Stolen Voices of Dole Valley

Episode 1: The Ties That Bind
Host: Carolyn Osorio
Release Date: August 19, 2025

Overview

In this compelling debut episode, journalist Carolyn Osorio uncovers the dark history of Dole Valley, Washington, focusing on a forgotten serial killer who preyed on young women in the 1970s. The episode weaves survivor testimonies, family tragedies, and overlooked evidence to explore systemic failures that allowed a predator to act with impunity for decades. The stories of the victims, their families, and the few who survived offer not just horror and heartbreak, but also strength and hope as the investigation is reignited.

Episode Breakdown

1. Introduction: A Killer, a Survivor, and the Metaphor of Rope

[01:13]

• Host Carolyn Osorio introduces the podcast with a powerful metaphor: rope. She relates its construction from fragile fibers made powerful by unity to the stories of victims whose lives, when woven together, create an undeniable call for justice.
• The pathology of the killer and the neglect of law enforcement set the stage for an exploration of forgotten cases and long-standing trauma.

Notable Quote:
“All these years later, the killer has yet to be held fully accountable. There are still so many unanswered questions, so many threads that still need pulling...”
— Carolyn Osorio [08:27]

2. Survivor Testimony: Norma Jean Countryman’s Ordeal

[01:34 - 09:54]

• July 1974: 15-year-old Norma Jean was abducted after accepting a ride in Ridgefield, WA. The attacker (a handsome stranger with light brown hair and a mustache) bound her and left her dangling between trees in the woods.
• Norma recounts her desperate, painful escape: chewing through rope so tightly bound she tore part of her own lip, all the while haunted by her attacker's threats.
• The aftermath was devastating: Norma was not believed by the police, leaving her with lifelong guilt and psychological scars.

Notable Quotes:
“He tied it around another tree and pulled it tight so I could hardly breathe. Then he, he hit me real hard... Swear I almost blacked out.”
— Norma Jean (15 years old at the time) [05:48]

“...what I lived my life with was that guilt that I couldn't make them believe me.”
— Norma Jean, reflecting as an adult [08:11]

3. Systemic Failures: Law Enforcement and Dismissed Warnings

[09:54 - 12:17]

• Retired Detective Doug Mass underscores the importance of collective voices ("the strands on the rope") and their impact in moving authorities to action, though progress has taken decades.
• Osorio expresses her frustration at old police failures and introduces how she began tracing connections among multiple victims and a serial predator operating in Dole Valley.

Notable Quote:
“I kept getting angrier. These women and girls were not only discarded, but in many cases, forgotten.”
— Carolyn Osorio [11:40]

4. The Disappearance of Jamie Grissom

[12:17 - 18:21]

• Story shifts to Jamie Grissom, who vanished three years before Norma’s attack. Testimony from Jamie’s sister, Starr Lara, paints a picture of childhood trauma, the instability of foster care, and the sisters’ determination to stay together.
• December 7, 1971: After an ordinary morning preparing for school, Jamie never returns home. Starr's mounting concern is ignored by police, who classify Jamie as a runaway and wait to act.

Notable Quote:
“Children who've experienced trauma know real trouble when it comes because they haven't had the luxury to be shielded from it.”
— Carolyn Osorio [18:13]

5. The Unraveling: Lost Trails, Community Silence, and Found Belongings

[23:51 – 29:10]

• May 1, 1972: Ted Matson’s family finds Jamie’s school ID and belongings in a ravine near Dole Valley, months after her disappearance. Their report to police marks the first real indication she was a victim of foul play.
• The Matson family’s rural background and Dole Valley’s culture of isolation and wariness of outsiders/law enforcement are highlighted.

Notable Quote:
“People didn't come back that fast. Everything was burned out, so it grew back... Dole Valley felt cursed, haunted... and attracted people who wanted to be left alone...”
— Ted Matson [24:37]

6. Witness Testimonies and Unanswered Calls

[29:10 – 46:35]

• Deborah McClure shares a chilling family story: Matt McClure allegedly witnessed a bloodied, screaming young woman tied to a tree around the time and place Jamie disappeared. Their report to police apparently vanishes without a trace.
• Osorio and producer Brandon Morgan debate the plausibility of Matt's story—does such fear justify not helping? Can witness memory be trusted after decades?
• Retired Detective John Dush provides perspective: “Who knows?... You don't have—depends on their mental states...I don't have an answer for it.” [39:38]
• Independently, the Highfill family recalls hearing blood-curdling screams and seeing a suspicious vehicle in the snow, but their report to police also goes unheeded.

Notable Quotes:
“There had to be an element of truth for something like that to last.”
— Deborah McClure [33:21]

“We figured once we called the police, that was going to be it... maybe even follow the tracks or something.”
— Jeannie Highfill [45:22]

7. The Thread Continues: A Determined Search for Truth

[40:58 – End]

• The episode closes with Osorio’s insistence that the team continue searching for Matt McClure, who may hold key information.
• The Highfill and McClure accounts, combined with found evidence, create a tapestry hinting at an overlooked pattern of violence.
• The episode concludes with a teaser: a body found at the nearby grist mill.

Notable Quote:
“If he's lying, then he gives false hope to victims’ families... If he's telling the truth, he's a coward who cost a girl her life.”
— Brandon Morgan [40:45]

Memorable Moments

• Survivor’s Grit: Norma Jean’s chilling and graphic retelling of chewing through ropes with her teeth and sacrificing her own flesh to escape. [06:40 – 07:31]
• Paralyzing Inaction: Two separate families report hearing or witnessing distress in the woods but, for different reasons, fail to confirm or save the victim.
• Local Color and History: Lore about Dole Valley’s “hanging tree,” bootleggers, and the area’s deep distrust of authority [29:42–30:06] establishes a vivid, haunting setting.

Important Timestamps

• [01:34–09:54]: Norma Jean’s abduction, escape, and aftermath
• [12:17–18:21]: Jamie Grissom’s childhood, last day, and disappearance
• [23:51–27:26]: Discovery of Jamie’s belongings in Dole Valley
• [29:10–36:11]: The McClure family’s account of witnessing a girl tied to a tree, and police inaction
• [37:50–40:45]: Debate about the credibility and psychology of the witness, Matt McClure
• [42:17–46:35]: The Highfill family’s experience of hearing screams, trying to follow a suspect, and being ignored by police

Tone & Language

The episode is deeply empathetic, driven by outrage at institutional failure and sorrow for both the lost and the forgotten. Osorio’s style is investigative yet personal, blending meticulous detail with emotional resonance. Survivor narratives are given primary voice, and the ongoing search for justice is urgent and unresolved.

Closing Note

This first episode of Stolen Voices of Dole Valley establishes the emotional stakes and complexity of these cases. Through survivor and family stories, lost police records, and persistent community memory, the show promises a reckoning with both a serial killer’s legacy and a community’s silence. As Osorio says, these voices are “strands” being woven together for justice and remembrance.