If she had run away, she had not done so with any of her clothing or makeup. SWEET HOME Rachanda Pickle was wearing a T-shirt, black sweat pants and tennis shoes when the 13-year-old on vanished on July 10, 1990 from her home at the state highway maintenance compound near the Santiam Junction. Despite them ruling out the theory pretty definitively within a day or so of her disappearance, investigators would be plagued by rumors of potential sightings throughout the area. While Kaye and her husband's marriage had been deteriorating, he was incredibly helpful with investigators who attempted to find out what had happened to the missing woman (and provided a definitive alibi). He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. 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. In addition to some bone fragments, police were able to uncover the underpants, running shoes, and wristwatch she had been wearing at the time of her disappearance, in addition to pieces of her sweatshirt (which appeared to have been partially destroyed). Rachanda, circa 1990; Age-progression to age 41 (circa 2018); John Arthur Ackroyd, circa 1990; Ackroyd, circa 2013. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. When Rachanda was about seven years old, her mother would remarry. This is a photo from inside the Linn County Sheriff's Office file room. She did, and because of this wait, Rachanda wasn't reported missing until Wednesday, July 11th, and the search to find her wouldn't begin until the day after that, Thursday, July 12th. She lives in San Bernardino, California, where she works at a medical supply company. Detectives moved on. As police continued their search of the area around Rachanda's family's home, they would also continue an investigation of the people inside of it. 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. Her disappearance triggered one of the larger searches in the Linn Countys history. However, the information that he was able to recall - such as her weight and bra size, as well as when she had started getting periods - didn't paint him in the most flattering light. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Michelle Seiber, Rachanda's classmate and friend, had a feeling that her stepdad did something because she was scared of him. This would usually lead to him being sentenced for the crime, but the attorneys involved agreed to suspend sentencing for an indefinite period meaning that he received no actual sentence for this crime. They would follow up on these reported sightings - and even talk to people that had been visited campgrounds or hiking trails in the area - but were unable to find any clue pointing to the teenage girl's whereabouts. They would also spend hours going through the Ackroyd home, taking photographs and looking for any evidence that pointed to a struggle having taken place inside. In 1978, Kaye Turner disappeared while on a morning run during a Christmas visit to isolated Camp Sherman. John Ackroyd had an unusual arrangement with Rachandas mother, Linda. Sometime after he moved, Ackroyd was in his truck with the daughter of an old friend. She has double pierced ears and a scar on her forehead. This is what had led to him leading police to the body of Kaye Turner eight months after her death because, as prosecutors noted, he wanted to try and obtain the reward money being offered at the time. Rachanda Lea Pickle Missing since July 10, 1990 from Sweet Home, Linn County, Oregon. The home showed no signs of foul play. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Within weeks, Melissa and Sheila were dead. An employee of Oregon's Highway Division, John had been away at a job that morning in Bend but had decided to come home during a break. Later speaking to the number of travelers that drove by daily, he recalled to the Albany Democrat-Herald: "We do get a lot of strangers stopping here. He was drawn to Melissa and Sheila, making a point to chat them up. In August of 1979, a man that lived in the region - named John Arthur Ackroyd - came forward with information. While police had always kept John Ackroyd at the top of their suspect list, they never had enough evidence to pursue charges against anyone. Hed planned to fix snowplows but decided to take the day off after learning parts hadnt arrived, a claim that baffled his supervisor, who said there was plenty of work to keep Ackroyd busy. We think the greatest likely scenario is that she's probably out there not of her own volition and is deceased either by violence or nature. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Former Detective Sgt. She was last seen at her home on July 10, 1990. Detective Mike Harmon with the Linn County Sheriff's Office told reporters: "It's difficult to prove that a 13-year-old doesn't exist. A public records request by The Oregonian/OregonLive led a judge to order the release details of the agreement and other documents in the court file. 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. Rachandas green nightgown was on her bedroom floor. Rachanda nicknamed Chandy and her brother, Byron, had gone to live with their biological father, Steve Pickle, in Medford. These many months later, John Arthur Ackroyd claimed to have discovered bone fragments while walking his dog in a wooded area nearby. He basked in attention from police. #MISSING: Rachanda Pickle, Linn County, Oregon DOB: 03/15/77 Missing since: July 10, 1990 NAMUS #6529 Linn County Sheriff's Office Case Case Investigator: Detective Mike Harmon (541) 917-6654 "He said, 'I will give a plea but I want the case to stop at this point and it not be announced that I have entered the plea and in return I won't ever try to get out of prison.'". After a four-week trial which took place in the latter half of 1993, John Arthur Ackroyd was convicted for Kaye Turner's death and was later given five life sentences without the possibility of parole. "The settlement reached a point where we were able to have the certainty that he would be in prison forever," Marteeny told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Story by Noelle Crombie Photography by Beth Nakamura Video by Dave KillenTHE OREGONIAN | OREGONLIVE. It wasn't until Oregonian reporters began digging into this case - following Ackroyd's death - that details of this plea deal would be released to the world at large. What were the odds of that? Her brother kept an eye on her. Rachanda was described as being your typical teenage girl. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. John Ackroyd killed Kaye Turner, he replied. The men ate and left to poach deer, not returning until the next day, she said. He had his sisters image tattooed on his arm last year. Ackroyd was a prime suspect and he knew it. He was painting the tailgate. If he could have kept his mouth shut, this case would have gone nowhere.". {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, By Alex Paul and Kyle Odegard, Albany Democrat-Herald, Two Albany pharmacies will close their doors next month, Sad ending to story: Lebanon goose killed, Trash, recycling, yard waste pickup day changing in Linn County, Lebanon woman accused of setting fire to her grandparents' house, Albany gas station briefly missed annual report, Waterfront project costs more than Albany anticipated, Update: Man says he set Sweet Home church fire, 'I don't like church', Falls City man sentenced to 8 years in prison for manslaughter, DUII, Mattel introduces first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome, Highway 20 construction prompts these changes between Albany, Corvallis, Police track bullet holes at Sweet Home elementary to neighborhood, LBCC faculty: Budget cut process violated our contract, High school track and field: Dickson quickly climbs the rankings, Philomath man accused of multiple Dollar Tree robberies, 'A legend is born': Kirsten Neuschfer becomes first woman to win historic Golden Globe Race, OSP inmate faces Linn County murder charge. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. Ackroyd is a suspected serial killer: he's doing life right now for a 1978 murder (he was convicted in 1994), and is a suspect in two other women's disappearances besides Rachanda's. The DA knew Ackroyd had changed his story and admitted he had talked to Kaye the morning he encountered her on a run. ALBANY, Ore. - Rachanda Pickle disappeared from her parent's home at the Oregon DOT employee compound at Santiam Junction in July 1990. Time had fogged her memory, but on one point she was clear: The men ordered her to lie if police asked where they were that morning. 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. The next several days would see extensive searches in the area around the maintenance complex, where Rachanda lived with her mother, brother, and stepfather. Maybe they just walked in, seen an opportunity and grasped at it.. It was believed that the sweatpants might be hers, sparking another set of searches in that area, but would fail to come up with any additional evidence. The two often went to school with bruises, which they attributed to John's abuse. Ackroyd "found" her body eight months later and was under suspicion in her case for many years, but he wasn't convicted in her death until 1994. She wouldn't lie.". A sadistic killer goes around killing people, taking girls off somewhere? Linda Monville, Rachanda's mother, keeps this photo of Rachanda and Byron on a shelf in her home. He offered stability and helped provide for her two children. The morning she disappeared, Pickles mother, Linda, had gone to work at Black Butte. You know, he said, both of you sitting there pointing your fingers at me, and I didnt do nothing.. Rachanda Pickle's brother, Byron Pickle, was consulted during the state's negotiations with Ackroyd, Marteeny said. Ackroyd, 67,. McAnulty wondered if an ex-wife might see the events of the distant past in a different light. 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. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a motion in February asking that all documents in the case be unsealed. Rachanda's mother, Linda Monville, 62, left Oregon 26 years ago and remarried. Investigators were troubled by John Ackroyds knowledge of Rachandas bra size. (Mark Ylen/Democrat-Herald). He was the last person to see both, exhibited troubling behavior at the time of their disappearance, provided investigators with both conflicting and troubling information, involved himself in the search parties and investigation, and then - when questioned - offered up troubling guesses for the victim's fate. At around the same time, Rachanda's stepfather John would tell reporters with the Albany Democrat-Herald: "At this point, we're hoping that she did run away and that she's safe and sound somewhere. The resolution, in this case, would allow closure for the loved ones of Kaye Turner but was little solace for the friends and family of Rachanda Pickle, who had been missing for approximately four years at the time of sentencing. I lied like hell back then, she told McAnulty. Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. We can surmise that this is when he returned home and encountered Rachanda at around 9:30 AM. Three years would pass, in which this case seemed to just fade from the headlines. In interviews, Ackroyd dwelled on how the teen had gotten her period and had begun to develop. Detectives dug into Kayes killing once more and soon stumbled on their biggest breakthrough. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. As part of their negotiations, prosecutors pressed Ackroyd to disclose her whereabouts; he refused to say. What we're afraid of is that someone came up to the house, found her alone here and took her.". Such a move is typically reserved for a national security-related case or oneinvolving sexual assault victims. 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. The girl who was good about leaving notes if she headed out to play Nintendo at a neighbors house hadnt left one. Rachanda Pickle loved her brother, going to school, playing on the playground and helping around the house. He was her stepfather. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. Friends described her as silly and goofy. While this plea deal provided some kind of closure in the case, John Arthur Ackroyd was not required to provide any kind of proof in the murder case of Rachanda Pickle. She seemed withdrawn and tired. In 2012, Linn County authorities took another look at her disappearance. The Oregonian/OregonLive went to court to lift a judge's order that had kept secret for years John Ackroyd's unusual plea deal in the death of his 13-year-old stepdaughter Rachanda Pickle. Linda was getting ready to head to work at Black Butte - near Sisters, about thirty miles east - and asked for some help doing her hair. However, she agreed to go with him later to pick up Linda from work. He knew it was Ackroyd who had eventually led police to her remains. She said no and he left. 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. Bill Hanlon, the district attorney in Jefferson County, wasnt surprised when the call came from a prosecutor in Linn County, where Ackroyd lived. Over the next several months, several court hearings would be adjourned to get rolling on the trial itself. "It was the best resolution for him, for the case, at the time," Barnett said. Despite only being charged with one murder, they were being charged with five different counts; each symbolizing a different possible theory in the case. Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny said he wanted to ensure Ackroyd would spend the rest of his life in prison. Police had still not uncovered any sign of her whereabouts, and this conviction seemed to essentially slam the door on any likelihood of her being found alive. Twenty-five years have passed since Rachanda's aunt made those remarks, and they remain just as true. She rode her bike in the lane just outside the door and took a bus to grade school in Sweet Home. We must have laid 150 miles of string line laying out the grids, Mueller said. 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. Eight months would pass before investigators discovered what had happened to the missing woman. Missing Date: Tue, Jul 10 1990. Its rough country and theres lots of brush.. Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. 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. When asked what had inspired this change, after so many years of inactivity, officials would state that advancements in DNA testing led to this decision, although they would not speak in any specifics ahead of the expected trial date. You were here with her.. In the months after Rachanda's disappearance, Rachanda's mother Linda would officially separate from her stepfather John, moving away to Portland. As part of their "Ghosts of Highway 20" project, these journalists have uncovered evidence linking him to several other crimes. In one transcript of an interrogation, Ackroyd offered this explanation of what could have happened to Rachanda: Somebody could have just come in, Ackroyd told police, knocked her over the head, throw her over the shoulders and just walk out without anybody seeing her.. 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. We just don't want people to forget that she's gone.". In the case of Kaye Turner, he had guessed that the woman had been shot and stabbed to death. If she had been believed, all of these crimes might have been avoided. He didn't seem upset that Rachanda was missing, and police were suspicious because he knew her weight and her bra size but not her birthday. Her stepfather was charged with her murder in 2013 but died three years later without revealing Chandy's whereabouts. Rachanda stuck close to her mother and rarely strayed from the family home at Santiam Junction. By then, Ackroyd was dead; he had died in prison in late 2016. This is one of those things when you hope youll get a call from the family saying shes in Los Angeles or somewhere, Martinak said during the search. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He loved her. It was a 30-minute drive to the nearest store for milk. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. Within 30 minutes of her mom getting home from work, she'd be right there, hanging on her mom's shirttail". In 1992, Ackroyd was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the unrelated murder of Kaye Jean Turner, who was abducted and murdered in 1978. Rachanda Lea "Chandy" Pickle was a girl who went missing in 1990 in Oregon. She feared him and often asked friends if she could spend the night. You could tell they were both being physically abused, said Seiber, who now lives outside Houston. Unfortunately, any additional evidence would be hard to come by in this case, and it would remain stagnant for more than a decade until it was revived years later, in the most unlikely of ways. And on the morning she vanished, Rachanda asked her mother not to go to work. Doug Beloof, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, said it's unusual for the court to seal a plea agreement. Sheila Swanson was 19 and from nearby Lebanon. 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. He's never went out of hand or spanked my kids against my will. This is about 150 miles southeast of Portland and about 80 miles northeast of Eugene. Prior to her disappearance, Rachanda and her brother regularly went to school with bruises, and Rachanda told her friends Ackroyd had caused the injuries. He would check on her at recess, recalled Mandy Cook, a childhood friend and classmate who now lives in Amarillo, Texas. Cops went to search a storage unit Ackroyd had rented the year before, only to find hed cleared it out days earlier. "That was something that he wanted," said George Eder, chief deputy district attorney for Linn County. She introduced the women to him and they climbed in. "The settlement reached a point where we were able to have the certainty. Rachanda Lea Pickle was born on March 15, 1977. 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. Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive. The couple married in the mid-1980s but divorced after a year. Her stepfather was charged with her murder in April 2013. It was during this period - the two years following Rachanda's disappearance - that investigators made a realization. Her mother was at work at the time of her disappearance. Despite that, however, reporters with Oregon Live and the Oregonian have uncovered information that points to a long reign of terror for this one man, which extended far beyond his two known crimes. Their childhood friend, Michelle Seiber, said Rachanda wouldnt have dreamed of leaving behind her brother. Cook said Rachanda once came to school with a black eye. Ackroyd had actually been one of the few witnesses who claimed to have seen Kaye Turner jogging on the morning of Christmas Eve, on what would have been mile four of a planned six-mile jog. In the early morning hours of July 10, 1990 John and Linda Ackroyd left their residence at the Oregon Department of Transportation shops at the Santiam Junction in east Linn County, Oregon. In fall 2013, according to the unsealed court records, Ackroyd agreed not to seek parole and to decline release even if he became eligible in exchange for his no contest plea in his stepdaughter's death. ", Rachanda and Byron Pickle were close. The couple ate; then they had sex, significant because they almost never did. Lt. Darrel James, who had coordinated the search efforts, told reporters during a press briefing: "There's no reason to think she ran away, and no information that she just walked off playing around. Load the dishwasher. At the time, Ackroyd also was a suspect in a cold case killing - the 1978 death of Kaye Turner, 35, who disappeared while jogging in Camp Sherman on Christmas Eve morning. Her son, Byron, described Ackroyd as a violent man who once beat Rachanda over a broken clock. Following his separation from Linda, Rachanda's mother, months later, he would continue to work for the Oregon Highway Division as a mechanic. Later, the men told her that theyd mistaken Kaye for a deer and fatally shot her. John would tell investigators, loved ones anyone interested, really, that he didn't know what had happened to the missing girl. Linda Monville's response was matter of fact. Take hot dogs out of the freezer. Over the course of the investigation, he acted strangely. Unfortunately, police had been unable to uncover any evidence of the teenager's current whereabouts, so they couldn't speak beyond these generalities without mucking up their ongoing investigation. Rachanda stuck close to her mother and rarely strayed from the family home at Santiam Junction. However, that wasn't the entire reason. By early 1992, investigators were closing in on Ackroyd. Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. The television was on. Hed pored over Ackroyds police interviews from 1979 when the highway worker admitted he was the last person to see Kaye Turner. When the dispatcher asked why she hadnt called sooner, Linda said she assumed she had to wait 24 hours to report a missing person. Linn County Circuit Judge David Delsman granted the request. The first time he stared ahead as Corinna Strouse waved hello. 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. Before Ackroyd entered their lives, their mother cycled through boyfriends and husbands. When youre a young kid used to living in Springfield and you go to the Santiam Junction, its like this is a desolate area.. Until she is brought home and put to rest by her loved ones, the story of Rachanda Pickle will remain unresolved. To him, this gave credence to the notion that she had intentionally run away, and had not been abducted, as originally theorized. Lifesaving: Family flees Texas to transgender 'refuge' Minnesota. However, following the disappearance of John's stepdaughter, investigators had begun looking into the dormant case of Kaye Turner. For years Ackroyd was the prime suspect in Rachanda's case, and her family believed he had murdered her. Could trucks be to blame for killing more pedestrians? And he wouldnt leave her either. The photograph also shows the girls suitcase hadnt been unpacked after a recent trip to see her father. Ackroyd stopped. She would eventually remarry and move down to California, where she resides today. Rachanda had one older brother named Byron, who was a little more than a year older than her, and the two would grow up with their mother, Linda, but would remain close to their father, whom they visited regularly. Her marriage to John had already deteriorated by the point Rachanda went missing, but her disappearance would prove to be the official break in the relationship despite him continuing to assert, both privately and publicly, that he had no idea what had happened to the missing girl. While he had always been a suspect for investigators, suspicion into him had seemed to wane after police came up empty-handed. Rachanda was incredibly close with her mother, Linda, and her aunt JoAnn Serdy would later recall to the Albany Democrat-Herald: "You could almost set your clock by her. Rachanda has a scar on her forehead. He said he returned home to find his stepdaughter under a blanket on the couch. Kaye had been raped and shot, Beck told Pam. 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. 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. Years later, his ex-wife told police Beck and John Ackroyd told her to lie to police about their whereabouts the morning of Kaye's disappearance. That winter, Kaye and her husband, Noel, had decided to head up to a cabin in the Camp Sherman area. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. Ackroyd, too, hung out there. Their clothes were spattered with so much blood that she got rid of Becks jeans and shirt. Ackroyd worked out of Corvallis and continued to roam the highway. 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. Jim Salsbery was instrumental in the investigation that culminated with Ackroyds conviction in the death of Kaye Jean Turner. To this day, this remains one of the few decisions in Bryon's life that he wishes he could change. One time, she made a scene when it was time to go. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Chandy remains missing. This involved search effort would cease their searches after Friday - three days after Rachanda had last been seen alive - but the Linn County Mounted Posse would carry on, and would be joined by employees from the U.S. Forest Service. He wouldnt leave her for nothing.. While tipsters would report sightings of the missing teen all along the west coast, investigators have been unable to locate Rachanda after more than three decades On 10 July 1990, 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle was last seen inside her mother and stepfather's home in Santiam Junction, Oregon. The more that investigators spoke with John Ackroyd, the more troubled they became. 0. Rachanda did not have a cell-phone, no internet connection. No, the bewildered dispatcher said, thats not true, not with children., The dispatcher asked: Who was the last person that saw her, do you know?, GONE FROM SANTIAM JUNCTION (Photo 1 of 7): Rachanda Pickle didnt like living at Santiam Junction. Her mother, Linda, would add fuel to this fire by telling reporters with the Statesman Journal a week after her disappearance: "I really fully believe that she was taken without her will.". These searches would continue over the next two weeks, but authorities were unable to uncover any trace of the missing 13-year-old. Seiber is shown here with her daughter. Melissa Sanders was 17 and from Sweet Home. By his account, Rachanda was gone when he returned a couple of hours later. The couple had since divorced and Pam had moved to California. Ackroyd drove by the woman twice that morning. I know that my daughters dead, Steve Pickle said in a 2003 newspaper interview. He was arrested at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, where he is serving a life sentence for the murder of Kaye Turner on December 24, 1978 in Camp Sherman, Oregon. Teams were assigned to 60 subsections and also also searched dozens of dirt roads in the rural, sparsely populated area.
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