The appeal of true crime was on full display over the Labor Day Weekend when nearly 200 people ditched sunny skies and the opening weekend of college football to hear from survivors, victim’s advocates, writers, podcasters, and support organizations during True Crime Fest Northwest at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel.
The location was suitable. As most true crime fans know, a disproportionate percent of the most widely covered serial murders have taken place in the Pacific Northwest. Explanations range from the well-traveled I-5 corridors to the many forests where it is relatively easy to hide bodies.
Emotions were frequently raw at the event when relatives of murder victims described their reactions to “the worst phone call of their lives” and their struggles to cope with the investigations and press coverage. Authors and internet presenters talked about the challenges of pulling complex stories about crimes – some unsolved – together. Nonprofit search organizations offered their services tracking down missing and possibly deceased people.
“My goal was for people to find healing and help with what they were going through, and I have learned that several people connected in a very deep way to someone they could relate to, for the first time in their lives,” said organizer Shelley Holland, an admitted true crime fan, after the Aug. 30-Sept. 1 event.
The biggest draw was Desiree Young, the mother of Kyron Horman, the 7-year-old boy who disappeared for Skyline Elementary School in far west Portland on June 4, 2010. She spoke by herself Saturday morning and the again that afternoon, when she appeared with Rebecca Morris, the author of the book about the disappearance, “Boy Missing: The Search for Kyron Horman.”
For most Portlanders, Young may be best known as the teary-eyed parent on local TV news reports about the annual carwashes she organizes to keep the disappearance in the news. But, during her appearances, Young revealed herself to be a savvy and relentless investigator fixated on her son’s former step-mother, Terri Moulton, who has been described as a “person of interest” in the case.
During her hour-plus morning presentation. Young laid out a damning circumstantial case against Moulton, bolstered by detailed personal accounts of her suspicious activities before and after the disappearance, references to recovered burner phones used to communicate with a potential accomplice, and more.
“Don’t believe Terri when she says she had nothing to do with it,” said Young, explaining that she believes authorities are still building the case again Moulton. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, which is in charge of the investigation, has constantly refused to release any detailed progress reports.
Also presenting were relatives of five Portland women who may have been killed by suspected serial killer Jesse Calhoun in the first half of 2023. They reached out to each other when regional law enforcement agencies were still denying the deaths reported in the local media were connected. All of them said they did not know what to do when first notified of the deaths, and initially felt disrespected by law enforcement agencies and the media because the women were suffering from mental illnesses, addictions, or homelessness – or all three.
Melissa Smith, the mother of victim Kristina Smith, said that when she first tried to report her daughter was missing, Portland police explained there was little they could do because she was over 18, homeless, and struggling with addiction, which they thought meant she did not want to be found.
“My friends and I had to make our own flyers and post them on telephone poles to find her. We were the cars stopped on 82nd and McLoughlin with the flashers on,” said Smith.
Together the survivors have founded United Justice Group, a nonprofit organization to help others in similar circumstances more effectively advocate for such victims earlier in the criminal justice process.
Also speaking was Janine O’Neill, the former Portland Tribune reporter who covered the Oregon City missing girls’ case in 2002 and subsequently wrote a book on it and the family of Ward Weaver, who was convicted of murdering Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis.
O’Neill believes the Weavers are most likely the most prolific family of killers in modern American history, outside of families in organized crime or with multi-generational gang involvement. Weaver’s father is on death row in California, convicted of a 1984 double-murder but strongly suspected of dozens more. Weaver’s son was convicted of manslaughter.
“I admit I am obsessed with the Weaver family. I think you can understand why,” O’Neill said to chuckles about her book, “Close to Home: Sexual Abusers and Serial Killers, Memoir and Murder.”
“I sold a lot of books, met a lot of interesting people, made a lot of contacts and had a blast,” said O’Neill, who is planning on writing another true crime book.
O’Neill also said she was impressed with Horman’s mother.
“It was the first time I’d heard Young speak in person, and I was very impressed with her speaking ability, her ongoing advocacy for her son and the efforts she’s made nationwide to help train law enforcement and others who work with families of missing persons,” she said.
The crowd at the event was largely young and female, which reflects the demographics of the fans of true crime books, TV shows, and podcasts. Tattoos were prevalent.
Between presentations, attendees roamed the large room where more than 30 vendors had set up tables. They included authors, podcasters, book sellers, support organizations, people looking for missing relatives, and others,
“The vendors were the most amazing people that connected with everyone in such a positive way. I am so grateful to all of the speakers, Desiree Young gave us so much time and everyone was anxious to hear her story. Some of the presenters were speaking publicly for the first time and shared such amazing stories and I thank them so much for having the courage to do that. All of the presentations were phenomenal,” said Holland.
Holland is the mother of Alisha Holland of the popular, locally produced “Murder in the Rain” podcast, which also appeared at the event. She is already planning another true crime fest for the spring of 2026.
More information is available at truecrimefestnorthwest.com.
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