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. Rachanda Pickles mother and stepfather waited 24 hours to report the girls disappearance to 911. During the ensuing court case, defense attorneys would argue that John Arthur Ackroyd was slow-witted and mentally deficient, to the point of him being unaware of specific questions asked by investigators. 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. 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. John's accomplice, Roger Dale Beck, was convicted on almost identical grounds and continues to be housed in the Oregon State Penitentiary. 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 He told Linda to wait until the next day to call police. In fact, the only clothing that seemed to be missing was a pair of black sweatpants and a white New Kids on the Block t-shirt she had been wearing a lot recently, so it was theorized that she had been wearing those items when she went missing. The investigation into Rachanda Pickle's disappearance would continue years later, with police having little evidence to operate with. Rachanda declined, citing the chores her mother expected her to finish, he said. Linda Ackroyd and her young children moved around Springfield and Sweet Home before she settled down with Ackroyd in the 1980s. When the couple pulled into the compound that evening, Rachanda wasnt hanging around outside like she had the day before. Murder suspect found dead in Salem prison cell - Albany Democrat Herald When parent conferences rolled around, no one showed up. Linn County Circuit Judge David Delsman granted the request. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a motion in February asking that all documents in the case be unsealed. Her disappearance set off one of the largest search efforts in Linn County history; her remains were never found. Teams were assigned to 60 subsections and also also searched dozens of dirt roads in the rural, sparsely populated area. Ackroyd made the plea in open court, but then it was immediately sealed at his request. After so many years, though, the edge of that threat had begun to grow dull, and these witnesses were no longer intimidated by a couple of doughy, middle-aged men. It was even alleged that John had been molesting Rachanda, although that remains mostly-unconfirmed years later. Her mother left behind a short list of chores. We must have laid 150 miles of string line laying out the grids, Mueller said. Detectives refused to name this a cold case, continuing to work on it regularly, but would have very little to show for it after several months. It wasn't even really a confirmation of him committing the crime, but seemed to be more of a refusal to deny it (if that makes sense). Her brother kept an eye on her. The couple had since divorced and Pam had moved to California. 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. Ackroyd told authorities Rachanda was watching cartoons when he asked her if she wanted to go for a ride. Rachanda's mother, Linda Monville, 62, left Oregon 26 years ago and remarried. Missing person Rachanda Lea Pickle missingpersonpsychic.com Circumstances: Rachanda was last seen at her home on July 10, 1990. Few kids lived there andthe ones who didwerent Rachandas age. Foul play is suspected in Rachanda's disappearance due to the circumstances involved. Rachanda Lea "Chandy" Pickle (1977-1990) - Find a A lot of them are awful weird, but a lot are as nice as you can imagine.". 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. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. The plea deal was immediately sealed as per Ackroyd's request, and it didn't become public until March 2017. But they were always short-lived, so I mean, me and my sister had to rely on each other, Byron said. John Ackroyd had an unusual arrangement with Rachandas mother, Linda. Rachanda Pickle Unresolved 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. Most nights, the pair could be found at Sharis in Lebanon, where teens and adults gathered to talk on CB radios and drink coffee. Rachanda was a good kid, helping around the house and taking care not to stray far. They werent expected back until afternoon. Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. Story by Noelle Crombie Photography by Beth Nakamura Video by Dave KillenTHE OREGONIAN | OREGONLIVE. John Ackroyd would not appear during any of these hearings, due to some health-related issues that kept him confined to the state penitentiary in Salem. He offered stability and helped provide for her two children. According to her brother, Byron, she loved fashion and anything that you'd hear on a top-40 radio station. 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.". They continued to live together, though, raising Linda's two kids, Rachanda and her older brother, Byron. Last seen alive: July 10, 1990. Rachandas green nightgown was on her bedroom floor. Who was the last person that saw her, do you know?the dispatcher asked the girl's mother. The family had lived at the state highway compound for six years. She feared him and often asked friends if she could spend the night. This is a photo from inside the Linn County Sheriff's Office file room. In the case of Kaye Turner, he had guessed that the woman had been shot and stabbed to death. Santiam murder suspect arrested - McKenzie River Reflections At the time, there was unfortunately no way to tell. 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.. 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. There's certainly the possibility that we've got a crime committed here. Last updated April 1, 2021; clothing/jewelry description and details of disappearance updated. The next several days would see extensive searches in the area around the maintenance complex, where Rachanda lived with her mother, brother, and stepfather. 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. They also might have belonged to an indigenous person that lived in the area centuries beforehand. Ghosts of Highway 20 - Portland Mercury "Rachanda was. John. 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.'". Making matters even more complicated was Rachanda's father, Steven Pickle, casting doubt on investigators' statements towards the end of July. A police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home. We spent several days up there several times. Her mother noticed the girls hairbrush, makeup and earrings were still there. 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. John Ackroyd. She has never been heard from again. Even the pajamas she was last seen wearing were found in her bedroom. She had double pierced ears and a scar on her forehead. Missing From: SISTERS, OR. Police and court records filled a file cabinet in the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office. Officials with the Linn County Sheriff's Office would continue to routinely check in on the case over the next several months; typically, whenever they received reports of sightings of Rachanda. Cops went to search a storage unit Ackroyd had rented the year before, only to find hed cleared it out days earlier. 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. 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. 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. Ackroyd was finally arrested 14 years after what's believed to be his first killing, the 1978 murder of Turner. These are the deadliest national parks in the U.S. Burkina Faso massacre: Survivors accuse government forces. Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive. Her mother noticed the girls hairbrush, makeup and earrings were still there. 'The most difficult part is keeping it in people's minds' | KVAL 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. He was her stepfather. 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. Ackroyd was charged in Rachanda's murder in April 2013. Detective Jim Salsbery, who oversaw the case, later said that he believed he knew what happened to the missing girl, but he just didn't have the evidence to prove it. (ALBANY, OR) - Linn County detectives arrested a man for murder related to the 1990 disappearance of Rachanda Leah Pickle. You have permission to edit this article. Over the course of the investigation, he acted strangely. McAnulty, whod been promoted to detective just 10 days earlier, dutifully examined old newspaper articles and reports. Speaking to the Albany Democrat-Herald, in a few words, he stated: John Arthur Ackroyd, Rachanda's stepfather, had been the last person to see her on the morning of July 10th, 1990. he officers assigned to interrogate Ackroyd were direct. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Both had been seen with John a short time before their deaths, and it's believed that he had taken a liking to them. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. In 2012, Linn County authorities took another look at her disappearance. We saw no human movement at all; no tracks, no nothing.". The home showed no signs of foul play. Then he said he left. This sighting would help kick up some interest in the case, nearly a decade later, but that excitement was relatively short-lived. If she was going to plan to run away, she would have taken her makeup and her clothes, but nothing was missing. That winter, Kaye and her husband, Noel, had decided to head up to a cabin in the Camp Sherman area. 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. Her son, Byron, described Ackroyd as a violent man who once beat Rachanda over a broken clock. "I don't think this was out of bounds or anything. He refused to disclose the location of Rachanda's body and his plea didn't require him to. By his account, Rachanda was gone when he returned a couple of hours later. There had still been no sign of the girl - who would have been a woman at this point - since July of 1990. "I think we've come to the conclusion that we're probably not looking for a live individual.". She was a young teenage girl with hopes and dreams, he said. However, most are reasonably certain that the man who caused her disappearance - her stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd - was thankfully taken off the streets a short time after her disappearance. Murder suspect Ackroyd found dead in Salem prison cell He dropped off Linda at the resort and continued east on Highway 20 to the state maintenance shop in Bend. Jim Salsbery was instrumental in the investigation that culminated with Ackroyds conviction in the death of Kaye Jean Turner. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. A tipster had claimed that Rachanda was still alive, and residing in eastern Linn County. 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. Linn County Detectives Arrest Suspect for 1990 Murder of Rachanda Pickle The couple ate; then they had sex, significant because they almost never did. Melissa Sanders was 17 and from Sweet Home. An adult would have a database trail associated with credit cards, utility bills, driver's licenses and property transactions. Byron was Rachandas companion and playground protector. Then, in the waning days of December 2016, it was announced that 67-year-old John Arthur Ackroyd, who had long been suffering from numerous health issues, had passed away from heart disease inside of his prison cell. If you have experienced sexual violence and need support, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. 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. 5,000-foot mountain pass in the southern reaches of the Cascade Mountains). OSP inmate faces Linn County murder charge - Albany Democrat Herald Their clothes were spattered with so much blood that she got rid of Becks jeans and shirt. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. As had been the case beforehand, nothing of any significance was found during these searches. Later that morning, the door to the house opened unexpectedly. Michelle Seiber and her sister, Mandy Cook, were friends with Rachanda in elementary school in Sweet Home. His friends became sick at the sight and left. Facebook Her new husband, John, lived in Santiam Junction, at a state Highway Division maintenance complex at the junction of highways 20 and 22, close to Santiam Pass (an approx. 541-967-3911. Rachanda nicknamed Chandy and her brother, Byron, had gone to live with their biological father, Steve Pickle, in Medford. Despite only being charged with one murder, they were being charged with five different counts; each symbolizing a different possible theory in the case. Ackroyd, too, hung out there. While Rachanda would ask her mother not to go to work that morning, Linda - focused on getting ready for work - didn't really take notice of the request, later recalling to the Statesman Journal: "I woke her up at about ten after five to have her french-brain my hair. It appeared like this skull had belonged to a smaller person - likely a young female - which had a small hole behind the right ear. In March of 1996, police would investigate the origins of a partial skull recovered near Crawfordsville, about fifty miles east of where Rachanda had last been seen alive. There was Ackroyd, standing at the back of his Ford pickup. Six Degrees of WTF | Kaye Turner, Rachanda Pickle, The Ashland Tragedy She was last seen at her home on July 10, 1990. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. Former Detective Sgt. One time, she made a scene when it was time to go. Rachanda did not have a cell-phone, no internet connection. The responsibility of speaking for Rachanda rested with her brother, Byron Pickle. Facebook This is a police photo of the Ackroyd home at the time of Rachanda's disappearance on July 10, 1990. The home showed no signs of foul play. 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. Russell Barnett, a Portland criminal defense lawyer who represented Ackroyd along with Elizabeth Baker, declined to say why Ackroyd wanted the deal to remain secret. Rachanda stuck close to her mother and rarely strayed from the family home at Santiam Junction. Lifesaving: Family flees Texas to transgender 'refuge' Minnesota. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. She's real fond of her makeup.". He had his sisters image tattooed on his arm last year. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. John Ackroyd killed Kaye Turner, he replied. 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. If that would have happened, I would not have any of my kids stay there any longer. But Rachandas distress was clear. He basked in attention from police. 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. Photos of Ackroyd are posted with this case summary. Linda, meanwhile, would attempt to defend her husband from accusations that she deemed unfounded, telling reporters that: "John ain't a violent man; he don't even beat the kids. Police would begin to reach out to those close to Rachanda and learned that John had been abusive to Rachanda and her brother in the past. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). ", Rachanda and Byron Pickle were close. Ghosts of Highway 20 Dec 31, 2016. Rachanda Pickle's brother, Byron Pickle, was consulted during the state's negotiations with Ackroyd, Marteeny said. 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. This includes the 1977 rape of Marlene Gabrielsen, who identified Ackroyd as her attacker at the time, but police chose not to pursue rape charges; instead, taking John at his word when he simply said their encounter was consensual. Each March 16th from this point forward would mark another year gone, in which the girl's loved ones didn't get to experience what she would have been like as a teenager, and then eventually, as an adult. The following spring, a grand jury heard testimony from 17 witnesses, most of them people who knew the girl and Ackroyd. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. for Oregon's Jefferson County, would tell reporters that November: "He was trying to go for the reward money. 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. 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 seemed withdrawn and tired. Didnt do anything to Channy? the cop pressed. 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. 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. Three years would pass, in which this case seemed to just fade from the headlines. Michelle Seiber, Rachanda's classmate and friend, had a feeling that her stepdad did something because she was scared of him. John Ackroyd was her third husband. Could trucks be to blame for killing more pedestrians? No, what do you think I am? Ackroyd said, his voice rising in rare agitation. These sporadic sightings extended not only through Oregon, but throughout a large chunk of the country; in particular, along the west coast, ranging as far south as California and as far north as Vancouver. The young man, who worked as a mechanic for Oregon's Highway Division, lived at a maintenance company about twenty miles west of Camp Sherman. On 10 July 1990, 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle was last seen inside her mother and stepfather's home in Santiam Junction, Oregon. 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). Monville disputes that Ackroyd beat Rachanda and Byron. "We asked the brother what his desire was and his desire to take this deal and keep him in prison forever.". She said no and he left. Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. 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. Prior to her disappearance, Rachanda and her brother regularly went to school with bruises, and Rachanda told her friends Ackroyd had caused the injuries. If she had been believed, all of these crimes might have been avoided. Ackroyd had driven to a state highway office in Bend, but returned home after only about an hour. He thought she was pretty, he said, and noticed that shed begun to develop. During interviews, John had also told investigators that Kaye Turner had likely been stabbed and shot to death, which was later confirmed by tests conducted years after her murder. 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. When the dispatcher asked why she hadnt called sooner, Linda said she assumed she had to wait 24 hours to report a missing person. Physical evidence proved he had been sexually abusing Rachanda prior to her disappearance. Linn County Sheriff's Office mounted extensive search for Rachanda ALBANY, Ore. - Rachanda Pickle disappeared from her parent's home at the Oregon DOT employee compound at Santiam Junction in July 1990. After all, she's a teenage girl.". I asked her what happened, Cook said, and she said, My stepdad did this. Cook is shown here with her two daughters. Brown hair; brown eyes. If you recall, John Ackroyd had been one of the last people to see Kaye Turner alive and had also led police to her clothing and skull approximately eight months after her disappearance. "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. #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 rattled off the girls weight and bra size but couldnt remember her birthday. "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. Rachanda was last seen watching television at her family's residence on the Santiam Pass in Sweet Home, Oregon at 10:00 a.m. on July 10, 1990. Such a move is typically reserved for a national security-related case or oneinvolving sexual assault victims. 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. Deceased/Not Found - OR - Rachanda Pickle, 13, Santiam Junction, 10 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.