Her Grave

Summary

---

Stolen Voices of Dole Valley

Episode 4: Her Grave

Host: Carolyn Osorio
Date: September 2, 2025
Podcast: Lemonada Media | Pie in the Sky Media | KSL Podcasts

---

Brief Overview

This episode recounts the harrowing escape and survival of “Susan” (a pseudonym), a 20-year-old woman in 1974 who was abducted, tortured, and left for dead by a man later identified as Warren Leslie Forrest. Through survivor and investigator interviews, the podcast exposes striking failures and painful reckonings in the handling of serial predator cases in the Pacific Northwest, culminating in the crucial break that finally led police to Forrest. The narrative explores themes of survivor strength, the vital importance of being believed, trauma’s aftermath, and the devastating consequences of missed opportunities in law enforcement.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Consequences of Not Being Believed

• Recap of Norma Jean Countryman’s Story:
  • Norma, a teenage girl previously abducted by the same predator, was not believed by police.
  • Her detailed account was dismissed, allowing the predator to remain free and leading to further assaults and murders.
  • Quote:
    • “For a long time I blamed myself because I couldn't make him believe me. And now I see it wasn't up to me to make him believe me. It was up to him to investigate, to take what I said at face value and leave his personal opinions aside and do his job.” (Carolyn Osorio, 01:55)

2. Susan’s Abduction and Ordeal

• Background:
  • Susan had recently moved to Clark County, was educated, independent, and working volunteer jobs (03:46-04:00).
• Initial Encounter:
  • Susan chose to walk on the sunny side of the street, almost avoiding a man she spotted but deciding to go ahead.
  • The man engaged her in conversation, claimed he was a student photographer, and offered her $10 for a photoshoot (05:14-05:33).
  • Susan described him as “friendly,” “preoccupied,” with a fair complexion and a mustache, mid-20s (06:51-07:07).
• The Van and Abduction:
  • The attacker’s blue Ford Econoline van is described in detail—cargo area, fishing poles, mattress, black metal box (07:14-08:14).
  • He stopped for beer and lured Susan off the main road and into the woods (08:21).
• The Assault:
  • Susan is attacked in the van, threatened with a knife, bound, beaten, sexually assaulted (using objects), and shot repeatedly in the chest and stomach with a dart gun (09:02-14:22).
  • Quote:
    • “He asked me if it hurt. He pulled the darts out and got out a dartboard. Told me if I was good, he’d let me go.” (Susan, 14:15)
• Psychological and Physical Torture:
  • The man uses nooses and slipknots, repeatedly strangles Susan into unconsciousness (16:02-16:30).
  • She’s undressed, stabbed, and buried alive under brush, but miraculously regains consciousness (17:03).
• Escape:
  • Susan claws her way out, bleeding, and staggers through the forest until she reaches a road (18:55-19:03).
  • Attempts to flag down motorists, finally aided by two brothers who cover her and take her to the hospital (19:20+).

3. Survivor Strength & Grit

• Susan’s Demeanor:
  • Despite severe injuries, she provides a calm, detailed account to law enforcement (27:14).
  • Quote:
    • “She just wanted to get it all out and help.” (Doug Mass, 28:14)
    • “That poor little gal will have scars the rest of her life. Not only physical, but mental scars. She went through hell and back and she's fortunate to be alive.” (Bob Songer, 29:52)

4. The Turning Point in the Investigation

• Law Enforcement’s Quick Response:
  • Susan’s precise, clear description of her attacker, his van, and the location were in stark contrast to Norma’s dismissal (30:38-31:12).
• Discovery of the Attacker’s Identity:
  • Park gate was still locked—suggesting the perpetrator had a key.
  • A Parks Department supervisor confirmed an employee with access—a man named Warren Leslie Forrest (31:23).
  • Investigators found Forrest’s van, matching Susan's descriptions, along with direct evidence (32:04-34:25).
  • Quote:
    • “It was like Christmas. We're finding evidence…She even described fishing poles on the inside of the van. This little gal was spot on.” (Bob Songer, 34:25)

5. The Arrest of Warren Leslie Forrest

• Apprehension:
  • Early-morning arrest, Forrest is subdued and acts as a calm family man (33:28-33:44).
  • Forrest’s wife protests his innocence, but physical evidence corroborates Susan’s story (34:11).
• Significance:
  • The arrest signifies not only the capture of the predator, but a reckoning with persistent investigative failures.
  • Forrest is charged while more bodies are soon discovered, indicating he is likely responsible for more victims.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• "For a long time I blamed myself because I couldn't make him believe me...If he had done his job, those three women would be alive and whole today."
  — Carolyn Osorio, 01:55

• "He said he'd pay $10 now—it would only take about an hour."
  — Susan (pseudonym), 05:33

• "Waking up in the back of a moving van, my arms tied behind my back, my jeans on, my sandals on...he didn’t turn around to see that I was waking up."
  — Susan, 10:34

• "He asked me if it hurt. He pulled the darts out and got out a dartboard. Told me if I was good, he’d let go."
  — Susan, 14:15

• "She had a huge bandaged head, black eye, ligature marks around her neck, bandaged up and down the arms, deep ligature marks around her wrists. And she was upright. She was conscious...trying to gasp and get her breath, but it was pretty shocking."
  — Doug Mass, 27:23

• "It was like Christmas. We're finding evidence...She even described fishing poles on the inside of the van. This little gal was spot on."
  — Bob Songer, 34:25

---

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Norma’s case, police disbelief & consequences: 00:26–02:30
• Susan’s background and initial encounter: 03:58–07:14
• Abduction & van description: 07:14–09:00
• Attack, sexual assault, and psychological torture: 09:02–17:03
• Susan’s escape & rescue: 17:03–23:28
• Police response & investigation (Sergeant Slider): 23:28–26:21
• Hospital interview & victim description: 26:42–30:38
• Police identify Warren Leslie Forrest: 31:12–31:37
• Suspect surveillance, arrest, and evidence uncovered: 32:04–34:25
• Cliffhanger & tease for next episode: 34:58–end

---

Episode Tone & Style

The storytelling is direct, empathetic, and unflinching, moving between survivor voice, law enforcement commentary, and investigative narrative. The tone is respectful, grounded in survivor testimony, and underscored by frustration at institutional failures to protect women.

---

Conclusion

“Her Grave” is a vivid, gut-wrenching account of both the horror endured by survivors and the missteps that allowed a predator to operate for so long. The identification and arrest of Warren Leslie Forrest, enabled by Susan’s fortitude and detailed memory, represent both a major investigative breakthrough and a somber reminder of the lives lost because other voices were ignored. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, foreshadowing further revelations about victims lost and cases left unfinished.

Transcript

[Carolyn Osorio]

Lemonade. This series contains descriptions of sexual and physical violence throughout. Listener discretion is advised. Previously on episode three of Stolen Voices of Dole Valley, retired Clark County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Mike Davidson.

[Bob Songer]

Well, and the sad thing about Norma was we would have had a lot better handle if we'd have immediately recognized and not discounted her statement.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Last week you heard the story of 15 year old Norma Jean Countryman. How she was abducted and brought to Tukes Mountain and that the killer tied her between two trees and then left her, but vowed to return that day. Norma had escaped by the skin of her teeth, literally chewing through her bindings before her captor returned. Deputy James Pillsbury was a rookie when he was dispatched out to investigate that morning. When he interviewed Norma, he didn't believe her story, which meant a serial predator was still on the prowl.

[Doug Mass]

The thing that kills me, had I.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Had a couple more years of experience, life would have been a lot different.

[Doug Mass]

And maybe a couple ladies would be still alive.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Now we've been together for three full episodes. If you're feeling frustrated with the way the police handled these investigations, I get it. And I need to warn you there will be more frustration and anger to come. Because beyond Norma going through this horrendous ordeal and then to not be believed on top of that would have far reaching consequences. Beyond her lifelong struggle was shame, fear and survivor's guilt. Especially when she found out that her abductor was in the middle of a killing spree. For a long time I blamed myself because I couldn't make him believe me. And now I see it wasn't up to me to make him believe me. It was up to him to investigate, to take what I said at face value and leave his personal opinions aside and do his job. And if he had done his job, those three women would be alive and whole today. It was the fall of 1974, roughly two months after Norma's abduction. And just across the Columbia river in Portland, Oregon. 20 year old Susan was walking to work. And just so you know, Susan isn't her real name. It's a pseudonym. To protect her privacy, Susan had recently moved to Clark county after spending a year abroad studying at the American College in Paris. She had completed two years of college and wanted to take a gap year before fully committing to a major, most likely in the field of environmental science. Even though she wanted to take some time off from her studies, Susan was no slacker. She'd only been in town for a month and had already landed two volunteer jobs. In the morning, she worked as A receptionist for the oec, or Oregon Environmental Council. And in the afternoon she was a switchboard operator for the Department of Environmental Quality. On that Tuesday morning, October 1st, the sun was shining as Susan had arrived at her first part time job at the OEC and she spent her shift doing clerical work. At around 1pm she left to walk to her second job at the recycling switchboard where she answered incoming calls about where locals could recycle their belongings. The OEC was about a mile or so away.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

It was a nice day and that was the sunny side of the street. So I chose that side. I was almost not going to walk on it because there's a guy on it.

[Carolyn Osorio]

He was on the same side of the street as you?

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Yeah, he just came out from the steps, out from behind where they have those partitions to keep me from out of the construction site.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Susan was later asked questions about this day for a court proceeding. You had seen him before he started walking down the street. You almost decided not to walk because you didn't see him.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Yeah, just to avoid conversation. But that was the sunny side. The sun comes out. So really important.

[Carolyn Osorio]

As Susan crossed over, she rehearsed a potential response. If he tried to talk to her, she said to herself, I'll just smile when he walks by. Maybe possibly brighten someone else's day. In that moment, she couldn't possibly fathom how darkness and evil can exist even in the sunshine on a beautiful fall day. Susan would soon learn that an unfettered serial killer was on the prowl. And she, at 5, 6 and 115 pounds, was exactly his type.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

I almost passed him at 8:20, said hello to me.

[Carolyn Osorio]

The stranger continued to hold space with Susan on the sidewalk. He asked her if she was a model, then quickly explained he was studying photography at the University of Washington. He asked her if she had time to model for his student project.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

He said he'd pay $10 now, it would only take about an hour.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Susan sized him up. He appeared to be in his mid-20s, trim with brownish blonde hair, fair complexion. Many had a bushy mustache, which was a popular style at the time. Nothing out of the ordinary. He just seemed like a regular guy. And honestly, Susan needed the money. She had high hopes that one of her volunteer gigs would turn into a paying job. But that hadn't materialized just yet. As she considered, the stranger said his vehicle was parked just. Just around the corner, that they could ride to Washington park together where he wanted to do the photo shoot. Susan agreed and they began walking toward his vehicle. A 1973 blue Ford Econoline van. I'm your host, Carolyn Osorio. You're listening to Stolen Voices of Dole Valley, Episode four Her Grave. Was he friendly and outgoing or.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

He was friendly in that he talked to me. He started up the conversation. He wasn't over with friendly Eric.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Did he seem quiet and preoccupied or just sort of regular? Nothing unusual.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Bad preoccupied is a good term. He wasn't really quiet. He always started the conversation.

[Carolyn Osorio]

After a couple of blocks, the man points to his blue van. He slid the passenger door open for Susan and she climbed inside, noticing the back of his van was configured for carrying cargo. According to police reports, Susan recalled seeing fishing poles inside the van. There was a rolled up mattress lashed against the inside wall and a long black metal box that Susan figured must be where he kept his photography equipment. On their way to the photo shoot, the stranger made a pit stop to buy some beer and other sundries. Back in the van, he offered a beer to Susan, which she refused, after which he began driving towards the west hills of Portland. But before they got to Washington park, the stranger made a quick turn down a little dirt road.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Well, we went on this dirt road up the Antiguas area. Said he'd like to take some outdoor pictures.

[Carolyn Osorio]

The service road would lead to a water tower and a dead end. The location was isolated, screened in from the main road by trees. The stranger turned off the van. Ben fished out a ten dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over to Susan, who slipped it into her purse.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

I got out, brushed my hair or something and he got in the back of the van.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Outside of the van, she heard the stranger from the back saying, oh, you're primping, huh? Susan heard him rummaging around in the cargo area and then he called out.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

To her, asked me to come and help him get something out. I got in the van.

[Carolyn Osorio]

The moment Susan stepped back inside, the stranger was on her. He pressed his weight into her as he shoved her to the floor of the van and onto her stomach. He held a blade to her throat and with his hot heavy breath hissed, this is a hoax. Terror induced adrenaline coursed through Susan as she began to fight with everything she had. She pushed the hand wielding the knife away from her, saying over and over again, I don't want to be stabbed. The stranger relented, sliding the knife across the van floor away from their bodies. He then commanded her to roll over. When she refused, Susan felt his bare hands clamp around her neck like a vice as he began to squeeze. Susan desperately gasped for air as the interior of the van with the three shades of blue faded to black. Susan blinked slowly, then rapidly, as if she were trying to swim back to the world again. She realized the van was in motion, the stranger behind the wheel. Her bell bottoms had been removed. Her ankles were bound and tied up with her wrists behind her back with rope.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Waking up in the back of a moving van, my arms tied behind my back, my jeans on, my sandals on, and he didn't turn around to see that I was waking up.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Where was he taking her? From Susan's position on the cargo floor, she could see outside the windshield. They were driving on the freeway. For the next 30 minutes, he continued to drive, pulling over multiple times to adjust Susan's restraints as she worked to get free, watching her from the rearview mirror whenever she got herself into a position he didn't like. He'd then pull over, jumped out of the driver's seat, back to the cargo area to retie his knots. The second time he pulled over, after Susan had managed to stand on her feet, and despite her ankles being tied, he responded by elevating her bound feet and ankles to the ceiling of the van, hanging her like a frozen slab of meat.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Then he stopped the van again, and he tied my feet up to the grooving of the cage. Then he kept going.

[Carolyn Osorio]

This position was agonizing, and Susan kept crying out in pain. When the stranger pulled over again, she. She could tell that her abductor had driven her away from Portland and over the bridge back into Vancouver, Washington, where, for the third time, he adjusted her bonds.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

He hit me a couple times. I complained that they were too tight, stopped after the bridge and had loosened them, but I was still tied up to the van.

[Carolyn Osorio]

He chastised Susan, saying she was too much trouble, but he was going to let her go. But he kept on driving until suddenly he made a turn into a heavily wooded area, then stopped in front of a large metal gate. Susan watched as he got out of the van, went up to the gate, and stuck in what appeared to be a key inside the locking mechanism, fumbled with the lock for a few seconds before he pushed it open. Back behind the wheel, he started driving again. Susan asked, what is this place? As he parked the van, he said, it's a friend of a friend's. He turned off the engine, slid out of the driver's seat, and was immediately on Susan, groping her as he stripped off her clothing. Then the stranger stopped, placed his hand on the black metal box. By now Susan is painfully aware that there's no photography equipment in that box. It seemed unreal that just an hour before, she'd wanted nothing more than to cross the street and enjoy a bit of sunshine on her face. And how such an innocent, simple decision had led her to this moment. As she watched him slowly lift the lid, his ice blue eyes fixed on her, a hungry, cruel smile spread across his face. Susan could only watch in horror when he lifted a pistol out of the box and aimed it at her chest. She braced for impact. Susan believed this would be a fatal shot. When she looked down, she expected to see the worst. She was shocked when she saw a feathered dart sticking out of her breast.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

He asked me to hurt. He pulled the darts out and got us a dartboard. Told me if I was good, let go.

[Carolyn Osorio]

The gun was actually a marksman air pistol capable of shooting pellets and darts. Susan's gaze went from her chest back up to the stranger, and she could only watch as he began to rapidly fire round after round of darts into her chest and stomach. I need to pause here and warn you that what you are about to hear is graphic, but there's a reason for it. We are including some of the details of Susan's assault as it will speak to the killer's modus operandi and how it relates to other cases. Throughout this series, the stranger attempted to rape Susan, but failed to maintain an erection. From his kill kit, he pulled out plastic tubing and began to sexually assault her with it. After this assault, he removed Susan's jewelry and then tied a noose around her neck, told her they were going to take a walk. As he held the rope in his hand like a leash, he slid open the van door and motioned for her to get out. Before they started walking, he draped a pink baby blanket around her shoulders, then made her walk in front of him as he held the leash and directed her into the woods. Under the COVID of the dense forest, he told Susan to stop in front of a downed tree, and he began to play more mind games with her. He suddenly jerked the rope and Susan braced herself, waiting for the noose to tighten around her neck.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

He pulled the rope and the rope came off. So he made good slipknots, didn't he?

[Carolyn Osorio]

But the sexual sadist hadn't actually tied a noose. He was torturing her psychologically. Instead, he'd tied a slip knot which slid off her neck when he pulled it.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Sat down, he was in the back of me, and he made another noose and stuck it around and pulled it real hard. And that wasn't a slip Knot I somersaul.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Susan's on her knees, clawing at her neck as the stranger leveraged himself behind her, squeezing the rope tighter and tighter. And for the second time that day, the world around her faded to black. Susan slowly regained consciousness, and as she did, there was immediately pain. She couldn't tell how long she'd been out this time, but the natural light around her in the forest was fading.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

It wasn't dark yet. It wasn't real cold yet.

[Carolyn Osorio]

She could barely breathe. A shortness of breath she was trying to understand, while at the same time, she felt the earthiness of soil beneath her. The top of her body was covered with a pile of logs and underbrush. The killer had buried her alive in a makeshift grave. She lifted her hands to her chest and they came away sticky and wet, which was frightening. What had the stranger done to her? After she'd lost consciousness, Susan slowly began to move the debris piece by piece off of her. Every inhale and exhale was met with searing pain. She believed the stranger was gone. What she didn't know was, was that after he'd strangled her, he'd used his knife to stab her multiple times in the chest and once in the neck. He thought she was dead when he dug a shallow grave, stripped her of the rest of her clothes, and dumped her nude body into the hole before piling debris on top of her. When Susan crawled out of her grave, it was still daylight, but it was fading. Streams of blood were leaking from her injuries, and she staunched her wounds with leaves in an attempt to slow the flow. When Susan began walking out of the woods, she didn't recognize the sound of her own breath. It was ragged and raspy. In fact, every few steps she'd have to stop, sit down on a log, or lean up against a tree for support when she felt herself close to passing out.

[Susan (Pseudonym for victim)]

Took maybe about an hour to get back to the road. It wasn't very far, but I had to stop every three steps to sit down and catch my drone.

[Carolyn Osorio]

That day, Susan would leave a bloody trail all the way out of the forest. The night sky was darkening when she finally got to the road where the stranger had parked his van, which was long gone. Naked on the side of the road, Susan lifted her arm, trying to flag down the first car she saw. She knew she was a terrifying sight, but her heart sank. After two cars sped past, Susan had lost a lot of blood. She knew it was only a matter of time before she lost consciousness. The thought of fading into the black abyss for the third and possibly final time. That day bolstered her resolve. She was a fighter who was running out of time. Pumpkin spice is on the menu. School shopping for my kids is in the rear view and fall is in the air. Which means I'm ready to slide into some stylish but effortlessly chic new fall clothes. And luckily Quince has exactly what I'm looking for. Elevated essentials like 100% Mongolian cashmere from $50 and perfectly tailored denim. All at prices that really feel too good to be true. But they are. So how do they do it? Quince partners directly with ethical top tier factories, which means they cut out the middlemen and deliver luxury quality pieces at half the price of expensive brands. And just to give you an indication of how much I am truly loving my new cashmere sweater from Quince. It's literally still in the 80s in Seattle, but I had an important meeting and it was hanging in my closet and it was just calling my name and the sweater was so warm and cozy looking but also the V neck is just super stylish and comfortable. I just had to wear it. So keep it classic and cozy this fall with long lasting staples from quints go to quints.com stolenvoices for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q U I N C Stolen Voices to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com stolen voices HL Bassett and his brother Walter were driving past Lacamas Lake Park. It had been a grim day to begin with. October 1, 1960, 1974 was the day their father died. The brothers were on their way to pick up food for their family's gathering. There was still some light in the day, not much. As they were passing the entrance to the Lacamus Lake park, their eyes widened when they saw a figure in the distance that didn't seem quite real. As they closed the gap, the reality of a gruesome sight became clear. A nude woman with leaves attached to bloody wounds. They stopped, jumped out of their vehicle, and one of the brothers wrapped his coat around Susan. As the men helped her into the back of HL's vehicle, another car pulled over to help. The brothers asked the woman what had happened. Susan replied, would you believe I've been raped, stabbed and left for dead? And then she lost consciousness. The other man who pulled over to help stayed behind at the park to wait for police. Susan was rushed to the hospital where it was determined that she'd been stabbed five times in the chest and once in the neck she'd been rescued by the Good Samaritans in the nick of time. Michael Slider was on duty as a patrol sergeant for the Camas police in the early evening of October 1st when he was dispatched to Lacamas Lake park, which was just outside the city limits of Camas, an area under the jurisdiction of the Clark County Sheriff's Office. When Slider arrived, he spoke to the witness who had stayed behind at the scene after Susan had been taken to the hospital.

[Michael Slider]

He explained to me that she was a victim of serious assault and a rape. She had uncovered herself from a whole bunch of branches that had been piled on her and had walked naked some couple hundred yards to the roadway where motorists obviously saw this human and in need and stopped.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Like Deputy Pillsbury three months before at Tukes Mountain, Sergeant Slider was the first officer on the scene at Lacamas Lake park where an assault victim had been found. But Slider's investigation would be completely different.

[Michael Slider]

I got out of my car and talked to the witness and then I proceeded to a big iron bar that was a gate to the county park. And this iron bar was on a pivot and when it closed there was a padlock on it. And the witness told me that the victim had said she was in a van and she was taken inside the park in the van and assaulted. So they looked at the gate in the padlock and it was still latched. It was not unlatched, it was not tampered with. And if what the witness told me was true, someone must have had a key to that gate.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Roughly a 30 minute drive from Tukes Mountain, Lacamas Regional park was a 312 acre property. Both the Tukes Mountain Maintenance Facility where Norma was discovered and the Lacamus Lake park where Susan had been picked up by those good Samaritans were under the purview of the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department. Both properties were secured against after hours traffic by locked metal gates. Sergeant Slider went back to his patrol car for crime scene tape and immediately began stringing it around the gate to secure the perimeter. As he waited for a deputy from the Clark County Sheriff's Office to arrive, the remaining light was waning as Sergeant Slider and a deputy from the Clark County Sheriff's Office began tracking Susan's blood trail into the woods.

[Michael Slider]

We walked a ways and we could see a blood trail on the that she had exited from the pile of brush. I got partway and my light wasn't sufficient and I retreated. The next people I contacted were deputies who brought floodlights.

[Carolyn Osorio]

But the important takeaway was Slider identified that the metal park gate was locked, which meant the driver of the van most likely had a key. He immediately passed along this critical information information to the two Clark County Sheriff's Office deputies who went to interview Susan at the hospital that night. Retired detective Doug Mass was one of those officers.

[Doug Mass]

October 1st of 1974. I was a swing shift patrol deputy. I got sent to a call at Memorial Hospital at the time to meet with an alleged rape victim. And so in that capacity as a patrol deputy, I met with the. We'll just call her the Lacamus Lake victim.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Throughout this series, we're referring to her using the pseudonym Susan to protect her privacy. And in our interviews, many investigators refer to her by another pseudonym, the Lacamas Lake victim.

[Doug Mass]

Contact with her and the initial interview. And it was. It was pretty cool, traumatic. I was only, well, heck, I was 24 at the time. And she, well, literally crawled out of her grave. It was just a miracle that she survived, but was calm, cool, collected, and provided detailed information.

[Carolyn Osorio]

According to Doug, Susan's injuries and what she went through that day is something he has never forgotten.

[Doug Mass]

Walking into that room and seeing her, she had a huge bandaged head, black eye, ligature marks around her neck, bandaged up and down the arms, deep ligature marks around her wrists. And she was upright. She was conscious. She was kind of a slow breathing, trying to gasp and get her breath, but it was pretty shocking. And then I guess the other recollection I have is just how she was able to recount in detail, I mean, great detail, every bit of what had happened. My experience in interviewing other victims, particularly like this, where they'd get choked up, they were a little reluctant to tell the whole story. I think she just wanted to get it all out and help.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Which begs the question, why was Susan believed when Norma, who was just, just as detailed, wasn't? That evening at the hospital, Deputy Doug Mass and a detective named Bob Songer interviewed Susan. If you recall, you heard from Bob in episode two. Back then, he was the rookie detective who'd been first called to the grist mill when Barbara Derry had been found at the bottom of an abandoned silo back on March 29, 1972, more than two years later, at the time of Susan's abduction, Barbara's case was still unsolved.

[Bob Songer]

I was a detective with the Clark County Sheriff's office at the time, and we got a report of a young lady who had been left for dead, buried under some brush slit her Throat numerous raped, brutally raped. But he'd shot her a number of times with a dart pistol. That'll come important here after a bit. But anyway, she was able to come to and crawl out up a bank and got on the road. The citizen stopped, got her and took her to the hospital. And she was in the emergency room room and we got notified of this situation, so we responded.

[Carolyn Osorio]

When I asked Songer what he recalled from that day 50 years later, the memory brought tears to his eyes.

[Bob Songer]

He was in bad shape, excuse me. Throat cut. But she was able to talk, which was fortunate and actually pretty brave. I can see her face to this day in the condition she was in. That poor little gal will have scars the rest of her life. Not only physical but mental squares. She went through hell and back and she's fortunate to be alive. And because of her sharpness and being able to describe what went on during her ordeal, you couldn't ask for a better witness. He was spot on.

[Carolyn Osorio]

When interviewed by Doug Mast and Bob Songer, Susan was praised for her eagle eyed description of the suspect and his van. Despite the horrors of what she'd been through, the opposite of how Norma was treated.

[Bob Songer]

She didn't give us all this description of the van and inside the van, what it looked like and the knife that he'd used on her and the pistol, air pistol, dart pistol. And he mentioned the fact he got out of the car and unlocked a gate. Well, that's a Parks department down there.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Late that night, investigators reached out to a supervisor of the Parks Department and asked if he knew anything about the gate or a blue van.

[Bob Songer]

And guess what? There's a guy that drives a blue van and he has keys to that gate and he lives out in battleground. His name was Warren Leslie Forrest.

[Carolyn Osorio]

At long last, the blue eyed blue van driver has a name. Warren Leslie Forrest. Warren Forrest was a 25 year old without a criminal record. He worked at the Clark County Parks Department and he lived with his wife and two small children in a home around 16 miles from the Lacamas Lake Park.

[Bob Songer]

So as soon as we obtained that information, we went to the address. By this time it's dark. We didn't get in the van, just shined the light in and we seen items in there that match what she was saying. So we were pretty certain we had probable cause at that point. So we went back to the office, set a deputy watch the house, make sure he didn't leave or anything. Of course he doesn't know we're even onto it.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Salger recalled complex Emotions when the van matched up perfectly with Susan's description.

[Bob Songer]

The adrenaline rush, we knew we had it.

[Carolyn Osorio]

But investigators still had to wait on the warrants before they could do anything. And how much like fortitude did it take to not go in and get him right that second?

[Bob Songer]

I don't care if you're a cop or not. You have that kind of thinking, but with your training, you know if you do that, he's going to get off. Some attorney will get him on. And so you got to do it by the numbers. And we went and got a search warrant back, executed the warrant.

[Carolyn Osorio]

The search and arrest warrants were authorized early that morning. It was around 6am when officers swarmed the outside of Warren Forest's home. Songer says at the time, they knew next to nothing about the suspect, which meant they had to prepare for anything.

[Bob Songer]

Wondered how he had been react, whether he's going to resist arrest, whether he's going to start yelling and carrying on and all this stuff. But no, actually he was very subdued, very quiet.

[Carolyn Osorio]

The same man who had assaulted and tortured Susan and left her for dead less than 24 hours earlier was now acting like he was an innocent family man.

[Bob Songer]

And of course his wife was very upset with us. One wouldn't do anything like that. And she just ragged on us. But that was fine. We knew we had him. And regardless what she had to say about it, he was going to jail.

[Carolyn Osorio]

During a search of the garage, they would find a pair of blue jeans with what appeared to be blood stains. Personal property of Susan's was recovered in the back of an old panel truck that was inside the garage.

[Bob Songer]

It was like Christmas. We're finding evidence, a knife, the pellet, pistol, bindings that he used. She even described fishing poles on the inside of the van. This little gal was spot on. And when we got into that van, here's all this evidence, and it was backing up everything she had said and, and corroborating it. And then to find a box in the garage with her purse and identification in. To put the icing on the cake.

[Carolyn Osorio]

Forrest was arrested for first degree assault, rape and robbery in connection with the abduction of Susan. He would be charged the next day. Two weeks later, two bodies would be discovered in Dole Valley, the same location where missing teenager Jamie Grissom's ID was found. Next time on Stolen Voices of Dole Valley. Despite an arrest, the killer would have an opportunity to strike again. How many coincidences can there actually be between the car, two different scenes with a hose. That's just strange to me. And then the rope. If you have information about the case, please call the Clark County Sheriff's Office tip line at 564-397-2847. For more on Stolen Voices of Dole Valley, including pictures or to contact the show, find us on social@stolen voicespod or visit our website stolenvoicespod.com and if you like the show, please give us a five star rating and a review. It really helps us get discovered. Of course. Tell your friends and be sure to follow us so you don't miss an episode. You can also support us by subscribing to Lemonada Premium, available right now in your podcast player. Lemonada Premium unlocks exclusive bonus episodes. Stolen Voices of Dole Valley is researched, written and hosted by me, Carolyn Osorio Production, sound design and mixing by Trent Sell Produced for Pie in the Sky Media by Brandon Morgan. My personal thanks to Ben Kiebrick for his thoughtful and inspired edits. A special thanks to Dave Cawley, Amy Donaldson, Andrea Smarten, Ryan Meeks and Jenny Ament. Main musical score composed by Alison Layton Brown with Lemonada Media Executive producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittleswax and for KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Cheryl Worsley. Stolen Voices of Dole Valley is a production of Pie in the Sky Media, KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media.