Asking hikers for help in locating human remains Clatsop Co

[Dena Denise]

Because hikers are an observant lot by nature, hikers have been very helpful the world over in locating human remains that have led to countless missing persons cases being solved. It is with that in mind that I am reaching out to the Portland hiking community in case any PDX hikers will be hiking in the Clatsop Co (Seaside, Warrenton, Astoria) area this summer. I know this forum is not usually used for this sort of post, so hope I do not offend anyone. However, this seemed the best way of asking hikers for help. And frankly, I really need the help of the hiking community. Thank you.


PLEASE BE VIGILANT FOR HUMAN REMAINS IN CLATSOP CO. OREGON As we move into the summer of 2008, it is nearing the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of Joan Leigh Hall (Joanie). She disappeared on 30 September 1983 from the Mini Mart parking lot in downtown Warrenton in Clatsop, County Oregon. She was only 17 years old. She was purportedly last seen entering a dark colored truck with two young men. As Joanie Hall was an Explorer Scout for the Clatsop Co Sheriff's Dept, it is highly improbable that she would have entered the vehicle of someone she did not know very well. It is believed that she was probably murdered within the first several hours after her disappearance. The sense of confusion, betrayal & terror she must have felt when she realized that someone she knew and trusted was about to murder her, haunts me. She needs to be found.
So I am asking people who live in Clatsop Co, Oregon or people who will be visiting Clatsop County Oregon, to please be vigilant. And on the lookout for human remains or evidence pertaining to this case. Particularly if you are hiking ,camping, hunting or fishing in outlying Clatsop County areas. Hunters and hikers in particular have been instrumental the world over in finding bodies and evidence relating to unsolved missing persons cases.

Please keep your eyes open for any of the following anomalies:

Tattered ,rotted remains of any cloth, books etc sticking out of the ground or partially exposed. Someone suggested to me that she may have been buried in plastic. As plastic does weathers but does not degrade, this should also be closely examined.

Bones that are partially exposed. Bones can be discolored from various elements so a bone sticking out of the ground may not necessarily be white.

It is also quite possible that her remains may have been disturbed by the Coastal Storm of early December 2007.I think you get the general idea.

Areas in particular to be vigilant at are Fort Stevens State Park (Especially the Swash Lake Area inside Fort Stevens). Swash Lake is actually a wetland/swamp, so if one is brave enough to venture into this area please be very careful. Another area to be particularly vigilant in is Sigfridson Tree Farm Park which is located on Oregon Highway 202 at milepost 11. Simmons Field has also been mentioned to me as a possible burial site for Joanie Hall. Simmons Field is located off of the Old Oregon Highway 202. Olney has been suggested. However, Olney encompasses a huge area. But of course , it is important to keep your eyes open in ALL areas of Clatsop Co.

If you come across anything such as I have described above please do not touch but call 911 immediately & report that you believe you may have found items pertaining to the Joan Leigh Hall case. If you need to leave the area please mark it first & take note of your surroundings before doing so. If for some reason 911 Dispatch brushes you off or does not take your concerns seriously , call back. If you still are not able to get your concerns addressed, please feel free to respond to me via the page I have created for her at: http://www.mySpace.com/justiceforjoanie or call me at (360)258-0403 and I will make sure the info will get to the proper authorities. So we need to do all we can to find her in order to bury her next to her beloved parents with the dignity that she deserves. That ALL human beings deserve. I realize that the passage of 25 years may make it seem to some people that it is unlikely any evidence or human remains can still be found. But this is simply not true. If we all work together, we can bring this girl home after almost one quarter of a century.

Thank you & God Bless.

D. Rush

"The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them."Lois McMasters Bujold