Found Deceased OR - Katharine 'Katy' Roe, 22, Depoe Bay, 17 April 2016

[ByTheSea]

It is very strange...and while I don't know Katy personally, I've met her and interacted with her, and I know people who do know her and who have for a long time. This whole thing has really shaken the communities here, both Depoe Bay and neighboring Newport.

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

It is really quite hard to gauge if it is past or present tense. IMHO.

Agreed. How someone shortens sentences for texting purposes, and uses language generally comes into play.

"stopped to look at the ocean."

I read this as "I have stopped to look at the ocean" - so what she is doing at the time she sent the text, rather than what she had already done.

 

[koalasleuth]

Agreed. How someone shortens sentences for texting purposes, and uses language generally comes into play.

"stopped to look at the ocean."

I read this as "I have stopped to look at the ocean" - so what she is doing at the time she sent the text, rather than what she had already done.

I think your right and everything in that 2.12 text apart from the last sentence suggests present tense. Her last two sentences seem to say "the moons lit up so nice" as present tense but her last one "I had to stop and look" is past tense, typo ?, could it be that she meant "I have to stop and look" otherwise it suggests she was sending it as she had just started walking again ?.

 

[Lilibet]

I think your right and everything in that 2.12 text apart from the last sentence suggests present tense. Her last two sentences seem to say "the moons lit up so nice" as present tense but her last one "I had to stop and look" is past tense, typo ?, could it be that she meant "I have to stop and look" otherwise it suggests she was sending it as she had just started walking again ?.

Welcome koalasleuth. You've posted some really good stuff today.

Texting grammar can be so hard to decipher. I interpret "I had to stop and look" as continuing action, rather than past tense, especially combined with previous present tense about the moon. I could be wrong, of course, but I don't think her use of past tense necessarily means that she had started walking again. I wonder how her grandma interpreted it and how long she waited before starting her search. I don't remember reading that.

 

[Lilibet]

As a local, do you think it's possible that a sneaker wave could have taken her if she was sitting on the part of the wall in the foreground of your photo? I don't know if the big waves are known to come over that wall, but it looks possible to me. It might not seem risky because it rarely happens, but if it did no one would have seen it.

It's true...it is usually not the locals that will take unnecessary risks on the rocks and the beaches. Seems like whenever there is a death or something bad happens involving rocks and beaches, it's usually folks from out of town who get caught up in the excitement and forget that the ocean can turn on a dime.

Also, this is a picture of what the ocean side of Hwy 101 looks like, and my guess is probably the area where she stopped to look at the moon. It's a stunning view and the waves are really fun to watch there. The other side of Hwy 101 here is restaurants, typical tourist shops and condos above the shops. At 2 am, even on a weekend, in April....it's going to be pretty quiet. Most of the tourists have already had spring break, and the locals are just gearing up for summer.

BBM

 

[koalasleuth]

Welcome koalasleuth. You've posted some really good stuff today.

Texting grammar can be so hard to decipher. I interpret "I had to stop and look" as continuing action, rather than past tense, especially combined with previous present tense about the moon. I could be wrong, of course, but I don't think her use of past tense necessarily means that she had started walking again. I wonder how her grandma interpreted it and how long she waited before starting her search. I don't remember reading that.

Thankyou Lilibet, I am employing my koala teeth and chewing this over . I believe her grandmother sent her two more texts after 2.12 at which point she commenced the search. Not sure of the time frame but most likely within twenty minutes. This post is from facebook "Katie's last phone ping was at 2:12 a.m. Straight to voicemail. Unknown if the phone is dead or turned off." and also "Her phone was tracked by ping.The last hit was near the outlet mall."

 

[koalasleuth]

As a local, do you think it's possible that a sneaker wave could have taken her if she was sitting on the part of the wall in the foreground of your photo? I don't know if the big waves are known to come over that wall, but it looks possible to me. It might not seem risky because it rarely happens, but if it did no one would have seen it.


BBM

I believe the swell at its most highest point was recorded to be 6.9 feet I don't think even a sneaker wave could get up that height from the pic looks to be around thirty feet. If bythesea could clarify the chances of that, would be great ?

 

[koalasleuth]

Those facebook quotes seem more to be recorded texts rather than actual gps data or whether or not she received the last two texts.

 

[Lilibet]

I believe the swell at its most highest point was recorded to be 6.9 feet I don't think even a sneaker wave could get up that height from the pic looks to be around thirty feet. If bythesea could clarify the chances of that, would be great ?

I found a description of Depoe Bay and it says that waves do crash over that wall onto the sidewalk! Who knew? There's even a photo showing the same wall. It looks like the wave is either coming or going. I assume Katy wouldn't sit on the wall, knowing that waves come up that high. At least I hope not!

"One of our favorite things to do is to stroll on the sidewalk next to the seawall. Ah, but watch for crashing waves that often come up over the seawall drenching the sidewalk and anyone on it. Dodging waves can be fun!"

https://umpquariverhaven.com/2016/01/26/depoebay/

 

[koalasleuth]

I found a description of Depoe Bay and it says that waves do crash over that wall onto the sidewalk! Who knew? There's even a photo showing the same wall. It looks like the wave is either coming or going. I assume Katy wouldn't sit on the wall, knowing that waves come up that high. At least I hope not!

"One of our favorite things to do is to stroll on the sidewalk next to the seawall. Ah, but watch for crashing waves that often come up over the seawall drenching the sidewalk and anyone on it. Dodging waves can be fun!"

https://umpquariverhaven.com/2016/01/26/depoebay/

Thats great work :goodpost:. I also just found a youtube vid that looks like the same spot with the same type of wave. [video=youtube;xiV8BvDd5Dg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiV8BvDd5Dg[/video] . I really struggle to think a local person who would have knowledge of the dangers would take a risk like that. It is so very strange. The weather report also states that there was no wind at etod, do these waves only happen when its stormy ? The wiki page @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneaker_wave states they are unpredictable and according to this video imoo could take someone from the wall. http://video-embed.oregonlive.com/s...AAAAPLpuSqE~,a1DdoZJH5WQo4iWaJj1w_CktvJfhQVVG
The tide report states that at her etod the tide was on its way out with its low tide at 4.04 am , does this suggest the waves were too far from the wall to be a danger ?. http://www.tides.net/oregon/711/

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I'm wondering if two separate things happened here.

What if she was leaning on the wall looking out at the sea, fumbled and dropped her phone. It clatters onto the rocks and either smashes or slithers into the sea. Hence no ping after 2.12am.

Katy starts walking home but something happens to her on the way. Looking at her presumed route walking home along the coast road, it strikes me that once passed the Shell garage and a couple of shops on the left, she would have entered on several hundred yards of unlit, isolated road fringed by trees on either side. One or two very minor turnings into side roads, but really nothing until she would have reached her own road on the right. That seems to me to be potential abduction territory, or somewhere she could have been struck by a passing vehicle and flung off the road and out of sight. I assume the roadsides have been searched so the latter is probably unlikely.

Is the garage 24 hours? If so, and she no longer had her phone, that would probably be her last chance of getting help before she reached home. If not, where would that place have been? The motel a few hundred yards further back towards town? How much traffic would be on that road in the early hours of the morning?

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

I think your right and everything in that 2.12 text apart from the last sentence suggests present tense. Her last two sentences seem to say "the moons lit up so nice" as present tense but her last one "I had to stop and look" is past tense, typo ?, could it be that she meant "I have to stop and look" otherwise it suggests she was sending it as she had just started walking again ?.

Again, could be either but in context it feels to me like what she's saying is "I've stopped to look at the ocean.. the moon's lit everything up so nice, I had to stop and look". So she's saying why she's stopped, but also what made her stop. If that makes any sense...

 

[MelmothTheLost]

The tide report states that at her etod the tide was on its way out with its low tide at 4.04 am , does this suggest the waves were too far from the wall to be a danger ?. http://www.tides.net/oregon/711/

I think that would depend on how steep the rocks and any beach is at that point. On a steeply sloping beach, the low tide may not be much lower than high tide but the in-swash should have much less power.

 

[koalasleuth]

Again, could be either but in context it feels to me like what she's saying is "I've stopped to look at the ocean.. the moon's lit everything up so nice, I had to stop and look". So she's saying why she's stopped, but also what made her stop. If that makes any sense...

Absolutely does make sense. I am convinced your right and is speaking in present tense.

How long is it reasonable to think she stopped and looked ? was she in a hurry to get home as her grandmother was in near constant contact and was expecting her ? after twelve minutes of walking along that sea front I would expect her to be at the bridge by depoe bay state park approximately and also most likely a good viewing spot. If she carried on walking after say ten mins of gazing I think she would have taken the residential turning on the right after the bridge, as she "was comfortable walking in town" and also as its the shortest route. Does this add anything ? can anyone speculate ?

 

[koalasleuth]

I think that would depend on how steep the rocks and any beach is at that point. On a steeply sloping beach, the low tide may not be much lower than high tide but the in-swash should have much less power.

I think that presents a low risk to anyone along that beach front then as the waves potentially did not have much power. I don't even think there is any actual beach front ie sand along her journey just the rocks and they look pretty high from the surf if she was around the bridge. It doesn't rule it out though.

 

[DSPanhandle]

Such an interesting case! I hope she is ok.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I think that presents a low risk to anyone along that beach front then as the waves potentially did not have much power. I don't even think there is any actual beach front ie sand along her journey just the rocks and they look pretty high from the surf if she was around the bridge. It doesn't rule it out though.

Looking at the photos and linked video of that spot, what is shown is not a wave but simply spray from a fairly ordinary wave hitting the rocks below. It gets you very wet and can be great fun but it's not dangerous. That's not to say that a spectacular wave could not reach up to the car park level with some force, because I've no doubt that under the right circumstances it could. However give the weather conditions mentioned earlier, I suspect that there was nothing of that magnitude on the night in question. Had she been sitting on the sea wall with her legs dangling over on the seaward side, any wave large enough to be dangerous would probably have knocked her off her perch backwards but I can't see how the back swash could lift her over even a low wall like that one. The main danger would be a head injury from landing flat on her back on a hard surface or by sheer fluke a wave just high and powerful enough to pluck her off the wall, but in that case would it have had enough power in the back swash to drag her across the rocks? (ETA that, thinking about that last scenario, yes, it probably could.)

 

[koalasleuth]

Looking at the photos and linked video of that spot, what is shown is not a wave but simply spray from a fairly ordinary wave hitting the rocks below. It gets you very wet and can be great fun but it's not dangerous. That's not to say that a spectacular wave could not reach up to the car park level with some force, because I've no doubt that under the right circumstances it could. However give the weather conditions mentioned earlier, I suspect that there was nothing of that magnitude on the night in question. Had she been sitting on the sea wall with her legs dangling over on the seaward side, any wave large enough to be dangerous would probably have knocked her off her perch backwards but I can't see how the back swash could lift her over even a low wall like that one. The main danger would be a head injury from landing flat on her back on a hard surface or by sheer fluke a wave just high and powerful enough to pluck her off the wall, but in that case would it have had enough power in the back swash to drag her across the rocks? (ETA that, thinking about that last scenario, yes, it probably could.)

I really don't doubt that under the right circumstances it absolutely could have but the night in question does not fit that scenario, that in addition to the fact of her presumed awareness of the dangers along that area and the fact that if she had been looking out to sea she would have seen and heard it coming. Surely she would have had enough time to get out of harms way ? Could she have been wearing headphones ? unlikely I know and she still would have seen it. I really am not going with the wave theory tbh imoo. Its so unlikely. Its been a few days now and still nothing. Very strange. ullhair::kickcan:

 

[koalasleuth]

That youtube vid is also of a spot not two minutes from wing wah bar and lounge, it is along her route but I would have guessed she was past that point at 2.12 am. The rocks climb from then on heading to southpoint. Lessening the danger. Come on, we need a clue. :thinking:

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I really don't doubt that under the right circumstances it absolutely could have but the night in question does not fit that scenario, that in addition to the fact of her presumed awareness of the dangers along that area and the fact that if she had been looking out to sea she would have seen and heard it coming. Surely she would have had enough time to get out of harms way ? Could she have been wearing headphones ? unlikely I know and she still would have seen it. I really am not going with the wave theory tbh imoo. Its so unlikely. Its been a few days now and still nothing. Very strange. ullhair::kickcan:

I agree with you, FWIW. I don't see the wave thingy either.

I'm afraid I do think this is an abduction, though I would love it to turn out not to be. I suppose it's very possible that she could have been abducted from the car park (would she/anyone have thought twice about a car parked there in the early hours, though it could obviously concealed a predator) or from that isolated stretch of road on her walk home.

I really would like to know about places such as the motel and garage on the edge of town. Did they have CCTV which covered the coastal road outside?

I would also like to know about any other suspicious recent incidents involving young women coastal OR. Just in case there's a pattern developing.

And then there's the young chap also missing from the area.