At the encouragement of a good friend, I’m writing up my notes and thoughts on my search for Karen Jean Lee and Rodney L. Grissom. Karen and Rodney were a pair of teenage friends, who ran away in spring 1977 and disappeared. Their belongings were found along a logging road in the Cascade Mountains. They have never been found.
The posts below are in reverse chronological order. If you start with “Lee and Grissom: Facts” and read up, you will work through the search with me.
- Using LiDAR to Plan Future Ground SearchesLidar is a type of ground scan using pulsed lasers to measure the ground. In Oregon, you can find the Oregon Lidar Consortium on the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) webpage. It is an open source lidar imagery database for the state. Lidar works similar to radar (radio waves in the air) orContinue reading “Using LiDAR to Plan Future Ground Searches”
- 15 June 2024 Ground Search at the Lee SiteI had my first obligation free Saturday since Memorial Day Weekend, and I headed out to the Lee Site Saturday morning. I cleared a bench just slightly to the east and below the area where the volunteers had searched on 25 May 2024. I started at the cliff out, where the hill side dropped abruptlyContinue reading “15 June 2024 Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- 25 May 2024 Volunteer Group Ground Search at the Lee SiteWe marked the 47th Anniversary of Rodney and Karen’s disappearance with a volunteer search day at Soda Fork Road. Despite the bad weather, we had an amazing group of volunteers show up early in the morning, on a holiday weekend. We met at a nearby campground and convoyed to the Lee Site. Joining us wasContinue reading “25 May 2024 Volunteer Group Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- In MemoriamKaren Jean Lee was last heard from 47 years ago today, at 3:18pm Pacific. She made a call from a pay phone in Lebanon, Oregon and vanished. Traveling with her was Rodney Grissom, who has also never been seen again. May they come home soon.
- A Note on Dates and Locations Related to Rodney GrissomIn the official documentation on NAMUS, LCSO, etc, Rodney Grissom is listed as missing since May 24, 1977, and was last seen in Albany Oregon. You’ll find this same information in the earlier entries in my website, as it is the “official record”. However, I have found through additional research in contemporaneous newspapers that thisContinue reading “A Note on Dates and Locations Related to Rodney Grissom”
- 11 May 2024 Ground Search at the Lee Site and an Unusual FindThe search at the Lee Site yesterday was a continuation of the prior 27 April Search. I started by overlapping the ground search with the 27 April area, since there is a decent amount of deadfall in the area. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t leave a seam between the two search boxesContinue reading “11 May 2024 Ground Search at the Lee Site and an Unusual Find”
- 27 April 2024 Ground Search at Soda Fork RdMost of my April Saturdays have been taken up with SAR training, both for this year’s Academy students and ground team training. I had my first free Saturday since the last search, and despite the weather not being ideal, I went out to Soda Fork Rd in the morning. I had two tasks for theContinue reading “27 April 2024 Ground Search at Soda Fork Rd”
- 31 March 2024 Ground Search- The Lee SiteI completed the first search of 2024 today at the Lee Site. My search plan was informed by the 1982 aerial survey of the area, which provided a roughly contemporary view of the area that I could line up with news reports from when Karen’s clothing and belongings were located by Willamette Industries loggers andContinue reading “31 March 2024 Ground Search- The Lee Site”
- 2024 Search Season Is BeginningThe forecast is clear this coming weekend, 30-31 March, and I have a search plan put together. Look for a ground search report at the beginning of the week.
- Historical Imagery for Upper Soda, Section 19 FoundI have taken a pause in on the ground searching for the winter. Until the weather improves in March / April, or we get an exceptionally fine stretch of decent weather, I’m focusing on desk research and re-examining assumptions and interpretations of the facts. This week I found an online repository of historical aerial surveys,Continue reading “Historical Imagery for Upper Soda, Section 19 Found”
- Observations and Notes from the Prior 6 MonthsI’ve spent a lot of windshield time driving HWY 20, thinking about the “Ghosts of Highway 20” and the following are my random bullet point thoughts from the past six months. These are more just singular thoughts from thinking about all the cases, and I mainly wanted to write them down.
- Parting Thoughts for 21 October
- 21 October Ground Search at the Lee / Grissom SiteFall has arrived in the Willamette Valley and the west slope of the Cascades. The drive out yesterday was through a decent rain, but it mostly dissipated by the time I made a pit stop at Foster Lake. Without the summer traffic to Bend and Central Oregon, Highway 20 felt deserted once I passed SweetContinue reading “21 October Ground Search at the Lee / Grissom Site”
- A Video Tour of the Alternate Grissom SitePlease enjoy this video tour of the Alternate Grissom site. In an added bonus, you can hear me decide in real time that I’m going to need some equipment to deal with that slope.
- 7 October 2023 Ground Search at the Lee / Grissom SiteAfter my rest break over the past two weeks, I got back on the search at Soda Fork Rd. After closing out the landing or Alternate Lee site on 16 September, I received word from a very reliable and knowledgeable person that the bone recovered on 17 June 2023 was of animal origin. While thatContinue reading “7 October 2023 Ground Search at the Lee / Grissom Site”
- An Autumn Update, and closing out the 6/17 SearchMy apologies for the lack of updates over the past two weeks. After my 72 hour SAR training weekend, I need a rest break after a rather strenuous summer capped off with that training event. I re-started searching at Soda Fork on 7 October, search report to follow. While I have not heard from anContinue reading “An Autumn Update, and closing out the 6/17 Search”
- 16 September Site Survey of the Alternate Grissom SiteBefore I begin describing the site survey of the Alternate Grissom site, I want to outline my methodology for why I had designated the two locations the Grissom site and Lee site. When I was able to locate the correct section 19 on the Upper Soda map sheet, my next step after that was toContinue reading “16 September Site Survey of the Alternate Grissom Site”
- 16 September Ground Search and Closing Out the Lee SiteYesterday was my final ground search of the Lee site for the season. I searched to the north of the devil’s club thicket that I searched on 2 September. I entered the wood line from the northern line of drift, near the areas I had searched on 22 May and 30 June 2023. My goalContinue reading “16 September Ground Search and Closing Out the Lee Site”
- 2 September 23 Ground Search at the Lee SiteYesterday’s search was, to borrow a phrase from my past, a journey into the suck. The last bit of the southern area of the Lee site is a Devil’s Club thicket that formed a pocket inside the area I had already searched. I started in the morning knowing it was going to be a long,Continue reading “2 September 23 Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- Search Tools“The only thing that beats new technology is no technology”. Craig “Archie” Archer, Joint Exploitation Training Center, FT Bragg, 2011 These are the tools that I use for doing a search like this. To be honest, they are very basic tools, but they are dependable, low tech, and work in any weather. Different types ofContinue reading “Search Tools”
- 19 August Ground Search at the Lee SiteAfter last week’s roller coaster, we are back to the slow steady work of searching the Lee Site. It was another early Saturday morning and driving out to Soda Fork I noticed the extreme fire danger rating on the signs for every land manager with an office on US20. Luckily, there was very little toContinue reading “19 August Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- Follow Up Post to the 12 August Search at the Lee SiteLinn County called me this afternoon and let me know that what I found Saturday was of animal origin. I am slightly disappointed but that just means we are going back to work at the Lee Site.
- 12 August Ground Search of the Lee SiteMuch like the 17 June ground search at the Grissom site, this entry will lack a proper ending for a bit, although both days concluded with me waiting at the junction of US 20 and Soda Fork Rd for a Linn County Deputy to arrive. The day began much as the previous 5 searches had.Continue reading “12 August Ground Search of the Lee Site”
- 29 July 2023 Ground Search at the Lee SiteI apologize for the late update, I’ve had a somewhat busy week. I spent Saturday on another ground search at the Lee site, this time working areas I had identified on the 22 July ground search. I had a string of “alcoves” to search in the alder grove along the path from the berm toContinue reading “29 July 2023 Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- 22 July Ground Search at the Lee SiteI was back at Soda Fork yesterday, continuing to clear the site a small section at a time. The plan for the day was to clear the gully that ran along the base of the hill in the morning, then begin to search the alder flat between the hill and the creek during the afternoon.Continue reading “22 July Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- 8 July 2023 Ground Search at the Lee SiteI went back to the Lee Site yesterday, with the intent of broadening the searched area. Even with the video tour, I still feel as though it is really hard to convey the size of the area and the overall rugged terrain and thick vegetation. The Lee Site is going to take a lot ofContinue reading “8 July 2023 Ground Search at the Lee Site”
- A Video Tour of the Lee SiteBefore I started searching yesterday, I took a few brief film clips of the Lee Site. Video works a little bit better than photos for capturing the landscape and what the terrain looks like.
- So Ryan, why are you doing this?This might be one of the more difficult posts to write, mainly because I’m not a huge fan of writing about myself, and to be very honest, this project is far more about bringing Karen and Rodney home than anything to do with me personally. I am asked on occasion why I am searching forContinue reading “So Ryan, why are you doing this?”
- 30 June Ground Search- The Lee SiteAfter the 17 June 2023 ground search at the Grissom Site, I have shifted to searching the Lee Site only. I had some use or lose time, and decided to spend another day at Soda Fork. I got out there by a little after 8am and started with a more detailed site survey than IContinue reading “30 June Ground Search- The Lee Site”
- June 17 2023- Ground Search at the Grissom SiteFor now, this is an entry without a proper ending. The why for this may be apparent, and there is a good reason for it. Please be patient with me until that ending can be written. I arrived at Soda Fork late in the morning on Saturday. My search plan had been developed the weekContinue reading “June 17 2023- Ground Search at the Grissom Site”
- Contact InfoIf you have information on Karen Jean Lee or Rodney L. Grissom and you wish to share it, please contact me at ryanauclair99@gmail.com.
- Compass Check: Am I on the right track?I’ve spent the past couple of months compiling facts, trying to determine what they mean, examining maps and making a site survey in support of a search for Karen and Rodney’s remains. I’m at the point where the search is about to become time intensive and on the ground, so I am going to workContinue reading “Compass Check: Am I on the right track?”
- News Clipping Repository
- “Tied in a blanket with a rope” New Facts and New AnalysisI learned this week that Karen’s clothing and belongings were found bundled in a blanket that had been tied with a rope. It was found down a steep hillside from a logging landing and in such a position that it had to be carried to the spot it was found in. I also learned thatContinue reading ““Tied in a blanket with a rope” New Facts and New Analysis”
- Dusty Clippings and New InfoIn addition to the documentation released by LCSO, I’ve also been reviewing news clippings about Karen and Rodney’s disappearance, looking for information, and hoping to find additional facts that will inform my search and perhaps fill in some blanks. I have relied on the newspaper archive search-fu of a friend, and I want to sayContinue reading “Dusty Clippings and New Info”
- Site Survey: 15 May 2023My search is now transitioning from research and planning to boots on the ground searching. So that I’m not randomly walking around the woods, I’ll be using the facts and the analysis of the same, the theory of the crime and my prior map work to find the locations. From the map, I’ve narrowed doneContinue reading “Site Survey: 15 May 2023”
- Upper Soda Fork, Section 19: Finding the LocationsA key part of any search is knowing where to look. Regarding Karen and Rodney, I have partial information. I have a document from the LCSO released as part of the Oregonian series; since their case is still an open homicide, the actual case file is not publicly available. I also have Noelle Crombie’s reporting,Continue reading “Upper Soda Fork, Section 19: Finding the Locations”
- “Our Ride is Here”: A Theory of the CrimeNote: This post contains a theory regarding a sexual assault and double homicide. What follows is my theory of the crime that happened to Karen Lee and Rodney Grissom. It is drawn from the facts of the case, my analysis of those facts and what we have learned about John Ackroyd from Marlene Gabrielsen’s accountContinue reading ““Our Ride is Here”: A Theory of the Crime”
- “Just Another Vehicle”“…You go out there in the woods and there’s a [fire] lookout up there, you’re [sic] gonna see headlights out there, then they’re gonna call the police and they’re gonna come out and see what you’re doing. You go out in the daytime and they ain’t gonna think nothing of it.” “Just another vehicle” AnContinue reading ““Just Another Vehicle””
- A Note of Credit and ThanksI want to take a moment and thank at least 4 people whose work has made this search possible. Without them, and those who assisted them, this project would not have been remotely feasible. The research conducted for this had it’s start with a series of Oregonian articles first published in 2018. The Ghosts ofContinue reading “A Note of Credit and Thanks”
- Lee & Grissom: Analysis of the FactsAs a disclaimer upfront, what follows is a reasonable set of inferences developed from the facts available. While conjecture, I believe I have developed a logical interpretation of the facts, and one that I would brief an investigator from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. 1. We will take as granted that Karen and Rodney wereContinue reading “Lee & Grissom: Analysis of the Facts”
- Lee & Grissom: FactsKaren Jean Lee was 15 years old, a recent arrival from the Midwest to Cornelius or Hillsboro, OR (records differ) with her family. She is listed as 5’7”, 128 pounds, with dark hair and brown eyes. She was last seen on the morning of May 26th, 1977 and is believed to have runaway to CaliforniaContinue reading “Lee & Grissom: Facts”
Lee and Grissom are some of the “Ghosts of Highway 20”, a series of disappearances, assaults and murders along US 20 from Sisters to Newport, OR, starting in the mid 1970s until the early 1990s and were linked to the Oregon serial killer John Arthur Ackroyd. Ackroyd is not the primary subject of my writing, he died in 2016 at the Oregon State Penitentiary, convicted of murdering Kaye Turner, and having pled no contest in the 1990 death of his step-daughter, Rachanda Pickle. Rachanda also remains missing and has not been found.
I’ve thought a good deal about why I am searching for Karen and Rodney, why their case grabbed me. I’m a search and rescue volunteer for the neighboring county from where they vanished. I also volunteer with at risk youth, and I see those kids in the faded photos of Rodney and Karen. Before starting to write this, I’ve spent close to 8 weeks researching their case, and I want those two kids to come home. I also know the Soda Fork Road fairly well. I first started using it to access the Middle Santiam Wilderness in 2017, and I have fished a lot along Soda Creek, whose valley the road travels from Highway 20 until it climbs into the Cascades.
This spring, I re-read “The Ghosts of Highway 20” project by Noelle Crombie and published by the Oregonian. This was when the story of Karen and Rodney grabbed me. Not only did I sympathize with a pair of kids who met with the wrong ride on their journey to California, I realized that I knew the area that their belongings were found in. My mind kept turning on the pair and what happened to them, and where they are now. It took me about a day to conclude that I would search for them, and I started gathering material to assist in this project.
The Search for Karen Jean Lee and Rodney L. Grissom 