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The Day Portland Died: Three Generations of Murder
Portland author Trevor Church dives into one of the most shocking crimes in Oregon history - the disappearance and murder of one of his former schoolmates and her friend.
Ashley Pond left for school early one morning, running a few minutes late as always, she hurried up the hill outside of her apartments to the school bus. She was never seen again.
News crews gathered at the bus stop, outside of the apartments, and the school. For weeks they interviewed everyone on camera, alongside the private interviews conducted by investigators. One of the girls interviewed on the morning news at the bus stop, Miranda Gaddis, would disappear a few weeks after her pleas for her friend to come home were aired on thousands of televisions around the state.
What would unfold in the following eighteen months would become one of the most shocking crimes in the state's history, not just because of the crime itself, but because of the possible gross negligence of systems in place meant to help children contributing to the disappearances.
This book dives into the disappearance, the investigation, and the trial of Ward Weaver, while examining the gruesome details of his family history, and the murderous past of his father. With firsthand details from one of the murderers through personal correspondence with the author, and the author's connection to one of the victims, this book explores three generations of murder, the lasting impact on the community, the climate that made these crimes easier to commit, and the day Portland died.
Ashley Pond left for school early one morning, running a few minutes late as always, she hurried up the hill outside of her apartments to the school bus. She was never seen again.
News crews gathered at the bus stop, outside of the apartments, and the school. For weeks they interviewed everyone on camera, alongside the private interviews conducted by investigators. One of the girls interviewed on the morning news at the bus stop, Miranda Gaddis, would disappear a few weeks after her pleas for her friend to come home were aired on thousands of televisions around the state.
What would unfold in the following eighteen months would become one of the most shocking crimes in the state's history, not just because of the crime itself, but because of the possible gross negligence of systems in place meant to help children contributing to the disappearances.
This book dives into the disappearance, the investigation, and the trial of Ward Weaver, while examining the gruesome details of his family history, and the murderous past of his father. With firsthand details from one of the murderers through personal correspondence with the author, and the author's connection to one of the victims, this book explores three generations of murder, the lasting impact on the community, the climate that made these crimes easier to commit, and the day Portland died.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 24, 2022
I couldn’t put this book down. Thorough, important and empathetic to the cultural climate and dangers all little girls in America experience and grapple with growing up. If I had had this when I was younger, I would’ve felt like I wasn’t alone and like my experiences mattered and like there was someone somewhere out there that understood me. This book focuses on the victims and communities effected and speaks to the dangers of leaving impoverished communities behind. 5/5
March 3, 2024
Interesting story overall, but this book desperately needed an editor. Also, the discussion of “nature versus nurture” is an out of date paradigm, and the author would have been served well to do some on the current science about heredity. I did like that the book was short.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews