit in elsewhere so this seemed like a good spot for that. The district attorney said they had enough to take the case to a grand jury. She once showed up at Sheilas with bruises on her face and asked if she could stay. Once home from the Army, he got a state job, where he earned generally positive reviews, though supervisors noted his occasional laziness and frequent time off. And Bill Hanlon, the prosecutor who helped put Ackroyd away. On Christmas Eve morning, Ackroyd showed up at the house. I wanted the reader to feel rooted in that time and place. 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. Decades later, their cold case murders were tied to suspected serial killer 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. Those contradictions, discrepancies and outright lies had led him to this moment. 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. Jane, then 24, was on her bicycle, headed home from a waitressing job when she noticed Ackroyd standing near his pickup parked along the side of the road in Camp Sherman. It was scary. Why? The family lived at the state highway division compound at Santiam Junction, where U.S. 20 and Oregon 22 meet. I wanted to absorb all of the material I had collected and then tell the story with authority. It was moving and unexpected. For now, I just want the reader to know something triggered their interest in what happened to Marlene and leave it at that. He died in prison in 2016.[6][7]. Recently read an excellent series by the Oregonian, "Ghosts of Highway 20" on suspected serial killer John Arthur Ackroyd, who was active in Oregon from the late 1970s, operating on a remote stretch of US Highway 20 between Bend and Newport, where he was employed by the State Highway Department. Her mother left behind a short list of chores. The interview sputtered to a halt. Melissas mother died, too. My mom was yelling at John to stop. Harmon was more direct when he returned to the prison a second time. Within weeks, Melissa and Sheila were dead. At 17, Melissa was tough-talking and independent. I knew from the time Id spent with her that shes a strong person, and Day 1 of this series didnt capture that. He talked his boss into letting him drive 750 miles to California to find out. But they knew Ackroyd was a killer. st thomas the apostle catholic church mass schedule [1], In 1977, he began working for the state highway department along U.S. Route 20 that ran east to west across Oregon. These particular details are important as circumstantial evidence. Then, two decades later, in 2010, another detective picked up the file. Why? He seemed to relish gruesome speculation about what harm had come to her. Why did you decide to tell it in the omniscient third person as you do so much of the story? That meant he was on the road unusually late. My footnotes for this passage: Oregonian interview with Byron Pickle: They had paddles. The freelancers anniversary story, she realized, opened the door to more; he agreed to take a substantial kill fee so The Oregonian could pursue that more complicated piece. It was my way of acknowledging to the reader that this has been an epic tale that wont have a Hollywood ending. Like Kayes watch and her hair in the birds nest, this Fireball detail is one I knew I would use. Their stories have another connection: One man - John Arthur Ackroyd - is linked to all five crimes. Ackroyd was a prime suspect and he knew it. And Marlene was the victim of police malpractice, which had lethal consequences. I never got a clear answer about why it was sealed or who made that request. I made paper copies of everything. Marlene Gabrielsen is the one who got away. Disgusted, Weston went to find her husband, but Ackroyd was gone by the time the couple returned to confront him. It provided readers with a sense of place but also helped propel the story along. They mingled with another set that belonged to what appeared to be a large man. The lead prosecutor has a formidable memory and kept meticulous notes that were part of the case file. The Question and Answer section for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. As investigators scoured the woods for clues, a state police trooper rested against a tree. A father himself now, Byron gets a catch in his voice when he talks about it. Gillmore knew Ackroyd had abducted a runner near Highway 20. . The nut graf is: One woman was raped, four others disappeared. Be a good girl. They had to be named first it should be a shock to the conscience that women were vanishing like this and someone was getting away with it. Thats when it got broken, over her rear. His high school diploma indicated that he had been a "special education" student. He picked her up 41 years ago at a campground outside Sisters, Oregon. And Harmon hadn't uncovered any physical evidence linking Ackroyd to Rachanda's disappearance. He was the only son of an office worker at the local police department and a maintenance man. She thought of how Kaye must have felt, the air so cold she could see her breath. 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. He had already raped a young mother by the time he happened upon Kaye the day before Christmas in 1978. Tagged: The Oregonian. The language of the story is spare and lean. That beating she got was over, over the top. He listened quietly and wept. I wasnt sure what to call it. Ackroyd, now 63, went over the timeline of the day Rachanda disappeared, spinning the same old lies. Marlene Gabrielsen was John Ackroyd's first known victim, and the one who survived. Why did you open the series this way? Kaye Turner's killing became a faded memory. 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. Months later, I wrote him another letter. Read "John Arthur Ackroyd, Serial Killer" by Ruth Canton available from Rakuten Kobo. We had a lot of discussion about the ending. Weeks after the teens disappeared, Ackroyd was finally arrested for Kayes murder and booked into the Jefferson County jail in Madras. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. The Oregon Department of Justice has additional information and resources for survivors of sexual violence. His relationship with Linda ended and he moved in with his mother in Sweet Home. How were you able to describe the dispatcher as bewildered? The watch played a key role in helping to pin down when she was killed. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped off the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. 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. Some workers used them to keep cool in summer months. What allowed you to finally crack open a story that had been lost for 40 years? Now we knew that he was definitively linked to this little girls case. Peter Ackroyd CBE, FRSL (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. Annie was born on August 28 1876, in Ashfield Farnley Yorkshire. The prosecutor, Bill Hanlon, and newspaper accounts. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Arthur Ackroyd (1903 - 1914) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. They were still after him when Ackroyd died alone in his prison cell two years ago. In fact, when she didnt feel I was doing enough on the project, she made that clear. My editor tells me I usually write with economy and directness, so it was also more of my natural style to hone and hone some more. 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. Hanna told police hed seen both the highway worker and the runner in Camp Sherman that morning. Yes, we saw Highway 20 as its own theme and character. Margaret runs a very busy team that does all breaking news, all crime and justice coverage and enterprise. Police at one point speculated that Melissas alleged theft of glassware from a local meth cook might have gotten them killed. Kayes killing serves as the cliffhanger at the end of Day 1. It was scary. 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. Why did you choose to end the narrative with Marlene Gabrielson? 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. The reporting team pored over thousands of police reports and court records, interviewed dozens of witnesses, survivors and investigators and traveled out of state to confront a critical source who hadnt responded to their requests for information. I knew from his coworkers that his truck likely didnt have AC. Enough time had passed to conclude Rachanda was dead. The report was a summary of what he told police. The state didnt take the case to a grand jury. Our partnership was the projects secret ingredient. So here: Whos responsible for this carnage? adrian ackroyd - 28 wellington road burton joyce, nottingham adrian ackroyd - 8 bowmans way sedgebrook, grantham adrian arthur ackroyd - 15 old mill court upton, chester adrian arthur ackroyd - 15 old mill court upton, chester adrian arthur ackroyd - 15 old mill court upton, chester alan ackroyd - 8 holmfield, ossett Hes a grandfather now. Harmon tried to nudge Ackroyd. She handed police a brown paper bag with clothes Marlene wore on the night of the attack. Ages 3-5 Ages 6-8 Ages 9-12 See All. He wouldnt admit to killing the girl, but he wouldnt deny it either. I looked for ways to make that as seamless as possible. When it snapped, he smacked her repeatedly with his open hand. The couple married in the mid-1980s but divorced after a year. The story reaches its powerful chronological conclusion. The breadth of his crimes has never been revealed until now. The reason for concealing the documents and who insisted on secrecy have been lost to time. Your lead is a classic roundup that focuses on several people or events. They simply felt they had enough. They assumed the two had gotten a ride from friends. The friends shared a meal the night before, then sang carols. Over the course of the investigation, he acted strangely. 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. When he got home, I explained the purpose of our visit, what the series would report and how it would include details about his wifes killing that would be upsetting. Its ugly to describe and imagine these killings. There was the rivet found near Sheila and a beaded seat cushion used at the time in cars and trucks. Why did you write it and place it here? Beck left Oregon. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/OregonLive. Read Full Profile . How did you reconstruct the details included in this long section about Marlenes rape and the aftermath? He mentioned it only after a pair of state police troopers approached him a couple of weeks later.