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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2019)
A18 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Victim Continued from Page A1 Washington County warrant for David Larry Stroh, 51, of Sheridan. Stroh had been indicted by a grand jury for first-de- gree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse and second-degree sex abuse. The FBI office in Portland issued a warrant against Stroh in April 1997 for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. “I am extremely thankful for the help and assistance of Yolanda McClary and her team of investigators from the private sector,” Palmer said. Initial discovery Human remains were ini- tially found in the Vance Creek drainage about a mile and a half west of Highway 395 and south of John Day by Chad Holliday in 1997. Holliday was gathering cattle on horseback near Fall Mountain in fall 1997 when he spotted what appeared to be part of a human skull. “I’ve seen most every skull this county has to offer,” he told the Eagle at the time. “There is nothing as big as a human brain.” He left the skull frag- ment where he found it and only briefly scanned the area for additional remains. He wasn’t sure he wanted to find any more. “It was kind of eerie,” he said. Holliday reported his find- ing to the sheriff’s office, and the next day he escorted Sher- iff Fred Reusser, John Day dentist Curtis Hansford, John Day Police Chief Swede Lar- son and Cpl. Julie Armistead to the site. Officials took photographs and conducted a grid search until the effort was halted by snowfall. Hansford initially said he needed to further study the Wednesday, July 17, 2019 skull fragment to determine if it was human. The sheriff’s office at first assessed the skull as from a bear, but an anthropological exam con- firmed it was from a human. By that time, however, winter conditions in the area ended the on-site investigation. Second discovery Interest in the case was renewed seven months later when Ted Ferrioli discovered a corpse in the cold rushing waters of Vance Creek. Fer- rioli was walking his dog on the weekend of May 2-3, 1998, when he found the remains. The naked body, miss- ing its head and hands, was found partially buried and immersed in Vance Creek, below a log landing from an old timber sale and about 100 yards from where Holliday had found the skull fragment. It was believed the creek did not run high enough to move the body downstream. The body was semi-mum- mified after being in Vance Creek for a time and then fro- zen through the winter. The remains were trans- ported to Driskill Memorial Chapel and then sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Portland for addi- tional examination. An autopsy determined that the deceased white man was 49-73 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed about 225 pounds. The foren- sic lab determined the man was killed between May and November 1997. No per- sonal items, teeth or hair were found in the area, but the autopsy determined the man had severe atheroscle- rotic coronary artery disease. Local investigation Palmer took over the case in 2000. After gathering all available information and reaching a standstill, he went to the public in 2011 File photo Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer in 2011 sifts through pictures of the site along Vance Creek where a mummified body was found. seeking assistance. The cause of death was a homicide, Palmer said at the time, but he with- held details on the manner of death. The sheriff said the man was either brought to the site and killed or killed somewhere else and dumped there. A nearby secondary road was likely used by the sus- pect, Palmer said. The remoteness of the area sug- gested the perpetrator was a local, but DNA testing had ruled out leads involving missing people. He said he believed the man was from outside the area. Palmer noted at the time that several leads had been unsubstantiated or dis- proved. Even psychics had come forward with opin- ions, he added. “We’re still trying to find his identity,” Palmer said at the time. “It’s defi- nitely a homicide, but we know that somebody doing this by themselves is highly unlikely.” The investigation got new life with interest by McClary and her investi- gative TV show. Palmer advised the county court Nov. 28 that investigat- ing the cold case would increase expenses for the sheriff’s office, including overtime. “Until we can determine if this person was shot and killed here or shot some- where else and dumped here, this will be our case until a crime scene of a dif- ferent origin can be deter- mined,” Palmer said. These types of investi- gations are time consum- ing, he said, and if the sher- iff’s office dedicated one or two people solely to this case, other personnel likely would have to carry the rest of the office’s work load. TV justice “Cold Justice” is a true crime series produced by Dick Wolf, who created the popular “Law and Order” shows and spinoffs. It was originally broadcast on TNT and then moved to the Oxy- gen network. The series initially starred Yolanda McClary, whose career in Las Vegas inspired the character Cath- erine Willows on the fic- tional TV show “CSI,” and former Harris County, Texas, prosecutor Kelly Siegler. “Cold Justice” kicked off in September 2013 and ran Grant Continued from Page A1 understanding agreements with Oregon Trail Electri- cal Cooperative and Oregon Telephone Corp. Projects in the scoping list included (some cost esti- mates were not available): • Extending Seventh Street from Bridge Street west to Patterson Bridge Road. The $4.8 million estimate included utilities, sidewalks, street lights and routing Seventh Street far- ther north should the John Day River channel be changed. • Two new roads con- necting Seventh Street and Valley View Drive to Gov- ernment Entry Road at the Malheur National Forest supervisor’s office build- The Eagle/Richard Hanners Left to right, Councilor Brandon Smith, City Manager Nick Green, Mayor Ron Lundbom and Councilors Shannon Adair and Gregg Haberly talk at the conclusion of the July 9 John Day City Council meeting. ing. The estimated cost was $652,363. • Improvements, park- ing and utilities for John- son Drive, the new road connecting Highway 26 to the planer shed and green- houses on the former Ore- gon Pine mill site. • An access road and parking for the new waste- water treatment plant. • Expanding utility con- nections for Iron Triangle property near Oregon Pine. • Improvements to the Charolais Heights intersec- tion, estimated at $240,000. • Footbridge and park- ing access for the new Hill Family Park along with west access and parking for the Seventh Street Complex, estimated at $471,927. • Renovation of the foot- bridge at Oregon Pine, esti- mated at $75,000. • Access and parking for future office space at Ore- gon Pine. • Extending the Charo- lais Heights road east and then down the hill past the sports complex to a new for two seasons. It rebooted in July 2017 and remains on the air. The show’s real- ism extends to its success rate, as McClary and Siegler brought evidence to pros- ecutors and requested that cold cases be reopened. As of April 2018, the “Cold Justice” team helped to generate 35 arrests and 18 convictions, in addition to four confessions, three guilty pleas and three mur- der convictions. In October 2018, the “Cold Justice” team explored the real events that inspired Martin McDonagh’s 2017 movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which earned seven Oscar nominations. McClary left “Cold Jus- tice” and moved on to a new project in 2017 called “Unknown Doe.” People can send information to the show by emailing contact@ unknowndoe.com. New leads Prior to last fall, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office worked with families missing relatives, the Ore- gon State Police Homicide Investigation Tracking Sys- tem, the Oregon State Med- ical Examiner’s Office, the Oregon Law Enforcement Data Systems, the National Crime Information Center, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and the University of North Texas, where a DNA data- base is collected and stored. Palmer said he reached out to at least two private sec- tor labs in an attempt to com- pare DNA from the Vance Creek body with the FBI’s Combined DNA Index Sys- tem, which includes DNA from cold cases and con- victed offenders. “However, until most recently and thankfully with the help and not only many man-hours put in by McClary bridge constructed over the John Day River connecting to Third Street. The last item is an expensive project that had been considered for long- term planning, Green told the council. Having three bridges to access the north side of John Day would enable major repairs to the Bridge Street and Patterson Bridge Road bridges one at a time while still having two bridges in service, he said. The Charolais Heights road extension, like the extensions west to Patterson Bridge Road, would open up vacant land for subdivision development, Green said. Next steps to complete the BUILD application included finalizing mem- orandum of understanding agreements with OTEC, Ortelco, Iron Triangle and the Holmstrom family, which owns the land east of the sports complex, finaliz- ing cost estimates, seeking letters of recommendation and finalizing a narrative, Green said. and her team, the financial obligation this organization put into this is well into the thousands and thousands of dollars,” Palmer said. Last November, Dr. Nici Vance, a forensic anthro- pologist at the Oregon State Police, joined the state Med- ical Examiner’s Office in authorizing McClary and a private lab to use DNA evi- dence from the Vance Creek remains. Palmer said he and McClary spent several months tracking the DNA with assistance from a genealogist. “Several leads and fam- ily histories were compared, and over a period of time and work several people were excluded,” Palmer said. They zeroed in on a full name and birth date in May as a prospective hit. A potential family member was found in Nebraska, who requested anonymity and was appre- hensive about providing a DNA sample. A DNA match was made, and the name was put through the state and national crime databases. A grand jury indictment and unlaw- ful flight warrant for the man was then found. “We believe that Mr. Stroh is a victim of homicidal violence, and this case is still being worked as an active homicide,” Palmer said. “We have made fairly sig- nificant steps in the identity of this person, and with this we would hope that some- one with information would come forward.” Palmer encouraged any- one with a missing family member or relative to submit their DNA to a private lab for comparison against a private sector database. They can also contact their local sher- iff, who can arrange to take a DNA sample and compare it with government databases, he said. Ordinance Continued from Page A1 setting reasonable timelines for gathering public input, involving county officials throughout the decision pro- cess, focusing on finding areas of common interest or agreement, sharing pros and cons for actions and deci- sions, communicating effec- tively while delving into complex issues and accept- ing the limitation of law. Several people at the court meeting who also attended the EOCA meeting in La Grande expressed deep concerns about what took place there. Billy Jo George said she was “really scared” because nothing discussed at the EOCA was about coor- dination. She described the discussions at the EOCA meeting as “disturbing.” Frances Preston, who also traveled to La Grande, said the Forest Service spent a lot of time dividing people into groups when “all they need to do is coordinate.” Position Announcement – Business Manager North Fork John Day Watershed Council | Long Creek, OR Candidate Profile This is an excellent opportunity for a highly-organized, energetic, people-oriented person who wants to contribute to the growth and sustainability of the North Fork John Day Watershed Council. The ideal Business Manager will be enthusiastic about increasing community support for the Council, bring creative energy to growing fundraising efforts, and take pride in supporting the administrative and operational needs of the Council’s programs. The position requires a willingness to flex with the seasonal cycle of work at the Council, including a summer/fall field season, seasonal grant cycles, and ongoing administrative and support duties. The Business Manager will oversee the daily function of the Council’s financial operations and physical location, including; general office oversight and maintenance, tracking of all financial transactions and provides direct support to the Executive Director. Minimum Qualifications: 1. Excellent oral and written communication skills 2. Computer literacy and knowledge of MS Word, QuickBooks, and Excel 3. Minimum of three years experience in an administrative, support or operational position, preferably with a non-profit 4. Commitment to a collaborative, partnership-based work environment 5. Ability to work with landowners, agency personnel, and other groups in a professional manner 6. Valid Oregon driver’s license Compensation This is a grant funded, part-time position (20-30 hours/week) with flexible scheduling and an hourly wage of approximately $14 to $17 per hour, depending on experience. All federal holidays (10) are observed and paid. For information on position description/requirements and instructions to apply, visit: https://www.nfjdwc.org/open-positions . Applications packets due by July 31, 2018.
