On the morning of July 11, 1963, a fisherman made a horrifying discovery: He stumbled across the concealed remains of a 2-year-old boy.

The tiny body was wrapped in blankets, tied with wire and held down by iron weights in the Keene Creek Reservoir along Oregon 66 east of Ashland, Oregon.

Officials moved the body to a cemetery where his tombstone read, “Unknown Baby Boy 1961-1963.″ The investigation was given case number 63-2301. For more than 50 years, it wouldn’t get much further than that. By 2020, the case was the oldest known unidentified human remains case in the state of Oregon.

On Episode 2 of ⁠The Unidentifieds⁠ podcast, hosts Regan Mertz and Dave Killen take listeners on a trip to the Siskiyou Mountains where the remains were found, talk to a former investigator who pursued the case, and introduce you to ⁠Cece Moore⁠, Parabon NanoLabs’ chief genetic genealogist. Moore is one of the nation’s foremost experts in the field.

In this episode, we learn how a Facebook message, a DNA match and genealogical sleuthing gave a little boy his name back.

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There are so many unidentified human remains in the United States that the ⁠National Missing and Unidentified Persons System⁠ calls it “the nation’s silent mass disaster.” Roughly 4,400 human remains are found every year, and nearly one-quarter of those remain unidentified after one year.

Some people were never reported missing. Some went missing decades ago. Some remains are incomplete, parts of them still out there like missing pieces to a puzzle. Cases run cold. The unidentified remains are placed in boxes and left on evidence room shelves, waiting for another shot at an investigation. Or maybe just a chance to be remembered. And that’s if their cardboard tombs are not lost or forgotten first.

In Oregon, there are 120 unidentified persons cases. Cold cases exist in 33 of Oregon’s 36 counties.

Regan Mertz spent months delving into this issue for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She obtained and reviewed missing persons case files, interviewed current and former law enforcement officers, anthropologists and experts around the country. She also interviewed family members of missing people.

This is ⁠The Unidentifieds⁠, a podcast that investigates four long-forgotten cases in Oregon and how online genealogy and forensic anthropology helped families get closure. Cases that long seemed hopeless, now seem solvable. People who’ve existed for decades as lonely, nameless phantoms can, if nothing else, get their identities back.

In episode one, Regan and co-host Dave Killen go on a trip to southern Oregon’s Redwood Highway, where in 1971 a father and son discovered what looked liked a human spine and ribs while on a camping trip near mile marker 35.

Upon initial investigation, the remains appeared to belong to a young woman, 18 to 20 years old, tall and slim.

But the case went cold. And the remains became known as Jane Doe 79-940.

Subscribe to The Unidentifieds anywhere you listen to podcasts and give it a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. ⁠

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Any newspaper editor will tell you readers love animal stories. The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Samantha Swindler took that axiom to the next level this spring with a 12-part video series on the mysterious disappearance of Cosmo, the talking crow.

She joins Editor Therese Bottomly on “Beat Check with The Oregonian” to discuss the narrative, which also was published on Instagram, Facebook and, of course, OregonLive.

Cosmo first came to the newsroom’s attention after a viral story out of Williams about a talking crow that had “befriended” an elementary school. Swindler, who works on the Here is Oregon features team, reached out to obtain audio or video of this supposed talking crow.

She quickly learned Cosmo was missing and the crow may not have been the beloved local fixture we first envisioned. Originally conceived as a podcast, “The Mystery of Cosmo the Talking Crow” quickly morphed into an experiment in creative multimedia storytelling on TikTok, the social media platform so much in the headlines these days.

In this episode of Beat Check, we talk about:

--Why Swindler was drawn to the quirky story

--The reporting challenges she faced

--The question of whether Cosmo really did talk

--Why humans can’t resist anthropomorphizing animals -- that is, attributing human behaviors and motives and emotions to our pets

Within the episode, Swindler refers to ⁠“Serial,” ⁠the groundbreaking and hugely popular true crime podcast (We are careful to note nothing about the Cosmo story involves actual true “crime.”).

She also makes reference to a⁠ “milkshake duck” ⁠moment, a reference to a fictional duck that is cute and beloved until it is revealed to be racist. Like that internet meme, Cosmo, too, was cute on the outside but perhaps had a touch of evil within, depending on who is talking.

And Swindler still hopes for ⁠“The Jinx” ⁠reveal, as in the HBO docuseries hot-mic moment where Robert Durst appears to confess. Alas (spoiler alert), Swindler and the rest of us are still waiting for the final word on Cosmo’s fate.

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Watchdog reporter Ted Sickinger published ⁠an in-depth article ⁠examining a loophole in the Oregon Lottery’s rules. In Oregon, it is perfectly legal to re-sell your winning lottery ticket at a discount, allowing the buyer to claim the prize.

Why would anyone do this? Well, if they wanted to avoid having the state seize part of their winnings for taxes or back child support, for example.

And why would the state allow this? Lottery officials told Sickinger they were aware of the practice of “discounting” and despite the fact other states have moved to close down similar schemes elsewhere nothing had been done in Oregon to prohibit the workaround.

Sickinger joined Editor Therese Bottomly on “Beat Check with The Oregonian” to talk about how he got onto the story and how he tracked down participants willing to talk with him. He also talked about ⁠reaction to his piece.

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Environment reporter Gosia Wozniacka joined host Elliot Njus to discuss this dangerous effect of climate change and how the Portland region is preparing for more frequent, more severe heat events.

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This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication.

Listeners producer Kristen Mico speaks with Fiona Conneely  and Shelley Schuler about how food hubbing models offer solutions to small farms, markets and food assistance programs.  At a time when programs that support access to fresh food and livelihoods of small farmers have been dramatically cut, and food assistance benefits like SNAP are also being cut, social service organizations are scrambling to figure out how to keep families fed. Fiona Conneely is with a Portland organization, Lift Up,  trying to do just that. She and Shelley Schuler have a lot to talk about as Shelley operates Lane County Bounty, a Eugene-based food hub aggregating produce and goods from local farms and is able to offer affordable, fresh food to a range of markets with a convenient, online, delivery service offering choice and cultural goods. 

Show notes & links:

LIft Up – Lift Urban Portland is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing hunger and improving the lives of low-income residents in Northwest and Downtown Portland by providing nutritious food assistance such as pantry shopping, delivered food boxes, and farmer’s-market style distributions.

Lane County Bounty- Lane County Bounty, founded by Shelley Schuler in 2020 as an offshoot of Moondog’s Farm, operates an online marketplace and delivery service designed to connect consumers with fresh, locally grown food from small farms across Lane County

Thanks to Leif Olsen for composing the music for the series of Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment.

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This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication.

For this episode, we invite listeners into the realities of rural Oregon, where questions of identity, belonging, and resilience are part of everyday life. In this episode, Kristina Path and Leif Olsen travel to Monmouth to meet Amanda Laister, a longtime high school Spanish teacher, whose classroom reflects the challenges and hopes of a changing community. Through Amanda’s story, we explore the complexities facing students and educators—from shifting demographics to the need for cultural affirmation and safety. Tune in for an honest conversation about the power of listening, community, and the work still ahead.

Show notes & links:

Community Podcasting Microcredential - This 12-credit, graduate-level certification helps you build professional skills in podcasting, interviewing, and audio production to tell meaningful community stories.

Thanks to Leif Olsen for composing the music for the series of Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment.

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This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication.

Listeners producer Daniel Bloomfield speaks with the Executive Director of the Oregon Humanities, Adam Davis, about the Trump administration’s recent cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities and how they’ve impacted the work of the Oregon Humanities.

At a time when having respectful and diplomatic conversations, the cuts have forced Oregon Humanities to cancel many of their programs, including trainings for conversation facilitators.

Davis speaks about the many challenges Oregon Humanities faces, but also the ways in which he is hopeful and the unexpected outpouring of community support.

Show notes & links:

Oregon Humanities – Oregon Humanities is a non-profit organization that fosters understanding and collaboration through public programs, conversations, and storytelling across Oregon. 

D.O.G.E. – The Department of Government Efficiency is a federal initiative of the Trump administration which made the decision to cut the funding to National Endowment for the Humanities by nearly half.

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) – NEH is an independent federal agency that supports the humanities in every state and U.S. jurisdiction.

Mellon Foundation Gift to the NEH – The Mellon Foundation’s decision to give $65 million to the NEH in light of the cuts made by the Trump administration.

Community Podcasting Microcredential - This 12-credit, graduate-level certification helps you build professional skills in podcasting, interviewing, and audio production to tell meaningful community stories.

Thanks to Leif Olsen for composing the music for the series of Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment.

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This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication.

Producer Kaiya Laguardia-Yonamine speaks with Duncan Hwang about the importance of local organizing and turning inward to sustain our communities. Duncan reflects on his experience as the Community Development Director at APANO, as well as his role as an elected official for the Metro Council.

Show notes & links:

Thanks to Leif Olsen for composing the music for the series of Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment.

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Beat Check with The Oregonian is taking a short break for the summer while we work to bring you our next exciting project and reimagine the format of the show.

In the meantime, you can look forward to several episodes of “Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment,” a limited-series podcast from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication.

We’ll also bring around some of our most listened to episodes from the last couple years.

Make sure to also check out The Oregonian’s other podcast offerings at Oregonlive.com/podcasts.

We’ve got sports podcasts and a travel podcast called Peak Northwest where we take you to some of the greatest destination in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

And don’t forget to support our local journalism and get the latest news by becoming a subscriber to OregonLive. You can do that by going to OregonLive.com/subscribe.

Thanks so much for listening.

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