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. We talked all along about how graphic to be. Marlene put them on, holding tight to the waist to keep them from slipping off. Please take me home.. Where did it and the other information about Kayes run come from? Why did you choose to end the narrative with Marlene Gabrielson? 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. What was your greatest writing challenge? ILMO Maria Beloved wife of John Edmund Ackroyd who died at "Milethorn . For a man suspected of murder, Ackroyd was impassive under intense grilling by Salsbery and McAnulty. In scene after scene, over a couple of long days as the Christmas holiday approached, the investigators playing Ackroyd and Beck would snatch her off the road. His wife, Pam, said the two men were around the trailer for most of the morning, which helped give Ackroyd an alibi. Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyds 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. He was convicted in the 1978 murder of a woman who never returned from a holiday jog and the prime suspect in the 1990 disappearance . 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. One man committed all the crimes and he is held responsible for the first time here. And this guy basically got away with it.. And a lot of time in the woods together and that bonded us to one another. I t was the last time any cop talked to Ackroyd. Finding no sign of her, he panicked and called police. Ackroyd heaved his body out of the chair. Gillmore knew Ackroyd had abducted a runner near Highway 20. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. Hanlon, whod spent his career practicing law in rural Oregon, knew of Ackroyd from reading a slim three-ring binder stashed in a cardboard box left behind by his predecessor. She had been drinking and her husband was known to local cops in their small town. I can hear him on the recording that the detective made. Without the film, do you think you would use more voices? The highway worker had hurt Rachanda, stuffed her into a garbage bag and hauled her away, Linn County Sheriffs Detective Jim Salsbery said during one of their interviews. 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. Marlene flew out of the pickup, a blur moving toward the house. A few months later, in 2013, the Linn County district attorney took Rachanda's case to grand jurors. My editors, Therese Bottomly and Margaret Haberman, told me over and over to think about scenes and to identify cliffhangers. Hanna was returning to his place in Camp Sherman after working the night shift. A doctor identified bruising on her back, legs and knee. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped off this same stretch of lonely road in rural Oregon, which winds through some of the Northwest's most spectacular scenery. We encourage you to research and examine . He rolled up the window and slammed the door. Seven months after it ran, Crombie continues to receive emails and letters from readers grateful that these forgotten women have been remembered. Did you have any models in mind, any that you studied before or as you were writing? Once, he invited neighbors over to watch horror movies, becoming so animated over scenes of women being chopped up that hed hit rewind again and again. It was just a hell of a story. How did you locate her? In all, five teens disappeared on or around highways in the county from 1984 through 1995. Why did you go to this trouble? 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. In that way, the story feels unresolved. Why? When parent conferences rolled around, no one showed up. Kaye Turner's killing became a faded memory. For instance, Ackroyd told police he drove to his mothers house after raping Marlene. The 1974 horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with it's chainsaw-weilding killer Leatherface, who wears the skin of his victims as a mask, was famously inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein.Director Tobe Hooper, a Texas native, was just 14 when Ed Gein was arrested. John Arthur Ackroyd - Wikipedia 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. It was Marlene Gabrielsens first night away from her baby girl. He was caught trying to steal equipment and supplies. She vanished on July 10, while Linda was at work; Ackroyd took the day off, and was the last person to see the teen alive. The judge didnt remember the circumstances and the lawyers for each side pointed fingers at one another. So Dave and I drove a couple hours south to the Turner home Noel had remarried in the years after Kayes death and knocked on the door. The details surrounding the assault are terrifying enough. The detectives who handled her disappearance retired. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. who said that they had a rocky childhood, and their father abused their mother to the point that she left the family. Lucinda Williams The Ghosts of Highway 20, One of the victims, Terri Jentz, wrote a book. John Arthur Ackroyd, Serial Killer - OverDrive 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. A few days later, I received a handwritten letter from Noel. I was riding in another car with a couple of investigators. 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. Would he give up the body? Months later, the highway worker led police to the wooded area where scraps of her clothing and her jawbone were found. Find books like John Arthur Ackroyd, Serial Killer: A collection of True Crime from the world's largest community of readers. Faryion Wardrip born March 6, 1959, was an American murderer who raped and killed a total of five . The three of us had a favorite restaurant on the road. This is a such a powerful, almost poetic detail. For years, only those in the room would know what had happened. john arthur ackroyd childhood - opendialoguemediations.com Why did you open the series this way? They werent expected back until afternoon. John Arthur Ackroyd, Serial Killer on Apple Books So I shifted to the women he encountered. The Question and Answer section for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Can you describe the collaboration between you, Dave Killen and Beth Nakamura? Suspected Serial Killer John Arthur Ackroyd Beat the Polygraph While In it, he thanked me for telling the stories of Ackroyds other victims. It was the day before Christmas. He spent Christmas patrolling Camp Sherman, quietly marking Kayes disappearance decades earlier. Ran into a deer, Ackroyd said. Yes and it was something I struggled with. Why do these victims matter now? These particular details are important as circumstantial evidence. sat and waited to hear his fate. That day, she tied her hair back and pulled on her green Levis. Something was tangled in the twigs and sticks. The Oregonian newspaper and others have alleged that Ackroyd was involved in the murder of several more women. We encourage you to research and examine . Their stories have another connection: John. Guilty. 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 also was liberated by knowing the companion photos and video would fill in many of the details in a different way. Her description provided a distinct sense of place. I knew I wanted to use this somewhere in this series. How come he had all this blood on his hands?. I knew those important voices would have their say in the video so it liberated me to write with more authority. A couple of weeks later, Marlene sat in the back of an unmarked police car as two officers drove her to the lie detector test. Sense of smell is so evocative, yet writers rarely take advantage of its power. Bottomly teamed up Crombie with Killen and Nakamura to run the mystery to ground. It started when a supervisor in the Linn County Sheriffs Office assigned McAnulty to organize press clippings from the early days of the investigation. The focus seemed wrong. Is that what youre saying? john arthur ackroyd childhood Back then, if traffic was light and his window was rolled down, Ackroyd would have heard the South Santiam River rushing alongside the highway as he headed west out of Sweet Home. 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. The language of the story is spare and lean. Kids. His Stepdaughter Vanished. What He Said Was Disturbing I looked for ways to make that as seamless as possible. . Several parts conclude with a cliffhanger, effectively designed to keep the reader reading. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. More than two years later, another set of investigators went looking for the police report detailing Marlenes account. 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. She saw it as a way of letting readers know how much work went into this series. I also wanted to touch on the idea that this story served as a form of justice for Marlene. You aim to anticipate the next question theyll have. Why was it important to do so? 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. A state police sergeant and a lieutenant from a local sheriffs office tracked down Marlene at home. Was there ever a concern about libeling Ackroyd before he died and rendered the question moot? There was so much information to move through. It was my way of acknowledging to the reader that this has been an epic tale that wont have a Hollywood ending. I wanted him to know that the reporting was continuing and that a story would likely appear sometime in the coming months. 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. Investigators talked to Marlenes mother-in-law, too. John Arthur Ackroyd (died December 30, 2016 at age 67) was an American murderer and a serial killer. So here: Whos responsible for this carnage? He was willing to talk. He mentioned it only after a pair of state police troopers approached him a couple of weeks later. A dozen or so work crews called the junction home. Was he ready to talk? They pressed him again and again about his interactions with Kaye. Ackroyd disclosed yet another curious detail: He hadnt been alone on Christmas Eve morning. We had multiple victims across a large swath of rural Oregon and crimes that covered a long period of time. It took a lot of force to break them. I would describe it as unsatisfying and extraordinary. Ackroyd did little to look for her and later picked up Linda from work. The state had continued to pay out Ackroyds $3,624 monthly public employee pension even while he was in prison. Her calendar at work noted recent liaisons with the men. My editors, Therese Bottomly and Margaret Haberman, told me over and over to think about scenes and to identify cliffhangers. Their clothes were spattered with so much blood that she got rid of Becks jeans and shirt. We felt and processed their profound grief. One of those visits stood out: Shed discovered him fondling himself while looking at Oui, an explicit mens magazine sold at the store. You dont describe the rape, instead skipping over graphic details. Her husband was abusive and she drifted from Ackroyd. The deputy ran at a steady pace, the thrum of the truck approaching her from behind. Ackroyd obviously is the catalyst of destruction. 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. Some suspect he was but no evidence links him to these cases. Although many versions exist of the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir . Death Of King Arthur, The: The Immortal Legend : Ackroyd, Peter: Amazon This is a such a powerful, almost poetic detail. The couple had since divorced and Pam had moved to California. He claimed hed reached down to touch the slain womans arm and hair. But as we approached publication, Therese (Bottomly) said I needed to connect with Noel. My mom was yelling at John to stop. The dialogue and scene-setting details how Ackroyd tapped his leg with his knife, for instance came from interviews with Marlene. Resources and contacts also are listed at the end of the story. After leaving drama school in Birmingham in 1970, John worked for 10 years or so in repertory theatres all round England, playing dozens of roles. But it works for me. She confided in two girls who were sisters. He and his wife walked out of the county courthouse, where he paced and wept. Their childhoods had been nightmarish under Ackroyds roof. The details throughout are extraordinarily vivid. Instead, they focused on Kayes husband and possible ties between Kayes disappearance and extramarital relationships she had with two men at the time. I read the book while reporting this story and we made a trip to Cline Falls park during one of our trips to central Oregon. One time, she made a scene when it was time to go. Their final call in the spring of 1977 came from a pay phone in Lebanon. I moved my desk next to Daves. The men at first said theyd hunted coyotes but later changed their stories to say they were poaching deer. There were no somber words from the bench about justice served, no deathbed confessions. I wanted the story to be easy on the reader. The jurors listened attentively and scribbled notes. Help advance the Nieman Foundations mission to promote and elevate the standards of journalism by making a donation. This is also the story of John Ackroyd, also know as The Highway 20 Killer. I was able to reconstruct this scene based on a detailed interview with Marvin Laront She encountered Ackroyd and his hunting partner on a deserted road. 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. This is what we heard at the Youth Club in the early 1970's through to the late 1980's, when most nights were party nights, men were men and girls were girls and you met on the dance floor. Christmas presents Noel bought for his wife were wrapped and in the car. At the hospital, an officer noted scratches on Marlenes back. On Christmas Eve morning, Ackroyd showed up at the house. Our overarching purpose was to hold their rapist/killer accountable in public for the first time. This is the story of, Rachanda Pickle, Kaye Turner, Marlene Gabrielson, Melissa Sanders, Shiela Swan, and potentially many others. katelyn akins disappearance. The trackers noticed two sets of footprints preserved in the frozen ground. Our Apps. Overseas, he was investigated for selling marijuana and going AWOL. Google says its about a half-hour to Sisters, the nearest town where the family would have bought groceries. I would imagine there were several possible structures for the series. 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. The lead prosecutor has a formidable memory and kept meticulous notes that were part of the case file. If you had to characterize the way the system worked in the Rachanda Pickle case, what words would you use? What had led Ackroyd to conclude the items in the ponderosa pine thicket were Kayes? 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 . He recalled the blood, Ackroyds unlikely story and the odd timing. 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. Do you consider this your nut graph? He is most likely one of the Ghost of The Ghosts of Highway. She was alone with Ackroyd, a big man who reeked of sweat and freshly cut wood. Snow worked the phones, digging up numbers for highway workers, many of them long retired. You were here with her.. The prime suspect all along, Ackroyd wasnt charged in the case. I have a baby thats not even a year old, she pleaded. I asked Marlene to describe what she saw and smelled when Ackroyd yanked her from the truck. He seemed to relish gruesome speculation about what harm had come to her. At other times, friends saw her with a black eye and a wound from where hed ripped out a patch of her hair. Unexplained Oregon: The Highway 20 Serial Killer on Apple Podcasts I never got a clear answer about why it was sealed or who made that request. She thinks those factors played a role in their handling of the investigation. Prosecutors said she also had been raped. My editors advised me at one point to look for ways to mix things up with more complex sentences and longer graphs. It moved around a bit until it landed here. His story about inviting the girl to photograph wildlife that morning never made sense to Rachandas family and friends. 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. The cause: heart disease. Why dont you quote directly from his statement? Its definitely hard to read but written, I hope its seen, with deliberation and circumspection. Marlene started this series and it seemed fitting to end with her. He knew how to navigate the hills and hairpin turns during winter, when fierce storms swept through the Cascades. The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie Comic Strip Bruno Lachard Kaye had been raped and shot, Beck told Pam. Some suspect he was but no evidence links him to these cases. The investigators sifted through the evidence collected from the woods where hunters came across Melissa and Sheilas bodies. It moved around a bit until it landed here. I wanted to absorb all of the material I had collected and then tell the story with authority. Sandy Turner, Noels wife, answered and greeted us warmly. How did you decide on these and did they form part of the narrative strategy? From a writers perspective, the story behind the story is almost as fascinating. Eventually, the investigation stalled. Do investigators believe Ackroyd was responsible for these unsolved deaths? At this point in the story, I didnt want to reveal too much about why the cops were taking another look at Marlenes rape. Today, both men insist they should have done more to protect Sheila Swanson and Rachanda Pickle from a killer. He eluded police even as their suspicions about him deepened. It was a great detail that I needed to work into the story. He was responsible for clearing wrecks, helping people whose cars broke down on the highway, and maintenance. Their deaths exposed Ackroyd as a serial killer and raised the possibility of other killings. Karens mother, Violet Gillmore, long believed Ackroyd was behind her daughters disappearance. By then, Becks ex-wife had lost touch with Ackroyd but remained fond of him. Ackroyd had once speculated to police that his stepdaughter might not have been buried either. I had to gut him out.. I can hear her bafflement on the 911 audio, which Ive listened to over and over. The beginning because you have to engage and explain but not overpromise, all the while getting the tone right.