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Mission Statistics |
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Because we receive over 750 calls a year, we
have too many calls to continue to list. Feel free to ask for update version on
People searches. |
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TRAINING:
1972-1974 Started in SAR (search and rescue) with Multnomah County Sheriff’s
Department Explorer Post#900 attached to #631 for SAR.
(Documentation of searches and findings on file at MCSO).
1974-1977. Search unit US Army Military Police. Helicopter Rescue Support.
(Classified Files). US Army.
1979-1980 Morrow County Sheriff’s Dept. SAR Coordinator.
(Documentation of rescues on file with MCSO).
1984-1986 Mazama’s safety climbing instructor, crevasse rescue.
1986-1992 Portland Mountain Rescue. Team leader, co instructor.
(Documentation of search and rescue missions and findings on file with PMR and
CCSO).
1986-1988 Oregon DOGS. Dogs Organized for Ground Search and Rescue.
SAR Dog Handler.
1988-1996 Mountain Wilderness Search Dogs. Coordinator, dog handler, instructor.
1996-Current International K-9 Search and Rescue Services. Coordinator, dog
handler, instructor.
SAR Findings.
86 86-001 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood Climbing Accident-OES school incident. Team leader
PMR-Team#23, Day#2 and T#2 Day #3. Assisted in locating and recovering two dead
adults, 7 dead children. Molly, Gyles, Karen and Leader Ralph Summers survived
87-001 Clack. Co. Evidence Search-Kidnap-Homicide. Lake Oswego PD ref:
Homicide.SAR Dog Kodi-Dirt Burial-Located evidence for LOPD.
87-003 Skamania Co. Mt. St. Helens,Washington Lost Climber.PMR/ MWSD-Team.
Missing person Deahdore Baskar-SAR Kodi located him weak but OK on Monitor Ridge
coming down.Lightly dressed.Windbreaker and light clothing.
87-004 Wheeler Co.Fossil Ore. Escapee from Court House. "Anderson". Team:H.Oakes
SAR Kodi.Results:Tracked all night long to where deputies and OSP located
suspect in a camp ground where we tracked. GOOD JOB -KODI.
87-005 Skamania Co. Mt. St. Helens,Washington 3 missing climbers. two adult male
one juvenile female. Bad weather.Monitor ridge. Kodi and I located them alive
and cold one thousand feet up the trail from base camp.
03-30-88 88-008 Mult. Co. Research Oxbow Park for Fred Trinkle's remains Team:
H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Ranger Keeps alerting in river downstream
100yrds from pls. Requested dive team to come recover victim.
88-010 Mult.Co. Oxbow Park Drowning-Thong Diah-Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
Results: Located victim in water. Downstream 40 yrds.
88-011 Kidnap Homicide-Doreen Ratterman-Delrey Beach,Oregon. Team:H.Oakes SAR
Dog Ranger.Results: Located evidence-Bag of sperm/urine from suspect.
88-015 Clack. Co. Lake Oswego Golf Course. Altz. Pt. missing in hot weather x 5
days. Mr. William Griffee. Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Detective f/ LOPD.
Ranger located area where victim had died in briar patch from heart attack.
Detective gave Ranger and I credit for the find.
88-016 Skamania County. Stevenson, Washington Drowning.Victim "J.Weeks"
Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog "Ranger" and SAR Dog Rommel. SR#14 MP55. Located victim in
94 feet deep water in Columbia River.
88-018 Clackamas County, Ripplebrook Ranger District. Lost Deer Hunter C.
Walker. Teams: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Judy with SAR Dog Rommell. Results:
Victim left business cards that ID him and what path he was taking. Both Ranger
and Rommell ID path and led to victim being found alive.
88-023 Skamania Co. Sioxon Creek Mitchel Peak, Washington. Mitchel Sowa Search.
Lost Elk Hunter. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. JP Troyer SSSAR, Results:
Ranger, myself and JP tracked victim and airscented into area where we put hasty
team in and located victim with fx leg. Hypothermic. GOOD JOB Ranger. The SAR
deputy stated, "We would not have searched this area if it wasn't for Rangers
alerting into it. It was to far out of the search area.
88-025 Armenia Earthquake USSR. Four of MWSD teams geared up and placed on S/B.
We were able to send two teams. We also sent $3000.00 worth of medical gear we
gathered through donations in with NW Medical teams. I coordinated K-9 missions
with OFDA.
01-28-89 89-003 Clack.Co. Mount Hood White River Canyon. During Training
excersice We (PMR) located an injured boy in White River Canyon. Fx-C Spine.Took
3 raising systems to bring him out.
89-005 Polk Co. "Jay Burroughs"-Homicide-Pee Dee, Ore. Victim missing 45 days.
Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: MWSD Teams Located victims buried in dirt
and debri pile. Also located vital evidence in crime scene to show where victim
was killed (SHOT) how he was transported to burial site, where evidence was in
an abondoned house to show who shot victim and when and where.
89-007 Columbia Co. Drowning-Sauvies Island.Victim"Weslie Desell' R/C from Lt.
C.Co.SO. req. teams. Upon responding-All teams canceled as "Sheriff didn't want
MWSD teams there." Family called us in privately. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
We responded and within 15 minutes located victim 20 yrds out 40 feet deep in
the water. I called the sheriff to come get the victim and he refused. Oregon
State Police notified and did recovery. Sheriff mad because his dive team didn’t
find the victim and we did. Victim’s father present when the body was recovered
on the beach the next day and when we made the find.
89-008 Clack. Co. Salmon River Canyon area. Welches,Ore. Missing hiker Glen
Crum" missing x 4 days. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Hiked to assigned area to
clear. While enroute to area. Ranger and Smokey alerted over cliff. 304th AFRS
was flying overhead at the time and we asked them to inspect the area. They
located the victim DOA from fall and hypothermia. Same area where dogs alerted
over cliff. Good job Ranger and Smokey.
89-010 Clack.Co. Squaw Mtn. Joey Lefler lost 3 year old with 3 dogs.
Teams:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Sheriff was going to call of search due to lack of
clues. On Sat. Ranger and I and ST located boys footprints put MWSD containment
team in area and we located the boy alive the next day.
89-014 Clack.Co. Mt.Hood S. Side Missing Climber. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
Results: 304th Located victim in white river canyon during search.
89-016 Clark Co. Vanc. Wash. David Douglas Park Missing 2 boys. William and Cole
Neer. Teams: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. MWSD and SSSAR. SSSAR found two boys dead.
Murdered and molested & Stabbed to death. Ranger Tracked suspect from victim’s
body, one mile into city to Andresen st. Vanc. PD with us on track. (Suspect)
parked his car here and then left the scene after the crime.
89-023 Skamania Co. Dog Creek, Carson, Washington High Angle Rope Rescue. Hiker
and baby stranded on cliff. Team: H.Oakes, MWSD teams, and SSSAR teams. RESULTS.
I climbed up to victim and we rappelled off cliff together. Rick Blevins belayed
and did a GREAT JOB. We saved her and her unborn child.
89-024 Polk Co. Fall City,Ore. Lost Searcher(Volunteer Fireman).
Team:MWSD-H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Ranger picked up victims trail and
located direction of travel. I put Searcher Ben Lill up ahead as a containment
and we located the victim the next morning. Hypothermic. Good Job Ranger and
everyone.
89-025 Washington Co. Missing 17y/o boy. Washington Co. SO searched area with
police and detectives and ESAR. Nothing Found. Family called us in.Team: H.Oakes
SAR Dog Ranger. During interview of Father, he was very nervous and giving me
alibis when (It wasn't needed during the interview). Cleared assigned search
area 95%. Victim found in our search area in Creek in 3" deep of water. Three
weeks later. Same area that Wash. Co. SO and MWSD teams searched. Victim was not
there in the creek during the search. His body was placed in the creek after the
search. Father is the suspect in the "Drowning" Death of his son. Detectives
refered to this case.
89-027 Vanc.Lake-Clark Co. Vanc.Wash. Lee Isle's body found by pheasant hunter
dead and molested.Same as in Cole Neer and William Neers case. Evidence Search.
Ranger located physical evidence
89-028 Clark Co. Yacolt, Washington Missing Deer Hunter. Tim Bunner-Team:H.Oakes
SAR Dog Ranger and MWSD Teams. Results: Ranger tracked victim into canyon (after
bloodhound team couldn't locate victim). Ranger located victim alive and very
wet and cold next to creek.
89-031 Wahkiakum Co. Wash. Missing Bow hunter Butch Huston. Team: H.Oakes SAR
Dog Ranger ,Scott Rich SAR Dog Otis. Ben Lill. Results: We located victim DOA
Frozen against a log. Died from Hypothermia. HE had all the survival gear but
didn't use it in time. Ranger alerted over ridge third day of search. Gave 12-49
alert. I informed Scott to go down there with Otis and locate victim as we were
too exhausted and needed some rest. Scott found him right where Ranger alerted.
90-007 Ohio,Shadeyville floods. H.Oakes coordinated with Fire Dept. on who to
bring in and how to use them effectively for locating bodies. I coordinated
searchdog teams.
90-012 Chemult,Ore. Private Search for missing 9 year old on a pony lost Oct. of
89. Sheriff of Klamath Co. REFUSED 9 offers from MWSD teams during initial major
search. MWSD Teams went in and within 48 Hours we were able to pinpoint the
airscent alerts where MWSD Teams located remains in coyote feces and Bill G. and
SAR Dog Lady assisted in bringing in more teams who located saddle and more
remains. All teams given credit for finding Nathan Madsen. SAD Ending to an
innocent child because a sheriff in Klamath Co. had his head up his ass. The
sheriff’s office searched for 9 months and couldn’t find anything. We searched
for 16 hours and found the victim in the original search area. I coordinated
private k-9 sar ops.
90-013 Philippine Earthquake Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Kathy Gunn SAR Dog
Kodi. We flew as part of the Seattle King Co. Disaster team. We located 25 sites
where 59 dead victims were recovered. Per Lt. From SOG Special Forces Task
Force. Also assisted in grief therapy and first aid of injured. I coordinated
Sar ops. and worked the disaster with SAR Dog Ranger.
90-015 Polk Co. Missing 11 year old child with a gun. Nathan Montez Search.
Suicide. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Bill G.SAR Dog Lady. Results: We
located victim DOA self inflicted gun shot wound to head. I coordinated sar ops.
And assisted in crime scene investigation and grief therapy for family. SAD
ending.
90-019 Mt Adams Suprise Lake Sk.Co.So. missing mushroom picker George Takahasi.
Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger K-9-1. Tracked from PLS 5 miles NE accross lava
field. Set up road containment and they located him with us right on his trail.
Sheriff Dept Coordinator stated that it was “Ranger’s track that directed
containment teams to locate this missing person.
90-023 Sk.Co. Homicide case "GreenRiver Case"Rd#10. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
Results:located victims clothing and cosmetics. Evidence find.
10-29-90 90-025 Polk Co. Injured/lost mushroom picker. Sue Smith. Team: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Victim located upon our arrival down 1500Foot canyon.
She suffered a fall over a 40 foot cliff into a creek. Fx Leg. Hypothermic. It
took us 9 raising systems to bring her out.
90-033 Lost Inj. Hunter. Polk Co. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger Results: Tracked
to where we found hunter tired but ok. Drunk.
90-35 Lincoln Co. Missing Mushroom Picker Jody Cox. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
Results: We tracked victim to where we located his bucket of mushrooms and his
rain jacket. On Road where all scent and sign indicates he was picked up by a
car. Sub. investigation showed that two subjects involved with drugs with this
person, took him out of the search area and killed him. His body was found three
years later out of the search area.
90-036 Sk.Co. Luin Biddix Missing teenager hunter. Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog
Ranger.Results: Subj. Located alive by other MWSD Sar team. I coordinated K-9
teams. We found him alive.
Mult.Co. Missing hikers (Mazamas) Pat Lidrich and Kathy Spencer. Mult.Co.
Refused our services and canceled their own efforts after two days of searching.
We responded privately and picked up victims trail. 304th located victims 5 days
into their search in snow alive and hypothermic 9 miles away. Mult. Co. was very
embarassed on this one as they should have been. Very poor management on Mult.
Co. SO’s part. They were really embarrassed when 304th landed the women alive in
the parking lot right in front of the news cameras. Great job 304th. J.
91-Douglas Co. SO. Missing child Tommy Gibson. Kidnap/Homicide. Team:H.Oakes SAR
Dog Ranger.Results: Douglas Co. Deputy Larry Gibson claimed ,”his son was
kidnapped in the country down a private rd where two big dogs were sitting in
front of with a Marked Police car parked in front of house and four people home
sitting in front of Picture Window”. Oregon State Police served search warrant
on his house today and asked our team to assist. Larry suspected and later
convicted of killing Tommy and fabricating story.
Everything I found showed me that Larry did kill tommy in the kitchen while
tommy was eatting and then laid the child outside. Larry then put tommy in back
of patrol car and left the scene. Tommys remains have never been found yet.
Larry convicted of homicide. Ranger located tommy's shirt where larry buried it
outside house under corregated tin roofing.
91-016 Sitka,Ak. Coordinated missing coastguardsman -Coordinated SAR efforts.
Subject located at girlfriends AWOL.
91-027 Mult.Co.Private Call Missing 13y.o male Peter Rudge. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog
Ranger.Results: Located evidence that showed Diane Waldon was kidnap suspect and
investigated matter. Diane arrested back east at hotel. Portland Police very
upset that their detectives missed what we found.
91-150-045 Clark.Co. Missing 9 yo child Hannah Narvel. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog
Ranger. Girl missing x 4 hours. rural area near Battleground, Wash. Ranger
tracked from PLS to laundry room where she was sleeping under numerous amounts
of clothes inside a sleeping bag curled up
91-151-046 Sitka,Ak. S/B to fly teams up for missing hunter. Coord. search by
Fax and telephone. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Victim located DOA from fall
over cliff. Teams canceled.
91-152-047 Hood River Co. Missing Hunter Corey Faye Teams:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger
and MWSD teams. Results: We were called in privately after SO refused to use all
available resources. During the search-our teams located death site and suspect.
This after local search teams from the sheriff’s dept failed to find any clues.
Suspect failed 5 polygraphs regarding Corey’s death.
91-157-052. Mt. Hood White River Canyon. Inj. Skier. On scene found inj. xc
skier and rescued him. Ranger found him in canyon.
92-159-001 Mult. Co. PPB Evidence search ref: Homicide. Rocky Butte. Portland,
Ore. Found evidence for PPB. Team; H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
92-168-010 Mult.Co. Rock Rescue-Team:H.Oakes . While up rock climbing I heard a
cry for help. I responded to a drunk person in cowboy boots 30feet up on the
cliff face. I then Set up a lowering system and performed a single person
rescue. Victim lowered to the ground and given a stern lecture.
92-174-016 Vanc.BC Canada Call. Missing 16y/o suicide Michael Hammond. Missing x
6 months. Team:H.Oakes, B.Oakes Ranger and Jim and Brandy. Results: We located
where he died in the ocean. Tswwassen BC.
92-182-024 Polk Co. Jason Miller -Suicide.Team: H.Oakes Ranger. Results: Ranger
located subjects pack and area which led searchers to the victim. Ranger stung
by 7 bees from hornets nest. Also located two marijuana Grow operations. Polk
Co. SO removed same.
92-193-035 Sk.Co. Byron Shurleff -Missing Mushroom picker. Mt. Adams. Team: H.
Oakes/Ranger. Results: Ranger tracked victim to where we located him alive.
92-194-036 Missing child in Brush Prarie area. Clark Co. Anthony Cochran I got
search organized using ICS System. very unorganized at first. Large effort.
Subj. located the next day by 304th. Ranger led the 304th to this area.
92-200-042 Polk CO. Missing Deer Hunter Lukiamoot Area. T Team: H. Oakes Ranger
Results: we found him alive and cold.
11-16-92 92-201-043 Polk Co. RD#18. Buckman Howard-Missing Deer hunter. Team H.
Oakes Ranger. Results:MWSD Located this victim cold and wet.
92-206-048 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood, Ore. Ski Accident Mike Lilly White River Canyon
Rescue. We were training that day when Ranger located the injured skier laying
in the snow weak from Hypothermia. Ranger layed next to the victim to assist in
rewarming. Pt had a dislocated patella. BUCK RAT assisted MWSD in extracation.
Good Job Ranger.
92-186-028(E). Clark Co. Body Recovery-Columbia Tie Rd. Amboy, Wash. Homicide.
Shot in head and buried. Team:MWSD H.Oakes/Ranger Ken Bowlsby.
12-16-92 92-205-047(C). Coleman Search Lost Hunter Team: H.Oakes Ranger.
Results: Victim located in water where Ranger and other SAR Dogs alerted.
93-209-001 Clack.Co. Mt. Hood Ore. White River Canyon Inj. X-C skier Mike Levine
Team MWSD. Rescue inj skier.
93-211-003 Clatsop Co. Water Rescue Seaside,Ore. South Shore beach. (On Scene)
Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Brandon Oakes. Results: While walking on the
beach we witnessed 5 children get pulled out to sea by a sneaker wave tide
undertow. One girl made it out on her own. Two parents jumped in and saved their
children and that left two children still heading out to sea. Drowning. Brandon
acted as a spotter while Ranger and I went to help. I swam out to the boy and
pulled him out of the water and Ranger swam 30 yards out to the little girl and
she hung on to his tail while he pulled her in. Fire Dept.and Police notified of
incident by family. Great Save Ranger. Brandon acted as spotter. Did great job.
NOTE: We later were the first search dog team to ever be awarded the “Higgins’
and Langley Swift Water rescue award for this rescue.
93-218-010 Clark Co. Washugal Wash. Columbia River. " Mark R. Smith" Bad weather
Team: H. Oakes Ranger and MWSD teams located victim in water. Recovered
93-226-018 Missing Hiker-Hoskins-West Side of Mt. Angelas. Olympic National
Forest. Missing x 13 days. Ranger & I flew into sight by helo. We found him in
less then 20 minutes on scene. West Side. He had fallen 350' over a cliff to his
death. We assisted in the body recovery with park rangers and MT. Rescue. We
found his remains after local search dog teams and Mtn. rescue teams searched
the same area for 14 days.
93-228-020 Clark. Co. Suicide. Columbia River. Team: H. Oakes Ranger Located
victim dead in water. Souri Yavang.
93-258-050 Polk Co. Missing 17y/o girl with 7 year old mentality. We were told
this would be a cadaver search. Missing X(3) days in very cold weather. Girl
with her cockerspaniel. Dallas, Ore. WE FOUND HER AND HER DOG BARELY alive.:}
Body core temp 92 and heading down. Girl unconcsious. Dog cuddled inside her
jacket saved her life. MERRY CHRISTMAS. This after search teams and police
searched for her for 3 days and nights and found nothing. We found her alive in
30 minutes.
94-263-001 Mult.Co. Missing female runaway. Kristen Stearns.
Team:H.Oakes/Ranger. We tracked her down alive.
94-267-005(A). Mutual Aid Cleared assigned areas by Orange Co. SAR. Found one
dead in Apts that were burned out. Also assisted in Grief therapy.
Team:H.Oakes/Ranger J.Burgett/ Brandy.
94-269-009 Clatsop Co. Private Missing person search Dela Carlson 77y/o altz pt.
Phase#(1). Cleared area of highest POA. Picked up her track found her foot
prints and toilet paper every time she changed to another road. We located all
this evidence and her remains after Clatsop Co. and Search one K-9 detection
searched entire area for three days and told family she wasn't out there.
94-269-009 "G" Private Dela Carlson Search. While inspecting the death scene.
Ranger located Dela's Jaw bone and teeth under a tree. This is after Clatsop Co.
SO stated to Janice, Leroy and Oscar that, "We recovered everything after an
extensive search of the scene.". Witnesses to the remainder of the body part
recovery was Janice, Leroy and Kris Desylvia.
94-315-53(A-B-C) Private Missing Person Bryan Meier Age 23 found DOA in
Willamette River.
94-338-075 Missing Person "Dan-O-Johnson Pack 657 BSA Camp Discovery Missing
Child. Ranger tracked him to canyon creek where he was hiding.
94-341-078 D. Pat Reudinick Columbia River drowning. WPD. We located his remains
in the water with the search dogs.
94-335-027 (D-O). C. Hall Pine Bluff, Arkansas Homicide. Flew and worked
homicide located suspect and ID same through scent evidence on his boots and his
vehicle. Good job Ranger.
94-359-096 Homicide x 2 . Carlson case Clark Co. Battle Ground Wash. Ranger and
Shadow located where victims were killed and id suspect and how he transported
victims out of the area. This after detectives went through home and didn’t find
anything. Detectives got a search warrant based on our search dog teams
findings. Found evidence. ID suspect. Good Job Ranger and Shadow. Suspect
convicted of double homicide.
94-371-108 Mtn Rescue (2) Searchers Mt St Helens, Wash. Call came in for help
from SSSAR. Responded and assisted in rewarming victims. Medical response.
11-03/04-94 94-378-115 Lost Mushroom picker Bun My Loeng Sk.Co. request for
assist. Canceled upon arrival due to weather. Skamania Co. Director of EMS
screwed this one up really bad. His ignorance along with the victims cost the
victim his life. I wrote a letter to Gov. Locke. He didn’t do anything about it.
I got removed from the callout list from the office of emergency management
state of Washington for opening my mouth and exposing the truth.
94-391-128 Body Recovery Class 5 water Wind River Sk.Co. asked to be there to
supervise recovery ny SSSAR. Drowning. Kayaker caught in a strainer of logs.
Died from Hypothermia. "Dave" Victim. Sk. Co. S.O. on scene and refused to allow
local assistance to rescue the victim while he was struggling to stay alive.
94-385-122(C) Clark Co. Brian Harris. MWSD teams located victim in search area
after search one, Clark Co. SO and SAR and SSSAR and NCEMS and bloodhound team
failed to locate him. We found him DOA in search area in less then 15 minutes.
Supervised body recovery. We found prior search teams flagging ribbon, 10 feet
from his head.
95-439-035 Clark Co. Missing Person "Linda Obrien NE 57th Vanc. Wash. Team: H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Tracked from house to bus stop where tracked
stopped behind Vanc. mall. Blood hound confirmed Val's track. Subject later (4)
days, called family from Colorado stating she was ok and confirmed that was the
route she took. Good job Valorie.
95-458-054 Oklahoma City Bombing-Disaster Response Federal Building Bombing
Murrah Bldg Bombing. Teams: H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Valorie alerted on
four areas. Fire dept told me later they found 4 dead kids & 6 adult body parts.
The book Valorie’s Valor came out of this tragedy. (Some FEMA teams passed
around bad rumors that,”We got kicked out of the scene”. Nothing was further
from the truth. All 25 on scene nonfema teams were asked to leave on Sunday
morning, so only the FEMA teams could finish working the site. (This so
President B. Clinton could get more funding for the Fed. FEMA system).
*04-23-95 95-467-063 Drowning Sitka, Ak. Assist in coordinating find and
recovery Lisianskie Peninsulla, Sitka, Ak Coord. Called drowning of Randy Helem.
After dogs and my map assit they found subject in 220 Feet ocean deep water.
95-426-022 Polk Co. Water Search Independance, Ore." John Pope" Search (F) With
K-9-20 assist. Loc. Sub. in 29 feet water down stream from first searches and
out 20 feet from other side East side of embankmant.
07-31-95 Polk Co.SO, FallsCity,Ore.Kidnap(1) Sexual Abuse(1) case Camp Killowan
Lower Greenwood Cabin.Victim: S. P. Stayton,Ore. age: 10. Between 0430Hrs. and
0500Hrs. suspect entered victim’s cabin through front door of cabin while she
was asleep and kidnapped her at knife point. He then took her down the trail and
molested her. She reported the actions to Polk Co. SO. They did their
investigation and grid searched the area for evidence. We were then called in on
07-31-95 and searched the area. See report for findings.
09-02-95 Clark Co. Washington. Clark Co.Sheriffs Dept. Request Possible Kidnapp
homicide case. DEM#95-1217 Martha, Michael and Crystal Beeson missing from NE
72ave. Vanc. Wash. R.P. Sgt. Warren CCSO. Teams: See unit list. Coordinator for
MWSD H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie. Results: Searched Victims house. Door broken in
from front door. Blood found small amounts throughout the house. Valorie and
Tracker gave strong STRESS alerts inside living room and bathroom. MWSD did area
search of property and found no bodies. CCSO obtained search warrant based on
our findings. (NOTE). DA’s office established my expertise on scent, scent
evidence, training SAR Dogs, made me an expert witness. As soon as I completed
my testimony in the courtroom, the suspect stood up. Stopped the trial, and
plead guilty stating our search dogs were 100% accurate in their track of the
victim(s) and suspect.
10-06/07-95 Clack.Co. Private search for missing Mt. Climber on Mt. Hood. Ken
Budlong. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results. Rode chair lifts to top
of palmer and then climbed to NW ridge of Illumination rock. Picked up death
alerts at base of Ill. rock and minor alerts at saddle top. Winds from west at
35 gusting. ICY. Wrote report and faxed to Hood River Co. S O. Alerts coming
from Reid Glacier and Yocum Ridge area. 7800 to 8200 foot levels. Body is in
crevasse on Reid Glacier. Observed fall line, slide. I filed report with
sheriff’s office. Body still in crevasse to this day.
95-569-164 Drowning Clark Co. Camas Washington. 14year old, (Billie Talent)
drowned 10-13-95 while fishing with a friend. Responded teams.H.Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1 located victim along with other SAR Dog teams down stream from PLS
in Class 3 water.
95-569-164(C). Grief Therapy Camas Middle School. Ref: Billy Talent body
recovery.
95-614-209(B). 12-06-95 Grief Therapy Tangent,Ore. with employees of Hessel
Corp. Team: H.Oakes /Valorie K-9-1. Results: Went very well.
96-668-024(C) 01-25-96 Cowlitz Co. Drowning X (2). Dennis Svoboda and Larry
Mansur. Two missing fisherman. Missing X 4 days. Searched their favorite fishing
holes. Very cold outside. Snowing in hills. Winds from West 0-5 MPH. Air
temp..35f. Water 42F. One found by valorie in 40 feet of water and one found in
60 feet of water. Grief therapy 1 hour with family after debriefing. We located
victims whereabouts after sheriff’s dept and dive team failed to. Sheriff
continues to badmouth us to the newspaper on this one. Family witnessed our
search and findings. One body found upstream. (this isn’t a surprise since there
are TIDAL currents from the ocean in this section of river and heavy boat and
barge traffic that tow bodies up and down river all the time.
96-676-032(A). 02-11-96 Marion Co. Hwy 99E Drowning X(3) OSP request. Team:
H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie and SSSAR(x)2. Victims. Gonon, Satey and Santiago
Alblino HMA's. Drowned when their vehicle went off road into flooded onion
field. Made 12 passes. Valorie located both on second pass. 100 feet down stream
from PLS. OSP Advised. All 3 bodies recovered.
05-05-96 96-727-083(B). Marion Co. Searched Willamette River near Mission St.
Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Found human in water DOA. Police
advised.
96-730-086(D). Clatsop Co. Searched for David Wahl at alleged last pls. Teams:
Harry Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: See report and diagrams. Numerous
death alerts. We made phone call and found body. It had washed up in Gray’s
Harbor, Wa. They sent notice to Clatsop Co. Clatsop Co. didn’t do anything. Med.
Exam. Buried body as a john doe. We had David’s remains exhumed and reautopsied.
Proved it was murder, turned case over to OSP who obtained conviction of David’s
girlfriend. This after police and search one k-9 detection failed to find
anything. We were never once given credit for this find. The family took all the
credit on tv.
05-30-96 96-730-087(I). David Wahl Mission. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
RESULTS: David was found two weeks after he disappeared by Aberdeen, Wash. PD.
Naked and Headless. ID through Fingerprinted. Listed as John Doe until yesterday
when Positive ID was made through prints. Already buried. Legal records will
show I located the where abouts of David’s remains.
05-28-96 96-750-106(A). Clack. Co. Drowning Clackamas River High Rocks Area
Gladstone, Ore. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Initial Interview
and grief therapy started.
05-29-96 96-750-106(B). Clack. Co. Drowning search. Team: H.Oakes SAR dog
Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located body in 20 feet of water moving at surface at 4
feet per second.
08-07-96 96-805-161(A).Clarksville City PD Nix, Diana Homicide Evidence
Search-Searched victims vehicle and located death alert at drivers seat foot
pedals and carpet areas.
08-08-96 96-788-144(F) worked Beard Case. Found death and stress alerts in
suspect vehicles at crime lab.
96-805-160(B). Diana Nix Homicide. Searched house with detectives from
Clarksville City PD. Search Warrant for shoes.
08-09-96 96-799-155(B). Viola Morgan Warren Co. Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Kidnapped case from Apt. Tracked with Kentucky State Patrol and worked with FBI
on this case. Successful track to where vehicle parked and switched victim to
another vehicle.
08-10-96 96-788-144(H). Worked Beard Case Found evidence. Tracked suspect to
same location where we tracked Jackie. Death alert in suspects house and found
shove with dirt and hair on it in suspects closet.
09-28-96 96-858-214 Performed BLS Aid on Heart attack patient in flight.
Patient: S. Felts Age# 36. Clarksville, Tenn. Dr. Admin. 2lpm O2 Rebreather.
Monitored vitals and Dr. Admin. 2 nitro. ALS team met us at the airport.
Flight#1575 Nashville to Dallas.
10-09-96 96-839-196(K). Marion Co. Grief Therapy at sight where Mariah's body
was found. With Ellen Pelker. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Krista also
present. MWSD teams able to prove Mariah was murdered and who the suspects were.
Police took suspects into custody.
11-20-96 96-893-249 Mult. Co. Bad Guy Pursuit. PPB Request. 122nd and Fremont
1210Hrs. Came accross PPB who had one burglar in custody. One escaped. Put
Valorie on track (Footprint near seen) id as suspect#2. We tracked North on 122
from Fremont to Marine Dr. East to 162 then south (152) turns into 162nd. to
telephone booth and bus stop. Suspect ID by PPB. BMJ age 16 used to live 138 and
Sandy.
12-10-96 96-910-266 (C). Wash. Co. Missing Person: Cynthia Grotjohn: Team: Harry
E. Oakes Jr. (SAR Dog Coordinator) MWSD. K-9-1 SAR Dog Valorie. Responding K-9
Team from MWSD. Heather Frazer (ST). Results:Cleared Ravine West of Nudist Camp.
Got strong death alert in Dairy Creek 4/10th of a mile west from Dairy Rd. off
of Fern Ridge Rd. Area Flagged. Family notifed. Found coyote poop with human
hair remains. Faxed report to WCSO. Flagged area. Detectives called me a year
later demanding why they weren’t told about this? I can’t control their dept and
their lack of communication between one another individual offices.
01-02-97 97-926-001(B). Cowlitz Co. Phylis Lewellen SARM. Teams: H. Oakes SR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. Michelle Keating SAR Dog in training "Rusty" K-9-16. Results:
Signed contract, setup overhead management sar ops. and searched immediate area.
Also performed Grief Therapy for children. Gave them both GT Bears. Cowlitz Co.
refused to dig up body. She’s still under the dirt next to the house.
01-08-97 97-928-003(A). Clark Co. Drowning. Ridgefield, Wa. Brian Raff. Five
foot of Mill House Boats SlipA-18. Teams. H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. C.
Martin SAR Dog Billie K-9-12. Results: Located victim in 5 minutes under dock.
01-25-97 97-938-013 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood White River Canyon Rescue. Victim Dan
McKinby Farmcrest Rd Hillsboro, Ore. Fx left radius / ulna with BSA group.
Approached our team and asked for help. We splinted fx and put arm in shoulder
sling. Vitals and BSA transported victim to Mt. Hood ER. We advised family via
telephone
01-25-97 97-939-014 Clack Co. Mt. Hood White River Canyon Rescue. Victim: E.
Berrest NE 8th st. Portland, Ore. Poss. strain ligaments R ankle. splinted and
applied ice. Transported to Parking lot by BSA Sled and transported to hospital
by POV. T
97-949-024(B). Pierce Co. Drowning. Missing Person :Raymond Leon Bickle. H.
Oakes K-9-1. SAR Dog "Valorie". Results: Located victim Puget Sound Stellicom
Warf area 80 feet deep pacific ocean. Family and S.O. advised. Pierce Co.
Refused to recover body according to family.
03-08-97 97-963-039(B). Clack. Co. Mt. Hood, Ore. Private request to assist by
family. Missing snow boarder x 3 days. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1 and
Garton with SAR Dog in training Dwezel, Michelle Keating base. Results: All of
our sar dog teams obtained alerts into Sand Canyon. We advised a news helicopter
to search ahead of us in a specific area. They found him alive. CCSO SAR Teams
pissed. This after sheriff’s teams, mountain rescue and search one k-9 detection
couldn’t find him.
03-15-97 97-965-042(D). Clack. Co. SARM Sandy, Zach search. Worked as IC. 17
Hrs. Grief Therapy.
04-03-97 97-976-052(A). Mult. Co. Missing Person-Drowning-Accidental. (Victim)
We tracked this victim through downtown portland, Ore. After he had been missing
a week. Abraham Steven Ellis: ABE, Ash St. Portland, Oregon Roger Legg:
(Biological Father). Wenda L. Ellis (Mother) Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: K-9-1. Tracked victim from PLS to Willamette River. K-9-15
verified. Family and Police and NMCLC notified. MCSO River patrol Lt Dan Fitz
gave Val and I credit for the find.
04-04-97 97-976-052(B). Mult. Co. Missing Person research area for drowning
victim. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Reconfirmed location of
body 300 feet off shore 100 feet from Burnside Bridge. Police recovered his
remains right where said he was.
04-09-97 97-979-056(A). L.A. Co. Missing Person: Actor Robert Axelrod WMA DLS
03-31-97. ETOH. Wallet located on Recita and Oxnard on Sunday. Size 8 shoes.
West Valley PD Det. Ryan & Hernandez Missing persons detectives. LAPD has it in
their possession. Angel Valentino Laurel Canyon Blvd. N. Hollywood, Ca. Mother
called me on 04-10-97 and said she had found her son. Her son Robert was an
outpatient at UCLA Olive View Med. Center. I confirmed it with E.R.
05-24-97 97-1001-078 (C). Cowlitz Co. Drowing Private response. Victim: Corinna
Sofranko. Team: H. Oakes Overhead management. SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. ST Michelle
Keating K-9-16. River lower 4 feet than when drowning occured. Results: Located
victim at PLS. 12 feet of water. Water now class 4.
06-14-97 97-1017-094 Mult. Co. Assisted in Water Rescue Boat Stranded. Teams: H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Kris Desylvia ST2. RP: Relatives of Kris Desylvia
ST Member of MWSD. Lynn Kokos SE Ellis, Portland, Ore. Boat stranded with two
adults and three children on board. r/c from KD Family member that her daughter
was attempting to hike out for help. We located one of the victims hypothermic
and cut by brush 1 mile east of Troutdale in swamp north of I-84. Night mission.
Assisted by treating for hypothermia, transporting victim to river patrol and rp
did physical retreival of boat with remaining members of the party.
07-15-97 97-1040-117 Polk / Marion Co. Drowning. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Missing Person: Cody Morris. Drowned in Willamette River Saturday
07-12-97. Results: SAR Dog Teams Located missing person in 5 minutes.
08-10-97 97-1056-133(A). Mult. Co. Lost Child. Jessica Nicole Clark, (Victim).
WFJ. age 4. Last seen wearing a yellow one piece bathing suit with "tweety Bird"
in front and "Sylvester the cat" in back. She has dark blonde hair, blue eyes, 3
foot tall, 35 lbs. Missing from Sellwood Riverfront Park on the beach by the
dock since approx. 1400Hrs. on 08-10-97. Search NONE K-9 Defection team was
there with MCSO. They couldn’t find crap if they had to. We went in there and
located the body in under 30 seconds with our own 2 dog teams. Teams: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. O. Gomez SAR Dog Buddy K-9-15. Angie Untiz ST#4. Results:
Cleared areas. Both dogs alerted in water. PPB advised. Performed Grief Therapy
for Mother. MCSO being unprofessional as usual. Refused to allow all available
resources in immediately. We were called in by PPB.
They were really embarrassed (AGAIN) by our finding the body.
11-06-97 97-1108-185(B). Linn Co. Missing Child. Elijah Kelt Age 4. (Austistic).
DLS: Monday. 0830Hrs. 11-03-97. Father Jerry Mother "Kathy" . Lived Riverside
Dr. SW Albany, Oregon
R/C from Jerry. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1. Results: Tracked child
to where "Valorie" K-9-1 and "Rusty" K-9-16 located victim doa under log debri
and 4 feet of water. Divers recovered body right where our search dogs located
it. Performed Grief therapy for I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Team members, sar dogs and
victim's family. We found Eli after Linn Co. Sheriff refused our offers to
assist. Sheriff cost the tax payers over $125,000 in their four day search
efforts with bloodhounds, search dogs, helicopters, boats, divers. They didn’t
find a thing. We found Eli in 30 minutes.
11-25-97 97-1121-198 Mult. Co. Missing Child-Runaway. Angela Marie Bohan.Team:
H. Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1 and Krista from the NMCLC.Results: Tracked her
down alive and fine.
11-25-97 97-1122-199 Mult. Co. Missing Child-Runaway. Desirae Epley Team: H.
Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1 and Krista Widman from the NMCLC. Results: Tracked
her down alive and fine.
12-11-97 97-1127-204(C). Wash. Co. Missing Person. Saffa M. Nasir. Teams: H.
Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1. Results: Meet with Private Investigator for the
Saffa case at their Tigard office. They had 6 blue shop towels that Dennis used
to clean up his van with. I put "Valorie" on each towel for victim id. She
alerted on 3 of them. The search was video taped. We id the murder suspect
through scent id. Police arrested and convicted suspect. Body later recovered.
Suspect later convicted. Family gave us full credit for the findings.
12-22-97 97-1134-211(A). Clark. Co. Missing juvenile. Athalie Marie
Wiser,(Missing Person) Vancouver, Washington. WFJ Home schooled. Grade 9. *Date
Last Seen 12-20-97 2230 Hrs. Darrel W. Wiser (Father) Candie Wiser (Mother)
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did initial interview, report,
investigation, house and property search, and started track. SAR Dog Valorie
located victim alive.
98-1138-003(A). 01-07-98 1430-1930 Hrs. Clark. Co. Missing girl Amber Hughes.
Age 15. Team:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Tracked the girl to an apt. and
located where she had stayed on 01-01-98. Interviewed with VPD a witness and
faxed BG PD the information for follow up. We found her alive.
02-06-98 98-1147-012(A). Tillamook Co. Missing Person. Karl Schomburg. Teams:H.
Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Pinpointed an area of death alerts along the steep
rugged cliffs South of the PLS. Rappelled down cliff, checked on areas of
interests of the SAR Dogs from I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Thick brush. Foot prints found.
Dogs continued to give death alerts in this area. Winds from the North North
West. Friends of the victim advised.
02-25-98 98-1150-015 (C). Darke Co. Lynn Topp Missing Person. Lynn Topp. SAR Dog
Valorie and I went to Victim's families home. Joe Marylou Topp Rossburg, Oh.
Lynn's Parents. Obtained a scent article, Drove to nearby city PD ref: a wma who
claimed he had Lynn for a satanic ritual. Did vehicle check for scent id on . No
alerts. Went back to other areas of interests and cleared more areas. Definate
death alerts in one area searched on a farm. Sheriff dug with a backhoe and
recovered linns’ remains. Suspect had cut her face off, fingers off, poured
gasoline on her, wrapped her in plastic, buried her five feet deep, put 20 feet
of debris on top of the site and SAR Dog Valorie still found her remains. Good
job valorie. Val found this little girls remains after local K-9 sar teams
failed to find anything.
02-27-98 98- 1153-017 (A). Union City, Ohio, Missing Girl, Scent id. Worked on
another Homicide case and suspect id in Union City. Officer Bruce A. Jamison
West Water St. Piqua, Oh Ref: Shaylene M. Farrell Age 18 WFA DLS: 08-08-94. 135
Lbs. 5 foot. Hazel eyes. Mother Darlene Farrell Piqua, Oh Met at 1715 Hrs. PU
Scent article Prom dress in black plastic garbage bag. Mother stated it hadn't
been washed. Worked search area. (See report). 3 areas of interests. Death
alerts each area. Then did boot / shoe suspect id off of victim's scent article.
Valorie id one pair of brown boots 3 times and one pair of black tennis shoes
twice as positive hits. Police advised. 1750 Hrs. Did newspaper and tv
interviews.
03-06-98 98-1152-016(F). Milan, Tennessee, Missing persons case. Fd. Researched
and reconfirmed pond # 4. Middle Rd Pond. Death alerts. PD Advised. Divers
searched and see report for findings. We found a body but not Casey's. Red
Marron Pants, White T Shirt, Five Cinder Blocks with wireclothesline loop
bindings still intacked. Axe. Steel plates with bindings also. Skeleton remains
beleived to be human.
06-20-98 98-1209-073(A). Clark. Co. Missing Child. Kristy Duell, VPD Case#
S-98-10137 Age 16. Missing Child. RP: Marianna Kuhn Battleground, Wa. Missing
Child: Marilee Snyder. VPD Case# S-98-10104 Age 16. Missing Child. RP: Carole
Browning Loowit Loop, Vanc. Wa. Missing Child: Tiffany Browning VPD Case#
S-98-7419 Age 17.
Mrs. Burnett Vanc. Wa. Missing Child: Jessica Burnett VPD Case# S-98-10166 Age
15. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located suspect(s) who had
drugged and raped these kids, kidnapped them to Mexico. We recovered all of the
girls alive. Feds wouldn’t prosecute the bad guys. They stated,” The girls went
willingly”. (I don’t think so).
06-28-98 98-1217-081 Clatsop. Co. Drowning Pacific Ocean Cannon Beach Haystack
rock. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie, M. Keating SAR Dog Rusty/Murphy. Results:
All 3 dogs gave death alerts off Haystack rock. CPD advised. 33 yo female
missing from a suicide.
06-30-98 98-1220-084(A). Wash. Co. Nancy Hawkins private search for her daughter
who is missing. SARA Victoria Hawkins (Missing Child). Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog
Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR dog Rusty K-9-2. Results: We located her daughter
alive. She had been drugged and kidnapped by an internet suspect.
07-17-98 98-1233-097 (A). Mult. Co. Missing Person. B. Oakes Gresham, Ore. RP: K
and J Holden Gresh eam: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: See reports. I
located him alive.
08-31-98 98-1261-125 Drove from Portland down to Eureka PD and did night search
for missing Karen Mitchel. She has been missing for 10 months. Valorie did great
track to where body was disposed of in the inlet ocean.
09-01-98 98-1262-126 Drove to Monterey CA and met with FBI agent ref: Christina
Marie Williams Case. Educated FBI on proper use of scent evidence and sar dog
usage. FBI agent refused to allow us to search Fort Ord, Ca. for remains. Her
remains were later found on Ft Ord. Oops…………..
09-20-98 98-1277-141 Skamania Co. Victim: J.Woldridge Portland, Ore. Hamilton
Mtn. Trail. First Aid Brown Recluse Spider bite. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: Pt LOC X 3. No < with Resp. Pulse > 120. Pearls. Skin normal.
Admin. Benadryl tab. Lid. 2% on bite site. Topical ointment.
10-19-98 98-1291-155 Clack. Co. Missing Person. Laura Lee Hoyt. Teams: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Minor alerts.
Searched house and vehicles. We located her sleeping in a hospital intensive
care ward with a patient she didn’t even know.
Hurricane Mitch Honduras. 11-09-98 98-1301-165 Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Tegusagalpa. Fire Dept. Met with Riley
Wooten 11-18-98 Wed We located 29 victims dead. Buried in flood mudslides. Fire
Dept. witnessed finds.
12-11-98 98-1318-182. Mult. Co. Missing person. Joshua Petefish. Missing from:
Anthony Adult Foster Care N. WIlbur St. Portland, Oregon. North Greeley Ave and
Killingsworth St. Joshua was last seen wearing a brown checked quarter length
coat with a fur lapel. a dark blue sweatshirt, jeans and black Nike tennis
shoes. 6-02" 210 Lbs. with black hair. Anthony Adult Foster Care Center Mult.
Co. Divi. of Devel. Dis. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Tracked
to 7-11- Store. Then to bus stop in front of 7-1-1 store. RP's advised.
12-28-98 98-1314-178F Klamath Co. Missing child. Derrick Engebretson Case. We
offered services to sheriff’s Dept. They refused. Family called us in privately
after sheriff’s dept, K-9 SAR teams, blood hounds, helicoptes, failed to find
anything. SAR Dog Valorie and I called in privately from family. SAR Dog Valorie
and I worked the search area with the family present we found where Derricks
tracks, where he slept under a log, crossed roads twice and fell through the
frozen ice on Klamath lake. This photographed and documented by the family. This
after three different search dog teams, blood hound teams, tracking teams and
ground teams failed to find anything.
01-11-99 99-1328-005 Linn Co. Drowning. Victim's name Ryan Lee Willam Pitts age
13. Drowned Sat. 01-09-99. While duck hunting. boat tipped over, No pfds
worn.Water Very COLD and SWIFT.Ryan attended Lebonan Middle School Did consult
case.
01-11-99 99-1329-006 S.C. and Ohio. Missing person. Dennis Massie Lockwood Blvd.
Youngstown, Ohio Missing person: Todd James Massie NCIC#: Out of Monroe Co.
Bloomington Indiana. Consulting work
01-12-99 99-1328-005(B). Linn Co. Drowning. Ryan Lee Willam Pitts. Teams:H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1, M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Canceled
upon arrival. Victim located by his father. Did CISD on scene and at Ryan's
school.
01-26-99 99-1336-013(B). Missing persons case, Ref: Chip McCain. Flew to
Minnapolis. Consulted on case and was able to determine what had happened to
chip.
02-20-99 99-1343-022(A). Jackson Co. Missing Person Victoria Kelly Coleman
Creek, Medford Son missing (Thomas Erin Devine Kelly) DLS: 01-26-99. PLS:
Pioneer Rd. We flew down and determined he was dead.
03-06-99 99-1354-033(B). Clack. Co. Missing Person. David Francis Aszman. Drove
on 03-06-99 0730Hrs. to PLS Sandy River. near Dodge Park. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Worked both sides from PLS Both
sar dogs alerted 100 yards downstream. We then worked area search and found
nothing. We then floated down to Oxbow in large raft. Water COLD. Both dogs also
alerted 1/2 mile down stream in a deep section. Near where his kayak was
recovered.
04-06-99 99-1367-046 Mult. Co. Missing Person Runaway: RP: William C. Jager SE
Lincoln St. Portland, Ore. Jennifer Ann Jager. NMCLC case. Team: H. Oakes SAR
Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Tracked Jennifer to where she was staying.
04-13-99 99-1371-050 Mult. Co. Found runaway Jennifer Lynn Rochell Mother
Loretta Toth Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Girl recovered alive
sleeping in neighbors tree house. Mother notified.
05-18-99 99-1389-068B. Clack. Co. Missing Person: Christine Marie Prothe SE
Ogden St. Portland, Oregon Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:
Located Christine in Seaside, Ore. with old boyfriend. Family and police
advised.
06-11-99 99-1408-087 Mult. Co. First Aid Call. 9 yo boy fell off bike at Gresham
City Park. Injury large hematoma left skull above left ear. Edema, PEARLS,
Normal pulse, resp. No jaw fx. No apparent c spine inj. Found parents. applied
ice, and direct pressure to inj. sight to control bleeding. Parents advised to
transport child to hospital immediately.:
06-24-99 99-1417-096A Mult. Co. Missing Person. Amy Bowerman Age 15 Lou &
Darlene Bowerman Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1 located Amy to where we found her alive.
07-13-99 99-1421-100A. Mult. Co. Missing Person, Amatha Saenz. Team: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Searched the apt that Susan and Amatha shared.
See report for findings. We found that she had been killed.
07-24-99 99-1421-100H Wash. Co. Missing Person Amatha Saenz. Teams: H. Oakes SAR
Dog Valorie K-9-1, M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Searched more areas
of Forest Park. (Hoyt Arb). Found woman's belt. Both dogs getting death alerts.
07-17-99 99-1431-110 Clatsop Co. Found HEARING AID. While relaxing, SAR Dog
Valorie alerted in the waters edge. I inspected this area and recovered a
hearing aid. (Starkey CE sent : Roy Tabor Starkey Hearing Aids, SE Oak
Hillsboro, Oregon.
08-19-99 99-1448-127(B). Turkey Earthquake. Offered services. Team: H. Oakes SAR
dog Valorie K-9-1. Flew to Turkey, worked assigned areas. Located 4 live 41
dead. 100% humidty 100Degree heat. Lots of dead. Saturday. 1122Hrs. Arrived
Istanbul. 1150Hrs. Briefed at Airport CP with Task Force#1 FEMA Florida. Drove
to Adapazari in small car with local volunteer SAR folks. 1640Hrs. Arrived and
briefed at CP to just go start searching areas. NO ICS system set up. Set up my
camp with German team.1705 Hrs. First Building searched called "The Plaza"
Cumbunyet Mah. Dr. Kamilsok's office building. Valorie found 3 DOA. 1757Hrs.
Searched a collapsed Bakery store on Char St. and Sasyapastone St. Found one
Dead. 1900Hrs. Very tired, rested. Base camp with teams from Hungary, Belgium,
Germany, Switzerland, and USA. Met with representative from Governors office.
Each district has a different government. We got into a heated discussion with
all teams as the Turkish Government feels there are no more survivors and want
to bulldoze all of the buildings and spread lime. We all said no. But they
started telling every one (All team leaders) that if we quarantine the areas,
you'll be here for a minimum of one month then. The Belgium team left that
night. 2215 Hrs. Sipi St. near Bakery Found 1 Dead and a 14 yo girl ALIVE. She
was buried under collapsed home, brick construction, in bedroom. Local rescuers
dug her out. Made the news. 2300Hrs. Did Taped interview with CBS. Hungry Team
with me during live find and they dug her out. 2400Hrs. Went to bed. Too hot,
stressed. The stench of death is every where.
08-22-99 Sun. 99-1448-127(G). Turkey Earthquake. 0400Hrs. Searched building near
Irik St.in Adapazari. No alerts. 0429Hrs. Searched another building next door
found 2 dead. 0540Hrs. Searched Yenidogan Fabrihn St. and Tung St. Found one
dead, one alive. 50 yo woman trapped in bedroom under four stories of debri.
Local military and police providing security. Ambulance transporting victims,
both dead and alive. Fire Dept. standing by and watching. Doing nothing.
Military spreading LIME for disease control. Had to ask them to stop as it was
hurting all of the search dogs noses, eyes, feet. Also had to ask the heavy
equipment operators to stop using machines so we could bring search dogs in to
search buildings. Many of the dead that we found, were in buildings already
cleared by USAR teams from Spain, Italy, and other countries that didn't have
search dogs. Lots of glass, sharp metal, power lines down everywhere. Buildings
some standing fine with just broken glass. Others collapsed right on the spot.
0800Hrs. Searched another building two blocks away and found 3 dead. 1100Hrs.
Searched another building next door found 1 dead. 1200Hrs. Took a much needed
break. The heat is horrible and so is the stench of death. Valorie very tired
and depressed. Cleaned up self, repacked gear, and cleaned up Valorie. 1600Hrs.
Marla and Suha gave us a ride to Istanbul. Hyatt Regency in Istanbul Rm#407,
comp room Val is first dog ever to spend night at Hyatt there. 1700Hrs. Did
interview with USA Today. Talked with Mary N. Biddle People Magazine. 1200Hrs.
Met with LA Times #401 Mary Beth Sheridan. F/ Mexico. 1300Hrs. Met with NTV
reporter and crew. Discussed goverments position on closing search down and
bulldozing buildings. Talked with Philidelphia Enquirer and Washington Post
reporters. 1400Hrs. Went into Avcilar City west of Istanbul. Met witth General
Figuaro. Gave consent for us to search four building they were in the process of
bulldozing. B#1 2 dead. B#2 1 dead. B#3 1 dead B#4 0 finds. All buildings
unstable, not shored up, and very dangerous to search. No looting observed. HOT
outside. 1458Hrs. Admin. First Aid to Valorie. She cut her left rear pad deep.
1600Hrs. Left Aviclar, toured stricken areas. Met with Military CP for Avcilar.
They refused to allow any more search dog teams to search in their sector. 3
more live recoveries occurred today throughout the area. This has to be an
embarassment to the government who is closing down SAR Operations.1700Hrs.
Dinner meeting with Marla and Sammy. 1900Hrs. Went to Sammys home and spent
night. Cleaned Val. Self, Gear, wrote reports. Emailed M. Keating. I called
airlines, I cannot get out until the Aug 29. So I'm here. Will use the time to
teach the people post disaster operations. Work with NTV ref: story about
before, during, after a quake on what to do. Many people are uneducated about
earthquakes and don't understand they can move back into their homes that
haven't been damaged. They are too scared and ill informed. The Government
troops I'm being told are so corrupt, they do what they want.Team: H. Oakes SAR
Dog Valorie K-9-1
We were informed that the two live victims that Valorie and Dax found in the
rubble had died during xtraction/rescue. This according to the Doctor on scene.
SO both dogs were correct in all of their live and dead finds. *Witnesses: Marla
Petal (0216) 391-9055 Sammy Nasreddin (212) 262-3933. Email:
samrem@superonline.com Returned home, cleaned gear, dog, self. Rested.Performed
CISD/CISM on team members and local victims of the quake with councelor Marla.
She did a good job.08-26-99 Repacked sar gear. Worked on reports. Tried to
contact MKeating. LM. Took a long walk to deal with the death that I’ve seen.
Toured the city. Met with some FEMA support teams. Wrote reports.Worked in
various areas. Found nothing new. Visited the hospital and did grief therapy
with the children who lost all of their families, and homes. Worked on training
two Turkish K-9 SAR dog Teams all day so they can continue their work.
08-27-99 Friday. 99-1448-127(L). Went to the town of Degirmendere. We obtained
approval to enter this town for SAR Purposes. Many teams have gone home, but
still, many are sticking it out. We have people from Japan, Turkey,
England,Holland, Germany, USA, S. Africa. Went to Building # 1. Val gave one
live/one dead alert. We heard tapping from within. Everyone was happy and
yelling with joy. We confirmed with 2nd dog team and a sensitive microphone.
They dug for 3 hrs. Returned to reconfirm the exact spot and both dogs gave
death alerts. The person had died during the rescue attempt.Went to second
building, obtained two death alerts. They uncovered a man and woman sleeping in
their bed holding each other dead. We also uncovered another older mans remains.
Went to third building SAR Dog Dax cut his foot, so we stopped, cleaned up the
wound and administered first aid to his left front pad. Deep cut. Worked Val on
the next three sites. Third building we obtained 2 more death alerts and one
live alert. They began digging. Unknown what the results were of that rescue
effort as dog and handlers were exhausted. Went to fourth building collapsed and
obtained two more death alerts. Both bodies recovered. One older woman and one
younger man. 08-28-99 99-1448-127(M).Had large meeting with the AKUT (Turkish
Search and Rescue). It went well. We debriefed their teams and ourselves ref:
the rescue work and political issues. Discussed ways that might better their
operations. 08-29-99 99-1448-127 (N). Flew home.
09-19-99 99-1468-147 Mult. Co. Missing Child. Waterfront Park. Victim: Jennifer
Bergstrom 5'5' 150 lbs short straight blnde/ blue eyes Meds. "Zoloff". Race for
the Cure T shirt, blue jean shorts, white Nike size 7 t shoes. Mentality of an 8
yo. RP: Susan Bergstrom NW Ashby Ptld Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Results: Located subject alive and fine.
11-08-99 99-1509-188 Turkey Rescued inj. dog. Found male 1 yo colliex during
training with nasty infected wound in neck. Took it to United Kennels and
cleaned wound and sutured it closed with help from Vet tech. 11-13-99
99-1510-188 A-B. Turkey Earthquake #2. While teaching in Turkey, (Teaching
Search and Rescue to the mountain rescue teams here and the K-9 teams here). We
experienced numerous after shocks from the quake two months ago.Fri. night. We
here in Istanbul felt a strong quake. It lasted only 30 seconds and then we
turned on the news, wow what a mess. Three cities all small in population about
4000 population each, were destroyed about 140 miles SE of Istanbul. Near
Ankara.So we all geared up and the Istanbul K-9 team that I've been teaching all
week got the real test for their dogs and themselves.We arrived SATURDAY AM in a
small down near DOKAR, and every other building was leveled. So we went to work.
This was much different then working the quake here two months ago. This time
everyone was helping including the military who just stood around last time and
did nothing.We were the only search dog team here in this area for two days
before more resources were brought in from Great Britin and other countries. In
a cafe there were 24 bodies. In a covered bus stop, there were 7. We found 8
live persons and 21 dead between 6 search dogs teams and mine (Valorie). We
would put Valorie and I in first to identify where they were, then I would bring
in another new team and watch them work. Each handler did their job great and so
did each dog. They avoided the falling debris which could have killed them and
their dog instantly. They avoided the exposed hazmat and electrical lines, sharp
nails, metal and glass that surrounded the search areas. Once we marked the
spots, the ORDOS AND AKUT (Local search teams) would start digging. Every where
that VALORIE and the other search dog teams hit, we produced either a live or
dead person.
In one 18 hour day, we cleared 18 destroyed structures finding both live and
dead persons. It was approximately 46degrees F which is pretty cold for these
parts and many of the persons we found alive lost a limb or two. They had been
pinned in by heavy concrete structures and the local doctors and medical
personel had no other choices. It was not uncommon to return to the search area
after they removed the victtim to a hospital and the dog would alert to a dead
human body part which turned out to be a foot attached to a leg.
The most emotional part of the search for me was a home with 7 small children in
it. We located one child alive, age 11. When we dug him out, he said there were
6 more children. We spent many hours searching this collapsed structure,
digging, and researching. As Val and I were literally crawling on our stomachs
through one section, she alerted under a couch, I reach down with my hand and
felt under it and a crumpled carpet with the light of my head lamp on my helmet
as my light source and found a little 4 year old boy crushed to death. His face
so innocent, not yet allowed to live his life and experience what it could have
been. He was gone instantly. I checked him to confirm he was dead (were required
to do that) and his body was still warm.Which meant he had just died. I fought
back the tears of anger and frustration and moved on. We eventually found all of
the kids three in the kitchen and the rest in the stairwell. All dead. Crushed
to death.To look into these parents eyes and through in an interpretor tell them
their children are dead and hear the screams of anguish and pain was horrible.
But to give them closure was a comforting feeling as we all wiped the tears from
our eyes. The total dead as of today stands at around 450 with 1600 injured and
thousands homeless. Many more will survive this one compared to the last one two
months ago because the Government learned their lessons and so did many of the
people and we all worked together as one team to help those stricken.Harry E.
Oakes Jr. SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
02-03-2000 2000-1562-024 Indonesia, Missing Person. Miranda. Tara Budiman Team:
H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. did consult.
02-10-2000 2000-1566-028 (B). Clack. River RP: Vivian Almond ref: Lost son.
Team:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results:
Took initial report. Obtained scent articles. Performed Grief Therapy. Went to
victims home/work obtained more scent articles and wit. interviews. Went to PLS
and did search. Found victim and his dog in water. Verified by K-9-2. M. Keating
SAR Dog Yogi.
02-28-2000 2000-1585-047 (A). Mult. Co. Runaway. M H Portland, Ore. Results:
Determined that M was still in Portland staying at a friends home. Worked with
parents. Initial report, contract, emails, search room, interviewed friends,
called suspect. Returned M home safe. Found both M and D alive.
04-02-2000 2000-1606-068 (A). Clack. Co. Endangered Runaway. Heather L. Hunt.
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Met with family. Signed
contracts, searched room, obtained photos found child alive. Returned her into
custody of parents.
04-24-2000 2000-1618-080 (A). Adam Parr Mult Co. Missing Person. Team: H. Oakes
SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Took initial report. Signed contracts, searched
room, interviewed family and friends, called bank. Searched car. Met boat at
Willamette Park 0700Hrs. Searched river. (Body recovered 05-02-2000 where our
SAR dogs Alerted. Side scanning sonar used to locate victim along with dogs.
05-23-00 2000-1628-090(A). Clack. Co. Drowning 21 yo in Clack. River High Rocks.
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Val located victim in water.
05-27-2000 2000-1635-097(B). Mult. Co. Missing Child Shriners Hospital. Sean
Vinson 12 yo male. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Checked more
areas on the hill and down town Portland. Loc. kid at Barbur Blvd Vet Clinic.
06-18-2000 2000-1651-113 (B). Linn Co. Lebonan, Ore. Ref: 17yo wmj drowning. RP:
Rhonda Dival "Sangster age 17, wmj, Linn County Sanderson Bridge South Santiam
near Crabtree. John Sangster was swimming with two friends just before 3 p.m.
when he was caught in a current, swept into a large eddy and went underwater
about three miles upstream from Sanderson's Bridge, Linn County Sheriff Dave
Burright reported. John is the son of Arlene Sangster of Albany, a cashier for
Northwest Natural, and Rick Sangster of California. lived with his mother,
stepgrandfather Glenn Gerdlund and Gerdlund's friend in southwest Albany.
Team:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Team: M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Pam
Stanley ST1. Results: Drove team down to PLS, Located victim near PLS. Family
advised.
07-15-2000 2000-1673-134 (A). Mult. Co. (Missing Person). Robin Andrews RP: Rick
Kruegger Father is: Bob Andrews. Missing person is Robin Andrews WFA Bi polar
DLS: Today 18 hours ago 5'01" 103lbs Brn frosted hair. Missing from N Webster
St. Portland, Ore. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. ST- Tori Darnell. K-9-2.
Michelle Keating SAR Dog Yogi. Results: 1750Hrs. R/C from Rick and Bob ref:
Missing person. I called Michelle and placed her on standby. 1810Hrs. I
responded to scene. Did initial interview with family, friends. Obtained signed
contract and scent articles. Val did track to Trimet Bus stop on Interstate
blve. Called Michelle Keating. She had Yogi do a track. We ended up in the same
site. Family advised. Body located where dogs track to. Police called.
07-18-2000 2000-1675-136 (A). Mult. Co. Missing person Gov. Island Justin Robert
Nero DLS: Sunday 07-16-2000 Government Island West of I 205 Bridge 1/2 mile.
William Otty Rd. Clackamas, Ore. Boat 16' aluminmum open boat. Small horse power
engine. Boat found up stream underneath bridge. 0130Hrs.Justin was missing.
Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results:
Found where body went into river. Family advised.
07-24-2000 2000-1680-142(A). Criminal Complaint filed against Marty Neiman from
Search One K-9 Detection team ref: telephone harrassment with Ore. Dept of
Justice and DEM Oregon.
07-27-2000 2000-1682-144(A). Offered services to RCMP. Marcus McKay, an
eight-year-old boy missing for four days in a remote part of Manitoba, Darlene
Dumas, who moved to Mallard, Manitoba, with her son two weeks ago from Winnipeg.
Sergeant Craig Cochrane, the RCMP's Winnipegosis detachment commander. Marcus
was hunting with his stepfather and several others on Saturday on the east shore
of Waterhen Lake Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson. Waterhen General
Store. Dauphin Friendship Centre, we determined what happened to child.
07-31-2000 2000-1690-152(A). Lost child. RP: Terri Hadley SE Romona St.
Portland, Ore. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR dog Yogi
K-9-2. ST N. Irwin. Missing Child age 4 "Kayla" Ragmoni SE Ellis Portland, Ore.
Mother Carmen McKee last seen wearing a blue bathing suit. Long brown hair.
Results: Child missing at 2010Hrs. We were callled at 2045Hrs. Child found upon
arrival 12 blocks from PLS.
08-14-2000 Mon. Claudia Kirshoch case Jamaica. R/C from White House. And Senator
Frelinghausen. NJ. SAR Dog Valorie and I arrive in Jamaica 0700Hrs. Went to the
Negril Gardens Hotel Room# 58. Met with Fred and Mary Ann and discussed their
daughter’s case. Talked with US Ambassador. 08-15-2000 Tues. Did a track off
Claudia's scent articles from Beaches resort Rm:621. FBI and Local JPD police
with us. Tracked Claudia's most recent scent from her room, west to the ocean
sandy beach area, into the water, then out of the water South East. Then south
along the beach to Swept Away resort. Then East through Swept Away resort to the
security gate to the public road where scent stopped on road. At this time
Claudia got into a vehicle and left the area. There was no stress alerts in this
area of the track so she was not afraid at the time she walked this route. Winds
gusting from the North at 5-15MPH. Clear sky, warm. Searched homes. Searched
Anthony's vehicle on Green Island. Home #1, belongs to Anthony Grant’s Mother.
The vehicle is a White Toyota Corolla 4 door . SAR dog Valorie gave "MAJOR DEATH
ALERTS" after being introduced to Claudia's scent articles. SAR Dog Valorie
alerted in the back seat, trunk, and on a pair of leather, grey, vibram-soled
hiking boots that were stored in the back of the Toyota. Anthony admitted they
were his boots. The soles appeared to have yellow hard rocks imbedded in them.
There were no grains of sand attached to the insole areas or inseam areas. The
boots appeared to have been worn only once. This disputes Anthony’s statement
that he wore them while on the sandy beach.SAR Dog Valorie also alerted on
Claudia's scent on a cleaning brush located in the back of the car, and Val also
alerted on the gray trunk liner. In Anthony's bedroom, Val alerted on a MAJOR
DEATH ALERTS on a pair of soiled leather gloves and some clothing found by the
FBI teams. These items seized by the FBI. NOTE: When I informed the FBI team
that Anthony's boots needed to be taken into evidence. Anthony immediately
picked up his boots and handed them to his mother and she immediately started
walking away with them. I had the police stop her. She denies any knowledge of
such an incident. The local police took Anthony to the local police department
where we interviewed him. He repeatedly denied having any idea of what happened
to Claudia. When asked about lying to the police and FBI agents repeatedly
during their initial investigation and again while being given the polygraph
examination, Anthony stated, "None of you know what you're talking about.” When
I explained to Anthony how scent and scent evidence works, and how search dogs
detect scent and the transfer of scent from one person to another person or
another person’s clothing and vehicle, Anthony stated, "Your dog doesn't know
what she's doing.” Then Anthony's attorney arrived on scene and we explained
everything to him about how search dogs detect scent and the nature of scent.
Anthony continued to deny any wrongdoing through his attorney. 08-16-2000 Wed.
(R). Did a retrack of Claudia's route from Beaches Hotel Rm# 621. Val did same
track ending up at same location along the main road in front of Swept Away
Resort. We then searched pumphouse areas #5 and #2. Numerous public and private
beaches. In the Longbeach area, SAR dog Valorie started giving alerts along a
treed area in the public beach. Nothing found. SAR Dog Valorie then started
giving strong alerts into the water by airscenting. Winds from the NW at 10MPH.
Searched ocean from Beaches Resort North to alerts located in the ocean. SAR Dog
Valorie alerted to scent from Claudia in the ocean. In inspecting the areas up
to BBQ Island, there were no physical findings of any human remains. Met with
Det. Calbert Bowen from Jamaican Police. He took statement ref; our searches,
search history. Dinner with Calbert, Fred, Mary Anne. Dr. Foote met with Val and
I inspected Valorie. (FBI Forensics confirmed Val’s findings). Suspects attorney
later told the media that, “Harry lied to the police and to his client”. THE FBI
FINDINGS SAY OTHERWISE. Search dogs and evidence don’t know how to lie.
08-21-2000 2000-1699-161 (A). Egypt Missing Persons Consult Case:Lamia Eltouny
Elizabeth, N.J. 07208 brother's name: Ahmed Eltouny Dena Eltouny
11-02-2000 2000-1737-199 (D). Minnesota. Missing persons cases. ARPIL GEYER Rose
Forcum. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Flew to Minn. Results:
Found victim and evidence. Turned it over to SO.
11-17-2000 2000-1753-215(B). Coos Co. Missing Bow Hunter 46 yo Chris Lapping.
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Drove to Medford. PU Scent
articles, signed contract, interviewed Dawn, searched home/garage, premises,
property and vehicles. Then drove down to Roseburg and met Teri and family.
Drove to search site on Burnt Mtn. Set up camp. Searched crash site.PU track
heading SE f/ Cliff elk trail. Determined he was dead in the area. Remains in
coyote feces.
12-16-2000 2000-1761-223 (A). Missing Person. Clark Co Andrew John Allinger NE
Mattson Rd. Brush Prairie, Wa Date Last Seen: 12-15-2000 Walk up the road goes
3-4 miles. AlderBrook. 5 miles. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:
tracked missing person to where he got picked up. CCSO and SKSAR and SSSAR on
scene. I then checked the pls Bank in BG and confirmed he was there. Family
advised. Family called. They received a letter in pm, Andrew walked and rode
exactly where Val tracked. He’s OK up in Seattle, Wa.
01-28-2001 2001-1784-015(A). Wasco. Co. Inj. Snow sledder. Fx left radius. White
River Canyon. Victim: 11 yo Tim Wyman Gladstone Park Church Trail Inn Youth
group. Tim's father is Don. Mother is Sue. Wit. Pam House Nurse at P/A Psych
unit. She gave Tim one oral tylenal. I admin. hard splint. checked vitals, and
made contact with parents through s.o. Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M.
Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Pt transported by POV to hospital.
02-18-2001 2001-1793-024(A). Clack. Missing Person Ken Bowlsby SARM. Team:H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. SE Johnson Creek Blvd. Portland, Oregon. Milw. Ore.
97222. Results: Ken located in Providence Milw. Hospital.
02-28-2001 2001-1796-027(A). Earthquake Portland, Ore. Inspect. Montgomery Bldg,
OHSU, VA, NW Hills, SW Hills, SE Ptld. Inspected buildings for victims and
damage.
06-27-2001 2001-1886-117 (A). St. Croix. Missing Police Officer Wendell
Williams. CPD. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Flew to St. Croix
for SARM. Missing Police Officer. Search various areas for Police. Val alerted
in Ocean near Hay beach. Police advised. Water search conducted.
09-11-2001 2001-1964-194(A). New York World Trade Center Towers Terrorist
Explosions. Teams:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2.
Results: Offered services by email and fax to EMS. Also did TV interview by
telephone for Tulsa OK news crew ref: Disaster.
09-13-2001 2001-1964-194(C). New York World Trade Center Towers Terrorist
Explosions. Teams:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2.
Results: Offered services through Congress Frelinghausen 11th District NJ. by
telephone and contacted NY City F.D. EOC. Did newspaper interview by telephone
for Gresham Newspaper.
09-24-2001 2001-1976-207(A). Marion Co. Missing child. RP:Emily Doss (Mother)
Bunker Ridge Rd. S. Salem, Ore. Husband: Franklin Doss. Sarah Elizabeth Doss
DLS: 09-19-2001 1800Hrs. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did
initial telephone interview. Found hiding at boyfriends home.
10-10-2001 2001-1987-218(A) Missing Person. Clack. Co. Poss. Runaway. RP: Starla
Busselle Faye Ore. City, Ore. 97045. Daughter: Tracy Ann Busselle
We recovered her daughter back alive.
11-12-2001 2001-2019-250(B). Clark. Co. Missing altz pt Mr. Earl Sexton Met at
victim's residence. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog
Yogi K-9-2. Results: We located where his body was in Washugal River. CCSO and
family advised.
12-01-2001 2001-2031-262(B). Tillamook Co. Missing Persons. Eugene H. Hyatt, 18,
Kami L. Vollendroff, 16. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results. Drove to
Depot Bay Boiler Bay winds f/ SW 70mph raining hard. Val gave death alerts in
the bay.
12-04-2001 2001-2032-263(A). Attempted suicide. RP: Roy Holland R/C 2116Hrs.
Missing Person: Tamara marie Holland Wife DLS: Today 1255Hrs. Central time.
Killeen Texas, Last seen wearing blue jeans w/ right knee torn. White tennis
shoes size 6-1/2. Grey color sweet top w/ hood. Wedding band, marki diamond.
5'07" 120 lbs. WF blue eyes. Killeen PD Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Results. RP Called ref: obtaining a private dog team. I sent him an email ref:
Suggestions on how to find his wife. Wife found alive.
03-15-2002 2002-2146-076(H). Clack. Missing Child Ashley Pond. Team:H. Oakes SAR
Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:Searched Wards property. Made contact with Lori from
the ptld FBI, did interview with Don and his wife (lori's step dad and mother).
Checked library records, talked with neighbors. Did search down in creek. Did
interview with AP reporter. Results: See report. (I believe ashley's remains are
under wards poured cement. I advised the FBI). Aug. 2002 FBI Finally dug up the
concrete. SAR Dog Valorie was correct. Ashley was stuffed inside a 50 gal
barrel. Four feet down under concrete slab. Val was the only search dog of the
14 they had search wards property that located where Ashley was. Miranda Gaddis
was in the freezer in the kitchen. FBI refused to acknowledge we found Ashley.
We went public four days before they dug Ashley up and told the media where her
body was. We were right.
03-20-2002 2002-2146-076(I). Clack. Missing Child Ashley Pond. Team:H. Oakes SAR
Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:Searched Hwy 213 and found two femur bones in canyon
below hiway. Took them to hospital and orthopedics verified these were human.
(Fresh Human). Turned them in along with reports, photos on cd and hair that we
recovered the other day to Oregon City PD MK and Y find human hair inside coyote
poop. All given to OCPD property officer. PD never gave us credit for finding a
3rd body. (Dateline MSNBC proved we were telling the truth) on their story “Into
thin air” aired Jan 2006.
05-29-2002 2002-2255-185(A). Drowning. Subject: missing father hello, my name is
jenny hucko. a week ago my father was boating on the tippecanoe river in
winemac, indiana with two friends, and the boat capsized. Two of them, including
my father fell into the water, and they still havent found him. His friend got
to shore. The first two days they had alot of state police there and a few
boats. They refused to dive because they said the river was too high and the
current was going too fast. Since then, the river has dropped a few feet, and
the tempature has risen. They still have relucted to do anything. They say it is
a recovery and theres nothing they can really do. We offered a number with
volunteer teams and bloodhound dogs. They refused. There were never any
landsearches or k9 dogs, etc. So we have gotten family and friends together
ourselves and looked day and night, but still nothing. This is tearing us apart,
and we are desperate to find any kind of help, or information on what we could
do next. My father was an excellent fisherman, swimmer, and hunter, and none of
this makes sense to us. You'd think they'd be doing everything in their power to
find him. So if you could please contact me with any kind of information, I
would greatly appreciate it. Thank you, Jenny Hucko Team: H. Oakes Results: Did
email consult. They did what I asked them to do and found their father’s body.
06-06-2002 2002-2269-199(A). Missing person Germany. British Louise Kerton
disappeared in Germany at the end of July 2001. No one has seen or heard from
her since. This is extremely out of character. She knew no foreign langauges and
her bank accounts & mobile phones remain inactive. German police forces will not
do anything to search for her. The family she was staying with are extremely
suspicious. They are known by English police from a previous murder enquiry.
They will not cooperate with our family or the police. There are vast
fields/woodlands/quarries surrounding where she went missing that have never
been searched. The family, our private investigators & english police strongly
feel they should be. A psychic who has solved many missing persons cases in the
past says that her body is located near Kemper Werth and Diescholl on the
following maps Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Placed team on sb. Did email
consult.
06-07-2002 2002-2270-200(A).Montana. Missing Person. RP: Missing Person. RP:
Lisa Kresge (West Galer St. AptE 401 Seattle, Wa. Michelle Erin Kresge age 31.
Husband Bob McEaney Here is the information sent by my brother-in-law. South
Avenue East, Missoula, MT . I am leaving for MT in a few minutes so I will have
to contact you when I arrive. Thank you very much for your support. Sincerely,
Lisa Kresge ----- Michele Kresge, last seen walking in the University
neighborhood and/or the Mt. Sentinel trails on Thursday, June 6, at 5:15 pm.
Height 5'"2 Weight 134lb Hair Brown Eyes Green Was wearing a short sleeve grey
cotton t-shirt (as seen in the picture), Dark Blue Wrangler Blue Jeans, and
Blue/Dark Grey Lowa low cuffed day hikers.Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Did consult.
06-07-2002 2002-2270-201(A). RP: Sharon Schroeder Missing Regina Wright Lake of
the Ozarks Missouri Woman missing w/ 45 muscle relaxers and a loaded 38
revolver. Suicidal. Did consult. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. See
reports.
06-07-2002 2002-2271-202(A). Missing 14 yo in Salt Lake City Utah. WMA 5'08 dark
hair, small cal. weapon. Tan denim type jacket and whitie baseball cap. Gray
Nisson or honda. Missing Child is: Elizabeth Smart age 14, abducted 3 days ago
from home. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Offered services by
fax. They refused. She was eventually found 3 miles away from the PLS. See
reports.
06-08-2002 2002-2266-196(E). San Diego Co. Missing Person. RP: H. Oakes Missing
person Brandon E. Oakes. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Found him
alive. Faxed reports to Everyone
07-21-2002 2002-2324-254(A). Clack. Co. Missing Person. RP: Kristy Schaefer 44
yo male Randy Johnson Douglas Way L/O missing x 4 hrs. Care Giver Team: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did telephone consult and placed on sb while LO
PD Did their search. Subject found alive 4 blocks away.
08-13-2002 2002-2351-281(A). Missing Persons. RP: Carol Missing 27 yo wma Court
Demas from NJ. Father George Demas Mother Bea. DLS July 15. HuayHuash Mtn Range
Lima Peru Chiquiam City Trek PLS: Huraz. Dear Mr. Oakes, I am coordinating the
search for Mr. Court Demas and his travelling partner. At this time, we have a
team on site led by Joel Hardin. They are working with local resources,
including a local canine team. One of their tasks is to determine what, if any,
additional canine resources are necessary. If additional resouces are required,
I will work with the family to arrange for them. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: Did email Consult. Worked on logistics.
10-13-2002 2002-2409-338(A). Clack. Co. Injured Mtn Biker. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. Denise w/ her two G.S. Dogs.Results: Came accross mtn biker w/
injured right leg. Laceration. Results: Bandaged leg.Totals: FAH
10-18-2002 2002-2404-333(D). SHAWN DAMIAN HORNBECK Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: Flew to Missouri and worked SARM. Did initial interview,
gathered scent items. Did night SARM Track. Cleared areas. Located site where he
was kidnapped. Did cisd cism w/ Family. Shawn found alive 01-12-07 with his
abductor.
12-18-2002 2002-2575-403(D). SARM SP Dom. Republic. Sean Clinton Stover. Team:
H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Sent them telephone message and email
consult. Worked on logistics. Flew to Dom. Republic. Met w/ Stovers in Philiy
and we flew to Dom.Repub. Then looked at Hospital and city morgue for their son,
sean. Then drove 6 hours West towards SAR Area. Airlines lost my luggage. Did
search. Val located Sean's death site. He had been killed by a crocodile.
01-06-03 2003-2591-002(B). Clack. Co. Missing Child. RP: Bonnie Kellar SE Olsen
Rd. Mil. DLS: Dec. 20 Hiedi Joyce White Team:H. Oake SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. J.
Russell K-9-3 ST. Results: Went to Bonnie's home, interviewed her. Obtained a
scent item, photographs, missing persons profile, and a signed contract.
Eventually tracked down Hiedi.
01-14-03 2003-2610-022(A). Missing Woman Modesto, Ca. San Diego, Ca. Lacie Rocha
Peterson. Age: 27 DLS: 12-24-02 0930 in laLoma Area in Modesto, Team: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Offered services. Police Dept wasted $150,000 in
tax payers $$$ money when Val could have done the work in 1 day for far less $.
02-05-03 2003-2641-052(A). Mult. Co. Carol interview ref: Dog Nose News ref:
NASA Recovery efforts and cadaver dogs. Carol Frischmann Team:H. Oakes Results;
Did telephone and email interview.
03-12-03 2658-069(B). Clack. Co. Hood River (Missing shoe shoer). RP: Marnie
Frauen Ref: Fred Frauen NE 27th Ave. portland, Ore. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. J. Russell SAR Dog Mocha K-9-3.
Did initial phone interview. Gave her our web site. Janna made first contact
upon my request. We discussed what we could and couldn't do and when and also
CISD/CISM and use of dogs. Prob. factors.
04-29-03 2003-2792-102(A). Disaster aid. Urgent Humanitarian Call my name is Dr.
Fatima Al-Abdali a member of a Voluntary Committee for POWs n Kuwait. : This is
an Urgent Humanitarian call for your good self and other specialized Rescue
Teams for Missing. Our sons and daughters are in Prisons in Iraq and trapped
underground at different levels. Sadam Regime had built on these traps some
sewage systems, concrete walls, and basements are filled with water and closed
with mysterious doors. We need trained dogs, pumps for water suction, sonar
equipment for detection, and drills to break the concrete walls and locked doors
to reach them. We had sent many civilian and military teams to Iraq but not
specialized, they only have information and maps about those suspected prisons.
Please this is a very urgent call. We will arrange for all your requirements. We
need your urgent support and response. Thank You Dr. Fatima Al-Abdali POWs
Families Committee 25/4/2003 Kuwait Dear Sir, We are a group of Families of POWs
and Missing Kuwaitis (about 600 persons), who are held in Iraqi Prisons since
1990 after the Invasion of Kuwait. As you know Iraq has been liberated from
Sadam Regime since the 20th, of March 2003. Until this moment we dont have any
information about our sons and daughters in Iraq. We appreciate if you can send
us the mechanism and the procedure of having your help and service to search and
rescue our POWS. We can arrange through some NGOs, the Government and the
Parliament here in Kuwait. Dr. Fatima Al-Abdali We would be glad to help. We
need to agree on many things before we leave. 1). What are the names of the
local area vetirnarians that can help our search dogs should they get hurt
during a search? 2). How bad are the land minds in the areas we will be
searching? 3). Is the Kuait hospital up and running again? 4). We have confined
space cameras, underwater cameras, search dogs, and listening devices for
missing persons. (trapped under rubble). Do you have climbing ropes? Harnesses?
What kind of digging and shoring equipment do you have available? Hand tools, ?
What can the IRAQ government pay per dog team per day for us to respond? We
usually charge $200. per hour plus $25.00 per hour travel time each way. It's 40
hours travel time each way, we're guessing about one months worth of work (AT
LEAST). Where would we be staying? What's the contact # to the retired General
(US) that is assisting kuait in rebuilding? Is the airport open for us to fly
into? Who would pick us up? HOw would we be transported from the airport to the
staging area? Thanks harry oakes SAR Coordinator I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Results: Sent
copy to Pdx FBI.
07-25-03 2003-2863-172(D). Nappa Co. Drowning Lake Berryessa, Ca. Napa,
Ca.Victim: Jose Louis Ramos Went to PLS with Ezmeralda and her husband, val and
I 1000 feet off shore line of island 60MN 125f of water. Val’s first alert.
1500’ out at 60D MN val went nutso. Informed Sheriff and other side scanning
sonar person involved. Val’s 3rd alert at 500’off shoreline 60MN. Diagramed
area. Debriefed NCSO, Ezmeralda.
08-16-03 2003-2888-198(A). Missing Climber. Fred Freaun case. Clack. Co. Mt
Hood. I went to PU Brandon for SARM and he never answered the door nor the
telephone. He later called me and stated “he was in the shower”. I climbed to
Ill. Rock area. Val and I rode the chair lift up and back and did search in
crevasse while K-9-3 JR and Mocha and K-9-7 C and Ogen did canyon sar. Found
where body is stuck in crevasse at 9500 foot level. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. J.R. SAR dog Mocha K-9-3. CM SAR Dog Oden K-9-7.
08-30-03 2003-2899-209(B). Coos Co. Death Investigation reopened. Chris Lapping.
See 11-19-2000 2000-1753-215(D). RP Jim Lapping Terri Mother Teams :H. Oakes SAR
dog Valorie K-9-1. C, Umphrey’s SAR Dog K-9-7. Results:Drove to sight, hiked in,
determined it was a suicide. Family advised
09-17-03 2003-2924-234(A). TV Show consult. Amy Stark Researcher It's A Miracle
PAX Television Team:H. Oakes Results: Returned several calls and emails ref: The
Angela Bush case.
12-08-03 2003-2998-308(A). Clark. Co. Injured Horse Rider. Kozy Manor Stables.
Rider inj. Heidi Dietz See report on file. Team:H. Oakes. Results: Did initial
verbal and visual survey, called 911, had her friend Jennifer perform c spine
protection, called jeff her husband, filed report.
12-23-03 2003-3012-322(B). King Co. Missing persons case Everett, Wa. RP: Donna
Yantis Canby, Ore. 97013 Sister Anderson, (Maiden - Yantis) Shari Christine DOB
10-07-50 Reported missing Everett Mall Dec. 02-2000. By husband John Anderson
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results; Drove up to make contact w/
Suspect, found veh. There no answer at door. Val gave death alert. See reports.
02-04-04 2004-3057-026(C). Lost person. Mexico. RP: Jim Vos Vanc. BC.San Jose
Del Calbo Cabo San Lucas. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Worked
early am search in Arroyo area, then night search in desert and ocean. Did water
search. Val alerted in specific area. Police notified.
02-24-04 2004-3069-044(A). Japanese TV Wants to do team filming in March. Team:
H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did telephone and email consult.
07-07-04 St. Croix USVI 2004-3179-154(A). Body Recovery (old human bones) Worked
SAR Dog Valorie on actual cadaver area search. Hwy 70 near 707. Unearthed soccer
field. Located death site of a human and some bone fragments. All items
diagramed, photographed. Took Bones to Gov. Juan Luis Hospital pathologist. He
confirmed they were human bones. Turned over to police.
07-11-04 St. Croix USVI 2004-3180-155(A). Found Human Remains. Teams: H. Oakes
J. Russell. St. Croix USVI K-9 teams. Hwy 70-707 area. All K-9 teams did tight
Type 3 grid search and found fresh human bones, schrunchee and chewed up shirt
button up type turned over to VIPD forensics.
07-15-04 2004-3182-157(A). St. Croix USVI Escapee Search with Corrections and
VIPD. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. J. Russell SAR Dog Mocha St. Croix
USVI ST#1 Elroy Moorehead. Four prison Correction guards armed with automatic
weapons. Flack vests and side arms. Prisoner 2100Hrs. met at Prison Asst Warden
Gloria Samuell Results: See report to Dep. Chief VIPD. We identified the house
the suspect was in.
07-28-04 2004-3199-174(A). Wash. Co. Meet TV producer Tiller Russell Recreation
Ward Weaver Ashley Pond Case.
11-08-04 2004-3284-284(A). Hood River Co. Missing Person. Kimberly Ann Forbes
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located human death scent in
Columbia River. Sheriff’s office and detectives advised.
11-15-04 2004-3243-243(E). Clark. Co. Wash. Carolyn Killaby Search. Team: H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results; Found some
human remains.
01-06-05 2005-3349-006(B).. Lost person Herminder Sidhu Hwy 1 Rock Climbing.
Moss Beach. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.Results: Tracked Herminder
where he fell to his death on the south side into the Ocean.
02-27-05 2005-3405-063(A). Pierce Co. S.O. Drownings x 2. Lake Kapowsin Thomas
Johnson age 26. (Missing presumed drowned). Kenneth Brisby, 26. Team: H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. J. Russell SAR Dog Mocha K-9-3. Results: Located both
subjects whereabouts in water in front of their family and friends. S.O.
Advised. Police ignored our findings. Victims surfaced where we flagged. Family
gave us full credit for the findings. Shame on Pierce County.
04-17-05 2005-3455-109(B). Eureka, Ca. Missing Person – Murder case. Brad
Thompson from Garberville, Ca. DLS 02-24-05. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: Drove to Ca. Met w/ Family. Obtained scent articles, searched
house, location where veh. Was found. Val gave death alerts and tracked death
scent to river. See reports and diagrams.
06-21-05 2005-3520-176(A). Marion Co. Missing 15 yo. Scott Spansel Jr. Wallace
Marine Park. Salem, Ore. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Drove to
Salem, did search. Located victim's position in large pond in Wallace park.
Police and family advised. The next day (Wed) an Ore. STATE CERTIFIED CADAVER
DOG TEAM was brought in and they failed to find anything in front of the victims
family, friends and law enforcement. The victim’s body floated up 3 feet from
where I put my flagging in the pond. Again we're right and the state of Oregon
has failed the families. The detective suppressed the mothers written press
release giving us full credit for finding her son.
07-12-05 2005-3548-202(A). Lake Berryessa, Ca. Drowning. Victim: Kellie
Forristall Did telephone consult. Victim’s boyfriend located her remains after
doing what I suggested to find her.
07-31-05 2005-3572-226. Clack. Co. Missing person Carlos Rubio. Teams; H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. C. Umphrey’s SAR Dog Thor K-9-7. Results: Found victim’s
right shoe, bloody cling, tied balloon and nylon cord. All items photographed
and flagged. This after local search dog teams and ground search teams failed to
find anything.
.
08-04-05 2005-3575-229(A). Sabine Parrish, Lo. Missing person. Missing 2 days
Missing person. Mykel Sonnier, Mother Denise Sonnier. Richard Sonnier WMA, 6’01
155lbs. Brn hair, no facial hair, wears reading glasses. Medical heart condition
High BP, Cardio Mioprathy. Since 2000. Wearing: Pair of Cammo pants, tennis
shoes size 12. white T shirt. Catholic brown jewelry. Bad back. Pain meds.
Ruptured five discs. Mult. Surgeries. Muscle relaxers. 323 Mike St. Many,
Louisiana. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Pending. Totals: .15
min. 0 miles. Local volunteer Fire Dept. from Peg Lake and Lake side F.D. vol.
Searched for 3 hours. Totals: 180,000 acre lake, alligators. Did consult.
08-17-05 2005-3588-242(A). King Co. Missing Person. RP: Jill & Juan Reyes Pl.
Renton, Wa. Son Sean Casey McClain Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Results. Sent contract, prepped for SARM. Drove to Search site. Canceled
enroute, subject located alive at Tocoma Mall.
08-28-05 2005-3596-250(A). Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans Emergency Management
Ofc (504) 565-7200 1300 Perdido St # 9eo6 New Orleans, LA Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. On S/B. Results: Faxed Governor’s office 225-342-7099. Pending.
Sent offer to help. FEMA Had this so %&#@ed up they turned away our services
along with the US Navy, Houston and Dallas Fire Depts as well as Police officers
from Idaho. We wrote Senator Clinton and with her help got the director of FEMA
and The director of the ARC fired. FUBAR. If this disaster had happened in
Beverly Hills, Ca. the victims would have been rescued in hours instead of weeks
later. We did assist in the overhead logistical support for animal rescue
efforts with LSU. Office of Public Affairs Louisiana State University 3960 West
Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 Vini
09-09-05 2005-3572-226(P). Clack. Co. Death investigation. Re:Carlos Rubio SARM
Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. J. Russell SAR Dog Mocha K-9-3. Results:
Drove to 4220 Rd. Hiked into location where body was recoverd. Located game
stalking overslippers which explains how Carlo’s shoes were so clean. Found
remains in bear feces. Debriefing with family.
09-20-05 2005-3614-268(A). Klamath Falls Medford Ore. TV producer Re: A. Pond
Case. Bishop, Shane (NBC Universal)" <Shane.Bishop@nbcuni.comMr. Oakes, I am an
NBC News producer working on a story about the deaths of Ashley Pond and Miranda
Gaddis. Your name and story appears in a new book by Linda O'Neal. It looks to
me as if authorities could have found these girls 5 months earlier if they'd
listened to you.. Thanks Shane Bishop Producer Dateline NBC 541-899-0201 Office
917-841-8893.
10-08-05 2005-3626-280(A). India/Pakistan Earthquake. 7.6 Teams: H. Oakes SAR
Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Sent email to Embassy
LA, Ca. Offered services. They couldn’t afford to pay our way and neither could
we.
10-21-05 2005-3455-109(J). Myers Flats, Ca. Missing Person – Murder case. RP:
Carl Re: Brad Thompson from Garberville, Ca. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: Met with family, debriefed. Asked to do another search along S
Eel River near Arch hyway. Val located an area where she smelled a dead human
body. I then drove to Eureka and met w/ Detective Pete Jimenez. Advised him of
Valorie’s findings.
11-01-05 2005-3654-306(A). Clack. Co. Ashley Pond Interview w/ MSNBC Clackamas
Park. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did interview re: Pond
case.
11-01-05 2005-3654-306(B). Clack. Co. Ashley Pond Interview w/ MSNBC Lake
Sacajewa Park. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did more film
shoot with MSNBC re: Pond case.
12-29-05 2005-3706-357(B). Jefferson Co. Wa. Poss. Suicide. RP: Bob Carter . Re:
Lynn Ohana Port Townsend , Wa. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:
Drove up to Port Townsend, met w/ Bob. Drove to PLS. Obtained scent articles.
Did search. See reports.
01-07-06 2006-3714-004(D). Suicide RP: Suzanne Bellingham, Wa. Suicide victim
Peter Holzman. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Drove to
residence. Did death notifications and grief therapy. Man walking his dog
located Peter DOA sitting against a tree 300 yards up on the ridgeline above the
parking lot.
02-07-06 2006-3744-034(A). Tillamook Co. Drownings x 3. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. Results: UCSG recovered one near Twin Rocks. Jeff King, 30, of
Garabaldi, The captain and owner of the vessel, Craig L. Larsen, 32, of
Warrenton, and crew member Trona B. Griffin, 30, also of Garabaldi, are still
missing. SAR Dog Valorie located one of the remaining missing near the debris
pile boat, North of Tillamook Jetty. USCG Tillamook and Garabaldi stations
advised.
02-17-06 2006-3753-043(A). Philippine Mud slides. Sent letter and email to Wash.
DC. Offered services.
02-20-06 2006-3755-045(A). Iraq. RP: Ajay Surtani Iraq re: Bomb Detection Dogs.
See reports.
02-28-06 2006-3737-027(B). Skam. Co. Downed Aircraft. Team; H. Oakes SAR Dog
Valorie K-9-1. ST Carol Dreyer. Searched area of HPOD. Nothing found. Heavy snow
on the ground and in the trees.
03-16-06 2006-3770-060(A). Klamath Co. Missing Family in Motorhome. Team: H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Sent offer to assist to Senator.
03-18-06 2006-3772-062(A). Kaui, Hawaii Broken earthen dam search for victims.
Team; H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Offered services to gov. office.
Teams Placed on Standby.
04-09-06 2006-3790-080(A). Cowlitz Co. DAT Response. Trailer Fire Alabama St.
Longview, Wa. 98632 Victim A. M. H. Oakes Bob Galivan. Results: Met at ARC
Longview. PU ERV. Drove to site.
05-02-06 2006-3822-112(A). Columbia Co. Cadaver Search. Delina Megar Team; H.
Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results:Val located four sites. Consulted with land
owners. Old Indian artifact area.
06-14-06 2006-3890-181(A). Thurston Co. Missing Person Christopher Bridgeman
Jr., Missing since 1964. Evening magazine did a story. Consulted with family.
06-20-06 2006-3902-193(A). Polk Co. Missing Person. Byron Jeffrey Fusselman
disapeared Nov 4, 2005. Case pending. Consulted w/ Family.
06-23-06 2006-3909-199(A). Yakima Co. Missing 15 yo girl. Greg (Father) Missing
child Kirstie Gurnlose. Team; H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did
consult with family.
07-11-06 2006-3956-236(B). Murdered victim search. Byron Fusselman. Case
pending. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Team placed on S/B.
07-16-06 2006-3968-257(A). Himalayas South America Jose Antonio Delgado Has been
in his tent at 7.000 meters for 4 days in mountain nanga parbat. He has a GPS
and a radio. He is continiusly talking with his group but they cant rescue him
because the weather is not good and is snowing, so the snow over his tent is too
soft. we just need a helicopter but in Pakistan nobody seem to help. Just the
army but I couldn’t contact the army. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Results; Started working on getting permission to go over there. Sent letters to
US Air Force asking for an emergency air drop.
07-21-06 2006-3976-266(A). Grant Co. RP: Antonio Javier Ramos DLS: 06-03-06
Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did consult.
07-24-06 2006-3983-272(A). Cowlitz Co. Missing Person Lori Hamm. Team; H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Faxed offer to help to LPD Det.
07-26-06 2006-3983-272(B). Cowlitz Co. Missing Person Lori Hamm. Team; H. Oakes
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Searched various areas.
07-30-06 2006-3988-277(D). Lost climber RP: Missing Jon Francis Stillwater Saw
Tooth Mountain Ranger Idaho. Team; H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: did
all night search. Stayed on the mtn all night long searching. Val indicated
death alert from South. Family advised. Our findings were documented and turned
over to the family, Police, Governor’s office and USFS.
09-21-06 2006-4078-378(A). Missing person Cyn Dee (Cynthia) Maurer Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160lbs Eyes: Brown Age: 50 Last Seen: Sept 19th 9:30pm - Silver Honda
Accord 2005 4-Door. Heading to Barnes & Noble Walnut Creek from Dublin. Results:
Offered our assistance. Sent overhead management information.
10-03-06 2006-4104-404(A). Cowlitz Co. Child Safety. RP: Hello Harry this is
April from US bank. I would love some more info for protecting my son. Your
fingerprint and child id cards and Child Safety Info. Thanks April. Have a great
day! Sent info.
10-09-06 2006-4114-414(B). Tillamook Co. Missing Hunter. RP: Norman Moore. 79 yo
male. Veh. Located in forest with hearing aid, weapon, in veh. Flat tire. Foss
Road in the Cook Creek area around 10 a.m. Results: Drove to Tillamook. Met w/
RP. Obtained contract, down payment and scent articles. Drove to PLS did search.
Val located the area where Norman’s death scent was present on west side of
canyon. Family and S.O. advised.
10-25-06 2006-4128-428(D). Crater Lake, Ore. Missing child. Samuel Boehlke
Cleetwood Cover area. Portland, Ore. 97221. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie
K-9-1. Results: Drove to Crater Lake, Did search for Sam. Val tracked SARM and
located where he was dead. Possible cougar. Also located what appeared to be two
strands of human hair in predator feces. Park Ranger given hair for evidence.
Family advised.
11-12-06 2006-4167-467(B). Missing Person. RP: Re: Michael missing from LV Nv.
RP: Tara Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did overhead management
and consulting for family.
11-29-06 2006-4198-498(A). Inj. Child. Cowlitz Co. First Aid Pt: Alison T. on
payment in front of 616 20th ave. Longview, Wa. 98632 12 yo female child fell
with numerous witnesses on pavement. Small lac. On forhead. I applied 2x2 gauze
pad and kling. Step father on scene.
Patient transported to hospital.
12-01-06 2006-4200-500(A). Missing Kim Family. Southern Oregon. SFPD. Case#
061269588 Kim family. PLS Ptld. Ore. DLS: 11-25-06. Cal DOESF 2005 Silver SAAB
SW SFPD Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: We received a request
from the private search efforts to assist. I did the initial overhead management
for the Kim search. Their family and friends refused to sign our contract for
services. So the only thing I could do was to give them some free advise.
They did listen to my suggestion and ping’ed the cellular telephone to determine
the area where the vehicle and family were later found by volunteer search
helicopter. The sheriff nor their search teams never did find these victims. It
was strictly the volunteer helo pilots.
If the family had hired our services with my 32 years of SAR Experience, we may
have brought closure to this case much more quickly. This isn’t arm chair
quarterbacking. It’s the truth. I’m not passing judgement on the Kim family or
the sheriff’s dept and their search teams. Just stating the facts.
I’ve taught outdoor survival and the Kim family made many huge mistakes that
cost them Mr. Kim’s life.
1). Not sticking to the main roadway. Depending on an electronic GPS device to
show you a shorter way to your destination doesn’t take away the use of common
sense. The family ignored four posted signs that stated, this road impassible
during winter conditions. When they first spotted snow, that should have been a
clue to turn around immediately.
2). Not being prepared for spending the night in their vehicle in inclement
weather.
All families / persons who drive on a trip should have a min. of 4 days supplies
of water, sleepbags, change of clothing and food for everyone in the vehicle. In
case of disasters, earthquake, floods, fires, bad weather, snow, ice, etc. This
is common sense.
3). Never ever leave the vehicle unless it’s on fire. Had the Kim family had the
sleeping bags, min. equipment to survive, they could have stretched their food
supplies to last a week or two.
4). If the private search efforts are paying $2000.00 per hour for a helicopter,
why not use experienced help? That’s what we’re here for. They overlooked our
professional services which could have guided the helicopters and ground search
teams into the area of highest probability in a more timely fashion.
The sheriff’ should have used all available resources. He still can manage his /
her search effort when using both state resources and private search teams.
12-08-06 2006-4215-515(A). Hood River Co. Missing Mt Climbers. Brian Hall, 37,
of Dallas, and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36, of New York. And Kelly James, 3 missing
Climbers on Mt Hood, Ore. We’ve offered our avalanche k-9 teams and technical
ice rescue teams to the sheriff by email. They refused our trained professional
services.
Note: These climbers could have survived if they had built a snow cave, marked
it’s location and stayed in one place for rescue. I’ve led climbs up Mt Hood and
was part of Portland Mountain Rescue from 1986 to 1994. I’ve led climbs for
search and rescue, teams for the US Forest Service and members of the Mazama’s.
I’ve taught winter survival to search and rescue since 1986. Things to remember.
When you dig a snow cave, you must remember to dig it deep enough for all
persons to lay flat comfortably. The person(s) inside the snow cave must also
mark the location for search and rescue folks to spot it from the ground or the
air. They should have ensolite or other padding between their bodies and the
snow and their sleeping bags.
When the winds gust to 50 mph, this brings the wind chill factor and temp down
to 35 to 50 degrees below zero. Inside the snow cave, it stays a constant 34
degrees above zero. So if you stay inside, light a candle, melt snow, and ration
your food, you can survive for weeks inside. The main concern at this altitude
is HAPE HACE and Hypothermia. High altitude Pulmonary Edema, High Altitude
Cerebral Edema, and Hypothermia can kill quickly. Usually HACE and HAPE won’t
occur unless your at the 10,000 foot level or above.
Hypothermia can kill you within minutes depending on your location and clothing
attire.
Another concern is suffocation. A build up of carbon dioxide. CO. When you sleep
in a snow cave, it’s vitally important to punch a fresh air hole with your ice
axe or ski pole every two hours. Make sure you are getting fresh air. We’ve seen
climbers die on Mt Rainier from carbon dioxide poisoning from not doing this.
Search dogs in this environment. I won’t risk our search dogs or teams until the
weather calms down. We can and have worked in white out conditions. But when a
person purposely puts themselves at risk and climb during the winter time, they
must realize help could be a few days in coming. I’ve snow camped in snow caves
in the Three Sisters Wilderness, on Mt Rainier, Mt Hood and Mt St Helens. If you
are prepared then you’ll survive.
What are the searchers faced with? Lugging up a 60Lbs rescue pack in these
conditions is hard work. The search teams face extreme avalanche conditions,
heavy winds, crevasses, falling ice, rock, snow. Blinding winds. Extreme cold
temperatures. We’re willing and ready to put search dog teams in the area, but
not until the winds calm down to at least 20 MPH. The dogs can air scent the
search areas and determine if there victims in the area. Our prayers are with
the victims, their families, and the searchers at this time. Mr. Oakes
SAR Coordinator. IK9SARS.
01-31-07 2007-4282-040(A). Soiux Falls N.D. In flight Med. Emergency. (See
reports). Did BLS on Passenger w/ Seizures in flight.
02-06-07 2007-4288-047(A). Wash. Co. Missing Person. Mr. D Johnson Husband Re:
the search for his missing wife Beverly Johnson Offered Services.
03-04-07 2007-4331-089(A). Clack. Co., Ore. Missing 70 yo woman Results: Drove
to area. Did area search. Found nothing.
03-07-07 2007-4332-090(A). Pierce Co. Missing Person. 27 year old male. Brian
Barton. Results: Pending.
03-24-072007-4369-126(A). Missing Person Mult. Co. J May Subject located alive.
04-09-07 2007-4406-162(A). Clark Co. Missing person. 22 yo Vietnamese male Khoi
VU.
Did search. Sent report to FBI Seattle.
04-15-07 2007-4423-179(A). Virg. Tech. Shootings. VA. Contacted PD and Campus.
Offered Pet Grief Therapy Teams.
Note: Many of the police depts in Ore. and Washington don't like us because we
come in to the search privately on behalf of the family and find the victim or
what happened to the victim when the police and their certified K-9 SAR teams
failed to find anything.
When a police dept calls us in we work for them and won’t talk to anyone
regarding their case and our findings.
When they refuse our offers to assist and the victim(s) family calls in, we then
work for the family. If this embarrasses the law enforcement community, it’s not
our fault. We’re just doing the job we’ve been hired to do.
When a police dept calls us in we work for them and won’t talk to anyone
regarding their case and our findings.
When they refuse our offers to assist and the victim(s) family calls in, we then
work for the family. If this embarrasses the law enforcement community, it’s not
our fault. We’re just doing the job we’ve been hired to do.
Other stories about Harry and his search dogs.
Claudia Kirchoch search in Jamaica.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20000817/News/News4.html
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20000817/News/News5.html
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20000823/News/News4.html
Turkey
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/features/turkey/gallery9.html
http://www.sarinfo.bc.ca/Library/Rescues/Willamette.OR.txt
Honduras
http://www.honduras.com/weather/index11a.htm
Dog Obedience
http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/DogWhsiperer.htm
Oregon City 2002 Ward Weaver Murder cases of Ashley Pond/ Miranda Gaddis
http://www.soldiersandkids.com/childmurders.htm
http://www.webbsleuths.org/dcforum/DCForumID5/99.html
Dog Rescue efforts
http://p076.ezboard.com/fmissing87975frm1.showMessage?topicID=771.topic
Cat searches
http://www.catchannel.com/cat/cfcc_portal.aspx
Other info re: Dogs
http://www.k9sardog.com/aadnw.html
Jackie (A child kidnap murder case)
http://www.puregolden.com/sarc.htm
Search dog Yogi
http://www.puregolden.com/sarc.htm
SAR Dog Links
http://fomlo.homestead.com/Links_Page.html
Animal Rescue
http://www.klamathhumanesociety.com/links.htm
http://www.thedachshundnetwork.com/petlinks.htm
Missing Children
http://www.findthekids.com/non-profit.html
Missing Ore. City girls: Was the FBI too slow?Transcript from Dateline NBC 08:44
PM PST on Friday, January 27, 2006 By Keith Morrison, NBC News Correspondent
VIDEO:
Excerpts: Dateline NBC examines Ward Weaver case
OREGON CITY -- It was evening, dark and cold, in this suburb of Portland, when
the call came in to a 911 dispatcher. A mother was reporting a missing daughter.
During her 911 call, the immediate assumption was that 12 year old must be a
runaway. So began the long strange tale of what happened to Ashley Pond. It
began not with a bang, but a whimper, as it dawned on a young mother what
terrors could lie ahead.
Lori Pond’s daughter, Ashley, had simply vanished— gone, or so it seemed on her
way to school in the town of Oregon City in January 2002.
Linda O’Neal, relative: It was very upsetting. A 12-year-old child had
disappeared, you know? This is a child!
Linda O’Neal is a member of Ashley’s extended family; Linda’s husband was once
married to Ashley’s grandmother. Not exactly a close relationship... but Linda
certainly knew about Ashley.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: How would you describe her as a little
girl? Linda O’Neal: Well, she was kind of known as having an attitude…
But Linda was not just family; she was also a licensed private investigator.
And, in those first days, her experience told her Ashley was probably okay.
O’Neal: My first thought would have been that she probably ran away.
Police in Oregon City apparently agreed. But then a whole week went by, no sign
of Ashley anywhere. Runaways inevitably contact someone, but she didn’t. And now
local officials, thinking “abduction,” called in the FBI.
Jim Redden, crime reporter for Portland Tribune: One of the problems with the
case is that there was a wealth of suspects.
Jim Redden is a veteran crime reporter for the Portland Tribune. Ashley, he soon
learned, had disappeared from an apartment complex that was a "mulligan stew" of
troubled souls.
Redden: It had a lot of welfare cases. It had a number of mentally ill people
that would be placed there by the county. There were a lot of single mothers who
attracted a lot of really bad boyfriends.
In fact police searching for suspects found no fewer than 90 sex offenders
living within a mile of the complex. One possible suspect was Ashley’s own
biological father. He’d been convicted of sexually abusing her during one of her
visits.
Had he taken her? And if not him, who?
As weeks passed, a terrible realization began to set in around town. Ashley’s
little group of best friends knew it, and everybody seemed to sense it—
something awful had happened to Ashley.
A friend of Ashley’s, Miranda Gaddis, was interviewed by a TV reporter, not
knowing that fate had its eye on her too.
Miranda Gaddis (in TV interview prior to her death): It’s really hard to believe
that happened to one of your friends or something. It’s just really different
and really sad.
In the weeks that followed, the task force would chase hundreds of leads.They
would, according to newspaper reports, watch Ashley’s mother, and her mom’s
boyfriend. Investigators even began tailing a couple of male neighbors from the
apartments. No one, it seemed, knew anything. It was as if Ashley Pond had
disappeared into thin air.
And then, two months after Ashley disappeared, the girl interviewed by a
reporter, Ashley Pond’s friend Miranda unbelievably, turned up missing too. Two
girls vanished from the same apartment complex. They went to the same school,
and were even on the same dance team! Both vanished, within 8 weeks of one
another.
O’Neal: When the second girl disappeared, it caused panic, absolute panic. They
were afraid that there was a serial killer among them.
AP photo
Ward Weaver is escorted into a courtroom by deputies following his arrest.
MEETING WARD WEAVER
In this suburb of Portland, everyone could feel the chill. The disappearance of
13-year-old Miranda Gaddis was a sickening reminder of the way 12-year-old
Ashley Pond vanished 2 months before. Now, the FBI ramped up its investigation,
and called in scores of agents.
Soon more than 60 of them were working on the case. A true task force was
assigned to find the answers about Ashley and Miranda.
Private investigator Linda O’Neal began to turn down other work to work on this
case full time. It was a little crazy, maybe, given the size of the official
investigation, but Linda felt a real family connection with Ashley. This was
personal.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: What made you think that you could help
solve this crime? Linda O’Neal: Well, the FBI would say “We have no suspects, we
have no crime scene, and we have no clues,” so it appeared that they needed a
little help.
But where to start? Suspects were no problem, narrowing it down was.
Some on the list: A former neighbor on the wrong end of a restraining order
taken out by an ex-girlfriend, Miranda’s father once convicted of abusing two
minor girls. And that was just for starters. So Linda decided to start with a
name she’d heard from Ashley’s aunt.
O’Neal: I asked, “Who are the people in Ashley’s life?” And she told me about
Ward Weaver.
Ward Weaver as a neighbor, and a family friend, whose home was right next to the
apartment complex in which Ashley and her mother lived. In fact, Weaver had been
interviewed on television too…
Ward Weaver (during TV interview prior to his arrest): That little girl took
off, I wholeheartedly believe that.
Weaver did have a criminal record for assault, but it had been 16 years before.
Now, he seemed like a hard-working single father raising a daughter Ashley’s
age. And police had already checked out his alibi and sent several teams of
officers and dogs to search his house and property. They found nothing. And
after all, there were so many suspects.
Morrison: Why would Ward Weaver stand out in that group? O’Neal: Because Ashley
had complained that he had sexually molested her.
And yet, as Linda learned, those allegations had apparently been investigated.
And no charges had been filed.
But she decided to run a computer check on Weaver and she was stunned!
O’Neal: I get this information Ward Weaver is on death row! Morrison: Death row?
But you’ve got ward weaver in your town!? O’Neal: This fellow on death row for
serial murder was Ward Weaver’s father!
Strange, but true: Weaver’s father had been on California's death row for two
decades. But surely just having a father who was a killer wasn’t reason enough
to suspect the son?
Was it?
Then, just about the time Linda was contemplating that question, a second
private investigator offered to help: Harry Oakes. Oakes was a bit of a maverick
who runs a for profit search and rescue center. And this is his partner was a
12-year-old pound rescued mutt named Valerie.
Many police departments don’t like him, says Oakes, and don’t use him. But in
this case he waived his fee, did some background work, showed the dog some of
Ashley’s clothing, and went to work.
Harry Oakes, private investigator: The track led from the apartment complex up
the road, the staircase, to Ward’s property.
That name again.
Harry, with his Valerie now excited and on the chase, knocked at Weaver’s door
and asked for permission to search the house.
Harry Oakes: He said, “I don’t have any problem with you searching, they’ve
already brought in 7 different search dog teams. I have nothing to hide.” During
the search of the house she gave me a death alert of Ashley’s scent in Ward’s
hallway. Morrison: Did Valerie alert anywhere else? Oakes: Yes. When we went
outside to the back area, there was a slab that had been poured. Morrison: A
concrete slab? Oakes: A concrete slab. And where the slab met with the grass,
the dirt where they came together, my dog was smelling Ashley’s scent coming out
of there. Morrison: Did you call 911? Oakes: I made a report and turned it into
Oregon City police department.
A record of Harry’s report shows it was indeed turned in to police on March
20th, less than two weeks after Miranda disappeared.
Morrison: Was there any reaction from the police? Oakes: They basically ignored
us. Morrison: What about the FBI? Oakes: Ignored us.
But not long after, Harry’s report found its way to the desk of private eye
Linda O’Neal.
Morrison: What did his report say to you as an investigator? O’Neal: It said
“red flag.” His dog had alerted a death alert over a freshly poured concrete
slab in our Ward Weaver’s backyard.
And something about that slab resonated with Linda: Remember, when she was
digging into the background of Ward Weaver’s father, the serial killer on death
row? She found out what he had done with one of his victims.
O’Neal: He buried her in the middle of his backyard. And then covered it with
concrete. Morrison: A concrete slab? O’Neal: Yes.
And Linda’s suspicions were about to grow. Over the next few weeks, teachers,
dance coaches, and even Weaver’s ex-wives would tell her stories of disturbing
and inappropriate behavior. There was the teacher who saw Weaver drop off Ashley
at school, and here was a man in his late 30s locked in a passionate kiss with
12-year-old Ashley. There was the family friend who said Ashley spent weeks at a
time at Weaver’s house, often sleeping in his bed, with him. There was the
girlfriend who said that Weaver was angry with Miranda because she had been
telling girls in the neighborhood to “Stay away from Weaver’s house, he might
molest you.”
By June, Ashley now gone six months, and Miranda, three months. The story had
hit the cover of People Magazine. But it seemed to reporters that the FBI wasn’t
anywhere close to closing the case.
Jim Redden, reporter for Portland Tribune: It was very much [like], “We have a
range of suspects, maybe six to eight different men. The entire impression I got
was that they had not in fact, focused on any particular individual.”
The reporter didn’t know it, but he was about to play a key role in the case.
And Linda O’Neal says she was about to get the scare of her life, returning home
one day to see her son working on his car with a stranger.
O’Neal: I came face to face with Ward Weaver. Morrison: And he’s with your son?
O’Neal: He’s with my son. Morrison: What did he say to you? O’Neal: He said,
“Kids are so naive aren’t they?” And I said, “Mr. Weaver, I don’t think that my
family is any of your business.” And he said, “Ms. O’Neal, that’s what I came
here to tell you.” O’Neal: I dug out my gun and loaded it, and put it in my
purse. Morrison: Did you really think he might be capable of coming after you or
your family? O’Neal: I had thought he was capable of anything.
CALLING THE FBI TO NO AVAIL
AP photo
FBI agents stand by as search dogs are brought onto the property of Ward Weaver
in Oregon City as investigators searched the one-acre lot Saturday, Aug. 24,
2002.
By June 2002, Ashley Pond had been missing for six months and Miranda Gaddis,
for three.
All of Oregon City seemed to be clinging to faint hope: their dance team, their
mothers, the whole community.
Lori Pond: We can’t wrap our arms around them. Whoever did this took that away
from us and hopefully they’re going to give our babies back so we can do that
again.
FBI canines were dispatched once again to sniff around the apartment complex
where the girls lived. Even Weaver’s house, but apparently found nothing. An FBI
spokesman continued to insist the agency had “no suspects,” and “virtually no
clues.”
But this private eye disagreed.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: You must’ve been going nuts! Linda
O’Neal, private eye: I couldn’t think of anything else.
Remember, Linda O’Neal, was part of Ashley’s extended family, and had been
working the case for months. And she believed the FBI should by now have focused
on Ward Weaver, a 39-year-old single father who lived in a house near the
apartments.
O’Neal: I was getting very upset and nervous about what was going to happen
next. Who was going to be next?
Linda thought it was time to take what she knew to the FBI.
Morrison: Did the FBI understand that you were a recognized private investigator
who was calling them? O’Neal: Yes. Morrison: What did he say to you? O’Neal: He
said, “We really don’t need help from private investigators, you know. We’re the
FBI and we really don’t think that Ward Weaver is a suspect.” Morrison: How did
you feel when you got off the phone? O’Neal: Devastated!
Still whatever happened on that call got Linda so mad, so angry, and so hurt,
that she got in touch with Portland Tribute reporter Jim Redden.
Jim Redden, Portland Tribute reporter: She thought that she had legitimate
information that they should be interested in, and they weren’t responding the
way she thought they should. She said, “Have you ever heard of Ward Weaver”? And
at that point, I had not heard of Ward Weaver.
The private eye and the reporter came up with a plan: A surprise interview of
Weaver. So the reporter got up early one Sunday morning and drove to Weaver’s
house, knocked on the door and wonder of wonders, Ward Weaver invited him in for
an interview that would lift law enforcement’s “shroud of secrecy” on the case,
and put one suspect in the spotlight for the very first time.
Morrison: Did he seem to you at all like a potentially sociopathic killer?
Redden: He really seemed like a very normal kind of guy. The more he talked, the
more nervous he got and that’s when he said, “I’m the FBI’s prime suspect.”
Morrison: What was your feeling as you sat there next to the man? Redden: Well,
he was coming across to me as sort of honest and candid…
The reporter’s gut feeling put Linda back on her heels.
O’Neal: Jim Redden said to me, "You know, he seems like an okay guy." Morrison:
Maybe you were the crazy one! O’Neal: It sort of was looking that way!
But the reporter wrote the article, putting Ward Weaver’s name in print for the
first time. Weaver was now the center of attention, and he seemed to be enjoying
it. He even appeared on national television, saying “She’s better off hiding out
wherever she’s found a place to live.”
And just days later, what did the local police and the FBI and local police do?
They launched a huge raid, executing a search warrant, towing away vehicles that
might contain suspicious materials, and informing the target of all this
attention that he’d failed a polygraph test.
The surprise? Well, the surprise was in the man’s name: It was not Ward Weaver.
It was another prime suspect, a neighbor of the girls, who denied any role in
the murders, said he’d been interviewed five or six times. He was questioned
about a camping trip he took the day Miranda disappeared. And his friends had
been warned to stay away from him.
What no one knew is that the big break was about to occur. And it would come,
not from the FBI task force, or local police. But from a woman, a teenager at
the time, who’s never before spoken about what happened to her— or how she
somehow found the strength to survive.
AP photo
Flowers and a sign hang on a fence surrounding the house of Ward Weaver on Aug.
25, 2002 in Oregon City.
A LEAD FROM A VICTIM
By August, seven months had passed since Ashley Pond disappeared; more than 4
months since Miranda Gaddis vanished. Still, Oregon City police and the FBI
appeared to the public to be no closer to an arrest, even though neighbor Ward
Weaver had told whoever would listen that he was the prime suspect.
And though Ashley’s step-grandmother Linda O’Neal firmly believed there was
enough probable cause to search his property for the two bodies, police did not
appear to her to be interested. No search warrant was asked for or issued.
By early August, Linda learned Weaver had apparently had enough media attention.
Linda O’Neal, step-grandmother and private eye: He told people he was going to
Mexico or Idaho. He had emptied his entire house of all of his possessions..
But with his house empty, and apparently ready to move out of Oregon, Ward
Weaver made a move that still mystifies everyone involved.
Randi Oneida, girlfriend of Ward Weaver’s son: He was a nice person to be
around. He fooled people I guess.
Oneida is the girlfriend of Ward Weaver’s son, the mother of Ward’s grandchild.
Never before has she revealed publicly what happened that day in August 2002
when at the age of 19, she got in a car with Weaver, a man she assumed she could
trust.
Oneida: All the way to his house, he wasn’t acting different or anything. Keith
Morrison, Dateline correspondent: And then you walked in the house, and..
Oneida: That’s when he snapped. That’s when I noticed a different face.
He threw her to the floor, tore off her clothing, and raped her. She couldn’t
talk about the worst of it, she said. Her body seemed to stiffen at the memory.
Morrison: Do you remember the look in his eye? Oneida: He was possessed. It
wasn’t him. It looked like satan inside of him, but the second he stood up off
of me, his face went back to normal. Morrison: And then you ran? Oneida: Yeah, I
pushed him with my feet, pushed him back, and I ran.
On the way out, she grabbed a tarp covering the concrete slab in Ward’s
backyard. And then she ran naked and trembling after a savage sexual assault—
into the street, where she flagged down a passing car. And within hours, Ward
Weaver was arrested, booked, and behind bars, charged with rape.
Portland Tribune reporter Jim Redden: That was the moment that I really thought,
"This is the guy."
Linda O’Neal says she’d known it for months. She had known in her gut that
Weaver was a violent man, who’d killed Ashley and Miranda. And they had him in
custody now, for a violent rape, so she felt sure the FBI would move quickly to
charge him in the disappearance of Ashley and Miranda.
Morrison: Once he was in custody was a search warrant issued for his property?
O’Neal: There was a search conducted that had everything to do with the rape,
with the crime that occurred that day, but then they took down the yellow crime
tape and they left.
And without crime scene tape or a steady police presence, Weaver’s house became
a kind of open house. After weeks of people seeing Weaver’s name in the papers,
or seeing him on the news, sitting near that freshly poured concrete slab, and
hearing of his arrest for rape, many of the locals had come to the same
conclusion as Linda: What was the FBI waiting for?
In mid-August, in the days after Ward was arrested for raping his son’s
girlfriend, protestors gathered at the property. They left their accusing signs
lying around the unexamined back yard...
Morrison: How long was it between the time Ward Weaver was arrested, and the
time somebody got a search warrant to look into his property? O’Neal: Well, he
was arrested August 13, and it was August 23 when they got the search warrant.
Then, with crowds gathering again as if they knew what was to come, the FBI
showed up in force, erecting two white tents, bringing in dozens of agents and
tons of equipment.
Hours later, there was the first discovery: a box, in a shed behind the house,
with remains. The Oregon state medical examiner positively identified the
remains of the discovered body of Miranda Gaddis.
The following day, there was another vigil and another discovery. Investigators
finally dug up that concrete slab. It was the very spot at which that search dog
had issued a “death alert” five months before.
And there beneath it, they found another body — Ashley Pond’s.
O’Neal: It was very sad news because I think you always hope, until there’s a
body, you always have hope. And even though I always believed the bodies were
there, the reality of it was difficult. These two beautiful young girls were
gone forever.
During all those days, weeks, months, of anxiety and hope… the long
investigation, the scores of officers, the bodies of the two little girls were
right here all along in Ward Weaver’s backyard.
And Weaver himself? At first, claimed he had not a thing to do with it. But in
the end, Ward Weaver, without explaining how or why, simply pleaded guilty and
was sentenced to remain in prison for the rest of his life.
At his sentencing, the judge said: “I think everyone probably shares in the hope
that there is a special place in hell for people like you.”
How could Ward Weaver have gotten away with it for so long? And how could the
FBI have seemed so, well, off? Especially when others seemed to have figured it
all so neatly? There was sadness, yes, for the loss of those two girls— but also
now, anger.
Redden: Our headline was “Why did it take so long?” And that was the question
that we were trying to get answered. We still don’t know.
Although there’s no evidence that a faster investigation might have saved Ashley
or Miranda—the question remained, what about Randi? The young woman whose
presence of mind and physical strength in the face of rape— and maybe something
worse— saved her own life?
Morrison: You know better than anybody else on earth what Ashley and Miranda
went through. Randi Oneida, Ward Weaver's victim: Uh-huh. Morrison: If you
hadn’t had the abilities you had, what would’ve happened to you? Oneida: I would
be exactly where Ashley and Miranda are. Morrison: Are you angry? Randi: Yeah,
I’m very angry. Morrison: What does that anger feel like? Oneida: It’s anger,
frustration that this happened to me. It could have been stopped, I really
believe that it could have been stopped. Morrison: Who could have prevented it?
Oneida: I think the FBI, the Oregon city police. O’Neal: If they were watching
Ward Weaver, how did he move all of his possessions out of his house, give
notice, and rape, and almost kill one more girl?
How indeed? We wondered how the police and FBI would respond to allegations that
they had taken too long or bungled their investigation. What could they say to
this young woman?
FBI: 'A SUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATION
AP photo
The FBI's Special Agent in Charge, Charles Mathews, left, and Oregon City Police
Chief, Gordon Huiras, as they announce the discovery of the bodies of Ashley
Pond and Miranda Gaddis.
After all the waiting, the investigating, the discovery of the bodies of Ashley
Pond and Miranda Gaddis, and the arrest and conviction of their killer, Ward
Weaver— that’s when the questions really began. It was a question splashed in a
banner headline: Why exactly had it taken so long?
And now, for the first time, police and the FBI agreed to answer their Portland
critics. Were they in some away ashamed of their investigation?
Well, as a matter of fact, absolutely not.
Robert Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: This was a very, very successful
investigation.
Robert Jordan is special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Portland. He
came to Oregon city after murders were solved. The FBI, with the Oregon city
police department, were the two agencies that made up the task force on this
case, and they bristle at suggestions that they didn’t move as quickly as they
should have.
Gordon Huiras, chief of Oregon City police department: The investigators
involved were driven to solve that case. They put their heart and soul in that
case. They would have arrested someone just as soon as they had probable cause
to make an arrest in that case. Keith Morrison, Dateline Correspondent: There
are those who believe though that probable cause existed long before the rape of
Randi Oneida. Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: People who were not
associated with the investigation.
People, like Linda O’Neal. She’s now co-written a book detailing her
investigation, called ‘Missing: the Oregon City Girls.” Remember, it was Linda
who said she called the FBI in June 2002, two months before Weaver’s arrest to
outline what she said was solid circumstantial evidence that Weaver was the
killer, and that the girls’ bodies were buried on his property. Information, it
turns out, that was true .
Linda says the FBI agent she spoke to wasn’t interested in her opinion. And
reporter Jim Redden confirms Linda told him the same story.
But the head of Portland’s office now says no record of such a call exists.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: The first and only documented contact our
investigators had with the author was in March 27 and she said she had a tip she
wanted to pass on. The tip was a psychic tip and that is the only documented
contact this investigation had with the author.
No documents. But, we wondered, could an agent have spoken to Linda, heard her
allegations about Ward Weaver, without keeping a full record of the call?
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: Absolutely. We had over 4,000 tips that
came into us. But we had many people who wanted to tell us Ward Weaver did it,
but all those people were interviewed, and none of those interviews provided us
with a witness or something we could put in an affidavit for probable cause to
arrest Mr. Weaver, or search his property.
The FBI says Weaver was always among the top three suspects, especially after
flunking a polygraph.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: Our polygrapher followed him out to his
car, literally haranguing him, trying to get him to confess. He wouldn’t. This
is the United States of America. We don’t have any physical ways to make
somebody confess.
And so, the investigation continued, say police, until Weaver was arrested for
raping Randi Oneida. And Weaver’s own sons came forward with incriminating
information that allowed prosecutors and the task force to agree that finally,
10 days after the arrest, that they now had “probable cause” to search his
property.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: We were working an investigation, to try to
a) find the girls, and if we couldn’t find them safe and alive, b) find out who
did it. We did that. That’s a successful investigation. Morrison: Is that what
you’d say to Randi Oneida? Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: No, I don’t
think I’d say that to Randi Oneida.Morrison: What would you say to her? Jordan,
FBI special agent in charge: She was at risk, no question about it. She was at
risk from Ward Weaver.
As for Linda and her book, the task force has come out swinging. The FBI says
the book is not credible, and points to an author’s note that tells of
“reconstructed conversations,” “composites of characters” and the fact that some
“names have been changed.”
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: The book is fictionalized, in some manner.
So what’s fiction, what’s real, it’s hard to say. Linda O’Neal, private
investigator, author: Well, I was offended.
Linda says she made it quite clear that while some names and narrative details
were altered.. her story is a true telling of events from her own perspective.
Morrison: Do they have some point? That it’s easy for you to say, “We could have
moved quicker, but you weren’t part of the investigation, so how would you know
what went on?” O’Neal: I wasn’t part of their investigation. I was on my own,
conducting my own investigation. And all I know is what I did and what I found
out.
Should Ward Weaver have been stopped sooner than he was? The question, for Randi
Oneida, is altogether too personal.
Morrison: What has he done to you? Randi Oneida, Ward Weaver's victim: He’s
ruined me. I really believe that they could have stopped him before he had gone
as far as he did.
And around Oregon City, Oregon, the strange disconnect lingers: Bitterness among
some who believe it took too long to solve the murder of two little girls; and
among police, satisfaction for a job well done.
Editor's note: NBC News contacted Ashley Pond’s mother for comment. She said
that she will be forever grateful to the FBI and all the police agencies who
worked on the case, and that any criticism of their efforts is unfair.
Unsolved2@aol.com View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:47:18 EST
Subject: Re: For those who missed DATELINE TV SHOW LAST NIGHT.
To: searchdog@yahoo.com
Hi Harry! Yes, Cynthia was here from Seattle, and we watched the show! Great job
with you and Valorie doing superb work, once again! The FBI and OC Police looked
like Keystone Kops running in every direction but the right one!
You were lookin' good! Thanks for letting us know it was on. Love u, Susan &
family
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revised 5/20/2007 |
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