Stolen Voices of Dole Valley – Episode 2: “Just a Girl”

Podcast: Stolen Voices of Dole Valley
Host: Carolyn Osorio (Lemonada Media)
Date: August 19, 2025

Overview

This episode delves into the disappearance and murder of Barbara Ann Derry, an 18-year-old woman whose body was found in 1972 at the Cedar Creek grist mill in Clark County, Washington. Through interviews with family members, detectives, and experts, the episode unpacks Barbara's troubled life, her family's trauma, the fragmented investigation, and how authorities failed to connect similar cases despite chilling patterns emerging. It illuminates the context of 1970s hitchhiking culture, institutional blind spots, and continuing pain for victims' families.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap and Context: Jamie Grissom’s Disappearance

• The episode starts by recapping episode one: Jamie Grissom went missing in December 1971, with her belongings later found in Dole Valley.
• Early police response to missing girls, including reports being dismissed and authorities often labeling girls as runaways.

“The worst thing was, nobody ever said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, really.’ There was like, no help. It was like it didn’t happen in a way.” — Star, Jamie Grissom’s sister (02:04)

2. Discovery at the Cedar Creek Grist Mill

• On March 29, 1972, kids discover a woman’s hand protruding from a crumbling silo at the old grist mill.
• Initial excitement from authorities, thinking the body could be the infamous D.B. Cooper, quickly turns to disinterest when it’s “just a girl.”

“As soon as they seen it was a female, it’s yours. We’re out of here. Because it wasn’t DB Cooper.” — Deputy Bob Songer (08:55, 44:49)

• The body was found with her pants down and blouse pulled up, leading to suspicion of sexual assault, though later the autopsy found no bodily evidence.
• The victim is identified as Barbara Ann Derry, with her family recognizing clothing and a surgical scar.

3. Barbara Derry’s Family and Upbringing

• Barbara was the youngest of six siblings in a Lakota family that experienced poverty, tragedy, and displacement—from a North Dakota reservation to rural Washington.
• Interview with her niece Johnna and sister Eileen, discussing hardships and discrimination:

“They were really, really poor… My grandpa caught in smallpox and polio and so he didn’t work. They just, you know, had a little farm… And my grandmother wasn’t exactly there as a mother.” — Johnna (15:31)

• The family hid their native identity to avoid discrimination.
• Barbara ends up in foster care, moves between homes, eventually stays with Eileen until rebellious behavior and foster care regulations force her out.

4. Family Trauma & Guilt

• Eileen’s regret over making Barbara leave is a central thread—her pain compounded by finding out about Barbara’s death via the news rather than authorities.

“She just started screaming and crying and she was so mad. She was mad at the police and she was mad… just so upset.” — Johnna on Eileen’s reaction (21:05)

“She’s told me before… I just feel so guilty about Barbara, about telling her to leave the house.” — Johnna (21:50)

• The family’s grief is amplified by police communication failures and insensitive media coverage.
• Barbara was depicted in newspapers as a wayward hitchhiker rather than a young woman exploring her freedom, reflecting victim-blaming attitudes.

“There was a code for slut... she was just free spirit.” — Johnna (23:08)

5. Barbara Derry’s Final Days and Investigation

• Interviews reconstruct Barbara’s last weeks: dropping out of high school at 18 after aging out of foster care, struggling financially, dating Richard Rogers.
• On her last day, Barbara’s neighbor Conrad gives her a ride to a market to hitchhike to Goldendale. He admits to trying to make advances, which were rejected.

“I always suspected Conrad as being the culprit because I finally got him to admit that he tried to make a play for her. She slapped him… He took her to the Day and Night Market... and dropped her off.” — Deputy Bob Songer (29:48)

• Timeline ambiguity remains: exact disappearance date between Feb 21-23, 1972. Her belongings are packed up; she never arrives at her family’s home.

6. Failings in the Investigation: Evidence, DNA, and Oversight

• Decades-later case reviews reveal that evidence—like Barbara’s clothes and a tampon—were possibly misplaced, not tested, or mishandled.
• Files and crime scene photos disappear, some lost with a retired newspaper photographer.
• Envelopes with suspect DNA sent to the lab but never tested.

“I would like to have a cold case investigator who can really investigate the case and dive into this case… Do we have evidence we could compare it to from evidence we still retain from the 1970s case?” — Sgt. Fred Nieman, Clark County Sheriff’s Office (41:46)

7. The Missing FBI Role and Systemic Limitations

• The possibility of FBI involvement—in particular, early consultation by the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit—was missed.
• FBI agents and experts explain that without federal jurisdiction, they could only offer consultation if asked. In the 1970s, local police did not reach out, despite the brutality and pattern of the case.

“The FBI can only conduct investigation… in cases in which the FBI has jurisdiction… But the FBI has almost no jurisdiction in murders, child molestation cases. Those are not federal offenses.” — Ken Lanning, retired FBI (47:02)

• The hosts express frustration that a case so unusual did not trigger outside involvement.

“What’s a greater mission than who’s killing our young girls?” — Brandon Morgan, producer (52:58)

8. Patterns and Connections: The Start of a Serial Case

• Similarities between Barbara and previous victim Jamie Grissom were overlooked for too long, both small-statured foster children, both disappeared while alone and on foot.
• Only years later did authorities begin to see these cases as possibly connected to a serial predator operating in Clark County.
• The episode foreshadows more missing girls, more system failures, and the urgent need for retrospective investigation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dismissal by Authorities:
  “As soon as they seen it was a female, it’s yours. We’re out of here. Because it wasn’t DB Cooper.” — Deputy Bob Songer (08:55, 44:49)

• Family Pain:
  “She just started screaming and crying… so mad at the police.” — Johnna on Eileen (21:05) “She changed. That is when she changed, huh? She’s just always sad. I think all the time. That was her baby sister.” — Johnna (21:34)

• Media Portrayal/Victim Blaming:
  “Local newspapers… Lardy Colson, well, you know, she’s run away. She’s wild… destined to become a victim.” — Johnna (23:08)

• Limitations of FBI Involvement:
  “The FBI can only conduct investigation… those are not federal offenses… But we would assist all these different kinds of departments.” — Ken Lanning, FBI (47:02, 47:53)

• Contemporary Reflection:
  “What’s a greater mission than who’s killing our young girls?” — Brandon Morgan (52:58)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:04] – Star, Jamie Grissom’s sister, on lack of acknowledgment from authorities.
• [07:15-08:55] – Discovery of Barbara Derry’s body; police/FBI lose interest when it’s not D.B. Cooper.
• [15:31-16:21] – Johnna details Derry family background and discrimination.
• [18:58-19:26] – Eileen’s guilt for asking Barbara to leave her home.
• [21:04-21:50] – Johnna describes Eileen’s grief and guilt.
• [23:08] – Johnna criticizes media’s portrayal of Barbara.
• [29:48] – Deputy Songer on suspect (Conrad) and Barbara’s final known movements.
• [41:43-41:46] – Sgt. Nieman on untested evidence and the need for proper cold case scrutiny.
• [44:49] – Police attitude when body was found: “it’s yours, we’re out of here.”
• [47:02-47:53] – Ken Lanning explains FBI jurisdiction and the limits of their involvement.
• [52:58] – Producer questions local law enforcement priorities.

Tone and Language

The tone alternates between investigative curiosity, family sorrow, and righteous frustration at institutional failures. The host, Carolyn Osorio, maintains a sense of empathy for the families, measured skepticism toward law enforcement, and a determination to shed light on forgotten details—and victims.

Conclusion and Teasers

The episode closes by noting the disturbing extent of overlooked evidence and missed opportunities. More young women would go missing, and only after several cases would anyone formally link the pattern to a serial killer in the region. The family’s unresolved pain and the ambiguity in the investigation set the stage for subsequent episodes.

“Next time on Stolen Voices of Dole Valley. Three more girls go missing, and one of the killer's victims lives to tell her story to police, and still no one is tracking there's a serial killer operating in Clark county who's preying on vulnerable young women.” (53:10)

Additional Resources

• Clark County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line: 564-397-2847
• Podcast Website: stolenvoicespod.com
• Social Media: @StolenVoicesPod

For Listeners:
This episode is a gripping, somber exploration of how systemic failures and cultural attitudes in the 1970s left young women vulnerable and their families in lifelong anguish. The storytelling is rich with detail, empathy, and determination to finally bring these stories into the light.