OR OR - Rodney Grissom, 14, & Karen Lee, 15, Albany/Cornelius, May 1977

[MadMcGoo]

This case has me hooked...

I was trying to determine if that was a scar on Karen’s bottom lip (our right side) or something else and I was able to find a few newspaper articles which confirmed that it is. The articles raised more questions for me though, so I’m trying to piece together locations and make a zeemap of where everything occurred. If I can pinpoint where those places are .

One of the articles is a bit blurry, hopefully still legible. I’ll continue to post info as I find it and hopefully a map...
https://www.newspapers.com/image/440765534/?terms="Karen+Jean+Lee"&match=1
Albany Democrat-Herald - March 2, 1978
Examiner identified skeleton as female

Albany Democrat-Herald - January 5, 1978
Linn police join hunt for girl

Albany Democrat-Herald - November 15, 1982
Deputies, scouts search for clues

 

[MadMcGoo]

As promised, and sure to disappoint, I created a map of pertinent locations in this case. However, I’m at a huge disadvantage because I am not at all familiar with this area! So some areas described in articles were hard for me to pinpoint.

Karen Jean Lee & Rodney Lynn Grissom - 1977 - Oregon map

If anyone familiar with the area can suggest corrections, please let me know!

Red = Karen
Blue = Rodney
Aqua = Males missing/potentially related
Pink = Females missing/potentially related

(I went down a rabbit hole, so you can probably ignore anything other than blue/red lol)

 

[rhondaj86]

How do I find out if these two children were ever identified? Rodney is my father in laws son and I'd love to find out if this is Rodney they found. I'm not sure how to proceed from here

Hello. I just found out about this page. I am Karen's sister. I've been researching her disappearance for about 10 years now. I have spoken with detectives but no closure. Would like to see what you or Rodney's family may know considering he was an acquaintance of John's and he was with my sister when they went missing. Thank you. Rhonda

 

[Two for the road]

Hello. I just found out about this page. I am Karen's sister. I've been researching her disappearance for about 10 years now. I have spoken with detectives but no closure. Would like to see what you or Rodney's family may know considering he was an acquaintance of John's and he was with my sister when they went missing. Thank you. Rhonda

Welcome to WS! Can you tell us what you know about your sister's disappearance? Have you read the articles attached to this post? Submitted DNA? Who is John?

 

[rhondaj86]

Welcome to WS! Can you tell us what you know about your sister's disappearance? Have you read the articles attached to this post? Submitted DNA? Who is John?

Hi. Thank you for the questions. Karen and I have the same father, different mothers. Karen and my other half sister and half brother would come up to visit dad and I have fond memories. I know Karen had moved from WI to OR and at some point she and Rodney decided to runaway to CA. From what I was told years ago was that Rodney's family or a friend of a friend knew a truck driver that offered to take them to CA and that happened to be John Ackroyd. She made a phone call in Lebanon from a pay phone and called a friend in WI. I believe it was a phone call to let someone know she was leaving but I am not sure of the full context of the conversation. That was the last time anyone heard from her. She did write letters to our dad also. I have read many, many articles and information for law enforcement over the years and have also met the previous detective that was assigned to her case years ago named Det. Ed Vance. He drove up to my dad's home in Olympia, WA and spoke to all of us for a few hours and also get our dad's DNA. We all are 99% sure Karen and Rodney were both victims of Ackroyd's. He was a monster. I listened to taped interviews he did with detectives and they are chilling! I wish they would have listened to Marlene when she reported her incident with him. I would like to know as much as possible. I have so many notes, articles, pictures, etc. that I've gotten over the years. I know she is not alive. Our family wants closure. Our dad passed away Nov. 3, 2016. I promised him I would never stop getting answers and once her remains are found we can have a proper burial. Every family deserves that. So, I pray soon this happens. I appreciate any further info anyone has to please share it. Thank you.

 

[Two for the road]

Hi. Thank you for the questions. Karen and I have the same father, different mothers. Karen and my other half sister and half brother would come up to visit dad and I have fond memories. I know Karen had moved from WI to OR and at some point she and Rodney decided to runaway to CA. From what I was told years ago was that Rodney's family or a friend of a friend knew a truck driver that offered to take them to CA and that happened to be John Ackroyd. She made a phone call in Lebanon from a pay phone and called a friend in WI. I believe it was a phone call to let someone know she was leaving but I am not sure of the full context of the conversation. That was the last time anyone heard from her. She did write letters to our dad also. I have read many, many articles and information for law enforcement over the years and have also met the previous detective that was assigned to her case years ago named Det. Ed Vance. He drove up to my dad's home in Olympia, WA and spoke to all of us for a few hours and also get our dad's DNA. We all are 99% sure Karen and Rodney were both victims of Ackroyd's. He was a monster. I listened to taped interviews he did with detectives and they are chilling! I wish they would have listened to Marlene when she reported her incident with him. I would like to know as much as possible. I have so many notes, articles, pictures, etc. that I've gotten over the years. I know she is not alive. Our family wants closure. Our dad passed away Nov. 3, 2016. I promised him I would never stop getting answers and once her remains are found we can have a proper burial. Every family deserves that. So, I pray soon this happens. I appreciate any further info anyone has to please share it. Thank you.

Have you asked the detective what happened to the articles of her clothing and the bone fragments that were found in 1978 near those items? I've always wondered since they are not listed in Namus.

Thank you for coming here and sharing what you could. <modsnip - referenced post was removed>

There is a websleuths member here from Oregon @JasonFutchLakeCityFL he has been working with detectives in the state. You may want to reach out to him and see what he knows too.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Charley Project has updated the details of their disappearance:

Details of Disappearance
Karen was last seen in Cornelius, Oregon on May 26, 1977. Authorities believe she left with Rodney Grissom, who disappeared two days before she did. The pair reportedly planned to hitchhike to California. They called a friend from a pay phone in Lebanon, Oregon after leaving home, then Karen said, "Our ride is here. I have to go." Karen and Rodney were never heard from again.

Later that year, some of the pair's belongings were found off a logging road in Linn County, Oregon. The items included Karen's jeans, some pages from her journal, and a blouse she'd sewn, and Rodney's watch and some of his other things. Karen's jeans appeared to have been cut.

Few details are available in Karen and Rodney's cases, but foul play is suspected.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Karen Jean Lee – The Charley Project

• 

Karen, circa 1977

Do you have a tip about these deaths or disappearances off Highway 20 in Oregon?

Do you have a tip about these deaths or disappearances off Highway 20 in Oregon?

www.oregonlive.com