Current Whereabouts of Dayton Leroy Rogers Explored Ahead of ID’s The Woman in the Woods Special

Investigation Discovery is gearing up to present a compelling special titled The Woman in the Woods, which will deeply explore the notorious case of Dayton Leroy Rogers, a convicted serial killer linked to the deaths of at least eight women. His chilling pattern involved burying the victims on secluded private forest lands near Molalla, Oregon, earning him the grim nickname “Molalla Forest Murderer.”

Set to air on October 23, 2024, at 10:00 PM EST, The Woman in the Woods promises to deliver an in-depth examination of his heinous activities and the subsequent investigation. The show’s official synopsis states:

“In 1987, the discovery of women’s bodies in a forest near Molalla, Oregon, leads detectives on a relentless search for clues; a breakthrough comes when another case reveals striking similarities.”

Despite the gravity of his offenses, Dayton Leroy Rogers has not been executed. His death sentence has faced overturns on four occasions, the latest being on November 12, 2021.

Nonetheless, he has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for his first murder conviction and remains incarcerated at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla, Oregon. Additional charges regarding six other confirmed murders could lead to similar life sentences.

Who is Dayton Leroy Rogers and what were his crimes?

Born in Moscow, Idaho on September 30, 1953, Dayton Leroy Rogers had a history of legal troubles from childhood. Reportedly, he started his deviant behavior at age 13, vandalizing cars with a BB gun. By the age of 16, he escalated to violence, stabbing a girl during a date.

Due to his youth, he faced minimal legal consequences, which only intensified his aggressive tendencies. By the time he turned 20, Rogers assaulted two women using a beer bottle, resulting in a ruling of not guilty by reason of insanity. He was confined to the Oregon State Hospital but was released mere months later.

As an adult, he embarked on a horrifying spree of violence against women, engaging in a series of assaults, torture, and murder. His victims were often vulnerable women from the streets, including sex workers and runaways.

Rogers would lure these victims to remote locations, where he would restrain, mutilate, and torture them before ultimately taking their lives. The bodies were disposed of in the Mollala Forest, where authorities eventually discovered seven corpses, with his crimes spanning from 1983 to 1987, culminating in his arrest after a particularly public murder.

Dayton Leroy Rogers’s fatal actions reached a peak when he murdered Jennifer Lisa Smith in August 1987. He viciously stabbed her 11 times across the chest, abdomen, and back in a parking area along SE McLoughlin Blvd in Oak Grove, Clackamas County. Multiple witnesses noted the crime, with one individual following him to record his whereabouts.

This led to his capture and subsequent conviction. The remains of the seven additional victims were later retrieved in the Mollala Forest, all attributed to Rogers. He was charged with the murders of Lisa Marie Mock, Maureen Ann Hodges, Christine Lotus Adams, Cynthia De Vore, Nondace Cervantes, and Riatha Gyles. The identity of the seventh victim was only confirmed in 2013.

Current status of Dayton Leroy Rogers

After his conviction for the murder of Lisa, Dayton Leroy Rogers was sentenced to life imprisonment. With 13 charges concerning the deaths of six women, a jury initially condemned him to death. However, over the years, his death sentences were annulled four times, the most recent of which occurred in November 2021.

He currently remains imprisoned with no option for parole, held at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla, Oregon, where he is likely to spend the rest of his life.

The forthcoming special from Investigation Discovery, The Woman in the Woods, will delve further into the details of this shocking case.

Source