CODY MYERS - 19 yo - Lafayette OR

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The search for a missing 19-year-old man from Lafayette has expanded to include multiple law enforcement agencies.
Cody Faye Myers was reported missing by family members on Sunday after he failed to return from a trip to Newport.

His car, a 1999 Plymouth Breeze, was seen at a Salem gas station. The
surveillance camera showed a female driver and a male passenger,
according to Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree. He said the woman was
attempting to use a stolen credit card to purchase gas and Myers was not in the vehicle.
Myers’ vehicle is a white 1999 four-door Plymouth Breeze with a sticker that reads “Espresso.” Its
Oregon license number is 025 CCH.
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted in the case by the Newberg-Dundee,
Keizer, Salem and Everett Washington Police Departments, the Marion
County Sheriff’s Office, Yamhill County Crime Victims Services
Department, Oregon State Police and US Marshalls Service.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Robert Eubanks at (503) 434-7506.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20111004/UPDATE/111004020/Search-missing-teen-expands-Car-spotted-Salem-gas-station?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews

Killing of Everett woman linked to Ore. teen's disappearance

Submitted by KOMO Staff
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011, 3:16pm

The mystery surrounding the gruesome killing of an Everett woman is growing, and police are now looking into a connection with a missing person case in Oregon.

The woman, Leslie Pedersen, 69, was found murdered in her double-wide mobile home last week with her hands duct-taped together and a sword next to her body. Police say there were obvious injuries on her body.

Detectives investigating the case also have been unable to find the woman's husband, David Pedersen, who was last seen leaving the home a few days before the discovery of his wife's body. He left with his son and his son's girlfriend, who were up for a visit from Portland, Ore.

And now police say they have uncovered a possible connection between the woman's killing and the disappearance of a 19-year-old Oregon man, Cody Myers.

Myers was last seen Saturday after he left his home in Lafayette, Ore., to head to the Newport Jazz Festival, and those who know him say it is not like him to go missing like this.

"He's a really good kid," said Mike Klein, the young man's former boss. "He would never do anything like that, and he surely wouldn't make his mom worry about where he is."

Investigators looking into his disappearance followed a trail of clues that eventually linked up with the Everett murder case in an unexpected way.

Police say their first clue came when Myers' car, a white Plymouth Breeze, was spotted driving erratically near Millersburg, Ore., around midnight the day he disappeared.

The car was then spotted the next morning in Salem, Ore., at a minimart. A clerk at the store said a woman, who was captured on a surveillance camera, was in the car and walked into the store.

While in the store the unidentified woman reportedly tried to use a stolen credit card - and that's where the case linked to the Everett killing. Police determined that the credit card belonged to the Everett murder victim, Leslie Pedersen.

A man was seen in the car with the unidentified woman, but he was not Myers. No one got a good look at him, though, because he had his head covered.

Meanwhile, police continue to look for the stepson of the Everett homicide victim, 31-year-old David Pedersen Jr. He has not been named a suspect in the murder case but police say they want to talk to him.

David Pedersen Jr. was recently released from prison in Oregon, is a martial arts expert and had recently been put on medical leave. He was last seen when he left with his father and girlfriend from the mobile home where his stepmother was later found murdered.

Police also are seeking two missing vehicles - Myers' car and the Pedersens' Jeep - and they are asking members of the public to call immediately if they spot either of them.

» Pedersen drives a Jeep with Washington license plate number ABZ 7996 on the back and a Marine Corps plate in the front.

» Myers' car is a four-door Plymouth Breeze with Oregon license plate number 025-CCH. The car has the word 'Espresso' written on the lower part of both sides.

Anyone who sees either vehicle or who has any other information about the case is asked to call 911 or the Everett Police Department tip line at (425) 257–8450.

http://everett.komonews.com/news/crime/675469-killing-everett-woman-linked-ore-teens-disappearance

Sense of urgency in search for Yamhill Co. teen as Everett homicide suspects seen driving 19-year-old’s car

The search for a missing Lafayette, Ore. teen has grown into a multiple state and federal law enforcement investigation after the 19-year-old failed to return from a trip to a jazz show in Newport. The case took on a sense of urgency Tuesday as authorities learned suspects wanted in connection with an Everett, Wash. murder were driving Cody Myers' car over the weekend.

"We are asking everyone to be on the lookout for Cody," said Gregg Hastings, an Oregon State Police spokesman.

According to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, Cody Myers’ family “became alarmed when the normally punctual youth did not call when planned and his cell phone quite receiving calls.”

Myers planned to attend a jazz festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, and then make the 80-mile trip back to Lafayette that evening, according to investigators.

Two suspects--David Pedersen and Holly Grigsby--surfaced after the couple was seen operating Myers' four-door Plymouth sedan in the Salem area over the weekend.

A tipline has been setup in the case. If you have any information, contact: 1-888-780-5678.

There is information linking the duo to a homicide in Everett.

"There is probable cause and there is an announcement going out right now (in Everett) identifying these two as suspects in their homicide investigation from September 29," Hastings said.

Pedersen, 31--who also goes by 'Joey' and Grigsby, 24, should be considered armed and dangerous.

The incident, as reported by KIROtv.com, involves Leslie Pedersen, who was killed in her Everett mobile home at the end of September.

What ties the Everett murder suspects to the Myers case is that a 2010 black Jeep Patriot was abandoned, and they were believed to be operating Myers' 1999 Plymouth, including to buy gas at a Salem station.

Investigators did get a hold of surveillance video of Myers’ car—but Myers was no where on tape. A woman and an unidentified man--believed to be Pedersen and Grigsby--stopped at a Salem gas station as the woman attempted to use a stolen credit card to purchase gas.

The incident occurred at some time just before 11 a.m. Sunday, according to the clerk who took the woman's card at Time on Lancaster Drive in Salem.

The clerk, who asked to remain anonymous, told KOIN's Kacey Montoya that he took the woman's card, and asked for ID. The woman refused to show ID, so the clerk took the card and called police. The clerk said the woman ran off after he kept the credit card.

Myers’ car has an Oregon license plate of 025 CCH, and his car has a sticker with the word ‘Espresso.’

Mike Klein, the brother-in-law of Myers, said Cody is a student at Clackamas Community College, and he's hopeful of Cody's return.

"We still hold hope that we're going to find Cody and that a miracle is going to happen and we're going to find him alive."

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Det. Robert Eubanks at 503-434-7506.

"Help us find Cody, and help us find these suspects and these vehicles," Hastings said.

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Sense-of-urgency-in-search-for-Yamhill-Co-teen-as/Rs9i_4pJ6UOUaId9kUk3JQ.cspx

News Releases

2011-10/1002/48225/pedersen.jpg
Everett, Washington Homicide Suspects Sought in Oregon in Relation to Disappearance of 19-Year Old Cody Myers (Photos) - 10/04/11
NOTE: ALL TIPS IN OREGON RELATED TO THE MISSING PERSON CASE - CODY MYERS - AND INFORMATION TO HELP LOCATE THE BELOW MENTIONED SUSPECTS AND VEHICLE SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE TIP LINE AT THE OREGON STATE POLICE NORTHERN COMMAND CENTER AT 888-780-5678. THE TIP LINE IS CURRENTLY STAFFED AND ACCEPTING CALLS.

***

During Tuesday afternoon's news conference in Salem, law enforcement officials released information regarding the search for missing CODY MYERS, age 19, from Lafayette, Oregon and asked everyone to be on the lookout for MYERS, his missing white 1999 Plymouth Breeze four-door displaying Oregon license 025 CCH, and two suspects sought in connection with a homicide investigation in Everett, Washington. Information indicates the vehicle and suspects have been in Linn, Benton, Polk and Marion counties.

Working in cooperation with Everett, Washington police, a multi-agency task force is now coordinating the investigation and search for the two suspects in Oregon. Yamhill County Sheriff's Office is the lead investigating agency in the search for MYERS.

According to Yamhill County Sheriff's Office, MYERS was last seen leaving his home on October 1, 2011 at about 10:30 a.m. enroute to Newport, Oregon. He was reported missing October 2, 2011 to Yamhill County Sheriff's Office. MYERS is described as a white male, 6'3", 220 lbs, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Family has had no contact with him since he left home.

During the weekend, Myers' white 1999 Plymouth Breeze four-door was spotted at least twice in the mid-Willamette Valley area. Based upon tips and information during the weekend, investigators believe the vehicle is in the possession of Everett, Washington homicide suspects DAVID JOSEPH PEDERSEN, age 31, and HOLLY ANN GRIGSBY, age 24. Further suspect descriptive information is provided below in this afternoon's news release from Everett, Washington Police Department.

A black 2010 Jeep Patriot displaying Washington license ABZ7996 on the rear and U.S. Marine Corp license placard on the front was previously being driven by the suspects. This vehicle is believed to have been abandoned by the suspects at an unknown mid-Willamette Valley location.

Oregon and Washington law enforcement officials stress that both suspects are to be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached if seen. In Oregon, call the above-listed tip line or 9-1-1 if you see the suspects, the missing Plymouth Breeze, and/or CODY MYERS.

Note: The Myers family is asking for privacy during this time. Questions for the family should be directed to family spokesperson Mike Klein at (503) 871-7728.

The following information was released by Everett, Washington Police Department:

Everett Police now have probable cause for the arrest of David Joseph Pedersen and Holly Ann Grigsby for Murder 1st degree in the September 29th stabbing death of Leslie Pedersen.

Suspect Pedersen is a 31 year old white male, 5'10" tall, 165 pounds, with hazel eyes and red hair. Pedersen has extensive tattooing on the upper torso, arms and neck. He also has a tattoo on his left cheek. Those tattoos are displayed in the attached photographs.

Suspect Grigsby is a 24 year old white female, 5'07" tall, 160 pounds (although she looks thinner in recent photos), light brown hair and hazel eyes.

These suspects were last seen in Salem, Oregon where they were observed on surveillance video at a store in the area.

Both are to be considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS and should not be approached if seen. Call 911 if you see either one of these suspects.

We also have an attempt to locate for David Jones Pedersen who is considered a missing and endangered person. David has been missing since the murder and has not been heard from or seen since Monday September 26th. He is suspect Pedersen's father.

We are still looking for the vehicle listed below.

We have been asked about the possible connection between a missing teen in Oregon and our murder case in Everett. We have been working with law enforcement in Oregon and have found potential evidence that our suspects may have ties to their missing person's case. We have detectives heading back to Oregon to continue to follow up any leads.

Detectives are asking the public to keep an eye out for a 2010 Black Jeep Patriot Washington license ABZ7996. The front license plate has been replaced with a U.S. Marine Corp plate similar to one shown below. That vehicle is missing from the residence. If anyone sees that vehicle they are asked to call 911.

All questions regarding the Everett homicide case should be directed to Sergeant Robert Goetz at (425) 257-8404.

***

Photograph Source: Everett Police Department
Note: The images of the vehicles and license plates are examples.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###

Authorities say two people suspected in the
killing of an Everett, Wash., woman last week are now wanted in the
disappearance of an Oregon teenager.
Police in Oregon and
Washington identified the two suspects Tuesday as 31-year-old David
Joseph Pedersen and 24-year-old Holly Grigsby.

Oregon State Police Lt.
Gregg Hastings says the two are believed to have been in a car Sunday
owned by 19-year-old Cody Myers, of Lafayette. He disappeared after
leaving for a weekend jazz festival in the Oregon coastal town Newport.

Police in Everett say
69-year-old Leslie Pedersen was found dead Wednesday with her hands tied
with duct tape and a bloody pillow wrapped around her head. Her husband
- named David Jones Pedersen - is missing, as well. Police say the
suspect is his son.
http://www.kndo.com/story/15615692/search-widens-for-missing-oregon-teen

Police find body in Willamette Valley, but still have not identified it as Cody Myers
Published: Wednesday, October 05, 2011, 11:22 AM


Oregon State Police announced this morning that they have found the body of a young adult male in the Willamette Valley.

And while police have not positively identified the body, they have notified the family of Cody Myers, the 19-year-old Lafayette teen who went missing Saturday.

Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police said Myers' family was notified in person that a body had been found. A search continues today as 15 agencies look for Myers.

Police on Tuesday linked the disappearance of Myers to the stabbing two weeks ago of an Washington woman.

Late Tuesday afternoon, authorities received a report that a body had been found in a rural wooded area in the mid-Willamette Valley. State police investigators responded and are conducting an search. An autopsy is scheduled today. Hastings declined to comment on the condition of the body, but said it was discovered by a citizen.


And while he would not go into details about the condition of the body or name the exact location it was found, he said that "... early information leads us to believe it was no an accidental death."

However, Hastings said, "Cody still hasn't been found, as far as we know."

On Tuesday, police had revealed that a security camera in a Salem minimart taped Holly Ann Grigsby, 24, of Portland, driving Myers' 1999 white Plymouth Breeze -- Oregon license plate 025 CCH -- and using the credit card of Leslie Pedersen, the 69-year-old stepmother of Grigsby's boyfriend. Leslie Pedersen was found dead Sept. 29 in her Everett home with a sword next to her body, her head wrapped in a bloody pillow and her hands taped together.

Based on 29 tips OSP has received as of Wednesday morning, Hastings said that Grigsby may have changed her hair color, possibly to bright red.


Grigsby and 31-year-old David Joseph Pedersen, Leslie Pedersen's stepson, are suspected in her slaying. Pedersen was last seen with his father, David Jones Pedersen, driving a black 2010 Jeep Patriot with the Washington license ABZ 7996 away from David Jones' house in Everett.

"We want to emphasize the public safety danger these two individuals pose to those in our community," said Hastings of the state police.

David Jones Pedersen is at large and could be in danger, according to Oregon State Police, while Grigsby and Pedersen are considered armed and dangerous.

Pedersen, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, has hazel eyes and reddish hair. His upper torso is cloaked in tattoos, and he also sports ink on his arms, neck and left cheek. In 2004, he was convicted of assault in Umatilla County in and sentenced to seven years in prison. He finished post-prison supervision this May.

Grigsby is described as 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds with light-brown hair and hazel eyes, though police say she looks skinnier in recent photographs. Her background includes multiple convictions of identity theft, forgery and the unauthorized use of vehicles.

While Hastings and his team work with multiple state and federal agencies to find Myers, a large young man at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds with light hair and bluish eyes, his family waits.

Hastings said an autopsy will help answer a lot of questions.

"We'd like to express to you all, thank you for all your support. We need to find these people. We also need to find Cody, and we need to find these vehicles," family spokesman Mike Klein said.

Even before he was reported missing, Myers' white 1999 Plymouth Breeze, Oregon license 025 CCH, was spotted twice in the mid-Willamette Valley, said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police. Hastings said that his car was seen being driven erratically between midnight and 1 a.m. Sunday northbound on Interstate 5 outside of Millersburg, just north of Albany.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/10/police_hold_press_conference_i.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

WA murder suspects captured in Calif.

EVERETT, Wash. – The suspects in a Washington murder have been captured in California.
California Highway Patrol told KGW 31-year-old David Joseph Pedersen and 24-year-old Holly Ann Grigsby were arrested near Yuba while driving a car that matched the description of missing Oregon teenager Cody Myers' vehicle around 1 p.m.
They were wanted for first degree murder in the death of Pedersen's 69-year-old mother Leslie Pedersen, who was found stabbed to death last Wednesday.
Detectives were still trying to find David Jones Pedersen, who is the suspect’s father. He hasn’t been seen since Monday, Sept. 26. Police believe the murder suspects have something to do with his disappearance.

read more>
http://www.kgw.com/home/Pair-on-the-run-after-killing-Everett-WA-woman-131103913.html

SALEM, Ore. --

An Oregon teen who crossed paths with a couple sought in
the killing of a Washington state woman was found slain in a rural area
and the couple - who were arrested on Wednesday - are persons of
interest in his death, police said Wednesday night.
State police spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings said an autopsy has determined the body
found late Tuesday is that of 19-year-old Cody Myers.
Myers disappeared last weekend as police were searching for the killers of
69-year-old Leslie Pedersen, who was found at her Everett, Wash. home a
week ago with her hands bound and a bloody pillow over her head.
The fugitives - Pedersen's stepson David Pedersen and his girlfriend Holly
Ann Grigsby - were arrested Wednesday afternoon on a highway in northern
California as they were driving Myers' car.
"A vicious, wild reign of terror has come to an end," Yamhill County Sheriff Ken Summers
said at a Wednesday news conference in Salem. "The predators are off the
street and we're grateful it's come to a conclusion."
But authorities have not yet found Leslie Pedersen's husband, who went missing at around the time she was murdered.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/10/05/general-us-nw-couple-crime-spree_8719685.html

Dead man found inside Jeep police recovered Friday

PORTLAND -- The Jeep recovered Friday in connection with two murders had dead man inside it, police said Saturday.

The black 2010 Jeep Patriot connected with an Everett, Washington, murder was recovered Friday and investigators said they found the body of an unidentified white adult male inside the vehicle, according to Lt. Gregg Hasting with Oregon State Police.
The Jeep belongs to David Jones Pedersen, of Everett, Washington, who is missing and is considered endangered.
The body was not identified. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

http://www.kgw.com/news/Body-found-inside-Jeep-recovered-Friday-131396168.html

This is such a sad story (well all of them are) and I am so sorry for what Cody's parents are experiencing and how much they will miss their son. Having raised two sons (31 and 32 now) I know the anxiety of watching out the window when they were teenagers and waiting for their safe arrival home. What a tragic, senseless ending to Cody's life. Here is a good link that tells a bit of the background of these murderers. Apparently Holly Grigsby is married with a two year old child and was a meth and heroin addict. That sort of answered my question of how she became involved with someone capable of fratricide.

http://topics.oregonlive.com/tag/holly%20ann%20grigsby/index.html

Bloody details emerge in crime spree
David Pedersen has an extensive criminal history

Updated: Tuesday, 11 Oct 2011, 7:24 AM EDT

JONATHAN J. COOPER,Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A boyfriend and girlfriend suspected in a string of grisly killings across the Pacific Northwest say they killed the man's father because he molested two young relatives and his wife because she knew about it and didn't stop him.

Police say David "Joey" Pedersen and his girlfriend, Holly Grigsby, who are both known to have white supremacist beliefs, then continued on a bloody crime spree that swept the region for days, eventually killing a man in Oregon they thought was Jewish, and another man in California who was black.

Joey Pedersen, 31, said in a jailhouse interview published in a California newspaper that he takes "full responsibility" for all four killings. But Grigsby, 24, has told police that one of the deaths came at her hands.

Pedersen told The Appeal Democrat in a story published Monday that his plan to kill his estranged father, David Jones "Red" Pedersen started with catching a ride to a bus station.

Red Pedersen, 56, got behind the wheel of his black Jeep Patriot. Grigsby sat up front in the passenger seat. And Joey Pedersen sat behind his father — so he could shoot him in the back of the head as he drove.

Grigsby reached over, took control of the vehicle and brought it to a stop.

From there, Grigsby told police, the couple returned to the older Pedersen's home in Everett, Wash., where she says she killed Red Pedersen's wife, Leslie Pedersen, with a pair of knives. Grigsby claims Leslie Pedersen, 69, was aware of the molestation they accused Red Pedersen of committing, yet did nothing to put an end to it.

Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said officers have not yet looked into the molestation allegations but planned to do so. He said evidence collected so far indicates much of Grigsby's story could be plausible.

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Joey Pederson and Grigsby at the Yuba County, Calif., jail were not successful Monday.

As Joey Pederson made the molestation claims against his father, he attempted to take focus away from Grigsby.

"I felt it was my responsibility to make sure it didn't happen again," Joey Pedersen told the newspaper.

He said Grigsby was involved in the slayings only under duress and shouldn't be held accountable for the deaths. Joey Pedersen said he takes "full responsibility" for all of the killings.

Pedersen and Grigsby have pleaded not guilty to charges of weapons possession and vehicle theft. They were expected in court Tuesday afternoon for an extradition hearing. They have not been charged in any of the killings.

Their appointed attorney, Donald Wahlberg, said he did not know anything about the case beyond what had been reported.

Leslie Pedersen's body was discovered on Sept. 28. Her hands were bound with duct tape, a bloody pillow was by her head.

But, authorities say, Joey Pedersen and Grigsby were by then already on the run — and nowhere near finished.

They drove Red Pedersen's Jeep south toward Oregon, his body still inside the vehicle. Three days later, they encountered 19-year-old Cody Myers, a devout Christian, on his way to a jazz concert on the Oregon coast.

Myers was shot in the head and chest, and his body was discovered hidden in the woods.

"Cody was devoted to his family. He would've done anything for anybody to help anybody," Susan Myers, told reporters at a news conference the day his body was identified last week. "He had passion for life, for God, for his beliefs. He didn't deserve this."

According to court documents obtained by KGW-TV, Grigsby said they killed Cody because based on his last name they thought he was Jewish.

Investigators say Joey Pedersen and Grigsby ditched Red Pedersen's truck. Authorities found it days later in forest terrain so rugged it took them hours to find Red Pedersen's body inside.

The couple continued south in Myers' Plymouth Breeze and, police say, within days encountered 53-year-old Reginald Alan Clark, who was found dead with a bullet wound to the head in Eureka, Calif. Other details surrounding the death are unclear and police have not suggested a motive, but Clark is black.

Joey Pedersen and Grigsby were apprehended Wednesday when a California Highway Patrol officer spotted them in Myers' car.

Joey Pedersen has an extensive criminal history, having spent the ages of 16 to 31 behind bars, except for a one-year stretch. His convictions include assaulting a police officer and threatening a federal judge, and other disciplinary infractions included assault, extortion, disobedience, harassment and destruction of property.

He was released from prison in May.

Grigsby also spent time in prison beginning in 2006 for a variety of charges, including identity theft and unauthorized use of a vehicle. After completing probation, she served two years for identity theft. Even in prison, she got into trouble for assault and possession of contraband.

Both share an interest in white supremacist ideology. Pedersen prominently displays a white supremacy tattoo on his neck. Grigsby's white supremacist leanings

were made clear to fellow inmates at Oregon's women's prison.

http://www.wpri.com/dpps/news/us_news/west/bloody-details-emerge-in-northwest-crime-spree-nt11-jgr_3962002