Dusty Clippings and New Info

In 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 say thank you to Faith for the assist in finding these.

One article in particular has been most helpful. The article confirmed that what I had previously identified as the Lee Site, was in fact the correct location. From this confirmation, I also have a higher confidence in my identification of the Grissom Site.

A persistent and somewhat vexing question I have had is what was the arrangement of their clothing when it was found. Were the clothes scattered around the forest floor? That could indicate that the body was not buried. Were the clothes found together in a pile? That indicates a different set of circumstances. Were they found neatly folded or just tossed together? The answers to these questions help inform the search.

This article answered the question partially in the Lee case. Detective Arthur Martinak is quoted as saying “it was tied in a blanket with a rope, and was in such a position that it had to be carried to the spot.” Additionally, we learn that the shoe was not in the bundle, it was found in the area and it was still “laced and tied”. Detective Martinak also states that “it’s the type of shoe that does not come off easily”.

In the bundle, in addition to the clothing, personal papers, later revealed to be her journal, were found. The papers were in good condition, as if they had not been exposed to the elements long.

So, I now have new facts to add to the existing set, and I have to determine how these new facts align with or change my theory about the crime and where Karen and Rodney might be. I need to take some time and think through this, which will probably be my next entry. One additional question I can think of is “was her worn clothing, her cut jeans in particular, inside the bundle, or found in the area with the shoe?”

As a bonus, this article from 1978 has references to all of the victims, except Marlene Gabrielsen, associated with John Ackroyd up to that point. In a way, it is draft one of “Ghosts of Highway 20”