On September 12th, 2015, 31-year-old forest engineer Bert Holloway and his 29-year-old fiance, social worker Tessa Morgan, set out on a 3-day hike in the Cascades Mountain Range in Oregon.

Their Subaru Outback car was found near the beginning of the Cinder Cone Loop Trail a week after they disappeared.

The car is locked, backpacks in the back seat, tank full, no sign of a struggle.

On May 8th, 2016, eight months later, a Timber Valley logging company logging crew was clearing debris from a mudslide near Three Sisters Mountain.

They discovered a wooden coffin, double carved from the solid trunk of a red cedar tree.

Inside lay the bodies of Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan.

Brigadier Ronald Keefe called the Dashuites County Sheriff’s Office at 11 hours and 43 minutes in the morning.

He said the object was initially mistaken for a fallen tree covered with soil.

Only upon closer inspection was it clear it was a man-made structure 7 ft long, 3 and 1/2 ft wide.

The lid was tightly fitted, pinned down with rocks.

Deputy Marcus Drake was the first to arrive.

He described the coffin as a professionallymade carpentry object with smooth walls and precise fitting of the elements.

The lid was removed at 12 hours and 17 minutes.

Drake immediately called forensics and the medical examiner.

The bodies were placed side by side.

Bert in a clean flannel shirt and jeans.

Tessa in a white blouse and gray slacks.

[snorts] Arms folded across her chest.

Fingers intertwined.

Face turned upward.

No signs of decomposition.

Skin waxy, almost mummified.

Facial features are calm.

Forensics found an inscription on the inside wall of the coffin.

The letters are scorched with hot metal.

Uniform.

Uniform in size.

Strictly centered.

Four words.

They stayed together.

Dashes County Medical Examiner Dr.

Ela Crosby arrived at 13 hours and 5 minutes.

The examination took 40 minutes.

No visible injuries.

Tissue preservation is unusual.

There is a peculiar odor, not of decay, but of beeswax and pine needles.

The temperature inside the coffin is 4° below ambient.

Identification was made from dental records and fingerprints.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan have been missing since September 17th, 2015.

The search was called off on November 23rd for lack of leads.

Relatives were notified on May 9th at in the morning.

Tessa’s brother, Kyle Morgan, 34 years old, testified.

Sister planned to marry on October 25th, 2015.

Together for over 3 years, no conflicts, no debts, no threats.

Bert’s mother, Janice Holloway, 62, recalled her son called the camping trip one last vacation before the wedding.

He wanted to show Tessa his favorite places.

The route was simple.

Bert knew the trails by heart.

Transportation of the bodies to the morg began at 15 hours and 20 minutes.

The coffin was seized as evidence.

Forensics photographed it from 64 angles.

They took samples of wood, wax, soil.

FBI detective Nathan Ortega arrived from Portland on May 10th.

He was assigned to the investigation at the request of the district attorney.

Circumstances pointed to a possible serial crime.

In his first report, Ortega documented three questions.

One, why the bodies hadn’t decomposed in 8 months.

Two, who made a coffin of such quality.

Three, what the inscription meant, a confession or a message? An analysis of the search route revealed a fine spot 6 mi northwest of the operation area.

A debris flow on April 9th, 2016 displaced 200 tons of soil.

An area of old growth forest previously inaccessible was opened up.

The probability of accidental discovery before the mudslide is close to zero.

At a May 11th press conference, Dashuites County Sheriff David Coleman stated, “We are treating this death as a homicide.

The investigation is in the active phase.

Motives are being determined.” The Oregon Mountains kept the mystery alive for 8 months.

Now it has become a case.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan had been renting an apartment on Newport Avenue in Bend since July 2012.

Land lady Martha Silvers described them as quiet, punctual tenants.

Bert would leave for work at in the morning.

Tessa would return around in the evening.

On weekends, they took walks or worked in the daycare center.

Bert worked as a forest engineer for the regional office of the US Forest Service.

Supervisor Roger Kilmer characterized him as a disciplined professional with a deep knowledge of the local ecosystem.

7 years seniority annual income $48,000.

Tessa was a social worker at the Dashuites County Teen Center.

Director Lisa Harper remembered her as an empathic professional.

Four years experience.

Annual income $36,000.

Wedding planned for October 25th, 2015.

A modest ceremony, 32 guests, a simple dress, banquet at the Pine Tavern restaurant, budget of $5,000, 8 months in the making.

On September 11th, a Friday, Bert left the office at in the afternoon.

Colleague Daniel Warner saw him loading tents and gear into the Subaru.

According to him, Holloway seemed animated.

Talked about the lakes at Triisters Mountain.

Tessa finished her shift at .

The last entry in the cent’s log was 16 hours and 43 minutes.

Colleague Andrea Blake noted Tessa was in high spirits.

In the evening, the couple had dinner at home.

On the morning of September 12th, they left the apartment at .

Neighbor Jason Craig heard them coming down the stairs.

Tessa laughed.

Silence at last and no phones.

The sister’s general store video camera recorded the Subaru at 7 hours and 10 minutes.

A man in a dark jacket and a woman in a blue down jacket got out of the car.

The recording lasts 4 minutes and 20 seconds.

Cashier Sharon Delaney, 47 years old, described the visitors.

The young woman was cheerful, talkative, asked about batteries for a flashlight, took four packs.

The man was studying maps.

They bought water, jerky, candy bars, matches, and a topographical map of the Cascades.

The amount was $43.80.

Payment on Bert’s card at 713.

Tessa smiled.

We want to spend a few days without civilization.

Delaney replied.

The weather promises to be nice.

The exterior camera video shows the exit.

Bert is carrying a bag.

Tessa adjusts her backpack.

They walk to the car.

Bert stops, turns around, looks at the far edge of the parking lot.

A black Ford F-150 pickup truck is parked there.

The license plate isn’t visible.

Bert says something to Tessa.

She looks at the pickup, too.

Then they get into the Subaru and drive away.

Delaney didn’t notice anything unusual.

The store owner did not review the records until after the police request on September 19th.

The black pickup truck was in the parking lot for 15 minutes.

The driver didn’t get out.

Left 3 minutes after Bert and Tessa.

Same direction to the trail head.

Cinder Cone Loop trail head is 18 mi north of Sisters.

Parking lot for 20 cars.

The Forest Service recommends registration in the visitor log.

Forest Ranger Kevin Horton was on duty on September 12th.

Holloway and Morgan arrived at .

According to Horton’s report, I recognized Bert.

We worked together 2 years ago.

He introduced his fianceé, said they’d be on the Three Sisters Loop Trail for 3 days.

I warned him about the 40° nighttime temperature.

He nodded, said, “Ready to go.

Bert’s handwritten note.

Handwriting forensics confirmed it.

Time is .

Names: Bert Holloway, Tessa Morgan.

Routt, Triisters Loop.

Return September 15th evening.

Contact number is given.

Horton escorted them out with a look.

They walked down the trail holding hands.

Tessa was talking.

Bert was laughing.

Just an ordinary couple on an ordinary hike.

I didn’t think I’d ever see them again.

The last official check-in of living people.

9 hours and 22 minutes.

September 12th, 2015.

Cascades National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon.

They were never seen again.

15th September, 2015.

Tuesday, Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan planned to return that evening.

Forest Ranger Kevin Horton finished duty at .

The parking lot was empty.

The Subaru missing Horton paid no mind.

Tourists were often late.

Tessa’s brother, Kyle Morgan, called his sister at .

Voicemail.

Second call at .

Mail again.

Text message.

Everything okay? No answer.

Bert’s mother, Janice Holloway, called at 22 hours.

Same result.

In a deposition, she recalled.

I told myself they were staying another night.

Bert knew the mountains, but something inside was stirring.

September 16th, Wednesday, Kyle Morgan called Tessa’s work at .

Principal Lisa Harper reported in.

Morgan didn’t come out and gave no warning.

Uncharacteristic.

Kyle called the Forest Service.

Bert’s coworker confirmed Holloway didn’t show up either.

The a.m.

meeting was blown.

At 1340, Kyle Morgan called the Dashes County Sheriff’s Department.

A missing person’s report was filed.

At 1343, Detective Robert Finch received the case at 14 hours.

The standard required a 48 hour wait, but Finch considered factors.

Wilderness, both out of contact at the same time.

He classified the case as requiring an immediate response.

Finch contacted the wildlife refuge.

Chief Ranger Thomas Barrow confirmed the September 12th registration.

Try sisters loop route 23 mi.

Medium difficulty.

There have been no missing persons on this trail in 5 years.

Caller records have been requested.

Bert’s last phone signal September 12th .

Tessa’s cell phone .

Same tower.

After that, silence.

September 17th, Thursday.

The search operation begins.

Coordinator Margaret Collins assembled 12 volunteers and four rangers.

Base camp in the parking lot at 7 in the morning.

Two groups of six started at .

The weather is favorable, 58°.

The sky is clear.

The first group traveled 5 m in 3 hours.

No sign of them.

The second group surveyed the offshoots.

Same result.

September 18th, Friday, Forest Horton arrived at the parking lot at .

A silvercoled Subaru, license plate number HLW4729, was parked in the same spot.

Horton immediately contacted the operation center.

Detective Finch and CSI Anna Peterson arrived at .

The car is locked, windows intact, no damage.

Autopsy authorization from the next of kin.

Door was opened at 8002.

Interior search was videotaped.

Two backpacks in the back seat zipped up.

In the glove compartment, documents, passports, wallets with money and cards.

On the console, Canon camera, charger, glasses.

Under the passenger seat is a Garmin in reach satellite beacon, a device for emergency communication out of range.

Checks show the beacon’s off.

Button is in the off position.

Battery is fully charged.

Last activity, September 12th, .

Manually deactivated.

Contents of backpacks, clothing, first aid kit, flashlights, tools.

Topographical map from store inside pocket.

The map has not been used.

Folds are clean.

Fuel level 82%.

Last trip 18 m.

Corresponds to the distance from sisters to the parking lot.

At , the canine unit was activated.

Instructor Jennifer Row with two blood hounds.

The dog sniffed clothes from the backpacks.

Dog Rex picked up the trail at 947.

The trail followed a 3 and 1/2mm route.

The dog was moving steadily.

At White Branch Creek, the trail turned sharply north, leaving the trail.

A group of four rangers and finch followed the dog.

The terrain was rugged, undergrowth, fallen trunks.

After half a mile, the trail led to a creek 12 ft wide, 2 ft deep.

The current is moderate.

The bottom was smooth stones.

The dog stopped at a rapid where the creek passed into a 4ft high waterfall.

The trail was lost.

A second dog confirmed that the trail ends here.

Surveyed both banks for half a mile.

11 men combed until dusk.

No trace of tent, fire, things.

Ranger Andrew Simmons surveyed the bank a 100 yards downstream.

At , found a piece of cloth on the roots of bushes size 9 by3 in material dense, water repellent, dark green.

Simmons placed the find in an evidence bag.

CSI Peterson examined the fabric.

The edges are torn.

The material didn’t come from the couple’s gear.

The texture indicates industrial production.

The sample was sent to the lab.

Results came back on September 21st.

Expert Robert Cheng’s report.

Polyurethane coated veterinary tarp used in military tents, transportation covers.

Manufacturer, Miltech Industries, Portland.

Batch, January May 2014.

primary customer, Cascade Logistics, a private logistics company.

Finch requested data on Cascade Logistics activities in the reserve area.

On September 22nd, the company confirmed from April 2014 to August 2015, there was a temporary equipment warehouse 6 mi northwest of the trail head.

The warehouse was dismantled in August.

There are no current operations.

The search continued through September 27th.

42 participants, 23 square miles surveyed.

Result, zero.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan are missing.

The car is in the parking lot.

Equipment’s inside.

The trail broke off at the creek.

The only clue is a piece of military tarp that shouldn’t have been there.

The search operation lasted from September 17th to 27th, 2015.

Coordinator Margaret Collins organized three waves of resource mobilization.

The first wave, ground teams, dogs, localized scouring of the area within a 5m radius of the last known location.

Second wave, expanding the area to 15 m, bringing in a National Park Service helicopter.

Third wave, drones with thermal imaging cameras, volunteers from neighboring counties, expert advice from wilderness survival specialists.

On September 18th, a Bell 407 helicopter flew six sorties totaling 9 hours and 40 minutes.

Pilot Craig Bennett, age 44, and observer Liam Oconor, age 38, surveyed the area from the Cinder Cone Loop Trail to the northern slopes of Triisters Mountain.

Flight altitudes ranged from 300 to 1,000 ft.

Visual contact, zero.

Thermal signatures consistent with human presence, none.

On September 19th, drones joined the operation.

Operator Max Strode, 31 years old, launched four drones with thermal imaging cameras.

Flight time of each drone, 45 minutes.

Area covered, 8 square miles.

Heat signatures of deer, bear, small mammals recorded.

No sign of humans.

By September 20th, the number of volunteers had reached 72.

Local residents, Bert’s colleagues from the Forest Service, staff from the teen outreach center, students from Bend.

The groups worked in sectors.

Each one square mile sector was combed by a chain of 8 to 10 people 30 ft apart.

The result, zero.

On September 22nd, Dashes County Sheriff David Coleman held a task force meeting.

Present were Detective Finch, Coordinator Collins, Chief Ranger Barrow, and FBI Representative Ortega.

Versions of the disappearance were discussed.

Coleman voiced statistics.

According to the National Park Service, 92% of missing hikers are located within 72 hours, 6% within a week, 2% remain missing forever, or are found dead much later in life.

The leading causes of death in mountainous terrain are hypothermia, fall from altitude, and dehydration.

Barrow presented meteorological data from September 12th through 15th.

Daytime temperature in the trail area, 55 to 62° F.

Nighttime 38 to 44.

There was no precipitation, moderate winds.

Conditions not critical, but sufficient to develop hypothermia if left unmoved and sheltered for long periods of time.

Coleman voiced the working theory.

Holloway and Morgan went off route, possibly in darkness or fog.

One of them was injured, unable to move.

Night in the open.

Progressive hypothermia.

Death within 12 to 18 hours.

Finch objected.

The gear was left in the car.

Satellite tracker was manually disabled.

The trail broke off at the creek.

A military tarp not belonging to the couple.

These facts don’t fit the accident theory.

or take a backed up finch.

The coordinates in the glove compartment need to be verified.

The communication with the logistics company needs to be investigated.

Coleman agreed to continue the investigation, but publicly stated his version of the accident.

On September 23rd, he gave an interview to the local Bend Bulletin newspaper.

Quote, “We are looking at a tragic accident.

The mountains are unpredictable.

Even experienced hikers can encounter overwhelming circumstances.

On September 24th, Detective Finch reinspected the Subaru at the Sheriff’s Department lockup.

CSI Peterson accompanied the inspection.

The car was recorded as evidence, but the initial inspection focused on obvious objects: backpacks, a beacon, purses.

Finch opened the glove compartment, registration papers, insurance, wipes, car manual.

Beneath the manual was a quadruple folded sheet of A4 paper.

Finch unfolded it.

Computer printout.

Times New Roman 12point font.

No date of printing.

Contents: Two sets of geographic coordinates.

First coordinates 44° 14 minutes 37 seconds north latitude 121° 43 minutes 09 seconds west longitude.

Second coordinates 44° 16 minutes 52 seconds north latitude 121° 41 minutes 23 seconds west longitude.

Finch handed the sheet to Peterson.

She photographed the document, placed it in a clear file.

Finch contacted Forest Service cgrapher James Cooper, 56 years old.

Cooper checked the coordinates against a topographic database.

The result came in 40 minutes later.

First point, an abandoned logging camp used by Timber Valley Logging Company from 2007 to 2011.

Distance from the Cinder Loop Trail 6 mi northwest.

Second point, a small lake with no official name half a mile from the camp.

Finch interviewed Bert Holloway’s co-workers, Daniel Warner.

Bert never mentioned this camp.

We discussed routes dozens of times.

He always talked about Triister’s loop.

The official marked out one.

Roger Kilmer, supervisor.

The coordinates don’t match any of the routes Bert recommended to campers or used himself.

Finch interviewed Tessa Morgan relatives.

Brother Kyle.

Tessa had no knowledge of maps.

The route planning is entirely on Bert.

Bura’s mother Janice.

son never mentioned the abandoned campground.

Maybe he was planning to show Tessa something new, but then why didn’t he bring the print out with him? On September 25th, Finch and Ranger Barrow visited the location given by the first coordinates, 1 hour and 40 minutes by Jeep through forest roads and clearings.

The terrain is inaccessible.

The logging camp was a cleared area measuring approximately 100x 150 ft.

Remnants of the foundations of three temporary structures.

A rusted fuel tank, scraps of tarps, empty canisters, tires.

Barrow surveyed the area.

No signs of recent human presence.

The grass is knee high.

Shrubs are overgrown.

He estimated the camp hadn’t been used in at least 3 years.

Finch surveyed the structures.

Concrete foundation blocks are mossy.

One of them has graffiti and paint.

TVL 2009.

It’s an acronym for timber valley logging.

The lake indicated by the second coordinates was a half mile to the east.

Diameter about 200 ft.

The depth is unknown.

The shores are marshy.

The water’s dark, covered with cassava.

No signs of human activity.

Finch photographed both sites back to the department at 1740.

On September 26th, Finch wrote an interim report.

Key points: vehicle location corresponds to the beginning of the official route.

Coordinates in the glove compartment indicate a completely different direction.

Distance between routes, 6 mi.

Holloway never mentioned an abandoned campground.

Print out found in the car, but not taken on the hike.

question is, why would Bert print out the coordinates if he wasn’t going to go there? Or did he but changed his mind? Or did someone else put the sheet in the glove compartment? On September 27th, the search operation was officially suspended.

Total manh hours over 800.

Area searched 23 square miles.

Result: vehicle, piece of tarp, coordinates of unknown destination.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan remained missing.

On November 23rd, 2015, the case of Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan was officially placed on hold.

Detective Robert Finch wrote a 37page final report.

Conclusions: No bodies, no witnesses to the crime, no direct evidence of violent death.

Circumstantial evidence.

Military tarp of unidentified origin.

Coordinates of an abandoned campground in the glove compartment of a car, disabled satellite beacon, not enough to prosecute.

Sheriff Coleman signed the document.

The case has been filed.

Families have been notified.

Kyle Morgan filed a petition to have his sister declared deceased.

The procedure requires a 7-year absence.

Janice Holloway has refused a similar application.

In an interview with the newspaper, she said, “While there is no body, there is hope.” The winter of 2015-16 passed with no new leads.

Snow covered the Cascades Mountains in December.

The National Wildlife Refuge is closed to hikers until April.

The Triisters Loop route is inaccessible.

The search is impossible.

In January of 2016, Ranger Thomas Barrow made a routine detour through the area on a snowmobile.

The route included checking information boards, checking for poachers, and fixing damage from winter storms.

On January 8th, at in the morning, Barl was driving along a clearing 4 mi north of an abandoned logging camp.

He spotted snowmobile tracks, fresh, no more than 2 hours old.

The trail led off the forest road and into the back country.

Barrow followed the trail for half a mile.

The trail led to a small clearing.

In the clearing was a white Chevrolet Express cargo van.

Nearby, two men in dark jackets were unloading crates.

Barrow stopped 100 yards away.

The men spotted him.

One raised his hand in greeting.

The other pulled out a walkie-talkie.

Barrow drove closer, asked if he had a permit to be in the preserve.

The first man, Tall, about 45 years old, said they were under contract with Cascade Security, a private security company.

They’re guarding equipment for a geologic expedition in the spring.

Barrow asked for identification.

The man showed a plastic ID card with a photo and company seal.

Name: Derek Wood.

Position: Senior Security Guard.

Barrow wrote down the information, informed him that commercial activity in the reserve required approval from the administration.

Wood nodded, said paperwork was in process.

Barrow left.

In a report dated January 9th, documented the incident.

Requested information on Cascade Security from the district office.

The answer came January 21st.

The company was incorporated in Portland in 2013.

The line of business, site security, cargo escort, security consulting license.

Valid no violations reported.

Cascade security was a facade.

Founder and owner Derek Wood, 46, used a legitimate business to cover a smuggling ring.

The route cocaine from Southern California through Oregon’s National Wildlife Refugees to Portland and Seattle.

Abandoned camps served as trans shshipment points.

The product was transported in small shipments in vans labeled security or logistics companies.

Wood hired eight men, all with criminal records, all recruited with the promise of high pay and minimal risk.

Work schedule, two or three trips a month, 10 to 20 kilos of cargo.

Payment of $5,000 per flight.

The territory of the reserve is minimally patrolled in winter.

The likelihood of encountering rangers is low.

Wood served 12 years in the US Marine Corps specialty.

Military corman participated in operations in Iraq in 2005 8 years.

Fired in 2009 for abuse of authority.

A court marshal recorded three cases of medical procedures on detainees without command authorization.

Wood claimed he acted out of efficiency.

Tribunal deemed actions to be ill treatment disciplinary dismissal.

After the army, Wood worked as a paramedic at a private clinic in Eugene.

Fired after a year for conflicts with co-workers, then an orderly at a slaughter house in Bend.

Fired for violating procedures.

In 201212, opened a security agency.

In 1913, he made contact with a cocaine dealer in Los Angeles.

Wood maintained access to medical equipment through a veterinarian he knew in Redmond, purchased veterinary drugs ostensibly to put large animals to sleep on the ranch.

Pantoarbital ketamine tranquilizers.

The veterinarian didn’t ask questions.

On February 14th, 2016, Ranger Barrow met Wood’s men again at the reservation.

Same van, three men.

Wood recognized Barrow.

Said permission was granted.

Expedition would begin in March.

Showed a forged document stamped with the sanctuary authority seal.

Barrow doubted it.

Went back to the office, checked the database.

No permit had been issued for Cascade Security.

Barrow reported the incident to Sheriff Coleman.

Coleman relayed the information to the DEA.

Drug Enforcement Administration agent Kevin Madden began surveillance of Cascade Security in March.

Company office on the outskirts of Portland.

Warehouse in an industrial zone.

Four registered vehicles.

Madden requested a wiretap warrant.

It was denied.

Not enough probable cause to suspect a serious crime.

Surveillance continued without technical means, visual inspection, movement patterns.

By April, Madden found Woods vans regularly visiting the reserve.

Frequency twice a week.

Dwell time 3 to 5 hours.

Route stable.

On April 9th, 2016, a major mudslide occurred in the Triisters Mountain area.

Cause: Sudden warming, intense snow melt, soil moisture saturation.

The flow displaced over 200 tons of soil, rocks, and fallen trees.

An area of old growth forest, previously inaccessible due to dense undergrowth, was opened.

Wood halted flights until the situation could be assessed.

On April 20th, he personally visited the area, noticed the changes in the landscape.

He became concerned, contacted the team, ordered them to avoid the area until further notice.

On May 8th, loggers discovered the coffin.

On the 9th, the investigation began.

On the 10th, the FBI got involved.

Derek Wood learned of the discovery on the news.

On the evening of May 10th, he burned some of the files, destroyed two cell phones, ordered the team to stop all movement, said the operation was indefinitely frozen.

He didn’t know the FBI was already looking at a piece of military tarp.

He didn’t know his name was about to come up in the investigation.

He didn’t know his background was already being checked.

The cold case was thawing.

On May 8th, 2016, at a.m., a crew from the Timber Valley Logging Company found a wooden coffin at the foot of Three Sisters Mountain.

It was 7 ft long, 3 and 1/2 wide, carved from the solid trunk of a red cedar.

Inside are the bodies of Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan.

Medical examiner Ela Crosby arrived at 1305.

The bodies were transported to the Bend County Hospital Morg at 1520.

The autopsy began on May 9th at a.m.

Present.

Crosby, assistant David Lowe, forensic scientist Anna Peterson, FBI detective Nathan Ortega.

First examination.

Body of Bert Holloway, male Caucasian, age 31 years.

Height 6 feet 1 in.

Weight 178 pounds.

Clothing clean, no damage.

Skin pale.

Waxy signs of mummification.

Body temperature consistent with room temperature.

Rigor mortise.

Absent time of death.

Estimated 7 to 8 months ago.

Crosby started the external examination.

No signs of trauma.

No fractures.

No abrasions.

No hematomas.

No ligature marks on the wrists or ankles.

Fingernails are intact.

No foreign tissue or blood under the fingernails.

Face is calm.

Eyes are closed.

Skin is covered with a thin layer of waxy substance.

Crosby took samples.

Lab identified the composition as beeswax with conifer resin.

The coating is uniform.

It was applied postmortem.

Internal examination.

Lungs without signs of drowning.

Heart without abnormalities.

Liver, normal kidneys, unchanged.

Blood taken for toxicology analysis.

Stomach contents, water and plant fibers.

Peterson examined the fibers under a microscope.

Result: Douglas fur needles.

Second examination.

Tessa Morgan’s body.

Caucasian female, age 29.

Height 5’6 in.

Weight 132 lb.

Clothes are clean.

Skin waxed.

Mummification identical to Holloway’s body.

External examination, no trauma, no fractures, no signs of violence.

The skin is waxed.

Internal examination, no abnormalities of the organs.

Stomach contents, water, and fur needles.

Blood results came back on May 11th.

Toxicologist Robert Marshall, age 63, found high concentrations of pentabarbital in samples from both bodies.

Dose 300 mg per kilogram of body weight.

Lethal dose for humans 100 mg per kilogram exceeded three times.

Pentabarbatital is a barbiterate used in veterinary medicine to euthanize animals.

In medicine, it was used as a sleeping pill until the 70s, now banned for use on humans in most US states.

Marshall found that the drug was administered orally, no injection marks on the bodies.

Time of action 30 to 45 minutes.

Death is caused by respiratory arrest.

The process is painless.

The person falls asleep and doesn’t wake up.

Crosby recorded both died within 24 hours of disappearance.

Date of death, September 13th or 14th, 2015.

Cause, penttoarbital overdose.

Method of administration, voluntary or involuntary, undetermined.

CSI Peterson examined the coffin.

A metal fragment measuring 5×7 mm was found on the bottom.

It’s rectangular in shape.

Material: plastic and metal.

Technical forensics identified a chip from a Garmin inReach satellite tracker.

Serial number matches the beacon from Holloway’s car.

Question: How did the beacon chip end up in the coffin if the beacon itself was left in the car? Experts answer.

The device was disassembled.

The chip was removed.

The chip was separated by mechanical force.

Peterson examined the woodworking tools.

There are traces of professional tools on the inside of the coffin.

Chisel, planer, sander.

Embossing techniques indicate a skilled carpenter.

Time of manufacturer, 40 to 60 hours of work.

The inscription on the wall, they stayed together.

The letters are burned with a soldering iron or a red hot rod.

The handwriting is even.

It’s the same depth.

On May 11th, Detective Ortega wrote an interim report.

Conclusions: death was violent.

Murder disguised as a peaceful demise.

Killer has medical knowledge, has access to veterinary drugs, possesses carpentry skills.

He was methodical.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan were murdered.

Their bodies were preserved, buried with honors.

On May 12th, 2016, FBI detective Nathan Ortega requested data on Oregon shipments of pentabarbital over the last 3 years.

The drug is controlled.

Every shipment is logged.

The manufacturer is required to submit reports.

The results came in on May 14th.

The pharmaceutical company VetMed Pharma of Eugene confirmed a series of the drug found in the bodies was supplied to veterinary clinics in Oregon from January through July of 2015.

19 recipients in all.

Ortega narrowed his search, requested data on clients within a 50-mi radius of Bend.

the list.

Five veterinary clinics, two ranches, one research lab.

Ortega and Detective Finch visited each location.

On May 17th, they checked out the Redmond Vet Care Clinic.

The owner, Peter Summers, 52 years old, provided a medication log.

Ortega noticed a discrepancy.

According to the log, 20 ampules of pentabarbital were purchased, 16 were used.

The balance should be four.

Actual balance zero.

Summers explained four ampules were sold to a regular customer to sedate large animals on a private ranch.

Customer’s name Derek Wood.

Date of last purchase, August 2015.

Ortega requested Wood’s background, age 46, owner of Cascade Security.

Address, Portland.

Military background.

Marine Corps corman disciplinary discharge in 2009.

Finch remembered Cascade Logistics supplied military tarps found by the Creek Ortega checked the connection between the companies.

Result: both used the same warehouse in a Portland industrial zone until 2015.

On May 18th, CSI Peterson completed her analysis of the casket.

The woodworking techniques indicated specific skills.

Peterson contacted woodworking expert Mark Turner, 61 years old.

Turner studied the photographs.

The craftsman used professional tools, mastered a gouging technique typical of boat building or traditional coffins.

Ortega requested data on Wood’s background.

Military records showed Wood had participated in a cultural engagement program in Iraq.

He learned from local carpenters how to make traditional woodwork.

Commanders noted his passion for the craft.

On May 19th, Ortega obtained a search warrant for Cascade Security’s office and warehouse.

The search was conducted on May 20th at in the morning.

Wood was not present.

An employee reported the boss left for Portland 3 days ago.

In the warehouse, they found rolls of military tarp identical to the one found by the creek, woodworking tools, chisels, planers.

In the office, computer, documents, maps of the preserve.

On May 21st, FBI agents set up surveillance on Wood’s home in Portland.

Address: Milwaukee Avenue, private residence.

Wood left the house at a.m., got into a black Ford F-150 pickup truck.

The license plate matched a vehicle caught on video outside a sister’s general store on September 12th, 2015.

Wood was arrested at in the supermarket parking lot.

There was no resistance.

All he said was, “I knew you’d find it.” The search of the house began at .

In the garage, a medical kit with surgical instruments, eight ampules of pentabarbital of the same series as the drug from the bodies, a roll of tarpolin, a soldering iron, jars of beeswax, and conifer resin.

In the study, a leatherbound notebook on the page from September 13th, 2015, the entry, objects B and T, mistaken route.

Saw a truck by the lake, thought they were agents, took a picture of the license plate, had to take action.

I calmed them down, gave them a drug and water with pine needles.

They fell asleep quietly.

They weren’t afraid.

I made the coffin in 3 days.

I waxed the bodies like they learned in Fallujah.

They deserved to rest together, buried them with honor.

On May 22nd, Wood testified in the presence of a lawyer.

He spoke calmly without emotion.

On the record, I didn’t mean to kill them.

They were just in the wrong place.

We were taking a load to the lake.

They were walking through the woods.

They came to a clearing, saw a van.

The girl pulled out her camera, took a picture of the license plate.

The guy asked what we were doing.

I said geological expedition.

He didn’t believe me.

Said he’d tell the rangers.

I couldn’t afford it.

The route was worth millions.

Offered them water.

added the drug.

They drank it.

Half an hour later, they fell asleep.

I carried them into the woods.

They didn’t scream.

They weren’t afraid.

They just fell asleep.

Then I thought, they loved each other.

Planned a wedding.

They deserved a decent funeral.

I made a coffin.

Treated the bodies to preserve them.

I put them together.

I wrote the truth.

They stayed together.

It’s better than rotting separately in the woods.

Ortega asked about the tracker.

Wood replied, “Disassembled the device, threw the chip in the coffin.

I don’t know why.

Maybe so they’d be found someday.” On May 23rd, Derek Wood was charged with firstdegree double murder, possession, and transportation of narcotics, and forgery.

Bail has not been set.

Derek Wood’s trial began on August 23rd, 2016 in Dashuites County Court.

Judge Margaret Hullbrook, aged 61, presided.

There were 12 jurors.

The prosecution was represented by Assistant District Attorney Daniel Kaine.

The trial lasted 19 days.

The prosecutor presented 137 exhibits, Woods journal entries, vials of pentabarbital, tools, a coffin, toxicology reports, a videotape from the store’s parking lot, 42 witnesses.

Forensics confirmed death from an overdose of an orally administered drug.

No signs of a struggle.

The defense did not dispute the facts.

Wood’s attorney, Robert Stevens, argued the defendant acted under duress.

The murder was not premeditated.

Wood believed the pair were federal agents, acted out of fear of exposure.

The prosecutor denied the theory.

Holloway worked as a forester.

Morgan was a social worker.

They went hiking before the wedding.

They strayed off the trail by accident.

Saw a truck by the lake.

They took pictures out of curiosity.

They weren’t agents.

No real threat.

Wood killed them out of paranoid caution.

On September 11th, the jury reached a verdict.

Guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.

Guilty on the count of possession of narcotics.

Guilty on the count of forgery of documents.

On September 13th, Judge Hullbrook announced the verdict.

Life in prison without parole.

Two life sentences for each murder to be served consecutively.

An additional 20 years for the drug conviction.

Wood listened to the sentence standing.

Face calm.

no emotion.

Before he was led away, he turned to the victim’s families.

He said, “I gave them dignity.

They deserved better than to just disappear.” Kyle Morgan stood up, shouted, “You took her life.

” Guards led Wood out of the Hall.

On September 20th, 2016, Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan were buried in Pilitb Cemetery in Bend.

one grave.

Two coffins lowered side by side.

112 people attended the ceremony.

Relatives, co-workers, friends.

Priest Thomas Wells, 72 years old, conducted the service.

He spoke of the love that overcomes death, about plans that didn’t come true, about the tragedy of chance.

Bert’s mother, Janice Holloway, was unable to speak.

Tessa’s brother, Kyle Morgan, read the letter.

They wanted to be together all their lives.

The killer gave them that, but took away life itself.

We will never forgive.

The headstone is gray granite.

The inscription is simple.

Bert Holloway, 1984, 2015.

Tessa Morgan, 1986, 2015.

Together forever.

No additional words, no epitaps.

FBI detective Nathan Ortega closed the case on September 25th.

The final report is 109 pages long and has been turned over to the archives.

On the last page is a note written in Ortega’s own handwriting.

This case is different from typical homicides.

Derek Wood did not act out of hatred, sadism, or sexual motivation.

He killed out of pragmatic caution, protecting a criminal business.

But afterward he committed acts that indicate a perverse sense of respect for his victims.

He handcrafted the coffin, preserved the bodies, buried them with honors, and left a message.

Wood truly believed he had done them a favor, giving them a peaceful death instead of torture by keeping them together instead of decomposing in the woods.

That doesn’t make him any less guilty.

But it does make the motive psychologically more complex.

The worst part of this case is that the killer really thought he was doing a good thing.

The case is filed in the Dashuites County Sheriff’s Department archives.

Number DS 2015 0947.

Status closed.

Sentenced.

Oregon’s mountains are silent.

The Cinder Loop Trail is open to hikers.

An abandoned logging camp is overgrown with brush.

The unnamed lake remains nameless.

A mud flow has changed the landscape.

The place where the coffin lay is now covered with young pines.

In Bend, life continued.

The apartment on Newport Avenue was rented to new tenants.

The Forest Service office hired a new engineer.

The teen outreach center found a new social worker.

But a question remains on the sheriff’s office’s docket.

Not a legal one, psychological, moral.

What’s scarier, the brutality of a cold-blooded killer or the compassion of a man who kills and calls it honor? Derek Wood is serving time in Sheridan Federal Prison.

He is 74 years away from his first appeal.

He has not filed a grievance, didn’t ask for a reconsideration.

He answers psychiatrists questions the same way.

I did what I had to do.

They stayed together.

The mountains are silent, but this silence is no longer empty.

It sounds like an unanswered question.