The search for missing 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle. An unsolved mystery haunting the woods of Oregon for 36 years and counting.
Searching for Rachanda Pickle
John Arthur Ackroyd. American murderer and suspected serial killer. Convicted of the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner, but the rest of the cases he is accused of remain unsolved. Hiding in plain sight? Quite the opposite I believe.
Marlene Gabrielson is John Ackroyds first known victim. 1977 Marlene was hitch hiking home to Lebanon Oregon from a rodeo in Sisters. She is picked up by John Ackroyd on highway 20. After falling asleep in his truck and being awoken to him ripping her from the vehicle. He then rapes her. John takes Marlene home where she then reports this encounter to the police. Polygraphs of both her and John were done as well as rape kit testing at the hospital. According to Linn County police records Ackroyd passed his polygraph and Marlene didn't. The Lebanon Oregon Police Department dismissed her case.
Christmas Eve 1978, 35-year-old Kaye Turner goes missing from Camp Sherman outside of sisters Oregon. 25 miles from Santiam Junction. Last seen going for a jog by her husband, police were notified when Kaye had not returned. The search for Kaye was minimal. 8 months later, when family was offering a 1,000-dollar reward for anyone who could find her, John Ackroyd walks into a small store in Camp Sherman asking to use the phone. He has found Kaye Turners Partial remains. Stating to the owners of the store, "Why did I have to find her, I was the last one to see her alive." This sparked suspicion with detectives. Ackroyd was given a polygraph, to which he failed. After extensive interviews and statements, the only thing saving John from being convicted of her murder was John's alibis, Roger Dale Beck and his wife.
Fast forward July 11^(th), 1990, 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle (Johns Ackroyds stepdaughter) is reported missing from her home at Santiam Junction in Oregon, 24 hours after Rachanda had last been seen. Police records from the Linn County Sheriffs Department show that on the day of her disappearance John Ackroyd and Linda Ackroyd (Rachandas mother) both left for work between the time of 5:30 and 5:45 am. Rachanda was left home alone. Linda was working at the Black Butte Ranch at the time. John was an ODOT mechanic, assigned to be working on a snowplow in bend. After telling his boss he did not have to correct parts for the job John decided to take the rest of the day off. Returning home around 9:30 am, John asks Rachanda if she wants to take a drive with him to go take pictures of deer. She declined. Stating that her mother left her a list of chores to be done before her mother returned home. At 12:00 John walks into the home to find that Rachanda was nowhere to be seen. Linda was aware of Rachanda being gone when she returned home from work at 5:00pm. She waited 24 hours to report her daughter missing. When the Linn County Sheriffs Department arrived, they recognized John right away. Searches for Rachanda continued by all surrounding counties until 1993, but no trace of her was ever found. Law enforcement was almost positive she was dead and that John had something to do with her disappearance.
John was convicted of the Murder of Kaye Turner in 1993, when the wife of Roger Dale Beck admitted that she lied to law enforcement in 1978. John and Roger had both been involved in the murder of Kay Turner. Admitting to it on multiple occasions and threatening to hurt the wife if she ever said anything. The conviction came a little too late. By then John had the time to take the lives of two more young women who lived in Sweet Home Oregon. Melissa and Sheila, whose bodies were found on a logging road outside of Newport Oregon off of highway 20.
John took a plea deal in 2013 for the murder of Rachanda. He did not admit fault to the crime but agreed to not seek parole and to decline release if the opportunity ever arose. Justice for Mellisa and Sheila was never served, and the location of Rachanda Pickle still remains a mystery.
These events have led me to ask myself a few questions.
Why was Marlenes case actually dismissed, and why is she our only know survivor.
Polygraph tests seemed to be a popular means for continuing or dismissing cases back then. If that was so, and much suspicion was placed on John for the murder of Kaye Turner in 77, why was Rogers wife Pam (their only alibi for the day of Kaye Turners disappearance) never given a polygraph?
My major question. With fairly accurate witness statements and time stamps for Johns whereabouts the day Rachanda disappeared, why were search teams not handled more accurately? Where is Rachanda Pickle???
I am in no way linked to this case. Being close to the area I have recently taken an interest in helping search for Rachanda. I have compiled all the documents, news clippings, witness statements, and police reports I can get my hands on. I now have a solid timeline of John Ackroyds whereabouts the day of her disappearance. I have two open windows within this timeline. One open window I couldn’t find a witness statement to corroborate, and for the other, the witness stated a completely different time than John Ackoyd did regarding their encounter that day.
I’m searching for anyone that may have information that was not included in the documentaries or online reports. Word of mouth, stories from family members, someone who was involved and in close contact with the case. Santiam Junction as well as surrounding areas such as Sweet Home, Lebanon, and Albany are very small towns. Word gets around in a small town.
This monster was not “hiding in plain sight”. This monster was concealed. There is a big difference. I could go on for hours about what could have been done differently. That still doesn’t change what happened back then. What I can do is try to bring her brother closure and allow him the proper burial and goodbye that every loved one so rightfully deserves.
I will be happy to answer any questions I haven't made clear in this post.
(Big thank you to the creators of “Ghost of Highway 20” and “The Lost Women of Highway 20”. Highly recommend these documentaries!) Links below