In the fall of 2011, the life of 19-year-old Cody Faye Myers, a White male from Lafayette, Oregon, was tragically cut short in a harrowing series of events that spanned multiple states. Myers was reported missing over the weekend of October 1st, 2011, after he failed to arrive at a jazz festival in Newport, a trip he had planned. His family grew concerned, and a multi-agency search was initiated to locate the missing teen.
The search came to a grim conclusion when his body was discovered in a wooded area in the mid-Willamette Valley on Tuesday night. An autopsy would later reveal that Myers had died from gunshot wounds to his head and chest.
The investigation into the teen's death quickly focused on two fugitives, David Joseph Pedersen, 31, and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Holly Ann Grigsby. The pair were already wanted in connection with the murder of Pedersen's stepmother, 69-year-old Leslie Pedersen, in Washington State. Investigators believe that after killing his stepmother on September 29th, Pedersen and Grigsby fled, embarking on what one official described as a "vicious, vile, reign of terror." At some point during their flight, they crossed paths with Cody Myers. It is believed they carjacked Myers and murdered him to eliminate him as a witness and steal his vehicle.
The fugitives' run from the law came to an end on a Wednesday, north of Sacramento, California. A California Highway Patrol officer, on a routine patrol, spotted Myers' car parked with its doors open. Recognizing the vehicle from a "Be on the Lookout" alert, the officer initiated a stop. Pedersen and Grigsby were arrested without incident. Inside the vehicle, authorities discovered loaded handguns and rifles. Following their capture, Pedersen and Grigsby were officially named as suspects in the murder of Cody Myers.
The crime spree of Pedersen and Grigsby was tied to white supremacist ideologies. Their violent journey down the West Coast included not only the murders of Leslie Pedersen and Cody Myers but also the killing of Reginald Clark in Eureka, California, whom they carjacked and murdered for his vehicle. David Joseph Pedersen was eventually sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for the carjackings that resulted in the deaths of Cody Myers and Reginald Clark. Holly Ann Grigsby also received a life sentence for her role in the brutal crime spree. Two other individuals, Corey and Kimberly Wyatt, were sentenced for assisting the pair after the murder of Pedersen's father.
