United States of America
REED
Todd Alan
Active in 1999 in Portland, Oregon
DID YOU KNOW...
Damning Fact
2 suspected victims were last seen alive in the company of Reed's then-girlfriend
THE DISPATCH
The Beginning
By age 14, Todd Alan Reed was already in a residential program after committing a crime, and was a convicted sex offender. Authorities at the time did not consider him dangerous. He never travelled far to commit his crimes, staying in his home town of Portland, Oregon. He eventually became known as the Forest Park Serial Killer.
The Murders
Jennifer Lynn Tchir
- July 3, 1987
- ~ 3 miles from Mount Hood Community College
On July 3, 1987, Jennifer Lynn Tchir went missing. The 16-year-old was last seen in the company of Reed’s girlfriend and future wife, Gail Bennett. Tchir was found more than a year later, about 3 miles from another possible victim in Greshan, Multnomah County.
Her body was identified through X-ray/medical procedures. She had been strangled.
She was 16 years old. Reed was never charged with her murder.
Mindi Colleen Thomas
- August 3, 1987
- near Mount Hood Community College
12-year-old Mindi Colleen Thomas disappeared from her Portland apartment complex on August 3, 1987. She was last seen with Reed’s girlfriend.
She was found October 24, 1987, in a wooded area near a hiking trail at Mount Hood Community College. She was a few miles away from Tchir.
Thomas had been strangled. Her body was identified through dental, clothing, and jewelry.
Thomas was just 12 years old. Reed was never charged with her murder.
Reed Arrested for Robbery
- 1994
- Portland
Todd Alan Reed is arrested for burglary and assault. He is given a 12 year sentence.
He served 2 1/2 years.
Lilla Faye Moler
- May 7, 1999
- Forest Park, Portland
Lilla Faye Moler was originally from Eugene, Oregon. A child of an alcoholic, Moler started drinking early. By 16, she was using cocaine and heroin. Despite repeated attempts to get clean, the mother of one kept returning to drugs.
Moler was manic depressive. She had convictions for prostitute and drugs, and was homeless when Reed met her.
On May 7, 1999, Lilla Faye Moler’s body was found covered with tree branches and leaves in the woods of Forest Park, Oregon. She was sexually assaulted and strangled. She may have been dead since early April. A condom was found 28 feet from her body. It contained DNA.
Moler was 28 years old.
Stephanie Lynn Russell
- May 8, 1999
- Forest Park, Portland
Stephanie Lynn Russell was an exotic dancer, cleaner and factory worker. She was addicted to drugs, and had just finished a detox program when she met Reed.
Russell was also homeless when Reed killed her. She had been dead only a few days. Police recovered DNA from Russell’s body.
Russell was 26 years old.
Alexandria Nicole Ison
- June 2, 1999
- Forest Park, Portland
Alexandria Nicole Ison was a Portland native whose troubled life led her to drugs and alcohol at an early age. She became a prostitute to support her drug habit.
On June 2, 1999, a hiker in Forest Park found the body of Ison off a trail. She was down a steep hill, about 1/4 mile away from one of the other victims. The area had not been searched the previous month when the other bodies were found. Police confirmed they believed there was a pattern to the deaths of the three homeless women. She had been missing since May.
She had been abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled by Reed.
Ison was 17 years old.
Amatha Saenz
- June 1999
- Portland, Oregon
Amatha Saenz was a Portland prostitute who went missing in June. Police later suspected Reed of her murder. Her body has not been found and no charges have been laid. As of June 2021 she remains missing.
Saenz was 19 years old.
Investigation & Arrest
Reed Arrested, Indicted for 3 Murders
- July 18, 1999
- Portland, Oregon
On July 7, a police decoy, similar-looking to the victims, posed as prostitute. Reed began to “stalk” the officer, bringing himself to their attention. Thankfully, one of the keeners of the police taskforce recognized Reed from the 1993 sexual assault case.
On July 18, 1999, Reed was arrested for aggravated murder in the deaths of Moler, Russell and Ison. Police were able to match DNA from the crime scenes of Moler and Russell.
He was indicted on July 27 on 7 criminal counts related to 3 homicides.
The Trial
Reed Pleads Guilty
- February 23, 2001
- Portland, Oregon
On February 23, 2001, Todd Alan Reed pled guilty to his “spree” of aggravated murders in a Multnomah County court room. The plea deal took the death penalty off the table.
Reed was given 3 consecutive life terms, one each for the murders of Moler, Ison and Russell.
As of June 2020, he was in prison. As of June 2021, he was no longer listed as an inmate and may be dead.
SIMILAR SERIAL KILLERS
Richard Lawrence Marquette
Richard Lawrence Marquette was also born in Portland
Carlton Michael Gary
Carlton Michael Gary also had 2 children
Cary Anthony Stayner
Like Reed, Cary Anthony Stayner was arrested in July, 1999
BOOKS
Books about or including Todd Alan Reed
Crime Reconstruction by W. Jerry Chisum, Brent E. Turvey
Publisher : Academic Press; 2 edition (July 13 2011)
Language : English
Hardcover : 704 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0123864604
Crime Reconstruction, Second Edition is an updated guide to the interpretation of physical evidence, written for the advanced student of forensic science, the practicing forensic generalist and those with multiple forensic specialists. It is designed to assist reconstructionists with understanding their role in the justice system; the development and refinement of case theory’ and the limits of physical evidence interpretation. Chisum and Turvey begin with chapters on the history and ethics of crime reconstruction and then shift to the more applied subjects of reconstruction methodology and practice standards. The volume concludes with chapters on courtroom conduct and evidence admissibility to prepare forensic reconstructionists for what awaits them when they take the witness stand.
Crime Reconstruction, Second Edition, remains an unparalleled watershed collaborative effort by internationally known, qualified, and respected forensic science practitioner holding generations of case experience among them. Forensic pioneer such as W. Jerry Chisum, John D. DeHaan, John I. Thorton, and Brent E. Turvey contribute chapters on crime scene investigation, arson reconstruction, trace evidence interpretation, advanced bloodstain interpretation, and ethics. Other chapters cover the subjects of shooting incident reconstruction, interpreting digital evidence, staged crime scenes, and examiner bias. Rarely have so many forensic giants collaborated, and never before have the natural limits of physical evidence been made so clear.
Rape Investigation Handbook edited by John O. Savino, Brent E. Turvey
Publisher : Academic Press; 2 edition (July 25 2011)
Language : English
Hardcover : 584 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0123860293
Rape Investigation Handbook details specific investigative and forensic processes related to sex crimes casework invaluable to those in law enforcement, the legal community, and the private sector. It takes the reader through these processes in a logical sequence, showing how investigations of rape and sexual assault can and should be conducted from start to finish. The second edition is reorganized to flow from the alleged assault to a courtroom trial. Section heads have been introduced and it includes six new chapters on sex crimes, sex trafficking, forensic victimology, eyewitness reports, rape trauma syndrome and rapist motivations. The remaining 12 chapters are entirely overhauled and in some cases completely rewritten by new, highly qualified contributors, such as “Sexual Assault Examination and Reconstruction” by Brent E. Turvey and Charla Jamerson and “Rapist Motivations” by Brent E. Turvey and Jodi Freeman. An additional appendix was added to provide current case studies.
The Forest Park Killer (S1.E1) by Darklands. 37 minute podcast.
THE STATS
Todd Alan Reed in a Historical Timeline
Statistics table for Todd Alan Reed
Killer Name | Reed, Todd Alan |
Killer AKA | Forest Park Serial Killer |
Gender | M |
Country | USA |
Arrest Date | July 18, 1999 |
Conviction Date | February 23, 2001 |
Sentence | Pleaded guilty on three counts and received three consecutive life terms |
Birth Location | Portland, Oregon USA |
Birth Date | May 22, 1967 |
Status | Alive or Unknown |
Suicide | No |
Killed in Prison | No |
Orphan/Adopted | adopted by step-father |
Family Event | parents divorced, mom/step dad divorced |
Age at Family Event | 4, 12 |
Dad's Job | US Marine |
Military Service | US National Guard |
Marital Status | Straight |
Number of Children | Divorced/Separated |
Drug Abuse | Territorial |
Institutionalized | yes |
Psych Diagnosis | yes |
comment2 | Prime suspect in sexual assaults and murders of one teenage girl and one child 12 years earlier |
Victims (Suspected) | 5 |
Victims (Confessed) | 2 |
Victims (Claimed) | 3 |
Victim Type | 12, 16, 17, 26, 28 |
Victim Type 2 | Drug addict, homeless, prostitute |
Killer Rating
RESOURCES
- Statesman Journal Salem (Aug 23, 1987)
- Statesman Journal, (Oct 26, 1987)
- Corvallis Gazette-Times (Oct 28, 1987)
- Albany Democrat-Herald (Jul 26, 1988)
- Longview Daily News (Mar 22, 1989)
- Statesman Journal (May 09, 1999)
- Statesman Journal (May 11, 1999)
- Statesman Journal (Jun 03, 1999)
- Albany Democrat-Herald (Jun 05, 1999)
- Longview Daily News (Jun 15, 1999)
- Corvallis Gazette-Times (Jul 20, 1999)
- Corvallis Gazette-Times (Jul 21, 1999)
- The World (Jul 28, 1999)
- Corvallis Gazette-Times (Aug 08, 1999)
- Statesman Journal (May 08, 2000)
- Albany Democrat-Herald (Feb 24, 2001)