What if the gold rush started three years earlier… and no one noticed?

In 1845, a wagon train lost in the Oregon desert made a discovery that should’ve changed history—pebbles heavy and yellow enough to “fill one of these blue buckets.” But the gold was left behind, the location forgotten… and a 175-year-old legend was born.

💰 Greed. Survival. Ghost trails.🔦 Desert treasure hunts and deadly mistakes.🌵 And one massive, possibly mythical, lost gold mine.

Tune in now for a wild west mystery that still drives treasure hunters into the Oregon wilderness to this day.

🎙️ Link in bio🌲 #SameCrimeDifferentTime#LostTreasure #OregonMysteries #HistoricalTrueCrime #PodcastDrop #BlueBucketMine #JenChambers #WagonTrainWoes #GoldRushBeforeTheGoldRush

Four young women. Formerly quiet Oregon towns ripped apart by tragedy. A man with a twisted obsession that led to one of the most disturbing serial killer cases in Pacific Northwest history.

This week, I’m telling the story of Jerome Brudos, also known as the Lust Killer—but more importantly, I’m sharing the stories of Linda Slawson, Jan Whitney, Karen Sprinker, and Linda Salee. Their lives mattered.

🕰️ 1950’s-1960’s 📍 Salem & Portland, Oregon 🎧 22 minutes of true crime history and haunting details that still echo today.

🖤 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.

#TrueCrimePodcast #SameCrimeDifferentTime #PacificNorthwestHistory #TrueCrimeCommunity #JeromeBrudos #SerialKillers #WomensVoices #TrueCrimeWithHeart #YourVoiceMatters #JenChambersPodcast

🎬 INTRO & OPENING “Welcome back to Same Crime, Different Time. I’m Jen Chambers. Tonight, we remember Patricia ‘Pat’ Lowther—a rising Canadian poet cut down at 40 by the very man she trusted. Her life and voice were powerful; her death sent shockwaves through Canada’s literary world. And it still resonates.”

📚 Segment 1: Pat’s Early Life & Poetry

“Born July 29, 1935, in Vancouver, Pat published her first poem at age ten in the Vancouver Sun . She later left school at 16 and worked in an office to support herself but continued to write. In 1968, her debut This Difficult Flowering launched her literary career—followed by The Age of the Bird in 1972, and Milk Stone in 1974 prabook.com+8en.wikipedia.org+8encyclopedia.com+8.”

The Cacadian Encyclopedia says:

Lowther’s first book of poetry, This Difficult Flowering (1968), was critically praised for its precise language and themes. The book explores the tensions between creating art and creating a home life and expands the themes of motherhood and the pain and pleasure of love into universal themes. In “Damn Doom,” for instance, Lowther speaks honestly of the need to create within the chaos of family:

Damn doom to

day after daybreak our bright wisheson this work:to carve a simple beauty

out of chaos.

“Damn doom to day‑after‑day break our bright wishes on this work…” From This Difficult Flowering thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.

In her second poetry collection, the Day of the Bird, she writs of a laundry near where Che Guevara was killed, and contrasts the laundry with hte brutality of his death:

A laundry at Vallegrande

a windowless shed

tiled roof

in front two openings

separated only by a pillar

… inside, the body

its eyes open

the head propped

in a tense posture

“She went on to co‑chair the League of Canadian Poets and taught at the University of BC’s writing department—as her feminist voice rose in both poetry and politics. At 40, she’s published her first collection of poetry, and just before she was murdered, had signed with the Oxford University Press to publish a new poetry collection. It was her third book of poetry and her first book to be signed by a major press. poetryfoundation.org+14en.wikipedia.org+14evelazarus.com+14.”

🌧️ Segment 2: Domestic Shadows

“Married to Roy in 1963, she had four children. Roy was also a poet and left-wing activist—but darker things lurked. Friends noted his increasing jealousy over Pat’s growing acclaim. The University of Toronto Libraries says in a article about her that “Her domestic life, however, was complicated and weighed down by poverty and unhappiness. Friends encouraged her to leave her destructive marriage, a personal revolutionary act which she was unable to complete.” .evelazarus.com.”

“In September 1975, Pat vanished. She’d missed a poetry reading at Ironworkers Hall in Vancouver. A week after she was last seen, her daughter Kathy went to the police and reported her missing. When he was questioned, Roy said that she’d been having an affair with another writer who lived in Ontario, Canada, and directed police to find her there. Though police checked all ways of getting out of Vancouver, they didn’t find any evidence of her having left the area. Three weeks later, her body was discovered, badly decomposed, lodged in Furry Creek near Britannia Beach. She had been found face down in the water and submerged underneath a log. She was identified through dental records and fingerprint data.

poetryfoundation.org+7evelazarus.com+7en.wikipedia.org+7.”

🧱 Segment 4: The Murder & Arrest

“Police found 117 blood spots on the East Vancouver home walls and a bloody mattress. Roy first tried to say that he came home and found his wife’s body naked and beaten and was worried that they’d suspect him. So he said that he then wrapped her body up and drove it to the place it was found underneath a railroad bridge, tossing it over a cliff, to get rid of it. I guess he thought it would wash out to sea and he’d be rid of the problem with her entirely.

Eventually, confronted with evidence, Roy confessed he struck Pat with a hammer and disposed of her body after wrapping it in the car abcbookworld.com+1evelazarus.com+1.” He had taken both the hammer in questionand the mattress with him to another island, where he attempted to was h the mattress on both sides, and would later tell the police th at the remaining stains wete menstrual blood.

“In June 1977, Roy was convicted of second‑degree murder—and sentenced to life. He died in prison in 1985 .”

💔 Segment 5: Pat’s Legacy

“Pat’s posthumous A Stone Diary was published by Oxford in 1977 poetryinvoice.ca+4en.wikipedia.org+4thecanadianencyclopedia.ca+4. In 1980, the Pat Lowther Memorial Award was established, honoring outstanding Canadian women poets annually montrealserai.com+12en.wikipedia.org+12evelazarus.com+12.”\

BC Studies reflected:

“Her death… was a catalyst for that changing consciousness in our country… she still stands in the crucible of conflict.” capitalcurrent.ca+2bcstudies.com+2montrealserai.com+2.

Her children are Christine Lowther (also a poet), Beth Lowther, and Kathy Lyons (died in 2015). Her son is Alan Domphousse.

The Canadian Poetry Online service from The University of Toronto sais of her legacy that:

“The loss to her family and friends is immeasurable, and the loss to Canadian literature was widely acknowledged. In The Dictionary of Canadian Biographies, Hilda Thomas suggests that Pat Lowther's death "robbed Canadian poetry of one of its most vital and visionary poets."

An excellent work about Pat Lowther, the Half-Lives of Pat Lowther by Christine Wiesenthal, talks about how her sory is now an iconic one of spousal abuse in Canada. She was also one of the most iconic and catalyst-producing writers of the 1970’s, in that she wrote about feminine desire, feminine rage, and feminine power. She also was emblematic because she chased those things as a high school dropout who gained traction to be one of the most celebrated female poets in Canada.

Wisenthal says the real mystery is how she became involved with Roy Lowther in the first place? Roy lowther was a literary emerging giant in the time of Pat’s emergence as well, but he was dismissed from his university and was eclipsed neatly by his wife. It’s hard not to believe that his jealousy didn’t contribute to the murder. In a review of Wisenthal’s book about Pat, Linda Rogers said about the nature of the gender politics of her work:

“The third mystery is whether we would still be hearing of Pat Lowther as a poet had her husband not bashed her head in and left her broken and bleeding on a beach where he had once made love to her. The sad poignancy of her death has made Lowther a martyr for women who look, as she did, for a voice to lead them out of the wilderness.”

Pat Lowther left an indelible legacy and a vulnerable reminder that women sometimes have to be on guard from the ones they love best. “This wasn’t just personal—it mirrored national shifts around women’s voices, ambitions, and safety.” “Pat Lowther’s life was full—poems, politics, parenting. Her death was brutal, at the hands of someone she loved. But her words endure—and so does her memory. If you’re moved, read her work. Share her story. Support feminist poets. There are links to Pat Lowther’s books in the show notes. I’m excited to get back into poetry. One of my other favoite female poets, is Mary Oliver, who’s transcendent Wild Geese might be the most beautiful poem I’ve ever read. It begins:

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. https://www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/wild_geese.html

So to end each episode, I thought I’d share my wins or the books I’ve been reading, and invite you guys to share your books you’ve been reading, the music or podcasts you’ve been listening to, or your wins lately too so I can spotlight you and give you a listener shout out in the next episode. Gotta close out with wins.

Listener Dana Hunter Fradella wrote in with a book recommendation from a speaker she went to see recently, who recommended to her a book by Delores Cannon called Between Life and Death. “I’ve never read anything like it, and I’m here for it 100%. She’s talking to people who are hypnotized, and they’re talking about their past lives and the possibility that we choose our own deaths.” So interesting! Thank you, Dana! Go check out her podcast, Girls Who Recover; that’s Dana Hunter Fradella. And the book she mentioned is Between Life and Death by Delores Cannon.

My win is that my book came out early! The Murder of Sheriff W. W. Winters and Other Eugene Cases is out now by Arcadia Press! I went to my local Barnes & Noble just to browse, and I was going to visit my books like I always do. That’s my secret thing: visiting my books at any bookstore I see them in. I saw that not only did they get it out early, they made it the Pick of the Month! So check out my books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite bookstore. I’m going to fill you in on all my book tour stuff this summer; you probably will want me to shut up about it, but it was such a nice surprise. Let me know your wins by DM on Instagram @jennifer_chambers_ or on my Substack or Facebook. I would love to hear them and give you a shout-out too. “I’m Jen Chambers. Thanks for listening to Same Crime, Different Time. Let’s keep Pat’s voice alive.”

🔗 SOURCES

* Cold Case Canada & Vancouver Sun poetryfoundation.org+11evelazarus.com+11capitalcurrent.ca+11

* Wikipedia, Canadian Encyclopedia, ABC BookWorld en.wikipedia.org+1abcbookworld.com+1

* Centretown News quotes en.wikipedia.org+3capitalcurrent.ca+3abcbookworld.com+3

* Pat Lowther Award details poetryinvoice.ca+4en.wikipedia.org+4patlowther.ca+4

* https://canpoetry.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/lowther/index.htm

Welcome to Same Crime, Different Time, the podcast where we dig into the eerie echoes of Pacific Northwest history. I’m your host, Jen Chambers—and today, we’re venturing deep into the Siskiyou Mountains for a case that has haunted Oregon for over 50 years. The Cowden family—two parents, two children—vanished without a trace during Labor Day weekend, 1974. Their fate? Unspeakable. Their killer? Still officially unknown.

🏕️ PART 1: A Labor Day Getaway

It was supposed to be a weekend away. Richard and Belinda Cowden, along with their two kids—5-year-old David and 5-month-old Melissa—headed out to Carberry Creek in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in a 1956 Ford Pickup Truck.Richard Cowden was a log truck driver, and he and his family were from White City Oregon. It was familiar territory for them. Peaceful, quiet.

The last time anyone saw them alive was around 9 a.m. on Sunday, September 1st. Richard and David had walked to the Copper General Store to buy a quart of milk. They were calm. Friendly. Nothing seemed out of place.

Later that day, Belinda’s mother arrived to join them for dinner. But what she found wasn’t dinner—it was dread. The family was gone. The campsite was eerily untouched—keys on the table, diaper bag and baby food inside the truck, fishing lines in the water. Their pet Basett hound, Droopy, was later found wandering alone.

An article on Murderpedia says:

"Belinda's mother grew concerned when the family didn't arrive as planned. She headed to their creek-side campsite and found no one there, but all their possessions remained. It was a strange sight: a plastic dishpan of cold water on the ground, truck keys, Belinda's purse, a diaper bag, and a camp stove all clearly visible on a picnic table. A half-full carton of milk bought that morning also sat on the table.

Her panic escalated when she noticed Richard's expensive wristwatch and wallet (containing $21) on the ground, along with a pack of cigarettes Belinda smoked. The family truck was still there, parked on the road, with all their clothes except for their swimsuits.

She immediately reported it to the police, and law enforcement quickly arrived. Lieutenant Mark Kezar, the lead investigator, later stated that the investigation was 'delayed for maybe a day' due to the initial lack of evidence of any violence. A state trooper, Officer Erickson, famously remarked, 'That camp was spooky; even the milk was still on the table.'"

The chronology of hte day they disappearedwas later found to be: Richard and 5 year old son David, left the campsite to go and get some milk for hte family from the store. They apparently came backand went swimming together in a swimming hole, Carberry Creek, that was close by.The detectives thought that later that morning the whole family was kidnapped by a starnger, possibly at gunpoint. They were likely driven away from the scene.

🔎 PART 2: The Search Begins

Law enforcement launched one of the largest search operations in Oregon history. Volunteers, tracking dogs, helicopters, and even the National Guard combed through the mountainous terrain.

Initial Investigation and Public Appeals

In the early stages of the investigation, the Oregon State Police and Jackson County Police interviewed over 150 people regarding the family's disappearance. A $2,000 reward (worth about $12,752 today) was put up for any information. With hunting season approaching, Richard Cowden's sister sent a heartfelt letter to the Medford Mail Tribune, urging hunters to be vigilant for "anything that could be connected to a man, woman, a five-year-old child, or a five-month-old baby." She even asked them to "check freshly turned piles of earth," holding onto hope but also preparing for the worst.

Over two hundred citizens wrote to then-Oregon senator Mark Hatfield, pushing for the FBI to get involved. However, this request was denied because there was "no evidence that the Cowdens had been kidnapped or taken across state lines." At the time, law enforcement also tried to link the Cowden case to eight other missing women in Washington and Oregon. It was later discovered that these other disappearances were connected to serial killer Ted Bundy.

Let’s hear from Detective Richard Davis, one of the original investigators.

He said: “From the moment we saw that campsite, we knew something was wrong. It looked staged, almost too still. Like they’d just stepped away—but hadn’t come back. That’s when your gut tells you—this isn’t a lost person case. This is a crime.”

Search teams covered 25 square miles. But it was like the family had vanished into thin air.

🪦 PART 3: The Discovery

Seven months later, on April 12, 1975, two gold prospectors made a grim discovery. About seven miles from the Cowden campsite, hidden in dense forest near a cave…

…they found the bodies.

Richard’s body was discovered tied to a tree. Belinda, David, and Melissa had been hidden in a small cave, their remains covered with stones. Detective Davissaid: “I’ll never forget it. Belinda and the kids were packed into that cave like someone was trying to bury the truth. And Richard… he was left exposed, like a warning.” Autopsies later revealed that Belinda and David had been shot with a small-caliber rifle. Melissa had died from blunt force trauma. Richard’s remains were too decomposed to determine a cause of death. One intersting fact about finding them in the cave is that one of the local searchers told investigators that he’d searched that cave previously and they weren’t there, and even took them to the cave to shadow them, but his stry was proven to be true.

⚖️ PART 4: A Prime Suspect

As detectives pieced together the timeline, a name kept surfacing: Dwain Lee Little.

A convicted murderer out on parole, Little had been in the area that weekend. He was known to carry a .22-caliber weapon—the same caliber used in the Cowden murders. And, he was senn to have bought gas very nearby on the day of hte murders.

Let’s hear what Detective Davis had to say about him. He said: “He’s the kind of man who doesn’t care about people. If he wants something, he’ll take it. If he has to kill you to get it—he’ll do it without a second thought. That’s who we believe did this.”

📚 PART 5: Why No Arrest?

Despite mounting suspicion, no charges were ever filed against Little in connection with the Cowden case. A lack of physical evidence tied investigators' hands. Little would later return to prison for a separate rape conviction that ocurred in 1980. It was found htat Little had raped and kileld a teenage girl in 1964, and was jailed, but paroled in 1974 which left him free to kill agin. He was Still, the Cowden case remains technically unsolved.One of Little’s forger roomates at the person said that he had confessed to him for the killings, but he has never done so officailly. He remains in prison for life at this time.

Some believe Little had help. Others say the forest holds secrets we’ll never uncover. But the trail runs cold… for now.

🔔 PART 6: The Legacy

It’s been more than fifty years, but the Cowden case continues to echo through Jackson County. A family vanished. A discovery too late. A suspect left untouched.

If you know anything—if you heard stories passed down or lived near that area—law enforcement still wants to hear from you.

Okay, I wanted to change the tone and bring a little more good energy into this space before we close out. I want to always treat the people we speak about and these cases with respect, and acknowledge that these are often real people with often tragic. Part of learning about these historic cases might be to get the right peropsn to hear it and bring some change to thefamilies involved.

So to end each episode, I thought I’d share my wins or the books I’ve been reading, and invite you guys to share your books you’ve been reading, the music or podcasts you’ve been listening to, or your wins lately too so I can spotlight you and give you a listener shout out in the next episode. Gotta close out with wins. I have shared with you on my other show but I read a ton, no surprise. It’s my favorite entertainment. I have been deep into fantasy/romantacy books because they’re the total opposite of the true crime work I do and historical cases i dive into. So, my top three fantasy books I’ve read lately are:

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree- Super fun cozy fantasy that’s like what I imagine living in a game of Dungeons and Dragons might be

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw – a mystery series starring Dr. Greta Helsing, the doctor for the supernatural in a steampunk-y fantasy parallel to the modern world

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling- cozy witchy book about a professor trying to deny her witchy lineage and hte man she accidentally hexed when they broke up in their 20’s

And my huge win is pretty big- I got cataract surgery last week! It’s funny that it’s strange to be able to see so well. I had to take a week off, and that’s why– I don’t always share personal stuff, but I want to make sure I encourage anyone who needs to hear it to take care of themselves and have that annoying surgery or appointment you’ve been putting off. Open doors for yourself by giving yourself the best care. So please, reply on my substack or on my instagram to let me know your wins or what you’ve been reading or listening to.

Thank you for joining me on this chilling journey through the past. We’ll be back next week with a new story to share. Follow me at

or on Instagram at @jennifer_chambers_ and please share with anyone who you think would like it. I’m Jennifer Chambers, and this is Same Crime, Different Time.

Sources:

"Killings still haunt Applegate Valley". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. September 3, 1990. p. A5. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2018 – via Google News.

Lemon, Sarah (May 4, 2003). "Universally frustrating for police officers, family members and the community are Southern Oregon's ... UNSOLVED MURDERS". Mail Tribune. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2017.

Rule 2009, p. 381.

"State v. Little: 241 Or. 557 (1965)". Supreme Court of Oregon. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2017 – via Justia.

https://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/little-dwaine.htm

On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs drove her wounded children to a hospital in Springfield, Oregon, claiming they were victims of a carjacking by a mysterious stranger. But as investigators dug deeper, the story twisted into something far more sinister. In this haunting episode of Same Crime, Different Time, host Jennifer Chambers revisits one of Oregon’s most infamous cases: the shocking betrayal of a mother who put her desires ahead of her children’s lives.

We’ll unravel the chilling timeline of events, examine Diane’s disturbing psychological profile, and walk through the dramatic trial that captivated the nation. From eyewitness accounts to eerie interviews and deeply personal local ties, this case still sends chills through the Pacific Northwest.

🔍 Listener discretion advised. This is not just true crime—it’s history with blood on its hands.

Visit: jennifer-chambers.com
Contact: [email protected]
IG: @scdtpod

Dive into the eerie side of Oregon's past in this episode of Same Crime, Different Time. Host Jennifer Chambers explores the lives—and lingering presences—of figures like Eliza Young, the last of the Kalapuya, and the brave Sheriff W. W. Withers. From pioneering women to unsolved murders, we uncover the haunting stories that shaped the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to writer David Lewis, who has the most incredible book, The Indigenous History of the Willamette Valley, which I very much recommend, and to the researchers at Lane Community College and the University of Oregon.

Most importantly, I appreciate the work done by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, who have generously shared their stories and culture.