John Arthur Ackroyd

Serial Killer

John Arthur Ackroyd: Oregon Highway Serial Killer and Suspected Murderer

Overview

John Arthur Ackroyd (March 7, 1949 – June 30, 2016) was an American serial killer and convicted rapist who worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation as a highway mechanic. For decades, Ackroyd was suspected of being responsible for a series of murders, disappearances, kidnappings, and sexual assaults that occurred along highways and remote forested areas in Oregon during the 1970s and 1990s. Although Ackroyd was convicted of only one murder, investigators and journalists later uncovered substantial evidence linking him to several other killings and disappearances. His position as a highway worker gave him intimate knowledge of isolated roads, campgrounds, and forest routes, locations that repeatedly appeared in investigations connected to him. Many of his suspected victims were young women who disappeared while traveling alone or working in remote areas.

Early Criminal Behavior

Long before he became a murder suspect, Ackroyd displayed violent and predatory behavior. In 1977, he abducted and raped a woman after forcing her into his vehicle. During the attack, he drove the victim into a remote area, assaulted her, and threatened to kill her. The victim survived and provided testimony that resulted in Ackroyd's conviction. Despite the seriousness of the crime, Ackroyd eventually returned to society and resumed employment. Over the following years, investigators would discover that several unsolved disappearances and murders occurred in areas where Ackroyd lived, worked, hunted, or frequently traveled. ...

Confirmed Victims: (1)

Kaye Turner Age: (35), Date of Death: 1978-12-24

Suspected Victims:

Wanda Herr Age: (19), Date of Death: June 1976

Swamp Mountain Jane Doe Age: (18-40)

Rodney Grissom Age: (14), Date of Death: May 24, 1977

Karen Lee Age: (15), Date of Death: May 26, 1977

Elizabeth Mussler Age: (22), Date of Death: 1977

Linn County Jane Doe

Finley Creek Jane Doe

Rachanda Pickle Age: (13), Date of Death: July 10, 1990

Melissa Sanders Age: (17), Date of Death: May 3, 1992

Sheila Swanson Age: (19), Date of Death: May 3, 1992

John Arthur Ackroyd - Wikipedia