Identified! WA - Clark Co., Fem Skeletal Remains, near Fly Creek, Feb'80 - Sandy Morden

there was some talk it was the green river killer, Gary ridgeway, I thought.

why was she not reported? Both parents were alive. Makes me suspicious. Also it was not common for fathers to take custody in that era. Lots of questions. RIP Sandy

I feel stupid for asking, but how old was Sandy (approx) when she went missing? I couldn't figure it out.
Anyway, I thought about why it may appear she wasn't reported missing. Here's what I think *may* have happened.
She may have been reported missing and it went no where and her loved one lost track of who was checking in with LE, something similar like with what happened with Tammy Jo Alexander.
Her parents were divorced and her mother moved around a lot, per one article. If Sandy went back and forth between her parents, as often happens, it's possible her parents lost track of whose residence she belonged to at the time, esp. if the parents were estranged and didn't talk to each other. Given the possible miscommunication, they might not have known she was missing, each assuming Sandy was with the other.
Hopefully we'll find out more in the days to come.
 
I feel stupid for asking, but how old was Sandy (approx) when she went missing? I couldn't figure it out.
Anyway, I thought about why it may appear she wasn't reported missing. Here's what I think *may* have happened.
She may have been reported missing and it went no where and her loved one lost track of who was checking in with LE, something similar like with what happened with Tammy Jo Alexander.
Her parents were divorced and her mother moved around a lot, per one article. If Sandy went back and forth between her parents, as often happens, it's possible her parents lost track of whose residence she belonged to at the time, esp. if the parents were estranged and didn't talk to each other. Given the possible miscommunication, they might not have known she was missing, each assuming Sandy was with the other.
Hopefully we'll find out more in the days to come.

Sandy was born in 1962 and last known location by investigators was in May 1977. I think they may be basing that May 1977 date on her school records since her parents are deceased now:

"She went to Binnesmead Middle School (now called Harrison Park) from 1974 to 1975 and Gaiser Middle School from 1975 to 1976, then Wilson High School in Portland in 1976 and 1977"

DNA testing helps ID Jane Doe found murdered in 1980

That makes Sandy about 15 years old when last seen. She could have been 16, depending on when her birthday falls in the year. That could be another way LE could verify when she was last seen-- if her birthday was in May (I don't know when it is just giving that as an example) or if some other important event fell in May 1977, then there might be a labeled photo of Sandy from that day.

There is a gap between 1977 when she was last known to be alive and 1980 when her remains were found. I'm not sure how accurate they can be on the dating of how long her remains were in the river, but they had to be there a while since they were skeletal. Theoretically, Sandy could have been 17 or 18 and already out of her parents home when she died. She could have gotten lost in the shuffle of her parent's divorce, like you said, and her family may have thought she was off living her own life.

We also know that back in the 1970's even if her parents had reported her missing at age 15 or 16 it might not have been taken seriously by LE. If LE thought she was a runaway teen very little was done back then. And if a report was filed it might have been purged after a certain amount of time passed. How many cases have we seen where the family thought their loved one had been reported missing only to find out that the case was never officially filed as a missing person or the case file was destroyed? It seems like we see it over and over again. :(

MOO.
 
I didn't believe my eyes, saw it on FB, so I had to check and double check. Yes, the person we are all looking for in this thread is identified after such a long time of not knowing. Sad and glad. RIP sweet Sandy Morden. Godspeed. Condolences to the family and friends.

Sandy Morden

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Here’s a timeline of events I put together, I will update them as information comes along to the public:

1962 - Sandy is born in San Francisco.

1960-73 - Sandy moves to Vancouver.

1972-74 - Sandy’s parents divorce.

1973-74 - Sandy attends 6th grade in Vancouver, unknown school.

1974 - Sandy moves to Portland, Oregon from Vancouver, Washington

1974-75 - Sandy attends 7th grade in Portland, Oregon, Binnesmead Middle School, now Harrison Park Middle School.

1975 - Sandy moves back to Vancouver, Washington from Portland, Oregon.

1975 - 1976 - Sandy attends 8th grade in Vancouver, Washington, Gaiser Middle School.

1976 - Sandy moves back to Portland, Oregon from Vancouver, Washington.

1976-1977 - Sandy attends 9th grade in Portland, Oregon, Wilson High School.

1977-78 - Sandy is murdered.

1980 - Sandy’s remains are found in Clark County, Washington.
 
Now that Sandy has been identified, I want to work on a few questions, it might lead us in a good direction on new information.

  1. How did Sandy end up in Clark County? We know she had lived there a year prior to her disappearance.
  2. What was going on in Sandy's personal life? What were her relationships like?
I will begin researching ASAP.
 
I’ve looked through my timeline so far and the custody issues between Sandy’s parents; it seems she bounced from home to home. It goes as follows;

1973 - Kathryn’s Custody; Vancouver
1974- Kathryn’s Custody; Portland
1975- Andy’s Custody; Vancouver
1976- Andy’s Custody; Portland
1977- Andy’s Custody; Portland
 
Sandy was born in 1962 and last known location by investigators was in May 1977. I think they may be basing that May 1977 date on her school records since her parents are deceased now:

"She went to Binnesmead Middle School (now called Harrison Park) from 1974 to 1975 and Gaiser Middle School from 1975 to 1976, then Wilson High School in Portland in 1976 and 1977"

DNA testing helps ID Jane Doe found murdered in 1980

That makes Sandy about 15 years old when last seen. She could have been 16, depending on when her birthday falls in the year. That could be another way LE could verify when she was last seen-- if her birthday was in May (I don't know when it is just giving that as an example) or if some other important event fell in May 1977, then there might be a labeled photo of Sandy from that day.

There is a gap between 1977 when she was last known to be alive and 1980 when her remains were found. I'm not sure how accurate they can be on the dating of how long her remains were in the river, but they had to be there a while since they were skeletal. Theoretically, Sandy could have been 17 or 18 and already out of her parents home when she died. She could have gotten lost in the shuffle of her parent's divorce, like you said, and her family may have thought she was off living her own life.

We also know that back in the 1970's even if her parents had reported her missing at age 15 or 16 it might not have been taken seriously by LE. If LE thought she was a runaway teen very little was done back then. And if a report was filed it might have been purged after a certain amount of time passed. How many cases have we seen where the family thought their loved one had been reported missing only to find out that the case was never officially filed as a missing person or the case file was destroyed? It seems like we see it over and over again. :(

MOO.
According to this article- ‘Fly Creek Jane Doe’ identified after 40 years, opening up potential new clues that could lead to teen girl’s murderer

Her mom put out a birthday announcement in the paper on April 29th 1977.

“Sandra Renee Morden, Happy 15th Birthday. Love Always -- Mom.”

Lindsay Schultz, a cold-case detective for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, has spent a lot of time thinking about that simple message.

“Was it just a mom who loved her daughter -- or did her mom know something and put it out there for that reason?” Schultz says. “It’s one of those two, right? You ponder it. You look at it and you think, What does it mean?
The birthday greeting was published in The Oregonian’s classified-advertising section on April 29, 1977.

Which was right about the time the teenager disappeared -- forever.
 
Just found out about her identification today! Was intrigued by the lack of missing circumstances or details. In the article-https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2019/10/fly-creek-jane-doe-identified-after-40-years-opening-up-potential-new-clues-that-could-lead-to-teen-girls-murderer.html?outputType=amp it states her family believes her parents (divorced and not communicating) may have thought she was with the other. I personally wonder about any significant others they may have had. She apparently was unsupervised often and a 'latchkey' kid since her dad was away working on tugboats.
 
According to this article- ‘Fly Creek Jane Doe’ identified after 40 years, opening up potential new clues that could lead to teen girl’s murderer

Her mom put out a birthday announcement in the paper on April 29th 1977.

Wow. :eek: That could be nothing. But it really makes me wonder if Sandy was already "missing" in April 1977. Was her mom was hoping she would see the Birthday ad and call home? But if that is the case, then where did the confirmation that she was seen in May 1977 come from? I'm thinking there must be a birthday photo or someone else in the family who says they saw her on her 15th birthday. MOO.
 
Last edited:
UPDATE-

Based on timing, I was able to date better custody timings.

1973 - Kathryn’s Custody in Vancouver, Washington.
1974 - Kathryn’s Custody in Portland, Oregon.
1975 - (CUSTODY CHANGE) Andy’s Custody in Vancouver, Washington from January to June
1975 - (CUSTODY CHANGE) Kathryn’s Custody in Vancouver, Washington.
1976 - (CUSTODY CHANGE) Andy obtains Sandy’s Custody in the Summer of 1976.
1977 - Andy’s Custody in Portland, Oregon.
 
Wow. :eek: That could be nothing. But it really makes me wonder if Sandy was already "missing" in April 1977. Was her mom was hoping she would see the Birthday ad and call home? But if that is the case, then where did the confirmation that she was seen in May 1977 come from? I'm thinking there must be a birthday photo or someone else in the family who says they saw her on her 15th birthday. MOO.

Hi Gardener1850, maybe I missed it but where did you see a note about her seen in May 1977? Is is because of this frase? "Records indicate Sandy may have still been in school in May of 1977, but it’s not clear. That lack of clarity fits with the rest of the case"

According to the custody timeline (thanks to Tmmeye) her dad had custody in 1977, the parents not communicating anymore, so maybe her mother thought a call would have been blocked and a send postcard taken away by her ex-husband. To be sure her daughter got her birthday wishes she put an add. Maybe she didn't know he was away a lot.

In 1974 Katheryn had custody. On the pictures of a family gathering we can see her and dad. It looks like there was still contact between her parents, although they were divorced by that time: "Diner at Kathy's"....could be any Kathy but I think it was at her mother's.
 
Last edited:
UPDATE-

Based on timing, I was able to date better custody timings.

1973 - Kathryn’s Custody in Vancouver, Washington.
1974 - Kathryn’s Custody in Portland, Oregon.
1975 - (CUSTODY CHANGE) Andy’s Custody in Vancouver, Washington from January to June
1975 - (CUSTODY CHANGE) Kathryn’s Custody in Vancouver, Washington.
1976 - (CUSTODY CHANGE) Andy obtains Sandy’s Custody in the Summer of 1976.
1977 - Andy’s Custody in Portland, Oregon.

The girl's estimated date of birth is 1964 to 1967 (actually it was 1962) and the estimated date of death is between November 1978 and April 1979, Hogman said. If this is accurate what happened between 1977 (In dad's custody) and the estimated date of death. She knew Vancouver from her youth and her mother lived there, so it's not that strange she was found in Clark County. Although Fly Creek doesn't seem logical to me in this story....Is it a place you go for camping/holiday?
 
Hi Gardener1850, maybe I missed it but where did you see a note about her seen in May 1977? Is is because of this frase? "Records indicate Sandy may have still been in school in May of 1977, but it’s not clear. That lack of clarity fits with the rest of the case"

According to the custody timeline (thanks to Tmmeye) her dad had custody in 1977, the parents not communicating anymore, so maybe her mother thought a call would have been blocked and a send postcard taken away by her ex-husband. To be sure her daughter got her birthday wishes she put an add. Maybe she didn't know he was away a lot.

In 1974 Katheryn had custody. On the pictures of a family gathering we can see her and dad. It looks like there was still contact between her parents, although they were divorced by that time: "Diner at Kathy's"....could be any Kathy but I think it was at her mother's.

Kathy is short for Kathryn, Katherine, and Kathleen. I would suspect it is her mother, but she went by Irene a lot.
 
The girl's estimated date of birth is 1964 to 1967 (actually it was 1962) and the estimated date of death is between November 1978 and April 1979, Hogman said. If this is accurate what happened between 1977 (In dad's custody) and the estimated date of death. She knew Vancouver from her youth and her mother lived there, so it's not that strange she was found in Clark County. Although Fly Creek doesn't seem logical to me in this story....Is it a place you go for camping/holiday?

Fly Creek is the region for where she was found - it is actually called Canyon Creek
 
Speaking of custody battle and my question of her personal life, I would like to use the analogy of Chewing Gum.

Chewing Gum loses its flavor after you chew it.
So, think of every custody change as a chew, and think of Sandy’s emotions as flavor. Losing flavor = change in emotions.
 
Hi Gardener1850, maybe I missed it but where did you see a note about her seen in May 1977? Is is because of this frase? "Records indicate Sandy may have still been in school in May of 1977, but it’s not clear. That lack of clarity fits with the rest of the case"

According to the custody timeline (thanks to Tmmeye) her dad had custody in 1977, the parents not communicating anymore, so maybe her mother thought a call would have been blocked and a send postcard taken away by her ex-husband. To be sure her daughter got her birthday wishes she put an add. Maybe she didn't know he was away a lot.

In 1974 Katheryn had custody. On the pictures of a family gathering we can see her and dad. It looks like there was still contact between her parents, although they were divorced by that time: "Diner at Kathy's"....could be any Kathy but I think it was at her mother's.

You're right. I am just assuming she was "seen" or that there was some other evidence of her whereabouts in May 1977. I was going by this statement:
"Investigators don’t know where Sandy was between May 1977 and when her remains were found in February 1980."
DNA testing helps ID Jane Doe found murdered in 1980
I was drawing a conclusion from that statement that they knew where she was in May 1977, but not after that.
I wonder what kind of school records they have that make it "not clear" if she was in school in May 1977? I can't imagine that the school still had things like attendance records or report cards from 1977 in their files.

MOO.
 
I feel stupid for asking, but how old was Sandy (approx) when she went missing? I couldn't figure it out.
Anyway, I thought about why it may appear she wasn't reported missing. Here's what I think *may* have happened.
She may have been reported missing and it went no where and her loved one lost track of who was checking in with LE, something similar like with what happened with Tammy Jo Alexander.
Her parents were divorced and her mother moved around a lot, per one article. If Sandy went back and forth between her parents, as often happens, it's possible her parents lost track of whose residence she belonged to at the time, esp. if the parents were estranged and didn't talk to each other. Given the possible miscommunication, they might not have known she was missing, each assuming Sandy was with the other.
Hopefully we'll find out more in the days to come.

wild horses couldn't drag me if i couldn't locate one of mine though, even as adults!!

LE says thy want to know where she was after 1977 that thy cant track her from 77-80. she would have been 15 then.
 

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