However, that wasn't the entire reason. The morning she disappeared, Pickles mother, Linda, had gone to work at Black Butte. However, the search would be confined to this specific area for the first several days, with the search not extending far beyond the immediate vicinity. By then, Ackroyd was dead; he had died in prison in late 2016. 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. 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. 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. Approximately two months later, Rachanda's 14th birthday would pass by without any celebration or fanfare. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. You do what you need to do to keep a dangerous person incarcerated.". (From this AMA with the Oregonian journalists who investigated the serial killings by Rachanda's stepfather . On Christmas Eve morning, Ackroyd showed up at the house. 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. "My guess is the prosecution was in a bind in terms of how tough this case was and so I think when the state has cases that are weak, they tend to pursue creative options," Beloof said. She seemed withdrawn and tired. It started when a supervisor in the Linn County Sheriffs Office assigned McAnulty to organize press clippings from the early days of the investigation. 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. Later, the men told her that theyd mistaken Kaye for a deer and fatally shot her. 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. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Eight months would pass before investigators discovered what had happened to the missing woman. She said no and he left. Ackroyd would recycle the same stories. The familys kittens were curled up on the girls lap, he said. Despite the case officially being "solved", the loved ones of Rachanda are left with just as many unanswered questions today as they had back in 1990. In the autumn of 2013, Ackroyd reached a plea deal with prosecutors in Rachanda's death. When she was 12, Ackroyd tattooed his initials on her arm. 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. ALBANY, Ore. - Rachanda Pickle disappeared from her parent's home at the Oregon DOT employee compound at Santiam Junction in July 1990. Detectives dug into Kayes killing once more and soon stumbled on their biggest breakthrough. The family lived at the state highway division compound at Santiam Junction, where U.S. 20 and Oregon 22 meet. You could tell they were both being physically abused, said Seiber, who now lives outside Houston. In class, she counted down the minutes, a sense of dread rising as the end of the school day approached. A police photograph shows evidence from the investigation into Kaye Turners murder. 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.". John, Rachanda's stepfather, came home during a break from work, at around 9:30 AM. 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. 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. They kept their exasperation in check, rarely raising their voices as they combed fine details for any new revelation. She had double pierced ears and a scar on her forehead. 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. At other times, friends saw her with a black eye and a wound from where hed ripped out a patch of her hair. There's certainly the possibility that we've got a crime committed here. 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. A police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home. She cried as she told one of them that she was terrified of returning to the junction alone. 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. If we could find her remains, we could say our final goodbye, but at this point, we don't have anything We still think about her. 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. 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. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Word that Ackroyds stepdaughter had vanished spread quickly to neighboring Jefferson County, where Kaye Turner had been killed more than a decade earlier. If he could have kept his mouth shut, this case would have gone nowhere.". Michelle Seiber and her sister, Mandy Cook, were friends with Rachanda in elementary school in Sweet Home. They continued to live together, though, raising Linda's two kids, Rachanda and her older brother, Byron. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a motion in February asking that all documents in the case be unsealed. Such a move is typically reserved for a national security-related case or oneinvolving sexual assault victims. She said no and he left. Sometime after he moved, Ackroyd was in his truck with the daughter of an old friend. (Mark Ylen/Democrat-Herald). A tipster had claimed that Rachanda was still alive, and residing in eastern Linn County. He later told police that when he did return, the front door was partly open, and a pellet gun he owned was propped up against a camper, with a box of pellets nearby. 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. 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. He was painting the tailgate. John would tell investigators, loved ones anyone interested, really, that he didn't know what had happened to the missing girl. Her mother noticed the girls hairbrush, makeup and earrings were still there. 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. John. 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. Rachanda's mother, Linda Monville, 62, left Oregon 26 years ago and remarried. Making matters even more complicated was Rachanda's father, Steven Pickle, casting doubt on investigators' statements towards the end of July. He basked in attention from police. Ackroyd had driven to a state highway office in Bend, but returned home after only about an hour. Didnt do anything to Kaye Jean Turner? McAnulty asked, his voice cool. The Oregonian/OregonLives five-part series on John Ackroyd details crimes that include sexual abuse, rape and murder. By early 1992, investigators were closing in on Ackroyd. He said he came home during a break from work and asked Rachanda if she wanted to go for a ride with him. 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. Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. Although her body never has been found, Pickles stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, 63, was charged Wednesday with her murder. He's never went out of hand or spanked my kids against my will. Her stepfather was charged with her murder in 2013 but died three years later without revealing Chandy's whereabouts. She listened to pop stars Debbie Gibson and Wilson Phillips in her bedroom and teased her brother, who was her protector and playground companion. 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 last person known to have seen her: John Ackroyd. Please subscribe to keep reading. 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. 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. Twenty-five years have passed since Rachanda's aunt made those remarks, and they remain just as true. 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. He claimed he invited her to join him on a drive to photograph deer on back roads near the junction. 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). Hed pored over Ackroyds police interviews from 1979 when the highway worker admitted he was the last person to see Kaye Turner. 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. A few witnesses would recall having seen her during her multi-mile jog, but their statements were unable to provide the missing piece of this puzzle. He had his sisters image tattooed on his arm last year. You were here with her.. The girl told her mother she didnt want to return home after a visit to her grandparents. 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. John Arthur Ackroyd, the longtime suspect in 13-year-old Rachanda Lea Pickle's disappearance, has been arrested and charged with her murder. Seiber, 41, said Rachanda and her older brother, Byron, came to school with bruises. If that would have happened, I would not have any of my kids stay there any longer. But Rachandas distress was clear. Bill Hanlon, the district attorney in Jefferson County, wasnt surprised when the call came from a prosecutor in Linn County, where Ackroyd lived. Ackroyd did little to look for her and later picked up Linda from work. 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. McAnulty wondered if an ex-wife might see the events of the distant past in a different light. 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. 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. On 10 July 1990, 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle was last seen inside her mother and stepfather's home in Santiam Junction, Oregon. Investigators were troubled by John Ackroyds knowledge of Rachandas bra size. Rachanda stuck close to her mother and rarely strayed from the family home at Santiam Junction. Case Chandy's stepfather, John Ackroyd, was the last person to have seen her prior to her disappearance. 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. But according to the series, investigators always suspected he was also responsible. Monville disputes that Ackroyd beat Rachanda and Byron. 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). It appeared like this skull had belonged to a smaller person - likely a young female - which had a small hole behind the right ear. He wouldnt leave her for nothing.. She confided in two girls who were sisters. At the wrong place at the right time.. 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. 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. Didnt do anything to Channy? the cop pressed. John Ackroyd was her third husband. You should know. The two often went to school with bruises, which they attributed to John's abuse. Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny said he wanted to ensure Ackroyd would spend the rest of his life in prison. Her case remained unsolved. They were restless and broke, living an itinerant existence, drinking too much and keeping dangerous company. Dec 31, 2016. Within months, without a body or physical evidence implicating Ackroyd, so did the investigation. Rachanda Lea Pickle Missing since July 10, 1990 from Sweet Home, Linn County, Oregon. 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. She didn't even have a telephone in their home.". Who was the last person that saw her, do you know?the dispatcher asked the girl's mother. ", Rachanda and Byron Pickle were close. Ackroyd stopped. I asked her what happened, Cook said, and she said, My stepdad did this. Cook is shown here with her two daughters. Linda Monville, Rachanda's mother, keeps this photo of Rachanda and Byron on a shelf in her home. When it snapped, he smacked her repeatedly with his open hand. 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. 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. My children know they did have an Aunt Rachanda.. The photograph also shows the girls suitcase hadnt been unpacked after a recent trip to see her father. 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. Ackroyd was charged in Rachanda's murder in April 2013. When youre a young kid used to living in Springfield and you go to the Santiam Junction, its like this is a desolate area.. If she had run away, she had not done so with any of her clothing or makeup. He would eventually move back, however, to be closer to family. They pressed him again and again about his interactions with Kaye. Rachanda's year-older brother, Byron Pickle, is still tormented that he hadn't hugged her the last time he saw her, and he feels like he should have done more to protect her from their stepfather. A lot of them are awful weird, but a lot are as nice as you can imagine.". Born on March 15th, 1977, Rachanda Lea Pickle (commonly called "Chandy" by her loved ones) was the second child born to her parents, Steven and Linda, who split up and divorced when the children were quite young. 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. Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan, Producers: Roberta Janson, Ben Krokum, Gabriella Bromley, Steven Wilson, Quil Carter, Travis Scsepko, Laura Hannan, Bryan Hall, Damion Moore, Scott Meesey, Amy Hampton, Scott Patzold, Marie Vanglund, Astrid Kneier, Aimee McGregor, Jo Wong, Sara Moscaritolo, Sydney Scotton, Thomas Ahearn, Marion Welsh, Patrick Laakso, Rebecca O'Sullivan, Meadow Landry, Tatum Bautista, Sally Ranford, Kevin McCracken, Ruth Durbin, Michele Watson, Jared Midwood, Teunia Elzinga, Ryan Green, Jacinda C., Stephanie Joyner, Cherish Brady, and Lauren, Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music, Theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves, The Charley Project - Rachanda Lea Pickle, Albany Democrat-Herald - Search continues for teen, Statesman Journal - Linn County teams continue search for missing girl, 13, Statesman Journal - Team extends Santiam hunt for lost girl, Albany Democrat-Herald - Search for girl enters fifth day, Corvallis Gazette-Times - Search for girl continues, Albany Democrat-Herald - Search will extend for missing Linn girl, Statesman Journal - Searchers find no sign of missing 13-year-old, Albany Democrat-Herald - Authorities fear missing girl likely victim of foul play, Spokane Chronicle - Girl, 13, still missing; foul play suspected, Statesman Journal - County will expand search for missing girl, Albany Democrat-Herald - Searchers comb harsh terrain for girl, Statesman Journal - Hunt for Linn teen expands (1), Statesman Journal - Hunt for Linn teen expands (2), Albany Democrat-Herald - Search ends with no trace of girl, Longview Daily News - Searchers give up on missing girl, Albany Democrat-Herald - Search for teen-ager again proves fruitless, Statesman Journal - Clothing discovery spurs new search for Linn teen-ager, Albany Democrat-Herald - Sweatpants found on trail may have belonged to girl, Spokane Chronicle - Pants found; search for girl resumes, Albany Democrat-Herald - Sheriff doubts pants belong to missing girl, Statesman Journal - Search for girl renewed, Corvallis Gazette-Times - Dad thinks missing girl ran away, Statesman Journal - Father of missing Santiam Junction girl says she ran away, Albany Democrat-Herald - Sheriffs office: Nothing new in case of missing girl, The Lebanon Express - Linn girl still gone, Albany Democrat-Herald - Posse to renew search for girl, Corvallis Gazette-Times - FBI joins search for missing girl, Statesman Journal - Linn County seeks FBI help in finding teen-ager, Albany Democrat-Herald - 2 men charged with killing woman in 1978, Statesman Journal - Pair charged with murder of woman 13 years ago, Albany Democrat-Herald - SH man arraigned on murder charges, Albany Democrat-Herald - Detective still looking for missing girl, Albany Democrat-Herald - Sweet Home man on trial, Albany Democrat-Herald - Man convicted in 1978 murder, Statesman Journal - Canyon man guilty in 78 death of jogger, Statesman Journal - Convictions solve 1978 murder, Albany Democrat-Herald - Six years later, search for daughter continues, Albany Democrat-Herald - Skull continues to be puzzle, Albany Democrat-Herald - Skull site searched, Albany Democrat-Herald - Crawfordsville skull sent for DNA testing, Albany Democrat-Herald - Scientists cant get DNA from Crawfordsville skull (1), Albany Democrat-Herald - Scientists cant get DNA from Crawfordsville skull (2), Albany Democrat-Herald - New tip sparks another look into missing girl case, Albany Democrat-Herald - Case of missing Linn girl unsolved (1), Albany Democrat-Herald - Case of missing Linn girl unsolved (2), Albany Democrat-Herald - Stepfather charged in murder of girl in 1990 (1), Albany Democrat-Herald - Stepfather charged in murder of girl in 1990 (2), Albany Democrat-Herald - Ackroyd defense team gets discovery material from DA, Albany Democrat-Herald - Murder suspect wants quick trial, The Nugget Newspaper - Hearing digs up Camp Sherman murder case, Corvallis Gazette-Times - Murder suspect Ackroyd found dead in Salem prison cell, The New Era - Accused murderer of 13-year-old missing girl dies in prison, OregonLive/Oregonian - Oregonian/OregonLive fought to unseal secret deal in Rachanda Pickles killing, Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). She said no and he left. Rachanda's stepfather, John Arthur Ackroyd, is the last person known to have seen her. 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. In the case of Rachanda, however, he told investigators that she had been, as recounted by the Oregonian in their "Ghosts of Highway 20" project: " dumped and buried in the woods or threatened with a knife, tied up and gagged, her body rolled in plastic". The men ate and left to poach deer, not returning until the next day, she said. Ackroyd, 67,. for Oregon's Jefferson County, would tell reporters that November: "He was trying to go for the reward money. Then he said he left. Rachanda declined, citing the chores her mother expected her to finish, he said. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. She's never been seen again. Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive. "That was something that he wanted," said George Eder, chief deputy district attorney for Linn County. For that reason, he had been on the shortlist for suspects, but police had no additional evidence to suspect Ackroyd's involvement in what was still listed as a missing persons case not a murder (yet).