The Day Portland Died

Three Generations of Murder

Portland author Trevor Church dives into one of the most shocking crimes in Oregon history - the disappearance and murder of one of his former schoolmates and her friend.

Ashley Pond left for school early one morning, running a few minutes late as always, she hurried up the hill outside of her apartments to the school bus. She was never seen again.

News crews gathered at the bus stop, outside of the apartments, and the school. For weeks they interviewed everyone on camera, alongside the private interviews conducted by investigators. One of the girls interviewed on the morning news at the bus stop, Miranda Gaddis, would disappear a few weeks after her pleas for her friend to come home were aired on thousands of televisions around the state.

What would unfold in the following eighteen months would become one of the most shocking crimes in the state's history, not just because of the crime itself, but because of the possible gross negligence of systems in place meant to help children contributing to the disappearances.

This book dives into the disappearance, the investigation, and the trial of Ward Weaver, while examining the gruesome details of his family history, and the murderous past of his father. With firsthand details from one of the murderers through personal correspondence with the author, and the author's connection to one of the victims, this book explores three generations of murder, the lasting impact on the community, the climate that made these crimes easier to commit, and the day Portland died.