But Rachanda Pickle's disappearance remained unsolved. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. In 1990, Rachanda Pickle lived with her mother, brother and stepfather, John Ackroyd. There had still been no sign of the girl - who would have been a woman at this point - since July of 1990. John Ackroyd, a longtime state highway worker, died alone in his prison celllate last year while serving a life sentence in another murder. We just don't want people to forget that she's gone.". 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. There are lots of nooks and crannies that you cant see by air, Martinak said, adding that a helicopter search was especially useful for steep areas where someone on foot or horseback couldnt effectively search. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. 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. Another man was also convicted in Turner's death. Police investigating this rumor discovered that the young woman identified by the tipster was actually a relative of Rachanda's, but was not her. Her disappearance set off one of the largest search efforts in Linn County history; her remains were never found. Despite only being charged with one murder, they were being charged with five different counts; each symbolizing a different possible theory in the case. She feared him and often asked friends if she could spend the night. Ackroyd made the plea in open court, but then it was immediately sealed at his request. To some, she seemed lost, almost invisible. He knew it was Ackroyd who had eventually led police to her remains. 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. 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.". The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. 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. The Oregon Department of Justice has additional information and resources for survivors of sexual violence. Rachanda had gone to visit him shortly before her disappearance, and it was initially theorized that she might have gone out to see him. You could tell they were both being physically abused, said Seiber, who now lives outside Houston. His partner, Detective Will McAnulty, sat nearby. 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. She said no and he left. 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. Another time, they snuck her into their bedroom closet. 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). Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. 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. This skull would be sent off for analysis in May of 1996, but months would pass before it was announced that scientists from Pennsylvania State University had been unable to extract DNA from the partial pieces of bone. She confided in two girls who were sisters. (Mark Ylen/Democrat-Herald). John Ackroyd had an unusual arrangement with Rachandas mother, Linda. In interviews, Ackroyd dwelled on how the teen had gotten her period and had begun to develop. Ackroyd would recycle the same stories. 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.. The plea deal was immediately sealed as per Ackroyd's request, and it didn't become public until March 2017. 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 Rachanda stuck close to her mother and rarely strayed from the family home at Santiam Junction. But they knew Ackroyd was a killer. The next several days would see extensive searches in the area around the maintenance complex, where Rachanda lived with her mother, brother, and stepfather. Over the next several months, several court hearings would be adjourned to get rolling on the trial itself. In 2012, Linn County authorities took another look at her disappearance. 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). Read the story Tagged: The Oregonian Support Longreads Before beginning a widespread search of the area, members of the Linn County Sheriff's Office would reach out to Rachanda's father, Steve, who lived outside of the region in Medford. Maybe it was the girls development, he told police, that drew a predator to the junction. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. 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. Later that morning, the door to the house opened unexpectedly. Their childhood friend, Michelle Seiber, said Rachanda wouldnt have dreamed of leaving behind her brother. 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. You were here with her.. She was calm as she told the dispatcher that her daughter, a homebody, had gone missing. 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. Within weeks, Melissa and Sheila were dead. No, what do you think I am? Ackroyd said, his voice rising in rare agitation. The girl who was good about leaving notes if she headed out to play Nintendo at a neighbors house hadnt left one. His friends became sick at the sight and left. He was convicted in Jefferson County of two counts of aggravated murder and three counts of murder in Turner's death. Eight months would pass before investigators discovered what had happened to the missing woman. Ackroyd was charged in Rachanda's murder in April 2013. He would live nearby with his mother in Sweet Home. 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. He was convicted of a sex crime in Minnesota, served seven months in prison, and moved to California. At the wrong place at the right time.. Over the course of the investigation, he acted strangely. By his account, Rachanda was gone when he returned a couple of hours later. Cops went to search a storage unit Ackroyd had rented the year before, only to find hed cleared it out days earlier. 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. 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. "That was something that he wanted," said George Eder, chief deputy district attorney for Linn County. They would end up attending a family reunion along the Oregon coast, but in the middle of July, Rachanda started to feel a bit homesick. When parent conferences rolled around, no one showed up. Linn County Sheriff's Office mounted extensive search for Rachanda Pickle in 1990. Jim Salsbery was instrumental in the investigation that culminated with Ackroyds conviction in the death of Kaye Jean Turner. Former Detective Sgt. On Tuesday, April 2, John Ackroyd was arrested and transported to the Linn County Jail for the homicide of Rachanda Pickle. 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. As Noelle Crombie writes in Part III of the Oregonian/OregonLive's five-part series. 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. The next day, Hanlon hopped in a car with a Jefferson County deputy for a briefing on the search for Rachanda. Didnt do anything to Kaye Jean Turner? McAnulty asked, his voice cool. Linda Monville said she believes her daughter is dead, but shes still not convinced her former husband is responsible. 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. Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. She seemed withdrawn and tired. 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. 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. It appeared like this skull had belonged to a smaller person - likely a young female - which had a small hole behind the right ear. John Arthur Ackroyd, the longtime suspect in 13-year-old Rachanda Lea Pickle's disappearance, has been arrested and charged with her murder. So, lots of NKOTB, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Martika - you know, all the old school late 80's/early 90's goodness. This is about 150 miles southeast of Portland and about 80 miles northeast of Eugene. 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. 41-year-old John Arthur Ackroyd was suspected of involvement in this case very early on, simply because he was the last person to have seen Rachanda Pickle before she went missing. 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. She listened to pop stars Debbie Gibson and Wilson Phillips in her bedroom and teased her brother, who was her protector and playground companion. 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. Bill Hanlon, the district attorney in Jefferson County, wasnt surprised when the call came from a prosecutor in Linn County, where Ackroyd lived. 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. She said no and he left. 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 police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home. Over time, the story took on even darker tones. Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. John would later pick up Linda from work, and when the two returned home, they discovered that Rachanda was not there waiting for them. That winter, Kaye and her husband, Noel, had decided to head up to a cabin in the Camp Sherman area. Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. He read about how Ackroyd had been with an old hunting buddy on the morning of Kayes killing. Plows stood ready to rumble onto the mountain pass during winter storms. Rachanda, circa 1990; Age-progression to age 41 (circa 2018); John Arthur Ackroyd, circa 1990; Ackroyd, circa 2013. 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. This would lead them to begin to question the statements of her 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. Ackroyd was finally arrested 14 years after what's believed to be his first killing, the 1978 murder of Turner.