Fog and no sun in our neck of the woods, today.  However, the rival games in college football are on today, looking forward to several of them. 

Unfortunately, Oregon vs Oregon State isn’t going to be televised that I can find.

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Chapter 19

Murders

Dealing with death is always difficult, although a part of our job.  In the city most deaths were natural and signed off by the family physician, some were accidents, some were suicides and we fully investigated those deaths. 

We were fortunate; there were very few homicides in The Dalles. 

The first homicide that occurred, after I joined the force, was handled by other officers.  While I had no involvement in the investigation there were some things that I remember well, and helped prepare me for my time as Sheriff, although that would be many years away. 

                     

The victim was a young lady about 19 years old that had disappeared during the middle of the day.   She had left work to go to lunch and never returned.  Her car was missing.  She normally parked in the City Parking lot north of the railroad tracks and a block from downtown. 

She was reported missing right away.  The investigators did their normal work.  They found out that she was due to get married in a few weeks.  She and her fiancé had purchased a home and were in the process of fixing it up so they could move in once married.  She was happy in her job, a stable personality and really looking forward to the marriage.  Part of any such investigation is to suspect the fiancé and family members, but they were quickly ruled out.  There did not appear to be any reason for her disappearance. 

I remember the Saturday a week or so after her disappearance; I was working the desk.  Her father came into the office and asked if we had heard anything yet.  I was at a loss for words I had not been around, I had been working Graveyard and knew absolutely nothing about the case. 

He was distraught; he obviously had not slept well and had been crying.  Fortunately another officer was there and talked to him briefly.  The officer said we still didn’t have anything, but he was sure she would turn up okay.  We all knew they were hollow words, but what else can you say?  The father left the office with his head down, he had started crying again; this was not like his daughter and he knew something had happened to her.  I learned later that he was coming in every day.

It is so very hard on the families when a loved comes up missing like this, and as Police Officers our hearts are tearing for them, but the only thing we can do is try and solve the case.  Hopefully to find them alive, but if not to find them so their family can begin the mourning process.

Then, of course, to find the person that did it and bring him to justice!

Finally her body was found.  It was about two weeks after the abduction.  She was located on the Washington side of the Columbia River several yards from the highway.  The investigators did a good job and soon located the suspect.  It turned out it was a crime of opportunity.

The suspect was a transient who happened to be in the area walking the tracks.  Even though this was the middle of the day and within a block of the main business area, there are not many people around.  The lot was at the back of the businesses and not readily visible. 

He saw her walking to the car, alone, and grabbed her, forcing her into the car and then taking her across the river.  After he had raped her he became scared and was afraid he would be caught, so he killed her.  He hid the body, but did not bury her.  He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The only homicide I was involved in as a Police Officer (we also handled a series of homicides when I was Sheriff – I am writing another book dedicated to those murders) occurred in early evening on a warm summer Saturday in the City Park. 

We received a call of a stabbing in the park.  Several of us were on duty and responded.  Upon arrival we found the suspect was still there.  The victim was in very bad condition and was rushed to the hospital.  Both men were transients.  Both men had been drinking and were drunk. 

They got into an argument; the victim pulled his hunting knife out and tried to stab the suspect.  They started fighting, the suspect took the knife away and cut across the throat of the victim, or so the story went. 

The victim was taken up to the hospital, but didn’t have a chance.  He was dead on arrival. 

I was sent over to the county to pick up fingerprint spoons.  These “spoons” are curved metal, about the size of eating utensils; they are used to take fingerprints from corpses. 

There are two ways of doing this and both entail cutting the fingerprint card. 

Some people prefer to cut the card into the individual fingerprint squares; others cut them into strips with each strip containing all four squares of the fingers on each hand.  I had never done this before.  I chose the strip method; which worked fine.  The suspect was taken into custody until the investigation was completed. 

From citizens in the park we heard that the two transients had been off in the far corner passing a wine bottle back and forth.  After a while they heard the two getting into an argument that became quickly heated.  They saw the victim pull his knife out and try to stab the suspect, who took the knife away and killed the victim.  After reviewing all the statements, the District Attorney decided not to prosecute; it was a case of self-defense.

Through the years we had a number of assaults with deadly and/or dangerous weapons, but these two were the only ones we had in my service to the City.  There have been a couple more in the past 30 years, but for the most part The Dalles is a safe City where citizens can walk about without fear of violence.

One of the things that all cities are now encountering is that there are a number of mentally ill people who are on the streets; many are homeless.  Some can be aggressive and threatening.

When they take their medications they are stable and don’t create problems.  However, when they get off them, then they can be frightening in their actions.  Seldom is anyone actually hurt, but when you are walking with your kids, or even by yourself and are confronted by someone like this it is not a good feeling; you don’t know what may happen.

The one thing that I do not understand is that these people choose not to take their medications knowing how they are when they are off of them.  Yet, their actions, if done by a citizen who did not have mental problems did them they would be arrested and charged with a crime; but the person who chooses not to take his medications is given a pass by taking them in and getting the person on their medications once again and then releasing them.

And so many of them are alcoholics which exacerbates the problems as they drink.

I don’t have an answer, it has been a question that society has had to deal with for several decades and no one seems to have an answer. 

I do feel for these people, they cannot help what is going on inside their brains, but when they deliberately choose to not take their medications then there should be something that can be done that will drive home the point they cannot have it both ways.

Either they take the medication, or suffer the consequences of actions when they are off of them.

That seems simple, I know it is not.  Sometimes the medication needs to be updated, or it becomes ineffective as the body has learned how to deal with it and overcome it. 

The medication causes changes in the person; some of those changes are not comfortable, they feel like zombies moving about without the ability to ‘feel’ things, to feel like a real human being.  They can’t stand it so they stop taking it, and then their symptoms begin once again.

There is so much that is not known.  AND most of these people have loved ones somewhere that have tried to help them, tried to give them a place to stay and live, but it hasn’t worked out for whatever the reason.

Each situation is different; each person is different.  Many are living in a private closet of ‘hell’ and just can’t get out.  Life is not easy for them.

But there are millions of people who suffer from mental illness, they work with doctors and therapists, they take their medications, they function and contribute to our society.

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Colossians 3:17  KJV  “ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

If we take this verse to heart, if we realize that every action we have, every word we speak is a direct reflection on our life in Christ we would have a much more effective life in Him.

We wouldn’t holler at people who offend us, we wouldn’t use curse words, even the ‘substitution’ ones.

We wouldn’t do things that afterwards, when thinking about it, embarrasses us and more importantly harm our witness for Christ.

Later, Art (-: