16 September Site Survey of the Alternate Grissom Site

Before 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 to develop a theory of the crime. Based on what I learned about John Arthur Ackroyd, his MO, victim profile and other data points, it is my belief that he murdered Rodney first, before murdering Karen. It is also my belief that in order to accomplish this, he would need to split the kids apart. He would risk one or both escaping if he tried to murder both kids simultaneously. Also, given that loggers found each set of clothing, I also believed that the loggers were on a bathroom break in the wood line when the clothes were found.

Based on Marlene Gabrielsen’s account, and the context of Soda Fork Rd, it is my belief that he split the kids by saying he needed a bathroom break on the drive, drove up Soda Fork Rd, pulled over somewhere in Section 19, and Rodney followed him into the woods. This would split the kids apart, allow Ackroyd to kill Rodney with Karen contained in the truck and would allow Ackroyd to exploit “capture shock” and drive a 1/4 mile ahead on Soda Fork so that he could sexually assault and murder Karen away from Rodney’s body.

With that theory, I completed a site survey of Section 19, Soda Fork Rd. I believed that Rodney would be killed at the first turn out, and then Karen a 1/4 mile further north along the road in another turn out. Driving the road through the section, I noted that of the 4 turn outs in Section 19, the first two were more like scrapes to allow a pickup to pull to the side while a log truck passed by. Neither of the first two seemed like likely places to stop for a bathroom break, for either Ackroyd or for the loggers that eventually found their clothing.

After closing out the Lee site earlier, I decided to revisit my assumptions about the two sites. I have spent between 30-40 hours on my hands and knees clearing the forest behind what I thought was the Lee site. I have found one bone fragment that was from an animal pelvis, and one fragment that may be from a radius, tibia or fibia. It only took me about 3 hours at the presumed Grissom site to locate human remains.

By finding potential human remains at the Grissom site, I have one “known” location. The presumed Lee site is a 1/4 mile north on Soda Fork Rd, and matches the description given in police reports and contemporary news accounts. However, without a GPS coordinate, or a more definitive description, I may be incorrect with that location. I decided to examine a pull out 1/4 mile south of the Grissom site. This would make the “Grissom” site the new “Lee” site, and the location further south and closer to US20 as the alternate “Grissom” site. The map below should add some clarity to the text description

I drove from the Lee site to the original Grissom site, reset my odometer, and drove to the next pull out to the south. The next pull out was almost an exact 1/4 mile from the Grissom site. The scrape on the side was wide enough for my pickup to fit without being in the road. I hopped out, notebook and pencil in hand to start the survey.

There were two lines of drift leading from the pull-out into the forest. Each line ran roughly parallel to the other and ended downslope on a narrow bench that ran north to south, parallel to the road. Below the bench was a steep hillside that flattened out a bit as it neared the creek bed. At the northern end, the bench terminated in a large drainage funnel that would channel quite a bit of water down slope when it rained.

Based on the context of the location and the survey, this will be my next search area. It also lines up with another data point that I hadn’t been able to square with my previous research and site surveys. Noelle Crombie included a photo of Mike Harmon, taken by Beth Nakamura in the original “Ghosts of Highway 20” series. In that photo, Det. Harmon is said to stand near where Karen and Rodney’s clothes were found. However, without any distinct features, and that it had a rather generic description, I just assumed it had been a candid photo taken while Det. Harmon was guiding the reporters to different crime scenes associated with Ackroyd. However, it does appear that the photo was taken at the Alternate Grissom Site.

I plan on searching this location next. I incorrectly identified the original sites, but managed to be lucky in that one was correct. I can now offset from that correct location to this site. Hopefully, I will be successful here.