In the winter of 1968, a 19-year-old woman named Linda Kay Slawson vanished while working in Portland, Oregon. On January 26th, the young, blonde-haired, brown-eyed woman was making her rounds as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesperson in the southwestern part of the city. She lived with her mother and siblings in Aloha, Oregon, and was last seen near Southeast 45th Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard, dressed in a white coat, a brown skirt, and light brown shoes.
Her car was later found with her purse left inside, a detail that troubled those who knew her. Adding to the concern, she never collected her final paycheck of $125.
The mystery of Linda's disappearance would unfortunately be solved through the confession of a serial killer. Jerome Henry 'Jerry' Brudos, who lived in the very neighborhood where Linda was last seen selling her encyclopedias, later admitted to her murder. Brudos told investigators that he had lured Linda into his home under the pretense of buying a set of encyclopedias. Once she was inside, he killed her. His confession included the grim detail of disposing of her body by throwing it from the Wilsonville Bridge on Interstate 5 into the Willamette River. Linda became known as the first of four young women Brudos murdered between 1968 and 1969.
Following Brudos's arrest in June 1969, he pleaded guilty to the murders of three other women: Jan Susan Whitney, Karen Elena Sprinker, and Linda Dawn Salee. The bodies of these victims were eventually recovered. Although Brudos was initially charged with Linda Slawson's murder, the charge was dropped due to a lack of evidence, as her body was never found. He was sentenced to three consecutive life terms for the other murders and died in prison in 2006, having been Oregon's longest-serving inmate. The case of Linda Kay Slawson is a tragic story of a young woman's life cut short. Though a confession was made, the absence of her remains has left a lasting void for her family and community, a painful reminder of the day she disappeared while simply trying to do her job.Last Seen: Jan 26, 1968
