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Their final call in the spring of 1977 came from a pay phone in Lebanon. A spare style is my natural tendency. The annotated version that ran online was a much shorter version of my own footnoted drafts of this story. He even pretended to aid in the fruitless search for the girl. On one of our reporting trips along Highway 20, I spent the ride focused on the road, what he would have seen from his truck. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. He worked overseas as a mechanic and was caught stealing equipment. They ran away from home with plans to make it to California. The general store in Camp Sherman, Oregon, where John Ackroyd showed up to report he had discovered some clothing in the woods that might've belonged to Kaye Turner, whose disappearance in 1978 caused a stir that lingered for years in this small vacation community just off Highway 20. But as we approached publication, Therese (Bottomly) said I needed to connect with Noel. Ackroyd heaved his body out of the chair. I knew those important voices would have their say in the video so it liberated me to write with more authority. Yes and it was something I struggled with. The prosecutor, Bill Hanlon, and newspaper accounts. Main Menu Seemed like the most hopeful note on which to end a series that didnt offer much light. The project was a true collaboration. My footnotes for this passage: Oregonian interview with Byron Pickle: They had paddles. Rachanda and Byron Pickle in an undated photograph. Melissa and Sheila joined a list of girls last heard from or seen late at night in coastal Lincoln County. Their childhoods had been nightmarish under Ackroyds roof. She returned to the campground, where a stranger said his buddy, John Ackroyd, could give her a lift. There was no chance to give Rachanda a proper burial. Yes, we saw Highway 20 as its own theme and character. He is the author of the acclaimed non-fiction bestsellers London- The Biography and Thames- Sacred River as well as biographies of Ezra Pound, T.S. His partner, Detective Will McAnulty, sat nearby. I was the last one to see her alive.. [4] Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990. It was one of those details I tucked away knowing Id use it somewhere. The men ate and left to poach deer, not returning until the next day, she said. She talked about her plans to run in Camp Sherman, inviting a friend to join her that morning. 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 relied on interviews with a detective and the woman deputy to reconstruct this scene. He had an older and younger sister. I would describe it as unsatisfying and extraordinary. Trauma had seared these details into her memory. I think I just ran him through one of our databases. 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. This spectral photograph opens Ghosts of Highway 20, a stunning multimedia narrative series published last December by The Oregonian/OregonianLive. It was moving and unexpected. The other man in the truck told police that Ackroyd wasnt the violent type and the woman was drunk. She listened to pop stars Debbie Gibson and Wilson Phillips in her bedroom and teased her brother, who was her protector and playground companion. He was the only son of an office worker at the local police department and a maintenance man. Its a testament to taking a second or third look with fresh eyes and newer forensic techniques at old crimes. The prosecutor, Bill Hanlon, and newspaper accounts. Kaye Turner vanished 40 years ago while running along an empty road in a rustic central Oregon retreat. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. She understood how ambitious we were trying to be and was really supportive of that. He was painting the tailgate. His father worked as a truck driver and his mother was a homemaker. Ackroyd was in no mood to talk this time. Did she feel shed been raped? She talked about how she thought he was a logger or someone who made a living in the woods. Why did you choose to end the narrative with Marlene Gabrielson? This time Ackroyds lawyer responded. Detectives moved on. The reports dont shed light on why they doubted her. Son: Donald Ackroyd was born on 06/25/1971. Marlene Gabrielsen, who survived her encounter with John Ackroyd, told us at one point how Ackroyd had dragged her from his truck. She had been drinking and her husband was known to local cops in their small town. Was it difficult to learn about Kaye Turners husband since her murder? Alarmed, Weston went to get her husband, who called state police. What the heck happened to you? Laront asked. Ackroyd obviously is the catalyst of destruction. Harmons manner was low-key and friendly as he tried to gauge Ackroyds interest in pursuing parole. Detectives wondered if he took a chance to kill again before his arrest. Were other approaches considered? Great verb choice! Ackroyd's step-daughter Rachanda Pickle went missing in 1990. He was beset with chronic health problems and hadnt left his cell much. In it, he thanked me for telling the stories of Ackroyds other victims. One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book about what happened and her search for her assailant. Amazon.com: Agatha Christie: Books, Biography, Blog The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Questions and Answers. The men were told to drop it. A spare style is my natural tendency. Load the dishwasher. Why do you suppose that was the case? Although many versions exist of the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir . Marlene put them on, holding tight to the waist to keep them from slipping off. John Arthur Ackroyd (died December 30, 2016) was an American murderer and may have been a serial killer. A young deputy played Kaye. John Arthur Ackroyd was a longtime state highway mechanic whose route along U.S. 20 wound through some of Oregon's most spectacular scenery from the Cascade foothills to the coast. The clue bore a chilling similarity to two of Ackroyds earlier assaults: Rape victim Marlene Gabrielsens boots and underwear were sliced and so was the waistband on Kaye Turners yellow jogging shorts. I checked that with Byron, Rachandas brother. In the courtroom, she turned to face Ackroyd. The testing, unavailable at the time of her killing, showed shed been shot and stabbed. Was the use of such sickening details debated before the story ran? But Ackroyd was already serving a life sentence. I did not have any models in mind. Why did you decide to tell it in the omniscient third person as you do so much of the story? Rachanda disappeared on July 10, 1990. No, the bewildered dispatcher said, thats not true, not with children. John Arthur Ackroyd was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. Hanna was returning to his place in Camp Sherman after working the night shift. Why did Pam Ramirez lie when first interviewed by the cops? [5] You handle time very effectively, jumping from minute to minute, day to day, month to month and year to year, eliding what came between without the reader feeling a sense of having missed something. Account & Lists Returns & Orders. I can hear her bafflement on the 911 audio, which Ive listened to over and over. One man committed all the crimes and he is held responsible for the first time here. Something, likely a struggle, had knocked out the stem, stopping the watch. She denies that he beat her kids. I used a massive spreadsheet for reference. We encourage you to research and examine . Youre going to do what I tell you, Ackroyd said, speaking for the first time, his low, raspy voice laced with a bit of a drawl. (en) dbo:birthDate: 1949-10-03 (xsd:date) dbo:birthPlace: dbr:Sweet_Home,_Oregon; dbr:Oregon; A detective reached out to request an interview. John Arthur Ackroyd was a longtime state highway mechanic whose route along U.S. 20 wound through some of Oregons most spectacular scenery from the Cascade foothills to the coast. Ran into a deer, Ackroyd said. 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. Kayes killing serves as the cliffhanger at the end of Day 1. They were there because they were investigating the killing of Kaye Turner, the woman who is the subject of Day 2. Dave worked the drone and Beth wandered off alone to look for a way to capture what Marlene saw that early morning 40 years ago. The reports dont shed light on why they doubted her. She answered right away and was willing to tell me about her experience so the three of us headed to Salem to interview her. Armed with an ax or hatchet, he attacked the women, both students at Yale University. My editors, Therese Bottomly and Margaret Haberman, told me over and over to think about scenes and to identify cliffhangers. In your Emmy acceptance speech, you singled out your editor, Margaret Haberman. After one year, the couple divorced, but they continued to live together with Linda's children. When the dispatcher asked why she hadnt called sooner, Linda said she assumed she had to wait 24 hours to report a missing person. 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. Plus, in an era of smartphones, a Timex wrist watch gives readers the sense that this crime happened in another era. At a time when journalists credibility is under assault, extensive footnotes seemed like a compelling way to show our work. He said he gave her a pair of pants because she had torn hers while taking them off. View John Ackroyd results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Marlene started this series and it seemed fitting to end with her. . I used a massive spreadsheet for reference. 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. Faryion Wardrip. She stepped into the sunshine, the frosty air heavy with the scent of ponderosa pine. 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. We had multiple victims across a large swath of rural Oregon and crimes that covered a long period of time. A dozen or so work crews called the junction home. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/OregonLive. In the end, they identified four victims who investigators believe died by Ackroyds hands, and documented a history of police and prosecutorial incompetence that allowed Ackroyd to go on a killing spree for two decades. We bounced ideas off each other and checked facts. Covering thought leadership in journalism, 2023 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College, It was pure serendipity. This section could perhaps have served as a nut graf, placed much higher in the story. katelyn akins disappearance. Within months, without a body or physical evidence implicating Ackroyd, so did the investigation. Ackroyd shuffled into the courtroom, where Byron sat in the gallery clutching a photograph of his sister. Yes! 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? Its amazing how much serendipity plays a role in this story, isnt it? It was my way of acknowledging to the reader that this has been an epic tale that wont have a Hollywood ending. 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. During the course of my reporting, I heard several references to this infamous Cline Falls attack, which took place around the time of Marlenes rape and Kayes murder. John Arthur Ackroyd (October 3, 1949 - December 30, 2016) was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. Click here to find personal data about John Ackroyd including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. What was your reaction when you discovered it? You mentioned the watch earlier. 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. Ackroyd, now 63, went over the timeline of the day Rachanda disappeared, spinning the same old lies. Ackroyd told police that Marlene had seduced him in the front seat of his dirty truck. Others told the investigators that Ackroyd started hanging around the Sharis in Lebanon after he met the teens. Marlene found a friend to care for her baby, pumped breast milk and wrote out a napping schedule. 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. Actually, the beginning and the ending were the most rewritten parts of the series, as we knew they would be. When the men turned them down, Melissa and Sheila said theyd hitchhike instead. Bewildered by the explanation, the men watched as Ackroyd washed up. 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. When it concluded, the judge sealed the court records. She thinks those factors played a role in their handling of the investigation. 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 had to rely on their description of what he said. She rode her bike in the lane just outside the door and took a bus to grade school in Sweet Home. Her husband was abusive and she drifted from Ackroyd. In exchange, he agreed never to seek parole. 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. Its definitely hard to read but written, I hope its seen, with deliberation and circumspection. The process compounded his grief.