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When the couple pulled into the compound that evening, Rachanda wasnt hanging around outside like she had the day before. He was painting the tailgate. 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. The couple ate; then they had sex, significant because they almost never did. While the family's home was surrounded by dense wilderness, Rachanda quickly picked up on the area around them. At the time of his death in December of 2016, this case was still suspended, and the murder charges filed more than three years earlier (2013) were permanently dismissed. 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. 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. Her brother kept an eye on her. Rachanda was noted as standing about four feet tall and weighing approximately 90 pounds at the time of her disappearance, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. 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. Hanlon, whod spent his career practicing law in rural Oregon, knew of Ackroyd from reading a slim three-ring binder stashed in a cardboard box left behind by his predecessor. It was a 30-minute drive to the nearest store for milk. His partner, Detective Will McAnulty, sat nearby. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. A dozen or so work crews called the junction home. Byron was Rachandas companion and playground protector. Investigators were troubled by John Ackroyds knowledge of Rachandas bra size. She was a young teenage girl with hopes and dreams, he said. Another time, they snuck her into their bedroom closet. John Arthur Ackroyd is also implicated in several other similar crimes from the area, dating back to the mid-1970s. He stated that a black duffel bag filled with clothes - which he had seen with Rachanda just days before her disappearance - was missing from her belongings at the time. We think the greatest likely scenario is that she's probably out there not of her own volition and is deceased either by violence or nature. They kept their exasperation in check, rarely raising their voices as they combed fine details for any new revelation. 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. Pickle,Rachanda L.missing July 10,1990 - Porchlight International for A police photo taken inside the Ackroyd home. Seiber, 41, said Rachanda and her older brother, Byron, came to school with bruises. 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. achanda Pickles stepfather could turn angry in a flash. Her stepfather was charged with her murder in April 2013. Rachanda Lea Pickle - Oregon Missing Person Directory A police photo shows Rachanda's bedroom. 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. Sadly, this is where the story just kind of ends. In August of 1979, a man that lived in the region - named John Arthur Ackroyd - came forward with information. Twenty-five years have passed since Rachanda's aunt made those remarks, and they remain just as true. Missing Date: Tue, Jul 10 1990. The last person known to have seen her: John Ackroyd. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, By Alex Paul and Kyle Odegard, Albany Democrat-Herald, Two Albany pharmacies will close their doors next month, Sad ending to story: Lebanon goose killed, Trash, recycling, yard waste pickup day changing in Linn County, Lebanon woman accused of setting fire to her grandparents' house, Albany gas station briefly missed annual report, Waterfront project costs more than Albany anticipated, Update: Man says he set Sweet Home church fire, 'I don't like church', Falls City man sentenced to 8 years in prison for manslaughter, DUII, Mattel introduces first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome, Highway 20 construction prompts these changes between Albany, Corvallis, Police track bullet holes at Sweet Home elementary to neighborhood, LBCC faculty: Budget cut process violated our contract, High school track and field: Dickson quickly climbs the rankings, Philomath man accused of multiple Dollar Tree robberies, 'A legend is born': Kirsten Neuschfer becomes first woman to win historic Golden Globe Race, OSP inmate faces Linn County murder charge. The Oregonian/OregonLive went to court to lift a judge's order that had kept secret for years John Ackroyd's unusual plea deal in the death of his 13-year-old stepdaughter Rachanda Pickle. 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. She confided in two girls who were sisters. Linda Monville, Rachanda's mother, keeps this photo of Rachanda and Byron on a shelf in her home. Ackroyd was finally arrested 14 years after what's believed to be his first killing, the 1978 murder of Turner. But according to the series, investigators always suspected he was also responsible. This time, the DA -- and the cops who believed Ackroyd had gotten away with Kaye Turners killing -- were determined to get the highway worker off the street for good. Doug Beloof, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, said it's unusual for the court to seal a plea agreement. 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.. 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. What we're afraid of is that someone came up to the house, found her alone here and took her.". His Stepdaughter Vanished. What He Said Was Disturbing "We asked the brother what his desire was and his desire to take this deal and keep him in prison forever.". (From this AMA with the Oregonian journalists who investigated the serial killings by Rachanda's stepfather . 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. 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. 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. 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. The two often went to school with bruises, which they attributed to John's abuse. 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. He was arrested a little less than two years later for his involvement in the murder of Kaye Turner, and spent the rest of his shitty, miserable life behind bars. She didn't even have a telephone in their home.". To this day, this remains one of the few decisions in Bryon's life that he wishes he could change. Ghosts of Highway 20 - Portland Mercury Rachanda Lea Pickle - Brian Ladd's dream predictions 2020 - Worlds top The home showed no signs of foul play. 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. Monville disputes that Ackroyd beat Rachanda and Byron. When he returned to the house at approximately 12:45 p.m., Rachanda had vanished. Rachanda Pickle, the 13-year-old daughter of his ex-wife Linda, went missing from her Santiam Junction home. Dec 31, 2016. Rachanda declined, citing the chores her mother expected her to finish, he said. 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. The following spring, a grand jury heard testimony from 17 witnesses, most of them people who knew the girl and Ackroyd. When youre a young kid used to living in Springfield and you go to the Santiam Junction, its like this is a desolate area.. 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). Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Rachanda Pickles mother and stepfather waited 24 hours to report the girls disappearance to 911. 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. Since investigators had not yet uncovered any physical trace of Rachanda, they (along with prosecutors) were prepared to seek a case centered around a "no-body" homicide, which would require proof that the victim was no longer alive. She wouldn't lie.". 'The most difficult part is keeping it in people's minds' | KVAL While police had always kept John Ackroyd at the top of their suspect list, they never had enough evidence to pursue charges against anyone. For a man suspected of murder, Ackroyd was impassive under intense grilling by Salsbery and McAnulty. 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 A grand jury would hear the case. Maybe they just walked in, seen an opportunity and grasped at it.. They were restless and broke, living an itinerant existence, drinking too much and keeping dangerous company. Rachanda Lea Pickle Rachanda, approximately 1990; Age when reported missing: 41 (approximately 2018); John Arthur Ackroyd, approximately 1990; Ackroyd, approximately 2013 . 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). Eight months later, Ackroyd reported finding her remains in the woods. She was last seen at her home on July 10, 1990.