In a war with the French king Philip II, he lost Normandy and almost all his other possessions in France. It ended with a gripping five-part, 7,000 word narrative, a gallery of haunting photos and a heartbreaking documentary that leave no doubt about the guilt of a serial killer, but precious little solace for his victims. When it concluded, the judge sealed the court records. 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. Her mother noticed the girls hairbrush, makeup and earrings were still there. 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. She and her husband planned to spend a night at the Sisters Rodeo. The cause: heart disease. If you have experienced sexual violence and need support, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. You use just 67 words to effectively condense the details of a crime that must have been full of detail. Its 41 years too late, but finally she is believed. The interview sputtered to a halt. Just weeks later Ackroyd was arrested for the murder of Kaye Turner. Ending with her in this way allowed me to highlight her resilience. Then Ackroyds teenage stepdaughter disappeared and a new group of investigators reopened Kayes case. He was convicted of a sex crime in Minnesota, served seven months in prison, and moved to California. Did you have to listen to them to be able to write that sentence? In 1973 he returned to England and worked as an editor for The Spectator. Is that what youre saying? Hed stopped by a half-dozen times since Kaye had gone missing. Even before hunters had stumbled upon the teens remains, Ackroyd told a friend: They are assuming its me.. How come he had all this blood on his hands?. Ackroyd had indeed come across Kaye but didnt go to police, even though he saw posters with her picture at the nearby Santiam Junction highway compound, where he lived. He wouldnt admit to killing the girl, but he wouldnt deny it either. I wanted the reader to feel rooted in that time and place. On one of our many reporting trips along Highway 20, the three of us tracked down the approximate location of the attack based on Marlenes account and police reports. By then, Ackroyd was a suspected killer who had frustrated police for more than a decade. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. The dispatcher asked: Who was the last person that saw her, do you know?. McAnulty, whod been promoted to detective just 10 days earlier, dutifully examined old newspaper articles and reports. Ackroyds low libido was the source of such open conflict that Lindas teenage son, Byron, knew of their troubles. But the story cant be fully appreciated without viewing Killens gripping documentary; so far its YouTube views top 847,000 hits and 22.6 million minutes of viewing time, Bottomly said. 2-7+. Libby; Sora; Kanopy; Help . Did you assume readers would know what a Fireball is? What had led Ackroyd to conclude the items in the ponderosa pine thicket were Kayes? I dont know that its the theme. The anecdote revealed that Ackroyd knew Melissa and Sheila and that the young women were comfortable enough with him to climb into his truck. Pretty much all the details of the attacks and deaths are sickening in the series. John Arthur Ackroyd was a state highway mechanic whose route took him along Route 20 from the Cascade Foothills to the Pacific Ocean's coast. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. Marlene slowly stood, wearing only her T-shirt and jacket. Guilty. Others told the investigators that Ackroyd started hanging around the Sharis in Lebanon after he met the teens. 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. The details throughout are extraordinarily vivid. He recalled the blood, Ackroyds unlikely story and the odd timing. My editors advised me at one point to look for ways to mix things up with more complex sentences and longer graphs. A used rivet was discovered near her body. This time you use a direct quote? Shes finally believed and theres satisfaction that comes with that. Or go back to the people left behind, particularly Marlene, who had lived to tell her story and felt heard for the first time. Do investigators believe Ackroyd was responsible for these unsolved deaths? Hed pored over Ackroyds police interviews from 1979 when the highway worker admitted he was the last person to see Kaye Turner. Did you tear off her bra? She wanted to make sure he knew what was coming. That morning, the detective looked around the disheveled cell and surveyed what was left: Ackroyds stash of food, a cane and his prison-issued clothes. ILMO Maria Beloved wife of John Edmund Ackroyd who died at "Milethorn . I have the audio of this conversation. He told police he was poaching when Kaye was killed. If you had to characterize the way the system worked in the Rachanda Pickle case, what words would you use? Why dont you quote directly from his statement? She thinks those factors played a role in their handling of the investigation. The television was on. Then he left for home. It was the day before Christmas. This let us quickly introduce the five women we write about but also put them first in the mind of the reader. The two had history that extended to childhood. 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. Noelle Crombie knows that. Their stories have another connection: One man - John Arthur Ackroyd - is linked to all five crimes. Linda Ackroyd, who now goes by the last name Monville, says she doesnt know if Ackroyd molested her daughter. Over time, the story took on even darker tones. The state didnt take the case to a grand jury. The judge didnt remember the circumstances and the lawyers for each side pointed fingers at one another. This is a kicker to the intro and sets up the only survivors story that immediately follows but it surely is the series emotional center of gravity: The dismissal of Marlenes account by police had tragic consequences. Im not sure what the reader gains from reading a detailed description of a rape. The couple ate; then they had sex, significant because they almost never did. It moved around a bit until it landed here. The language of the story is spare and lean. Then one finally offered: Try a woman who worked at the Sweet Home shop back then. Structurally, why did you decide to break here for a biography of Ackroyd? We coped with it in our own ways, but we relied on each other. He was the middle child between two sisters. Police photos showed her watch in the woods near where her partial remains were found. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped along the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. Some workers used them to keep cool in summer months. How did you reconstruct the details included in this long section about Marlenes rape and the aftermath? Marlene flew out of the pickup, a blur moving toward the house. She lives in Hillsboro with her husband. It moved around a bit until it landed here. What was the justification to go ahead and use them in a family newspaper?. Why did you write it and place it here? How much was revision involved in accomplishing this? Cops did a thorough timeline of Kayes morning so that detail came from those records. The three of us had a favorite restaurant on the road. You could, I assume, have used sources to describe this scene. Its a testament to taking a second or third look with fresh eyes and newer forensic techniques at old crimes. It felt clunky to me to stop and quote a source. Actor: Emmerdale Farm. And Harmon hadnt uncovered any physical evidence linking Ackroyd to Rachandas disappearance. The ending because you want to leave readers with a meaningful and hopefully memorable coda, the lasting impression. He returned to duty last year as a volunteer deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. The family lived at the state highway division compound at Santiam Junction, where U.S. 20 and Oregon 22 meet. I can hear him on the recording that the detective made. The two investigators crowded Bensons office with more whiteboards, scribbling fine points from each case. Something, likely a struggle, had knocked out the stem, stopping the watch. Biography. What happened?. The woman demurred. In 1977, Ackroyd raped Marlene Gabrielsen. 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. His high school diploma indicated that he had been a "special education" student. Goodreads members who liked. This took months of work. The district attorney said he was unable to talk about it something was prohibiting him. Trauma had seared these details into her memory. This is a such a powerful, almost poetic detail. Ackroyd dodged the accusations at the time, but police revived Kayes case in 1990 amid an unsuccessful investigation to solve the disappearance of Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyds 13-year-old stepdaughter. She said no and he left. Some of the most important sources never appear in the print component of this project. Was he ready to talk? Sheilas ankles were bound with leggings. This time you dramatize the action instead of summarizing it. 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. John Arthur Ackroyd was an American murderer and may have been a serial killer. Marlene Gabrielsen was John Ackroyd's first known victim, and the one who survived. He read about how Ackroyd had been with an old hunting buddy on the morning of Kayes killing. The jurors listened attentively and scribbled notes. From a writers perspective, the story behind the story is almost as fascinating. The responsibility of speaking for Rachanda rested with her brother, Byron Pickle, then 37. In prison that day with Ackroyd, the detective took one last shot. That meant he was on the road unusually late. How did you settle on this entry point to their story? In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison John Arthur Ackroyd - Episode podcast teratas But the rape allegation wasnt their priority that day. You could win the lottery four or five times before something like that would happen, Salsbery said. It was earlier in the year, though he couldnt recall the date. across her mind as she drifted to sleep: The inside door handle was gone. Google says its about a half-hour to Sisters, the nearest town where the family would have bought groceries. His voice came through the speaker. Shes finally believed and theres satisfaction that comes with that. For now, I just want the reader to know something triggered their interest in what happened to Marlene and leave it at that. Like Kayes watch and her hair in the birds nest, this Fireball detail is one I knew I would use. To promote and elevate the standards of journalism, An old logging road just off Highway 20 on the Oregon coast near where Melissa Sanders and Sheila Swanson's bodies were discovered in 1992 by local hunters. Earlier in the year, shed finished a marathon, run two half-marathons and climbed Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack. She wrote it down on a pack of cigarettes. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Had Ackroyd left a note telling them where to find her? John Ackroyd had an unusual arrangement with Rachandas mother, Linda. John Arthur Ackroyd (October 3, 1949 December 30, 2016) was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. That day, she tied her hair back and pulled on her green Levis. They pressed him again and again about his interactions with Kaye. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. What lay behind that decision? The Oregonian has published the 1977 polygraph reports for both John Arthur Ackroyd and Marlene K. Gabrielsen, who credibly alleges that he raped her at knifepoint. Within days of the discovery of Melissa and Sheilas bodies, police zeroed in once again on the highway worker. She wore the buckskin boots her husband bought her even though the couple couldnt afford them. Detectives moved on. I dont think we talked about that because he died so early in my reporting. He knew how to navigate the hills and hairpin turns during winter, when fierce storms swept through the Cascades. Mike Harmon, a longtime investigator with the Linn County Sheriffs Office, worried Ackroyd had a shot at parole. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. I built this profile from those various sources. This is a kicker to the intro and sets up the only survivors story that immediately follows but it surely is the series emotional center of gravity: The dismissal of Marlenes account by police had tragic consequences. The men ate and left to poach deer, not returning until the next day, she said. Their connections to Ackroyd were never made public. The sheriff declined to comment last year and has since retired. Their stories have another connection: One man is linked to all five crimes. They located the woman who had introduced Melissa and Sheila to Ackroyd. Do you or any of the detectives have any suspicions why it was sealed? Kayes remains sat forgotten in the Jefferson County Courthouse until three years ago when court staff came across them. Did you have to listen to them to be able to write that sentence? To read the story without annotations, click the Hide all annotations button, which youll find just below the social media buttons in the top right-hand menu, or at the top of your mobile screen. At the wrong place at the right time.. Our Apps. 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. Beth Nakamura / The Oregonian/OregonLive. Dave, Beth and I spent a lot of time deep in the woods where these women were assaulted, killed and abandoned. Looking for John Ackroyd online? The lead prosecutor has a formidable memory and kept meticulous notes that were part of the case file. She introduced the women to him and they climbed in. It was one of those details I tucked away knowing Id use it somewhere. Kaye Turner vanished 40 years ago while running along an empty road in a rustic central Oregon retreat. 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. Some of the most important sources never appear in the print component of this project. One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book about what happened and her search for her assailant. I relied on interviews with a detective and the woman deputy to reconstruct this scene. Without the film, do you think you would use more voices? She recounted the attack in detail, how the man cut off her underwear and boots. Cops went to search a storage unit Ackroyd had rented the year before, only to find hed cleared it out days earlier. Old coworkers told Benson and Snow how theyd seen Ackroyd around a highway project near a gravel logging road off Highway 20. Decades later, their cold case murders were tied to suspected serial killer John Ackroyd. Trigger warning: This story includes details of a rape. Ghosts of Highway 20, Episode 5 - ACKROYD. Highway worker after highway worker said they werent there that night, they couldnt vouch that it had happened. A cinnamon candy? The project was a true collaboration. john arthur ackroyd childhood. 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. How did it affect you and your colleagues? 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. 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. Ackroyd has three brothers and one sister. I would describe it as unsatisfying and extraordinary. Its damning circumstantial evidence linking Ackroyd to the deaths of these two women, Melissa and Sheila.
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