Unsolved true crime podcast bringing attention to cases that need it.

Researched, written and hosted by crime analyst Leah Owens. Co-hosted by Scott Owens.

UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: JOANIE HALL

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When a small-town Oregon teen vanishes on her way to her after-school job, thorough searches prove fruitless, and investigators suspect foul play. Multiple potential suspects arise in a heartbreaking search for the truth in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Joan “Joanie” Hall was 17-years-old when she went missing from Clatsop County, Oregon in September of 1983. She hasn’t been seen since, and investigators believe she was the victim of foul play. Image source: family photo.
Pictured: one of the many articles the Oregon newspaper The Daily Astorian has published on Joanie’s case in the decades since her disappearance. The paper has provided 30+ years of reporting on Joanie’s case. Image source: The Daily Astorian.
Tiac Eastman was convicted for his involvement in the murder of another Clatsop County teen girl–Dorene Raterman–which occurred just 4 years after Joanie’s disappearance. At the time of Joanie’s disappearance, both she and Eastman belonged to the local Sheriff’s Department’s Explorers Club for teens. It’s unknown whether or not Eastman may have been involved in Joanie’s disappearance. His father was the Sheriff of Clatsop County when she went missing. Image source: police photo.
Pictured: a section of the police report on Joanie’s case, in which the writer notes that some local boys changed their statements regarding seeing Joanie on the afternoon of her disappearance. At some point, an investigator wrote “why” in the margin. This question remains relevant today. Image source: police photo.

Sources used to research this episode:

Vigil Set for Warrenton Woman Missing Since 1983 (Associated Press)

Where is Joanie Hall? (Chelsea Gorrow / The Daily Astorian)

Search Intensified for Missing Warrenton Girl (The Daily Astorian)

Leads Go Nowhere in Search for Missing Girl (The Daily Astorian)

Foul Play Suspected in Girl’s Disappearance (The Daily Astorian)

Reward Increases (The Bulletin)

Search Fails to Turn Up Any Leads (Lesley Fornas / The Daily Astorian)

Search Turns Up Nothing (The Daily Astorian)

‘Vision’ Fails to Turn Up Missing Girl (Statesman Journal)

Memories Highlight Vigil for Joan Hall (Chelsea Gorrow / The Daily Astorian)

Missing My Sister (Becky Hall / The Daily Astorian)

National Missing Children’s Day Carries a Certain Irony (The Daily Astorian)

Vigil on Saturday for Long-Missing Girl (Seaside Signal)

Basch vs. Basch (Alameda County Superior Courts via trellis.law)

Seaside Police Officer Heads Academy Class (Seaside Signal)

Slain Girl’s Parents Still Grieving as Man Scheduled for Release (Associated Press)

‘It’s like being stabbed with a knife–every day’ (Associated Press)

Suspect Name in Girl’s Disappearance (Joan Herman / The Daily Astorian)

Mullins Not Released, Gets Heavier Charges (Don Cullimore / Seaside Signal)

Ratermans Still Grieve for Slain Daughter (Associated Press)

Lieutenant Seeks Sheriff’s Post (The Daily Astorian)

Third-Annual Clatsop ‘Mini School’ Offers Wallpapering, Home Security Suggestions (Seaside Signal)

Wife Told Ex-Sheriff: ‘Don’t Go’ (The Daily Astorian)

Sentence Sparks Anger (Fred Leeson and Don Cullimore / The Oregonian)

Eastman Faces New Charges (John Sowell / Seaside Signal)

Eastman Meted Five Years (John Sowell / Seaside Signal)

Abducted Portland Girl Found in Reno (Associated Press)

Ghosts of Highway 20 (Noelle Crombie / The Oregonian)

Details of Plea Deal in 1990 Cold Case Killing Finally Revealed (Noelle Crombie / The Oregonian)

Oldest DNA Match in Interpol’s History Links Dead American Convict to Highway of Tears Victim (Wawmeesh Hamilton / ICT News)

Unsealed Records Renew Interest in Cold Case (Jasmine Lewin / Seaside Signal)

Judge to Lift Protective Order in Cold Case (Jasmine Lewin / The Daily Astoria)

If you know anything about the disappearance or whereabouts of Joanie Hall, please call the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 325-2061.

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