Rachanda was Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter who vanished in 1990 from the family home at the Santiam Junction highway compound. 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. Sadly, searches of the area would be unable to come up with any answers; whatever had happened to Kaye Turner, she seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Ghosts of Highway 20 - Portland Mercury Missing Date: Tue, Jul 10 1990. The television was on. 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. A police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home shows Rachanda Pickle's bra. Linda Monville's response was matter of fact. 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. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. Ackroyds low libido was the source of such open conflict that Lindas teenage son, Byron, knew of their troubles. The reason for it remaining confidential for over three years has never been determined and is only known by the people in the courtroom that fateful day in 2013. The couple ate; then they had sex, significant because they almost never did. 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. 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. He had his sisters image tattooed on his arm last year. Sometime after he moved, Ackroyd was in his truck with the daughter of an old friend. Within months, without a body or physical evidence implicating Ackroyd, so did the investigation. 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. Rachanda Pickle loved her brother, going to school, playing on the playground and helping around the house. An adult would have a database trail associated with credit cards, utility bills, driver's licenses and property transactions. Eventually, this small group would be joined by members from neighboring police stations and sheriff's departments, with Linn County Sheriff Art Martinak telling reporters a week after the teenage girl's disappearance: "We're going back to the area around the residence We're going to do a pretty extensive search of the roads in the immediate area.". In 1978, Kaye Turner disappeared while on a morning run during a Christmas visit to isolated Camp Sherman. The photograph also shows the girls suitcase hadnt been unpacked after a recent trip to see her father. 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. 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). Current Sheriff Tim Mueller was a deputy involved with the search and rescue team in 1990. Yet even in those types of cases, the terms of a plea agreement aren't generally secret. He was indicted on a single count of murder. The first time it was almost like he didnt want to be seen and the second time he was flamboyant, snapping pictures and waving, the coworker said. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Missing From: SISTERS, OR. Rachanda Lea Pickle Missing since July 10, 1990 from Sweet Home, Linn County, Oregon. Her mother noticed the girls hairbrush, makeup and earrings were still there. 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. Details of plea deal in 1990 cold case killing finally revealed Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). 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. Byron was Rachandas companion and playground protector. The prime suspect in the disappearance of a 13-year-old Linn County girl pleaded no contest to murder three years ago as part of an unusual agreement unsealed Wednesday by a Linn County Circuit Court judge. A police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home. Searches would also be conducted in the area on occasion but were primarily limited to recertification time that local officials needed to continue operating as part of the state's search-and-rescue apparatus. 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. It appeared like this skull had belonged to a smaller person - likely a young female - which had a small hole behind the right ear. You can cancel at any time. Ackroyd did little to look for her and later picked up Linda from work. 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 . She said no and he left. Rachanda Lea Pickle - Oregon Missing Person Directory He knew it was Ackroyd who had eventually led police to her remains. In August of 1979, a man that lived in the region - named John Arthur Ackroyd - came forward with information. The responsibility of speaking for Rachanda rested with her brother, Byron Pickle. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "That was something that he wanted," said George Eder, chief deputy district attorney for Linn County. Then he said he left. Her stepfather was charged with her murder in April 2013. 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. Rachanda Pickle, the 13-year-old daughter of his ex-wife Linda, went missing from her Santiam Junction home. Two hours later, he was back, but this time he made sure she saw him. Didnt do anything to Channy? the cop pressed. Where is she? Linda asked Ackroyd as darkness enveloped the highway compound. Rachanda Lea Pickle Rachanda, approximately 1990; Age when reported missing: 41 (approximately 2018); John Arthur Ackroyd, approximately 1990; Ackroyd, approximately 2013 . Cops went to search a storage unit Ackroyd had rented the year before, only to find hed cleared it out days earlier. 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. Cook said Rachanda once came to school with a black eye. Could trucks be to blame for killing more pedestrians? There had still been no sign of the girl - who would have been a woman at this point - since July of 1990. Linn County Sheriff's Office mounted extensive search for Rachanda Pickle in 1990 SWEET HOME Rachanda Pickle was wearing a T-shirt, black sweat pants and tennis shoes when the 13-year-old. She asked if she could sleep over. 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). 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. When Rachanda was about seven years old, her mother would remarry. He told Linda to wait until the next day to call police. Deceased/Not Found - OR - Rachanda Pickle, 13, Santiam Junction, 10 Her bedroom did appear to be a mess, but as Linda would later tell reporters: "Her bedroom looked like an explosion hit it, but that wasn't unusual. It started when a supervisor in the Linn County Sheriffs Office assigned McAnulty to organize press clippings from the early days of the investigation. 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.". During the summer of 1990, when Rachanda was thirteen years old, she and her brother Byron had gone to spend a couple of weeks with their father, Steve, in Medford. Looking over their notes from years earlier, investigators were disturbed by how close Ackroyd's involvement in Kaye Turner's case mirrored his involvement in Rachanda Pickle's disappearance. Maybe they just walked in, seen an opportunity and grasped at it.. She confided in two girls who were sisters. The more that investigators spoke with John Ackroyd, the more troubled they became. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. 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. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. To him, this gave credence to the notion that she had intentionally run away, and had not been abducted, as originally theorized. They continued to live together, though, raising Linda's two kids, Rachanda and her older brother, Byron. Police investigating this rumor discovered that the young woman identified by the tipster was actually a relative of Rachanda's, but was not her. 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. On 10 July 1990, 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle was last seen inside her mother and stepfather's home in Santiam Junction, Oregon. The next several days would see extensive searches in the area around the maintenance complex, where Rachanda lived with her mother, brother, and stepfather. She rode her bike in the lane just outside the door and took a bus to grade school in Sweet Home. This is about 150 miles southeast of Portland and about 80 miles northeast of Eugene. By then, Ackroyd was dead; he had died in prison in late 2016. Her stepdad., Ackroyds grim speculation about the harm that had likely come to Rachanda echoed gory stories like the ones hed replay over and over in Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.. 541-967-3911. Weeks after his death, prosecutors publicly acknowledged for the first time that Ackroyd had entered a plea in 2013 in the disappearance and presumed murder of Rachanda Pickle, his stepdaughter. She said he threatened to do to me exactly what they did to Kaye Turner., REMEMBERING RACHANDA (Photo 1 of 4): Byron Pickle is 42 and lives in Aumsville with his wife and two children. Once, when a clock fell off a shelf, he beat her with a homemade paddle. You were here with her.. Her mother and stepfather didn't report her missing until the next day. We saw no human movement at all; no tracks, no nothing.". She's real fond of her makeup.". Sadly, for all of these cases - as was the case with his stepdaughter's disappearance - Ackroyd went to the grave with whatever answers he may have had. 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. To some, she seemed lost, almost invisible. McAnulty, whod been promoted to detective just 10 days earlier, dutifully examined old newspaper articles and reports. She was 13. He thought she was pretty, he said, and noticed that shed begun to develop. Kaye had been raped and shot, Beck told Pam. But they were always short-lived, so I mean, me and my sister had to rely on each other, Byron said. In 2010, Linn County sheriff's. When parent conferences rolled around, no one showed up. If he could have kept his mouth shut, this case would have gone nowhere.". 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. She reportedly declined and when Ackroyd returned home about 12:45 p.m., she was gone. She seemed withdrawn and tired. Her case remained unsolved. She would end up making the decision to be driven back to her mother's home in Santiam Junction, while her older brother, Byron, decided to stay behind with his father. He said he didnt know. Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny said he wanted to ensure Ackroyd would spend the rest of his life in prison. Ackroyd didnt seem bothered that Rachanda was gone and spoke about his missing stepdaughter in a way no panicked parent ever would. Over the course of the investigation, he acted strangely. "We asked the brother what his desire was and his desire to take this deal and keep him in prison forever.". Thats what pulled our relationship together.. Rachanda, circa 1990; Age-progression to age 41 (circa 2018); John Arthur Ackroyd, circa 1990; Ackroyd, circa 2013. Despite having a rather low libido, John - as recounted by the great "Ghosts of Highway 20" project, this caused a great deal of stress on his relationship with Linda - had decided to initiate sex with Rachanda's mother on the night of the teenage girl's disappearance. Facebook That friend was Roger Dale Beck. The DA knew Ackroyd had changed his story and admitted he had talked to Kaye the morning he encountered her on a run. The family lived at the state highway division compound at Santiam Junction, where U.S. 20 and Oregon 22 meet. 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). Eight months later, Ackroyd reported finding her remains in the woods. Another man was also convicted in Turner's death. He was her stepfather. He wasn't required to provide the location of Rachanda's remains or anything like that; nor, it's believed, any specific details of the crime itself. 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. We must have laid 150 miles of string line laying out the grids, Mueller said. Although her body never has been found, Pickles stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, 63, was charged Wednesday with her murder. 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. Linn County Sheriff's Office mounted extensive search for Rachanda 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. Speaking to the Albany Democrat-Herald in March of 1996, Rachanda's aunt, JoAnn Serdy would state: "Everything's hanging in limbo. 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. Weeks later, Linda would claim that investigators were attempting to railroad John Ackroyd, stating: "It almost seems like the investigators just want to pinpoint it on John and give up or something because he was the last to see her.". Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. While John had been married to and/or living with Rachanda's mother for approximately six years, he seemed to know very little personal information about the missing girl: he was unable to recall her birthday or other details like that. These many months later, John Arthur Ackroyd claimed to have discovered bone fragments while walking his dog in a wooded area nearby. John then reportedly left the home by himself, and wouldn't return until approximately 12:30 PM (roughly three hours later). Also, it was determined that John's accomplice, Roger Dale Beck, had told friends and family about the killing and had threatened them never to tell or they would suffer the same fate. Detectives dug into Kayes killing once more and soon stumbled on their biggest breakthrough. This team would be called in to not only help reinvigorate the investigation itself but work up a profile for a potential suspect in this unsolved disappearance. (ALBANY, OR) - Linn County detectives arrested a man for murder related to the 1990 disappearance of Rachanda Leah Pickle. Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. he officers assigned to interrogate Ackroyd were direct. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. She was a young teenage girl with hopes and dreams, he said. "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.'". 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. Investigators were already familiar with John because of his history; in particular, his connection to the still-unsolved case of Kaye Turner, the jogger that had gone missing on Christmas Eve back in 1978. Before Ackroyd entered their lives, their mother cycled through boyfriends and husbands. By then, Becks ex-wife had lost touch with Ackroyd but remained fond of him. The men ate and left to poach deer, not returning until the next day, she said. Ackroyd was a prime suspect and he knew it. As part of their negotiations, prosecutors pressed Ackroyd to disclose her whereabouts; he refused to say. Rachanda Lea "Chandy" Pickle was a girl who went missing in 1990 in Oregon. Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. 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. 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. Prior to her disappearance, Rachanda and her brother regularly went to school with bruises, and Rachanda told her friends Ackroyd had caused the injuries. Three years would pass, in which this case seemed to just fade from the headlines. A police photo shows Rachanda's bedroom. He recalled that Rachanda was on the living room couch in her pajamas, watching cartoons, at the time. For years Ackroyd was the prime suspect in Rachanda's case, and her family believed he had murdered her. The men drove by Santiam Junction, slowing as they passed the eastern edge of the highway compound where Ackroyds manufactured home backed up to the woods. The following spring, a grand jury heard testimony from 17 witnesses, most of them people who knew the girl and Ackroyd. He was convicted in Jefferson County of two counts of aggravated murder and three counts of murder in Turner's death. Ackroyd was finally arrested 14 years after what's believed to be his first killing, the 1978 murder of Turner. "We asked the brother what his desire was and his desire to take this deal and . 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. 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. Pickle,Rachanda L.missing July 10,1990 - Porchlight International for His Stepdaughter Vanished. What He Said Was Disturbing The sheriff's office would eventually reach out to the FBI the following January (1991), asking for the Criminal Investigative Analysis Team from Portland to help. She's never been seen again. She was afraid to go home from school; as a . Rachanda Pickle didn't want to be alone with her stepfather, John Ackroyd. He would be charged alongside his longtime friend, Roger Dale Beck, who was living in Porterville, California at the time. Lt. Darrel James would later tell reporters with the Albany Democrat-Herald: "You think you're going to find some clothing, a shoe. It was important to Ackroyd to have his plea sealed, prosecutors said. He rattled off the girls weight and bra size but couldnt remember her birthday. One of the major factors in this determination was that if she had run away, Rachanda had done so without any of her belongings. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. However, he would transfer away from the Santiam Junction location - where he had worked and lived for more than a decade - to a state highway shop near Corvallis. Santiam murder suspect arrested - McKenzie River Reflections They continued to believe that Ackroyd was involved in his stepdaughter's disappearance, and began to go through his statements with a fine-toothed comb. He offered stability and helped provide for her two children. Rachanda stuck close to her mother and rarely strayed from the family home at Santiam Junction. 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. Monville disputes that Ackroyd beat Rachanda and Byron. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Rachanda Pickle's brother, Byron Pickle, was consulted during the state's negotiations with Ackroyd, Marteeny said. I lied like hell back then, she told McAnulty. 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. Rachanda has a scar on her forehead. If she had been believed, all of these crimes might have been avoided. John and Linda checked around with the other families in the maintenance complex for a little bit and were ultimately unable to find any sign of the missing thirteen-year-old. Ackroyd told authorities Rachanda was watching cartoons when he asked her if she wanted to go for a ride. 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. 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. She lives in San Bernardino, California, where she works at a medical supply company. Ackroyd was charged in Rachanda's murder in April 2013. Investigators were troubled by John Ackroyds knowledge of Rachandas bra size. It was during this period - the two years following Rachanda's disappearance - that investigators made a realization. Hed pored over Ackroyds police interviews from 1979 when the highway worker admitted he was the last person to see Kaye Turner. John Arthur Ackroyd would remain one of investigators' top suspects in this case, and as a result, would be questioned several times alongside a friend of his (whom police considered a potential accomplice). Linda Monville said she believes her daughter is dead, but shes still not convinced her former husband is responsible. They kept their exasperation in check, rarely raising their voices as they combed fine details for any new revelation. He loved her. Ackroyd stopped. She would eventually remarry and move down to California, where she resides today. Ackroyd was the last person to see the girl alive the morning she vanished in July 1990.
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