Remains of an 18-year-old woman were found in the summer of 1987 at a forested hillside dump site outside Molalla, Oregon. She remained unidentified for decades until DNA analysis in 2013 identified her as Tawnia Jarie Johnston. Tawnia had arrived in the Portland area in the spring of 1987.

Her remains were part of a group of seven female victims recovered at the same dump site. Investigators later connected the killings to Dayton Leroy Rogers, who owned a small engine repair shop in Woodburn; personal items recovered from his shop included earrings, belt buckles, and bra fasteners linking him to victims. Rogers had been convicted in 1988 and 1989 for multiple murders; the identification of Tawnia added another named victim to that series.

Does anyone have information about Tawnia’s life or where she was living after she arrived in Portland in 1987?