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America’s Highway Serial Killers /// Part 1 /// 590

2022-06-21 | 🔗

America’s Highway Serial Killers /// Part 1 /// 590 

Part 1 of 4 

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This week we start off by looking at an unsolved homicide of a young woman from California. Twenty two year old Kristin Alice Schmidt’s body was recovered from a State Park in Oregon. She was killed elsewhere and her body dumped and discovered by campers. As we started to look at Kristin’s still very active case investigation we learned that something larger may be at hand. Something so much larger than any one investigation. Something larger than an Oregon state investigation. America has a problem that was first identified back in the 1980’s. In April of 2009 the F.B.I. announced their Highway Serial Killings Initiative to raise awareness among law enforcement agencies and the general public about this issue and the F.B.I.’s offered assistance in these cases. 

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Recommended Reading - “ I ” The Creation of a Serial Killer by Jack Olsen 

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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The the Hmm,
the the date june, twenty six two thousand three: the setting its summertime at estate park. Designated campsites are full of campers enjoying some outdoor or an r Lush green scenery is matched by the peace and tranquillity of the environment for campers
escaping their busy lives, it is quiet and relaxing, but then the break of dawn the peace and tranquillity of the camp ground is shattered, the body of a woman lies at them Bottom of a rocky ravine. Some kind of monster tossed her there like trash corpse, rolling and rolling down the steep grade until I come, to a stop for all to see. this was no accidental death, not an overdose, not a hit and run know this woman. the victim of a brutal homicide, but how did she get there where she was found one minute her killer was pushing her down the slope. The next he was gone in the night. The only clue to his identity. The big rig
pulling away on the interstate above and as its life. Disappeared into the night, so did any clues as to who all this young woman. This is the unsolved homicide case of christian Alice Schmidt and the trucker murders. Warning, there's a killer on the road and this true programme garage the papers from Grande Oregon blared that a body was? and by a camper at he'll guard junction state park. This was on
twenty six. Two thousand and three the location this park is right next to interstate eighty, four, where intersects with highway to forty four near the grand wronged river. The area is about two hundred fifty miles east of portland, a major city and just eight miles west of a small town called le grand, which has a population today of about twelve thousand five hundred people. This is in union county in the eastern part of the state. The campground features eighteen campsites, restrooms and river. says the female body was lying at the bottom of a shale slope near the campgrounds common area. She had frizzy red hair, and was clothed in a brown wool sweater and black genes
The young woman was identified because found near the body was an olive colored backpack, which contained an id bearing her name the backpack was thrown down the embankment as well. Just like her body, the victim's name was Kristen Alice smith. She was just twenty two years old, an autopsy revealed that she had been strangled union county district attorney. Martin Brynn Baum said that they were able to determine this because of the subcutaneous bleeding in her eyelids and cheeks burn bomb would only say that other parts of her body also bore scrapes, scratches and bruising. He would not initially comment if kristin had been sexually assaulted, but by late July police at
knowledge that she had been years later. O s p, detective gregg rutherford told the l, a grand observer. She had been sexually assaulted and brutally beaten. He also described her body as partially clothed. Now we know she was found in genes and a sweater. But what aren't the police say? What items of clothing were missing that lead investigators to describe her is partially clothed. We asked the o s, p, the organ state police and they declined to answer because, of course, christians case is still considered in open and very active investigation. District attorney bryn bomb said that it appeared that Christian was strangled elsewhere and dumped where she was eventually found. Bryn bomb told the east or colonial. It does appear
that the body was just dumped it he'll guard and that she wasn't killed there. So who was this young woman? And how did she end up at the bottom of a ravine off of an inner state and a place that many might call nowheres ville organ kristen, Alice smith was born and saint Louis obispo and nineteen eighty so. This is her home town, which would be about a hundred ninety miles, north west of delay and located on highway, one a one on the california coast. Its population, is about forty four
thousand. We really know next to nothing about kristen. She had been a student at sl o community school during the ninety ninety eight ninety nine academic year. Then she began taking classes at another college in the fall of nineteen. Ninety eight and in last, attended during the spring of two thousand and two during that semester its unclear what she did in two thousand two and three, but she had applied to take classes again at the community college in the fall of two thousand and three christen was reportedly a good student. Now, the le grand observer newspaper had no luck connecting with her family and I cannot find any interviews with them, but that publication reports that her mom and grandma, both lived in san luis obispo and Kristen, had been
staying at her moms place before she left town on a trip to visit her long distance boyfriend. Of course, her mom was heartbroken at the news of her daughters, death, let's get into the investigation and try to put together some kind, a timeline here for our victim, the organ state police, took control of this investigation led investigator, pat Montgomery, headed up a team of nine investigators, this from the o s p, the le grande police and the union county sheriff's office, all working in unison gather on this investigation, Montgomery was quoted in the local news saying the investigation would be a long and slow process. They were really.
going to need to try to figure out a key part of christian and time line. That would require investigators to reconstruct christians movements and figure out how she went from san luis obispo to a rocky ravine in central organ on this case is very difficult because we don't know much about her and then this boyfriend that she would see in this long distance boyfriend, which would be a lot harder to have a long distance relationship back then, because you Writing to them in and long distance calls costs a lot of money back then, depending on how far away they were and so
We don't even know where this individual was located that yet again it just goes back to the stating that we don't know much about christians, personal life other than her stating to family, that she was leaving to visit a long distance boyfriend. So the police and the investigators from the state police, as well as the sheriff's office, what they discovered. They say they discovered and were able to put together than on june, sixteenth, two thousand and three kristen left home, telling friends and family. She was going to cholera. To visit her boyfriend. We don't know whether she was traveling alone, but it seems that she was is also not clear what her exact travel plans were or if she was just going to kind of make them up she went along hoping to find herself in colorado by police, discovered she had boarded in amtrak train in san luis, open.
swell and arrived in Portland Oregon. On the same day. This is about a thirteen. Our dream If so, it's a fairly long trip. Christen reportedly stayed with a friend in portland for a few days now who this person is or was has never been released a week after christians body was found investigator said that it was still unknown whether she was traveling alone. They were working on establishing a timeline of christians movements and when they did, it would tell them quite a bit: what are they gonna get some information from some of the campers at this park. Yes,
where her body is found. These campers they tell investigators that they were awakened sometime around three, a m by noises. It sounded like someone emptying garbage. Now it's not clear whether this was like metal trash cans sounds or austria, grouch talking something being dumped or dumpsters being dumped kind of sounds they don't really go into any real description. Other than couple camper say it sounded like someone was emptying garbage somewhere but that's an interesting and hopeful lead in their investigation. Now later we end up with. Meaning that joan doan that's her real name was sleeping at the camp ground with her husband, Charles, She says that she had to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom ass would be about three m and she says it. She left their trailer around this time and in the dim light she says that she saw a big rig. A
my truck pulled over on the side of the highway up above and something that looked like a large bag being thrown out of the truck and down into the ravine. She said that she yelled in this direction, but the truck drove off immediately Joan could not see much in the darkness and she assume that someone was dumping garbage down the fifty foot embankment now just to be perfectly clear here. Captain. Some of these articles say that this would have been about three fifteen, a m Joan says that she then went back to her campsite and tossed and turned and had trouble going back to sleep. Well, the sun comes up, and now she sang around six a m. Her curiosity has gotten the best of her. She wants to go out and see what cause that noise waking her up in the middle, the careful for what
which she walked in the direction of the noise and found the woman's body so she's, the first person to discover christians body. She ran back to her campsite and her husband called the police. Joan would later described the body she found as a young woman and her twenties, who had clearly been terribly beat, will think about the horror when she finds christians body because they heard these noises at night. If there were a wit and investigated more, they had been face to face with the killer or killer. There was little question based on jones account that the driver of the eighteen wheeler had been the person who dumped kristen down the embankment from the interstate highway. So if Joan had witnessed this dumping, the nature of christians killer would be entirely theoretical right. We were may have never come up with this,
possible lead, but now investigators knew that they should be looking for a trucker and looking for a truck, we said the several times on the show vehicles are easier to find that people in most cases. So I would start by looking for that truck the ravine where kristen was dumped was between the camp ground in the day, use area its unknown, whether the trucker even knew that there was a camp ground down there in the dark. It may have just look like a wooded area with no houses are people around and could have seen like the perfect place to anonymously, dump a corpse then get the hell out of dodge. Initially, investigators were cryptic when, speaking with the public, saying that they were looking for a killer within a particular occupation. That's the words they use. Particular.
you patient? They clearly didn't want to show their hand in case the trucker was local or in case someone were to come forward and have that profession, but unfortunately, the pool of truckers using the nation's interstates on any given day numbers in the hundreds of thousands and investigators are learned that any number of truckers could have had access to kristen. It becomes very difficult when you don't know where chris and was heading to what was her destination between point a b and c. There are so many possibilities of where maybe she would have been abducted. We do learn a little bit more here, thou captain, so when christian left her friends in portland- and she tells them that she was heading two trout dale- to look for a ride what's what's trial day or what's in trout nail. This is part of the portal
organ metro area. So it's about fifteen miles outside of the city. As I understand it, the interesting thing here as a pertains who are case and our lead that we are currently working on is there is a huge truck stop in trout, dale that has parking for two hundred and five. The eighteen wheelers. This is a location where people can get food. There's a barber shop, a game room, a pet area and so on so its massive that's. If she's an initial report said christen was last seen, hitchhiking in trout, dale on the evening of the twenty fifth union county d, a burn bomb confirmed that the o s p they're. Looking for a suspect among truckers,
as I believe kristen was picked up by a trucker in trout. Dale years later, it was confirmed by law enforcement that Christian was actually at the truck, stop and trial dale. So beforehand we are told that she was seen hitchhiking in the trial, dale area and then later as they release more information to the public. We learn that it. It was in fact, at that very large truck. Stop. I love those super church stops their world my favorite to stop one has torn around playing with bans. The confirmation we end up with your captain is Kristen was actually at the truck stop in trailed dale, trying to hitchhike a ride or looking for raw out of their. This would be on the night of june twenty fifth, so
She had been seen there and heard and we'll get into that here in a minute. This is the day before her body was found. Remember she was found on june twenty six. This is june. Twenty fifth wants. You wanted to be looking for a ride from a truck driver. They also have real gas pumps and stuff for regular vehicles. This is from investigator, gregg rutherford. He says quote: she was there trying to pick up a ride as a hitchhiker. She wanted to go to colorado to see her boyfriend. It turned out. The Christian was known to hitchhike.
and did not appear to consider the risk that could be involved is thus situation. I want to put myself in well and o s p pointed out saying that hit hitchhiking is not only dangerous but its particularly dangerous when it involves truckers, their words don't come at me. Truckers investigators told this to the newspaper saying that she was definitely a victim of her lifestyle, saying if you are jumping in with truckers all the time it will eventually catch up with you, especially if you are a young, single girl and detective randy crusher, who also worked the case for o s. P said she was the kind of person who wasn't afraid of hitchhiking. That is what she did, but christen wasn't just On the road or on the side of the road at the truck stop sticking our female. Unfortunately, she did something even more dangerous stickler toe out. She put it out there
through the whole trucking community that she was trying to get the colorado and was looking for a free ride. So she's heard by truckers on a c b radio that day asking for a ride from trout they'll to colorado. So it wasn't just bad luck for her that a bag came along and grabbed the opportunity to give her a ride secretly intending to assault her. She made a public request over the cb which vastly expanded the pool of truckers, learn about a young woman travelling alone willing to get into a truck for a ride. So ultimately she broadcast Her vulnerability to a war I'd audience in any one with nefarious intentions who heard it and who was within a few hours DR could have zoomed over to trout. Dale picked her up. She didn't just fall into his lab. Unfortunately, in this case
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and claim a free indoor, security, camera plus twenty percent off with interactive monitoring again simply save dot, slash garage, all right. We are back cures, everybody juice, the you captain, christians, exact time of death, has never been publicly revealed, but here and there roger? We like the figure these things out for ourselves, so we can extrapolate than it was some time between the siting of her hitchhiking at the truck. Stop and then three a m on the twenty six. So we're not dealing with a large window of time. Here remember:
We have joan, don't who is committed to the statement of it was roughly three, maybe three fifteen a m when I the noise, and I see something being dumped down into the ravine. From this sum, I try as far as the super convenience store truck, stop right. We don't have where we believe she got here at nine in the morning and she left by noon. Those are fictitious times right, right, yeah, we don't have an exact time of when she was cited, and I believe that pull
Peace will have a pretty firm, botox idea of what time that would have been, because she would have been seen by multiple people and, as we said, heard by dozens over the sea be radie bone. Probably, though, be some surveillance there as well, but the difficulty that you said you're putting himself at extreme risk of danger because your broadcasting to see be radiobes, hey I'm at this truck, stop so even of its way out of somebody else's way a way out of a truckers way. They hear all this young twenty two year old needs a ride. I'll even have to be going to colorado if I'm thinkin nefarious thoughts or to portland or anything. If you can hear that invitation and you're a bad guy when somebody that is ended, this sort of thing you can make your way too
the troutdale and pick her up yeah, especially all you really gotta be concerned with is, can I get there faster than the other bad guy? Now again, I want to before we go too deep into this, because we're going to get really deep into these different truckers and serial killers within side that profession to be clear up front here. We're not saying that truckers in general are bad. In fact, we have a lot of truckers that listened to the show and were very happy and proud of that now, but just with any profession, there are a small person judge of the people that are bad within side of that profession. Most truckers are great. Awesome, nice, wonderful people, but its it just goes to show that it's really know dear here. Captain if she announces oversee, be radio for a ride or for a truck or to come pick. Her up, you announced so
c cb, radio, anybody that has a cb that can hear that would be a potential suspect they could have come and picked her and if we lived in a world where everybody had see bees in their cars, then think of the hundreds and hundreds of people that may have heard her invitation for hey I'm seeking a ride alone. I need to make it out to colorado, I'm not true the victim blame here, I'm just pointing out the vulnerability that one may put themselves into and possibly suggests it, spend a few bucks and get a bus ticket to where it is it. You may need to go for a law these killers, where the hardest parts is to actually abduct the person to get them into your vehicle, so you can take them somewhere else,
christians willing to do so. So how will investigators go about finding truckers who were on the road in this region where Kristen was picked up from an found? The sl o tribunal put out an article on September night, two thousand and three this aided quote, to determine who was on the road when the murder occurred, the investigator said they have been conducting interviews and checking way stations and truckers travel logs. They concentrated on weigh stations along I, eighty four, but we have to say off Then, when we drive by those way stations they are closed to take their crusher also said that, admittedly, some truckers run passed away station skipping it. So the truck would not
beyond record, but he said that those truckers are usually. Cod is not clear whether there are cameras recording the stations that would show if a truck blue passed without stopping or what and two thousand and three who knows the likelihood of the probability of that situation. If he saying that they are usually caught, then there must be some way of checking On this situation, the o s p, reportedly looked into over one thousand truckers. In the christian schmidt case, these were briggs. They had travelled the stretch of I eighty four near where kristen was believed to have been picked up any time on both june twenty fifth and twenty six, two thousand and three,
think about that. One thousand truckers, and I know the dancer around about number but they're saying over one thousand truckers. That is an almost incomprehensible amount of work. If any of them were determined to be potential persons of interest, for whatever reason the investigators would have to track them down and speak with them directly, which would be very difficult to do because they're not confined to one area. Exactly now, detective crusher told the observer that christians case was the most extensive case. He had ever worked on at that time. For the o s p in terms of man power, he felt demoralized that the case was not solved. He says quote, it is frustrating when you put that much effort into it. You expect it to pay off, but the investigators acknowledged the
they were up against a brick wall. Interestingly enough, though, captain remember the early statements from investigators and said that they believe that this would be a long, a lengthy investigation into figuring out who killed her, I'm guessing that, based off of the signing of the big ray egg from our person down below that they're gone, while this very likely could be a stranger stranger crime- and we know that those those are the most difficult to invest the gate. With all these, I witnessed the truck stop. Nobody sees kristen get into a vehicle, she seen hitching a ride. I think that we might have a solve case if we saw her getting into an actual truck on that day. Really when you think about it, though, the siting of that bigwig is huge for a number of reasons, because it
have a stranger on stranger homicide. We know how difficult those are to investigate how difficult it is to connect killer to victim or victim to killer rain. But seeing that truck now eliminates a lot of people for you in your investigation. It really bring is the number down the sheer number of people that you're going to have to look into at the initial stages of your investigation yeah. This is very difficult for law enforcement. As you pointed out, captain it would be incredibly wonderful investigation. If somebody came forward and said they saw her getting into a vehicle or new, more about the vehicle that she got into an from we ve seen and again, o s peace, not super willing to discuss.
It's a lot of the details of her case because it is not just open, but I'm happy to report. I can, I believe, by their statements that this is a very active investigation. They may even be closing in on the individual sponsible so based off of what we know it doesn't seem like any of those things happened unless it did and we're just not being told. So, unlike you said, her family is devastated by the loss of their love one, but they haven't really come out and did a lot of interviews, but maybe they this field. Think that won't help much of the situation. I don't know that they have a lot of information to provide rang because it everybody seems to agree investigators, her family, the newspapers and so on that she had hit the road and was out of state when she was picked up by her killer
The interesting thing to me, though, is what I would really like to know from investigators and again they don't need to tell us anything, but I would like to know: has any trucker come forward to say I was the one that allowed her to use my c b, because she's not walk up to that trout, dale trucks with her own c b in hand in making these announcements out. To other truckers, that's a excellent point. According to the Le grand observer in october of two thousand and three new stations and saint Louis obispo reported that organs state police may be tracing a truckers possible connection to the death
If we're going to kind of parse out words here and try to figure out what the sentence means cuz, it's a little vague. My question was: does this mean that they were onto one specific trucker or using? The word truckers in generic terms? We just all know when you have a case like this, where you're, basically in the dark right. As far as the investigation goes, you can only do so much with it. The little information you have you want start looking at cases that are similar to christians case, and there is another case which a body was found, an organ that mere christians case eerily. This is leah Elizabeth Schubert age. Twenty two she's last seen at the gear jammer truck stop in idaho on june, ninth nineteen, eighty seven she had been driving through the
area when she had car trouble later. Her nude body was found on june thirteenth when two motorists stopped to take a pee in the woods on the side of interstate eighty four. This is just twelve miles east of le Grande, so we're in the same general area here the victim that they found she lay at the bottom of an embankment right off of the highway. She too had been strangled from the lawyers update dot seo dot. I n, which states quote the oregon state police, learned that leah had left twin falls for Boise on june. Ninth nineteen. Eighty seven to pick her fiance from the airport, where he was arriving after flying in from san diego but
on our way to boise her car broke down. So she calls a friend from the gear jammer truck, stop near mountain home, idaho, along interstate eighty four. Then she disappears so nobody hears from her again and she was reported missing that same evening. There is a suspect, however, in this case this is from a and article from september of nineteen. Eighty seven says quote the urge for one of the fbi's ten most wanted fugitives ended when authorities discovered the accused killer was already in jail where he was serving time under an alias four months after his arrest for car theft, his real identity was finally discovered when his finger prints were run against the now. nor database. This aspect is daring, o neill back then he was twenties,
kevin he's a native of albuquerque new mexico facing a murder charge in the torture slaying of a washington woman and was wanted for questioning in five other killings in the pacific northwest this, according to F b, I spokesman, cliff Anderson will Neil was charged with first degree murder in the nineteen eighty seven case of robin smith. He was also wanted for questioning in the disappearance of a twenty nine year old woman from one km county washington, whose body has never been found This, according to the fbi, he also is charged with car theft in the disappearance of windy, a gay he twenty nine in washington. She was last seen April, twenty fifth nineteen, eighty seven leaving bellingham washington. This was a restaurant where she spotted leaving with neil, who reportedly was using the alias of MIKE Johnson back then that's
they're not able to connect the dots right away. He on their ten most wanted list. Yet they find him already in jail for months later. Only also is sought for questioning in the strangulation death of leah super twenty. Two of twin falls: idaho, who we just discussed earlier. There were some eyewitnesses who reported to have seen a man fitting o niels description near where Lee s car broke down, and then he popped up and spoken washington, but he has never been charged with lay as murder. He remains in prison for his other crimes and could not have been the trucker who killed kristen in two thousand and three since he was in prison at the time. So let me see if I
pick up where you put him down this guy's a real piece of shit yeah we're not really certain how many murders he is responsible for, but eerily similar to christians case and one worth looking at So, since he was in prison, we at the time of christians murder. We note that he is not responsible for that, but what we are saying is that there's individuals out there like this and they're not does committing one crime, their kid meeting, multiple murderous truck driving serial killer you, it's not just a theory that that law enforcement has. These are actual individuals. That's exactly right! Captain an we reference, Lee
this case saying it was eerily similar, but even though he suspected the man that we just mention, o neill is suspected in that case least cases unsolved eerily similar to christians. It stands to reason that possibly the killers of one of those women are, or one in the or both of those one, are one and the same. I hope everybody out there listening is familiar with the fbi's via cap programme, because we talked about it extensively in our recent coverage of the sam little murders, and we ve talked about it throughout the history of this show because it comes up so often, but our little refresher here or if you ve, not listen to the same little episodes the via cap programme run the fbi. This is where state.
Local law enforcement agencies, upload specific information about certain kinds of cases in their jurisdiction to the federal database via cap. As a federal database, these are typically homicides sexual assaults missing persons cases in John and Jane doe cases. The database allows for searching and comparison of cases. This facilitates the finding of similar crimes both to help solve serial crimes committed by the same killer and to pinpoint serial offenders based on their patterns in m o's. The f b I's vi camp website contains a page
that says quote. If there is such a thing as an ideal profession for a serial killer, it may well be as a long haul truck driver. They go on to say the pattern the website says is unmistakable. It attracted notice when, in two thousand and four a senior crime analysed from the oklahoma bureau of investigation named terry turner, detected a crime pattern. The bodies of murdered women were being dumped along the interstate forty corridor in Oklahoma, taxes, arkansas and mississippi. Turner was investigating seven cases and which truck stop sex workers have been bound, raped, killed and dumped along. I forty. I know all these crimes
second place out west, but when you look at the long island serial killer case, people have had theories that the killer could have been a truck driver. That's exactly right now. This is from a newspaper called the oklahoman and it says quote in a way: the f b I's national highway. Serial killings, knit should have originated with an uncle home, a man who needed to take a restroom break. They go on to say on September eighteen, two thousand and three, a tolstoy area pharmaceutical salesmen was driving east on interstate forty, when his bladder began to get the best of him realising he couldn't make it to the extra. Stop he exited at rural tiger mountain road near henrietta, at the end of the ramp dirt roads lead off in three directions:
The area was isolated and undeveloped. High grass rose around out of ditches and something smelled terrible at first, the salesman didn't recognize the object that he spotted in the ditch, which was about ten feet away later words old quote: she was buck naked and face down. He said he says where mind tells you it's a deer, it's a go. It's anything, but a human being my mind would not even allow me to entertain that as reality. Until as I looked at her limbs and followed her arm out to one of her hands, I saw a ring on her finger at that moment in that second, it was undeniable and in my mind finally, I accepted that this was a human, the salesman whose story was confirmed by law enforcement and
who asked that his name not be published. Well, he found the body of forty three year old, sondra beard. She was a truck stop sex worker with ties to Oklahoma city are investigator. Terry Turner, a crime analysed with the oklahoma state bureau of investigation, sent out a teletype to other agencies looking for some what are types of crimes within three days. This is when she learned of two women who died. Similar DES beard was the third sex worker to die in a space of just three months so because of the time and the and the distance, it's very possible it's committed by the same person. Yes, that's exactly right and the thing too, it's not just
time and distance, but also the way that the victims are found, the similarities between the way that they suffered there their violent deaths. This is really truly the genesis of the fbi's highway cereal killings initiative, which is all focused on the occupation of long haul, truck drivers and serial killers working with in that profession. Now, back to the cases we were talking about those sex worker cases. From truck stops all in that three one time span well by january thirty, first of two thousand and four for me,
where women were killed, so a task force was formed to investigate the death and information about each case was then sent to the fbi's violent criminal apprehension program or via cap. As we ve been calling it, though, we have to recognise terry turner for putting this altogether hard work in diligence, peace this together and I'll read a little somethin from the about the oklahoma cases. This is from a two thousand and twenty two magazine expose a this when turner began her investigation in two thousand and three, the murders were seen as one offs. For instance, there was vanilla a forty seven year old sex workers, known for her honeyed voice from her advertisements that went out over the sea, be radio. She was born margaret home
gardener. She was a west memphis local in July, two thousand and three a u s. P s. Letter carrier happened upon vanilla body insurer, ville arkansas left under an inner, say freeway on ramp. She was discovered fifteen miles from the west memphis flying J. A month later, the body of twenty four year old sex workers, jennifer heymann of oklahoma city, turned up in the town hatchie river, just past oxford, mississippi, not long after that, another woman with ties, Oklahoma city was found dead. The remains of forty three year old, sondra beard, also a sex worker who frequented truck stops was uncovered alongside I, forty on the eastern.
and of Oklahoma, each of the women's bodies showed evidence that their limbs had been bound before they were killed. Part of the pattern spotted by terry turner over the next four months for more women, Vicki henderson sondra Richardson, patsy leonard in casey, Joe pipe stem, were found dead from all the evidence. Terry turner reason that this there must be a long haul truck driver. She believed he also wasn't the only truck driving serial killer, operating on america's interstate highways and their picking victims at all times their family members don't know their whereabouts. So it's hard to report the missing or to figure out who they are connected to or where they came from yeah.
being dumped so far away from where there being picked up and something else is key to this modus operandi of this type of killer, something you had suggested in hit on earlier. The are victims and are willing to get into the vehicle with the would be killer. They don't have to go too far to look for them or to grab them off of the side of the road so go on back to christmas case, though we we believe that she is badly beaten shoes bound, so it's a very good chance that her her killer took her somewhere almost to torture
and then and then dump her out and this in the woods. Possibly what I think happened here. Captain is a situation where the crime scene we're looking for. Is this guy's truck right? I think whatever happened to her and again we don't have a great description. I I can't say one hundred percent that she was tied up or bound. All I can say is that she was found partially clothes. She was beaten, she was strangled and she was dumped what he likely thought was out in the middle of nowhere, but it role are, unfortunately, that the corpse when she or fortunately I guess, if you want to look at it from a glass half full prospect- of is fortunately, this cause enough noise and her boy He rode far enough down this ravine to be discovered a short time later, which then leads us to this. Bread crumb tray
of well. Maybe christians killer is a truck driver and we can start there by looking at truck drivers in the area The whole thing, though, is really interesting to me, because she's founded two thousand and three as really in two thousand, for, when this whole long distance truck driver, serial killer initiative gets put together so relatively quickly. Here and now we have what's going to start to be detectives, fbi and people coming together in putting together what will be a list and a map of annual victims that fall within this category that we believe the likely perpetrators be a long haul. Trucker anna weird way, it's very much similar to what was happening. and the sam little investigation, where somebody's
Did a pattern decided that it must be a part of a much bigger picture. Now we need, to reach out to everybody out there cast a wide net and we need to start to be able to see some of those other pieces of that puzzle. Some other pieces of that bigger picture. I mean it's crazy to think that there's roughly what four million active drivers out their active truck drivers and there they think that there could be three hundred of them plus that are active. Serial killers lies for all those reasons that I just stated their captain and the good work of terry turner, along with a colleague from taxes that notified via cap and via camp analyse, took a look at all of these similar cases on a national level, and they realised that there were hunter
of these types of cases. For that reason, it was in two thousand and four that the fbi launched the highway. Sir oh killer initiative, a separate database suffer from via cap to document hundreds of bodies found in sexual assaults occurring on the sides of roadways near truck stops. And in or near motels, along major trucking routes all across the country, and to attempt to track the movements of possible suspects, the fbi notes that the majority of the Victims were women, living high risk lifestyle such as drug addicted transience sex workers, all who frequented truck stops or gas stations along major highways. The suspects were naturally truckers because of where the victims are being picked up Christine palazzolo and an fbi crime analyse who worked on the highway Cyril.
our initiative also was instrumental. Identifying samuel little and his victims is quoted on the website. As saying quote, we an inordinate number of victims and offenders from this rather specific population pool, obviously referring to sex workers and truckers respectively, Michael Harrigan, who originally oversaw the highway. Cyril killings initiative said two thousand and nine that the victims were jenny. only drawn from a vulnerable population. Saying quote: we don't want to scare the public and make it seem like every time you stop for gas, You should be looking over your shoulder. Many of these victims made poor choices, but that doesn't mean that they deserve to die
What is so much more get to him will get through. That might seem baptizing back channel and until then be good, be kind and don't The.
Transcript generated on 2022-07-10.