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ID's upcoming special, The Woman in the Woods, is set to delve into the infamous serial killer Dayton Leroy Rogers, who was linked to the murders of at least eight women from 1983 to 1987. He was caught after he had murdered a s*x worker in a parking lot with many witnesses.
Before that, he had allegedly murdered and buried the bodies of seven different women in a dump site located on privately owned forest lands outside Molalla, Oregon. That also led to his infamous nickname, Molalla Forest Murderer.
The Woman in the Woods special will cover the crimes and the eventual conviction of Dayton Leroy Rogers. This special is set to air at 10 p.m. EST on ID. The synopsis for the episode reads:
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"In 1987, women's bodies are found in a forest outside of Molalla, Oregon; detectives struggle to find a lead, then they get a break when another case shows similar characteristics."
Ahead of the episode, let's delve into how this murderer was arrested after his long spree of murders.
How was Dayton Leroy Rogers caught?
Long before any suspicion fell on the supposedly family man with a child, Rogers was committing unspeakable acts of violence on "street" women, which usually included addicts, runaways and s*x workers. For years, he had murdered women by taking them to secluded locations, where he would tie, cut and repeatedly assaulted them till they died.
All this while, Rogers led a seemingly normal life. He was married and had a child and worked as a small engine mechanic. It was only in 1987, when he committed a murder in front of eyewitnesses that he was caught.
On August 7, 1987, he attacked Jennifer Lisa Smith in his truck at a parking lot off of SE McLoughlin Blvd in Oak Grove in unincorporated Clackamas County. He stabbed her 11 times in the breasts, abdomen and back. She fell out of the truck and was observed by multiple witnesses. One witness at Denny's restaurant nearby described the attack to another patron, who called the police.
Several witnesses tried to block Rogers' car as he tried to flee after the murder, but he escaped. One witness followed him and continued to chase behind Rogers through Milwaukie, Gladstone, Oregon City and Canby at speeds of over 100 mph. He followed Rogers to his driveway and took down the address. That helped the police finally arrest and charge Dayton Leroy Rogers.
In 1988, he was convicted of Jennifer Lisa Smith's murder. That was followed by six more convictions after authorities had received seven bodies from the Molalla Forest. He received a death sentence four times since then, but it has been overturned every time.
Who were the victims of Dayton Leroy Rogers?
Dayton Leroy Rogers targeted a particular type of women, typically runaways, addicts and s*x workers, the kind whose disappearance was easier to explain. That also kept his secret safe for years because no case was built around these missing women.
His victims included Jennifer Lisa Smith, Lisa Marie Mock, Maureen Ann Hodges, Christine Lotus Adams, Cynthia De Vore, Nondace "Noni" Cervantes and Riatha Gyles. The eighth victim was not identified at the time, hence he wasn't charged with that murder.
As of today, Dayton Leroy Rogers continues serving his time in prison where he will possibly remain for the rest of his life.
The upcoming Investigation Discovery special, The Woman in the Woods, will cover this case in more detail.
