If you have experienced sexual violence and need support, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. Didnt do anything to Kaye Jean Turner? McAnulty asked, his voice cool. Hed returned to Sweet Home to live with his mother and split for good with Linda. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a motion in February asking that all documents in the case be unsealed. Ackroyd was finally arrested 14 years after what's believed to be his first killing, the 1978 murder of Turner. Last updated April 1, 2021; clothing/jewelry description and details of disappearance updated. 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 . Seiber, 41, said Rachanda and her older brother, Byron, came to school with bruises. Ackroyd spun the same story from then on. 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. Linda Ackroyd and her young children moved around Springfield and Sweet Home before she settled down with Ackroyd in the 1980s. Ackroyd was charged in Rachanda's murder in April 2013. However, police were able to quickly eliminate this possibility - that she had run away to her father's home - and would eventually rule out Rachanda as a possible runaway entirely. Eleven days after Rachanda's disappearance, a pair of hikers found a pair of dark sweatpants along a hiking trail near Big Lake, about five miles away from where the teenager had last been seen. 0. This is about 150 miles southeast of Portland and about 80 miles northeast of Eugene. ", Rachanda and Byron Pickle were close. He wouldnt leave her for nothing.. 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. Ackroyd worked out of Corvallis and continued to roam the highway. Rachanda's photo is shown age-progressed to 41 years. Linn County Detectives Arrest Suspect for 1990 Murder of Rachanda Pickle The couple had since divorced and Pam had moved to California. She has double pierced ears and a scar on her forehead. Missing From: SISTERS, OR. Later speaking to the Statesman Journal, Rachanda's mother, Linda, would state: "I can't believe she's a runaway because she was wanting to go school-clothes shopping Sunday night. "Rachanda was. Former Detective Sgt. Accused murderer of 13-year-old missing girl dies in prison 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). He basked in attention from police. A spokesman with the Linn County Sheriff's Office would dispute this allegation, claiming that there was no evidence indicating Rachanda had run away from home and had likely become a victim of foul play. Have you seen this child? Rachanda Pickle Rachanda Pickle's brother, Byron Pickle, was consulted during the state's negotiations with Ackroyd, Marteeny said. While the case would remain registered as open and/or unsolved in the Oregon state database, there was no movement to proceed with Ackroyd's trial for the murder of Rachanda Pickle. He would be charged alongside his longtime friend, Roger Dale Beck, who was living in Porterville, California at the time. By now, investigators knew who they were dealing with. Within months, without a body or physical evidence implicating Ackroyd, so did the investigation. In signing onto this plea deal, John Ackroyd pleaded no contest to Rachanda's murder and agreed to not seek parole for Kaye Turner's murder and decline release even if he were to become eligible. On that date, Ackroyd had asked, through his attorneys, for an expedited trial date because of some lingering health concerns. While Rachanda was home alone during this period, someone else would claim to see her a few hours after this. I asked her what happened, Cook said, and she said, My stepdad did this. Cook is shown here with her two daughters. It was a 30-minute drive to the nearest store for milk. The last person known to have seen her: John Ackroyd. Investigators zeroed in on the encounter, suspecting that harming Rachanda had excited him. Their clothes were spattered with so much blood that she got rid of Becks jeans and shirt. In the autumn of 2013, Ackroyd reached a plea deal with prosecutors in Rachanda's death. Linn County Sheriff's Office mounted extensive search for Rachanda When questioned about why he had taken the day off, he explained it away, claiming that he wanted to check in at home and see if some car parts he needed had arrived, having been delivered to the home. But according to the series, investigators always suspected he was also responsible. A police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home shows Rachanda Pickle's bra. Dec 31, 2016. She was afraid to go home from school; as a result, she often spent the night at friends' homes. Forensic experts and search-and-rescue workers spent nearly a week looking for her remains. Even the pajamas she was last seen wearing were found in her bedroom. A sadistic killer goes around killing people, taking girls off somewhere? Stockpiles of cinder rock towered near the buildings inside the complex. Rachanda was noted as standing about four feet tall and weighing approximately 90 pounds at the time of her disappearance, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. Current Sheriff Tim Mueller was a deputy involved with the search and rescue team in 1990. While I'd like to point out that he was already serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole, and was already in poor health at the time charges were filed, it is worth pointing out that this plea deal was agreed upon by Rachanda's living family members primarily, her brother Byron, who had struggled to come to grips with his sister's loss for decades. Rachanda's brother, Byron, would move to the nearby town of Sweet Home to live with some relatives, while her father, Steve, would eventually move away to Alaska to rid himself of the area. The men ate and left to poach deer, not returning until the next day, she said. He even pretended to aid in the fruitless search for the girl. Rachanda Pickle's brother, Byron Pickle, was consulted during the state's negotiations with Ackroyd, Marteeny said. Police and court records filled a file cabinet in the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office. Her disappearance triggered one of the larger searches in the Linn Countys history. He wondered aloud if Rachanda had been dumped and buried in the woods or threatened with a knife, tied up and gagged, her body rolled in plastic. Rachanda's mother, Linda Monville, 62, left Oregon 26 years ago and remarried. ALBANY, Ore. - Rachanda Pickle disappeared from her parent's home at the Oregon DOT employee compound at Santiam Junction in July 1990. Investigators had learned that while John had gone to work on the day of Rachanda's disappearance, driving out to Bend, he had only been there for about an hour before deciding to take the rest of the day off. Teams were assigned to 60 subsections and also also searched dozens of dirt roads in the rural, sparsely populated area. They had to get him. Despite this, however, almost none of Rachanda's clothing or belongings were missing from her bedroom. Story by Noelle Crombie Photography by Beth Nakamura Video by Dave KillenTHE OREGONIAN | OREGONLIVE. 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. Classification: Endangered Missing Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: March 15, 1977 Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'7; 90 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. These bones very well could have been Rachanda's, but they also could have belonged to any other young woman that had been killed in the area. Rachanda was a good kid, helping around the house and taking care not to stray far. Ackroyd was the last person to see the girl alive the morning she vanished in July 1990. The family had lived at the state highway compound for six years. When she was 12, Ackroyd tattooed his initials on her arm. Based on the information being given to them by Rachanda's family members, investigators began to believe that the 13-year-old might have been abducted from her home. She listened to pop stars Debbie Gibson and Wilson Phillips in her bedroom and teased her brother, who was her protector and playground companion. Rachanda Pickle - The Charley Project Blog If she was going to plan to run away, she would have taken her makeup and her clothes, but nothing was missing. Beck and his wife lived in a trailer not far from Camp Sherman, where Kaye had disappeared. All rights reserved (About Us). When I left, she was laying on the couch watching TV, and I kissed her, and I hugged her and said 'I love you, Channy, and I'll see you later.'". If we could find her remains, we could say our final goodbye, but at this point, we don't have anything We still think about her. 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. John Arthur Ackroyd was questioned extensively in the days and weeks after Rachanda's disappearance and would be asked to perform a polygraph test by authorities early on. 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. Later, the men told her that theyd mistaken Kaye for a deer and fatally shot her. Linda Monville's response was matter of fact. While this seems like more of an empty gesture than anything to me personally, prosecutors claimed that this deal - agreed upon in 2013 - would have kept John Arthur Ackroyd behind bars for the rest of his life. She said no and he left. OSP inmate faces Linn County murder charge - Albany Democrat Herald They pressed him again and again about his interactions with Kaye. Rachanda Lea Pickle - Brian Ladd's dream predictions 2020 - Worlds top 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Turner, a 35-year-old that typically lived in Eugene, worked for the Lane County Office of Community Health and Social Services, but had previously worked for the area's Planned Parenthood Association and also happened to be a rather well-known runner. 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. Ackroyd had been the lone suspect in his stepdaughter's mysterious disappearance from the home she shared with her mother and Ackroyd at a state highway compound at Santiam Junction. Twenty-five years have passed since Rachanda's aunt made those remarks, and they remain just as true. We must have laid 150 miles of string line laying out the grids, Mueller said. While investigating Rachanda's disappearance, detectives turned up evidence linking her stepfather John Arthur Ackroyd to the murder of Kaye Jean Turner, a 35-year-old woman from Eugene who was. In 1978, Kaye Turner disappeared while on a morning run during a Christmas visit to isolated Camp Sherman. A grand jury would hear the case. McAnulty, whod been promoted to detective just 10 days earlier, dutifully examined old newspaper articles and reports. Its rough country and theres lots of brush.. 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. In 2012, Linn County authorities took another look at her disappearance. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Ackroyd stopped. If she had run away, she had not done so with any of her clothing or makeup. Prosecutors stated that information obtained during the investigation into Rachanda Pickle's disappearance had ultimately led to these charges being filed approximately two years later. However, these hearings came to an abrupt end after October 4th, 2013. Rachanda Leah Pickle. Rachanda's new stepfather, John, worked as a mechanic for the Oregon Highway Division and had already been living at this maintenance complex for over a decade by the time Linda, Byron, and Rachanda moved in. He thought she was pretty, he said, and noticed that shed begun to develop. 5,000-foot mountain pass in the southern reaches of the Cascade Mountains). He would lead police to this scene - which he had discovered by mere chance, as he told it - and investigators would later identify the remains as Kaye Jean Turner's. Despite no information being published in the disappearance of Rachanda Pickle following the developments from early in 1991 (when the FBI was brought in to develop a suspect profile), the case was still being actively worked on by members of the Linn County Sheriff's Office. A police photo shows Rachanda's bedroom. Linda would last see Rachanda when she left for work just after 6:00 AM. Following his separation from Linda, Rachanda's mother, months later, he would continue to work for the Oregon Highway Division as a mechanic. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Linn County Sheriff's Office The whereabouts of Rachanda Pickle have never been determined, with none of her friends, family members, or acquaintances having seen her after July 10th, 1990. It was the kind of menial task you might give a rookie detective. During their digging into this case, they would uncover a plea deal agreed upon by both prosecutors and John Ackroyd, which had been agreed upon back in 2013, after charges had been filed in Rachanda's murder. While his marriage to Linda was rather unusual - the couple divorced after a year, but continued to live together and were still technically a "couple" in every sense of the word - the family seemed to have become accustomed to this quiet little corner of the world. Her body has never been found. 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). Rachanda did not have a cell-phone, no internet connection. Take hot dogs out of the freezer. Murder suspect Ackroyd found dead in Salem prison cell Oregonian/OregonLive fought to unseal secret deal in Rachanda Pickle's Rachanda Lea Pickle Missing Since 07/10/1990 Missing From Sweet Home, Oregon Age 13 years old Height and Weight 4'7, 90 pounds Clothing/Jewelry Description Pajamas or black sweatpants, a white t-shirt, sneakers and silver stud earrings. Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive. But prosecutors argued that not only had John given contradictory statements to questions he fully understood, but he had also lied about certain details to deflect suspicion from himself. He is currently serving a life sentence at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem for the Christmas Eve 1978 murder of Kaye Jean Turner near the Metolius River. Ackroyd didnt seem bothered that Rachanda was gone and spoke about his missing stepdaughter in a way no panicked parent ever would. In August of 1979, a man that lived in the region - named John Arthur Ackroyd - came forward with information. There was Ackroyd, standing at the back of his Ford pickup. Within 30 minutes of her mom getting home from work, she'd be right there, hanging on her mom's shirttail". They ended up staying at Lake Creek Lodge with a small group of friends for Christmas, and Kaye Turner - hoping to take advantage of the quiet surroundings on the morning of Christmas Eve - headed out on a six-mile jog through the woods. Linn County Sheriffs detectives Mike Harmon, left, and Paul Timm talk about the arrest of John Akroyd on murder charges. Rachanda Lea Pickle was born on March 15, 1977. However, the search would be confined to this specific area for the first several days, with the search not extending far beyond the immediate vicinity. John Arthur Ackroyd, the longtime suspect in 13-year-old Rachanda Lea Pickle's disappearance, has been arrested and charged with her murder. However, that wasn't the entire reason. "I don't think this was out of bounds or anything. His wife, Pam, said the two men were around the trailer for most of the morning, which helped give Ackroyd an alibi. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. A dozen or so work crews called the junction home. Michelle Seiber, Rachanda's classmate and friend, had a feeling that her stepdad did something because she was scared of him.
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