NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Saturday, April 9, 2022
OSP to examine Finley Creek site where remains were found in 1978
dog once and two on another
trip. Each of the two dogs
indicated they found ground
under which there are human
remains at the same site at or
near a tree.
“One dog pawed at the
ground near the tree,” Jeder-
berg said.
The task force members
did not dig at the site because
it is a crime scene and thus
it would be illegal to disrupt
it. They instead notifi ed the
Oregon State Police, which
later decided to investigate
the site and possibly dig there.
Su za n ne
Timms, of
Walla Walla,
who is assist-
ing with the
search as a
volunteer, is
glad highly
Jane Doe
trained OSP
investigators
will be examining the Finley
Creek site.
“They know how to collect
evidence without contami-
nating the site. I can’t wait,”
Timms said.
By DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — The
Oregon State Police are turn-
ing up the heat on an Eastern
Oregon cold case.
OSP officers and OSP
crime lab personnel soon will
reexamine a site near Finley
Creek, 18 miles north of La
Grande, where the remains of
an unidentifi ed woman were
found in August 1978.
The OSP team, which will
have human remains detec-
tion dogs, will be searching
for anything connected to the
unidentifi ed woman who was
found there in a shallow grave
more than 40 years ago.
State police will go to the
site after the snow there has
melted. State police detective
Sgt. Sean Belding said his
agency will be facing a big
challenge.
“It will be a little like look-
ing for a needle in a haystack,”
Belding said.
Melinda Jederberg, of
La Grande, a member of the
Finley Creek Jane Doe Task
Force, is more hopeful.
“We are very optimistic,”
said Jederberg, who founded
the task force in 2019.
A big reason for the
confi dence is that task force
members went to the Finley
Creek site where the woman’s
remains were found twice in
2021 with cadaver dogs. The
task force brought a single
East Oregonian, File
Suzanne Timms poses for a portrait at her home in Walla Walla on Oct. 26, 2021, alongside a
missing person poster for her mother, Patricia “Patty” Otto, and a collection of documents
pertaining to her disappearance. Timms believes the Finley Creek Jane Doe, discovered near
Elgin in August 1978, is her mother, who went missing in 1976.
saw an image created by a
forensic artist in Massachu-
setts, Anthony Redgrave,
the operator of Redgrave
Research Forensic Services.
Redgrave was assisting the
Finley Creek Jane Doe group,
and the image he created look
very similar to that of Timms’
mother.
Other details have contrib-
uted to Timms’ belief the
Finley Creek Jane Doe is her
A daughter’s search
Timms also is certain the
Finley Creek Jane Doe is her
mother, Patricia “Patty” Otto,
of Lewiston, Idaho, who has
been missing since Sept. 1,
1976.
Timms fi rst suspected the
Finley Creek Jane Doe was
her mother in 2021 when she
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
SUNDAY
| Go to AccuWeather.com
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
mother. The remains were
found with a white shirt and
red pants, which is what Patty
Otto was last seen wearing
before disappearing.
As part of the investiga-
tion in 1978, Lewiston police
believed the Jane Doe could
be Patty Otto, and Timms’
grandparents Thomas O’Mal-
ley and Ardys O’Malley were
fl own from Lewiston to La
Grande to identify the body.
Snow showers in
the morning
50° 33°
46° 28°
Strong winds
lessening; a shower
A bit of snow in
the a.m.; windy
Mostly cloudy
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
48° 30°
55° 39°
51° 31°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
55° 37°
53° 31°
55° 35°
60° 41°
57° 32°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
48/39
44/28
53/30
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
50/33
Lewiston
48/39
57/39
Astoria
49/39
Pullman
Yakima 54/32
49/34
51/33
Portland
Hermiston
52/41
The Dalles 55/37
Salem
Corvallis
50/39
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
43/28
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
53/40
45/30
43/26
Ontario
55/30
Caldwell
Burns
62°
36°
64°
38°
87° (1977) 22° (1952)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
52/40
0.00"
0.14"
0.22"
2.09"
1.73"
2.99"
WINDS (in mph)
53/28
46/19
0.00"
0.07"
0.39"
3.67"
3.34"
4.46"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 40/21
52/40
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
50/33
54/39
56°
39°
61°
38°
83° (1925) 21° (1929)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
49/34
Aberdeen
48/27
51/32
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
47/37
Today
Sun.
Boardman WSW 12-25
Pendleton
W 12-25
Medford
55/35
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
47/22
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Full
Last
New
Apr 16
Apr 23
Apr 30
May 8
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
OSP says wolf killed in
March near Richland
RICHLAND — Oregon State Police’s Fish
and Wildlife Division is asking the public for
information about the killing of a wolf near
Richland in March.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wild-
life employees reported to OSP on March 25
that a wolf wearing a tracking collar likely
was dead. The collars send a signal if they
haven’t moved for a signifi cant period of time,
suggesting the wolf is dead.
OSP troopers found the dead wolf about
1.5 miles east of New Bridge and 2 miles
north of Richland.
The wolf, a year-old male, died around
March 12-13, according to a press release
from state police.
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
ice
50s
60s
cold front
E AST O REGONIAN
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
70s
East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday,
by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals
postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to
East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
Copyright © 2022, EO Media Group
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
Circulation Dept.
For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops
or delivery concerns call 800-781-3214
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Local home
delivery
Savings
(cover price)
$10.75/month
50 percent
52 weeks
$135
42 percent
26 weeks
$71
39 percent
13 weeks
$37
36 percent
EZPay
Single copy price:
$1.50 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
car detailing service oper-
ating in La Grande, reached
out to the students whose
cars were vandalized and
off ered free services to help
repair the vehicles — one
of the students was a family
member of the owners. The
shop owners noted one of the
cars had been in for service
just before the prom event.
Moving forward, the group
is looking at possibly list-
ing a reward for informa-
tion provided regarding the
vandalism.
“We wanted to show that
we have their backs,” said
Sammie Watson, one of the
family members that owns
and operates the auto shop.
The White Barn has hosted
Imbler’s prom for the past
several years, at no charge to
the school. The estate serves
as a scenic venue with views
of the Grande Ronde Valley
that hosts weddings and other
events.
“It’s really unfortunate
because these kids took a
lot of pride in their cars,”
White Barn owner Jeana
Bingaman said.
State police did not report how the wolf
died and OSP’s public information offi ce said
the agency will not be releasing the manner
of death.
During the past couple years, OSP has
investigated cases where wolves were either
shot or poisoned.
The Oregon Wildlife Coalition, a group
of wildlife conservation groups, is off ering
a $11,500 reward for information that leads
to an arrest or citation in connection with the
most recent wolf killing.
Anyone with information can contact OSP
through the Turn in Poachers hotline at 1-800-
452-7888 or *OSP (mobile). Reference case
number SP22071683.
Three other wolves have been killed in
eastern Baker County since the fall of 2020.
— EO Media Group
CORRECTION: The story “Price tag on Wallowa Lake Dam soars” in the Thurs-
day, April 7, edition of the East Oregonian misattributed a quote as being from Sen.
Bill Hansell spokesperson Ann Rava. She shared a quote from a report by the Regional
Solutions Exchange.
The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you
notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
ADVERTISING
Classifi ed & Legal Advertising
Regional Sales Director (Eastside) EO Media Group:
Classifi ed advertising: 541-564-4538
• Karrine Brogoitti
541-963-3161 • kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
Offi ce hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed major holidays
EastOregonian.com
In the App Store:
80s
Interest in the Finley Creek
Jane Doe has picked up since
Crime Stoppers of Oregon
announced in March that it
was off ering a cash award of
up to $2,500 to help identify
the murdered woman.
“It has generated a lot of
calls about the case,” Jeder-
berg said.
Jederberg said she hopes
the reward and increased
interest will encourage people
to step forward.
IN BRIEF
First
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 101° in Fullerton, Calif. Low 8° in Jackson Dam, Wyo.
IMBLER — On what is
meant to be a highlight of the
school year, several Imbler
students saw their prom night
end in disappointment.
Three vintage vehicles
belonging to families of
Imbler students were vandal-
ized during the event, held at
White Barn Estate outside
of La Grande on the evening
of April 2. Those involved
still are looking for answers,
while a local auto detailing
shop provides its services to
those impacted.
“The biggest thing to
me was that these rigs only
come out on very special
occasions like this,” said
Krager Muilenburg, one of
the students whose vehicle
was vandalized. “The three
of us did our best to make
them look the best that they
could, so the fact that they got
messed with for no apparent
reason was very frustrating.”
Three vehicles were found
covered in strawberry syrup
after the event — a 1997 Ford
pickup truck, 1960’s Plym-
outh Duster and a 1970’s
Chevrolet Blazer. The syrup
reportedly damaged the paint
on the vehicles, particularly
one with a white paint job.
According to several
involved, the cars belong
to the students’ parents and
grandparents, and the prom
served as a special occasion
in which the students were
allowed to drive the vehicles.
“Those cars have been
very precious to us,” Muilen-
burg said of driving his grand-
father’s pickup by himself for
the fi rst time. “Ever since we
were little, they were some-
thing we’ve taken care of and
taken an interest in.”
The Union County Sher-
iff ’s Offi ce was made aware
of the vandalism, and the
car owners were encour-
aged to fi le a report. Sheriff
Cody Bowen stated each will
need to fi le a separate victim
report. The vandalism has
potential to be fi led as crimi-
nal mischief, with the culprit
being held accountable if
identifi ed.
Dirty Girls Detailing, a
6:21 a.m.
7:34 p.m.
11:40 a.m.
3:20 a.m.
NATIONAL EXTREMES
A cash award
Several classic cars vandalized at prom
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
Partly sunny, a
shower; windy
Timms said they were sure
the remains were those of
their daughter, because the
white shirt and red pants were
with the remains at Finley
Creek.
“I found records indicating
that they told the Lewiston
police that the white shirt and
red pants looked very similar
to what my mother was wear-
ing before she disappeared,”
Timms said, who discovered
this information earlier this
year.
Timms said she believes
her mother was murdered in
Lewiston by her father, and
then taken to Finley Creek
where he buried her in a shal-
low grave.
The OSP’s autopsy records
for the Finley Creek Jane Doe,
however, do not match those
of Patty Otto.
Timms said the discrep-
ancy is due to an error the
state police medical examiner
made of the skeletal remains
for two Jane Does in his offi ce
at about the same time in
1978. She said she suspects
he assigned his reports to the
wrong Jane Does because his
report for the second Jane Doe
matches her mother’s autopsy
photos and dental records.
“It appears that he had
the two Jane Does confused
based upon documents he
wrote himself,” Timms said.
Multimedia Consultants:
• Angel Aguilar
541-564-4531 • aaguilar@hermistonherald.com
• Melissa Barnes
541-966-0827 • mbarnes@eastoregonian.com
• Audra Workman
541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com
Business Offi ce
Legal advertising: 541-966-0824
classifi eds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NEWS
• To submit news tips and press releases:
call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com
• To submit community events, calendar items, engagements,
weddings and anniversaries: email community@eastoregonian.com,
call 541-966-0818 or or visit eastoregonian.com/community/
announcements.
• To submit sports or outdoors information or tips,
email sports@eastoregonian.com.
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
• Dayle Stinson
Commercial Print Manager: Holly Rouska
541-966-0824 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com
541-617-7839 • hrouska@eomediagroup.com