Longview Daily News from Longview, Washington • 25

FRIDAY. DPXT.MHPR 8, NORTHWEST C9 THE DAII-Y NEWS, LONOVIEW, WAS! I odies of missing women found in back of pickup 41 I. It. ft. r-LlkxrAi-a- a tiik 1 MEDFORD, Ore.

(AP) A truck containing the bodies of two women apparently sat in a parking lot for three days while police searched for them amid fears they were victimized because of their outspoken support for gay rights. Police found the remains of Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill in the back of Ellis' canopied pickup Thursday after a cable television worker reported the vehicle to authorities. Police Sgt. Mike Moran said they died violently, but details on wounds and cause of death were withheld pending autopsies. Ellis, 54, and Abdill, 42, disappeared Monday evening after Ellis was scheduled to show a Sheraton Court duplex apartment in northeast Medford.

Abdill went to the duplex to help Ellis jump start her car and neither woman had been seen since. Someone parked the truck outside the Mariposa Townhouse Apartments later that same night, witnesses said. Police want to talk to the man who made the appointment to see the rental unit. A composite sketch of the man has been released. Mariposa resident Todd VanDuser said he was working on his car in the parking lot Monday evening when a yet, but we are taking it as a very viable option.

"Now that they have turned up deceased by violent means, it obviously lends a lot more credence to those claims." Investigators have received at least one report that the women, who were domestic partners as well as business partners, had received threats, but Moran said no specific, direct threat had been identified. Ellis' daughter, Lorri Ellis, had told police that she had seen her mother's pickup truck driving away from the apartment she had been showing Monday and tried to wave it down, but the driver eluded her. Lorri Ellis said when she went to the apartment to check on her mother and Abdill, she found Abdill's car unlocked with her purse inside. Ellis and Abdill were partners in ESP Property Management in Medford. The two women had spoken out in television and newspaper interviews during campaigns to defeat statewide anti-gay rights measures in recent years.

People who worked with them in Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and a support group for people with AIDS were concerned that the women's caring could have made them targets for violence. ASSXIATED PRESS Medford police, above, Inspect the truck In which the bodies of two missing women were found. Police are looking for a man who looks like the sketch at left. He is a possible witness, but could turn out to be the suspect. He is described as white, 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 150 to 170 pounds and clean shaven with brown and gray hair.

He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a gray jacket and tan pants and was driving a sedan with California license plates. man matching the composite sketch drove the truck into the complex, seemed to throw something away and then disappeared. Other residents reported smelling a bad odor coming from the truck as early as Tuesday. Police were investigating whether the women's activism in the gay rights movement may have led to their deaths. The possibility has sent a shiver of fear through the gay community.

"We have no reason to discount those fears and we are not," Moran said. "We want as a department not to work up people unnecessarily about an issue we haven't proven Boeing machinists union withdraws 1 NLRB complaint a i Mens' Shoes 3 Polyester Balls (in stock) I (in stock) fl Q095 9nn LL OFF- Values to 50M 5 ALL 1 Womens' Shoes e. 0 I on stock) Single Bags A no SEATTLE (AP) The Machinists union has withdrawn one of its unfair labor practice charges against Boeing Co. Meanwhile, negotiations continued between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in hopes of ending a nine-week strike. The company said it was notified by the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday that the charge was withdrawn because of lack of evidence.

The charge, filed Nov. 9, alleged that Boeing had failed to bargain over changes in the medical plan and that the company made proposals with a closed mind. Union spokesman Matt Bates said the charge "covered a different legal wrinkle" of an earlier charge, which stands. A hearing is scheduled Dec. 19 on other unfair labor practice charges filed by the union.

On Nov. 6, the NLRB regional office in Seattle issued a complaint on a first round of union allegations. They involved the union contention that the company withheld information on medical benefits and subcontracting, and introduced the medical benefits issue late in the contract talks. Contract negotiations resumed Wednesday and continue on "extended hours," Bates said Thursday evening. Rather than focusing only on wages, job security and medical insurance costs, negotiatiors have reopened the entire contract for discussion, Bates said.

Bates and Boeing spokesman Russ Young both denied a report that had the two sides hoping to wrap up negotiations quickly so union members could vote on a new contract over the weekend and return to work by Monday. Both sides are declining to say what specific issues are being discussed. Values to 50.00 fjV OR LESS SRflOlKIEjWfcTOBACCO SHOP in ST. HELENS ILL CIGARETTES CIGARS TOBACCO SNUFF All at Low Prices Packs or Cartons llrothona Rllc 3t '4 OLD GOLD DORAL Style HARLEY DAVIDSON Carton 1 01 IV 20 OFF 20-50 OFF i I SUGGESTED RETAIL Briefly 'Jessica' top baby names in Oregon PORTLAND "Tyler," was the most popular name for new baby boys in Oregon in 1994, while "Jessica" was the most common name for girls for the third consecutive year, the state Health Division reported. Tyler was the top name for the second straight year, with 472 newborn boys receiving the name.

The Health Division said 355 newborn girls were named Jessica. A total of 43,591 births were recorded in the state last year. The top five most popular boys' names, in descending order and with their 1993 ranking, were: 1. Tyler (1) 2. Jacob (2) 3.

Austin (6) 4. Michael (3) 5. Joshua (4). The top five girls' names in order, and with 1993 ranking, were: 1. Jessica (1) 2.

Ashley (2) 3. Emily (3) 4. Samantha (5) 5. Sarah (4). Youngsters taking shortcut wind up in manure pit CHILUWACK, British Columbia Two youngsters looking for a shortcut got a little pooped out The boy and girl, both about 11, were walking across a farm field Thursday when they decided to cross what appeared to be the frozen surface of a manure pit.

Except the pit wasn't frozen. The two fell into the pit up to their necks. Local firefighters pulled them safely out and hosed them off, authorities said. Chilliwack is located about 60 miles east of Vancouver. Centralia lawmaker won't run for re-election in 1986 OLYMPIA Rep.

Dave Chappell, D-Centralia, has announced he will not seek re-election to a second term because he wants to spend more time with his family. With the announcement Thursday, Chappell joined a growing list of House Democrats who have defected from the party or left the House since the beginning of the 1995 session, when there were 38 Democrats and 60 Republicans. Reps. Tom Campbell of Spanaway and Dave Mastin of Walla Walla switched to the Republican Party, Brian Ebersole of Tacoma was elected Tacoma mayor, Pat Thibaudeau of Seattle was appointed to the late Cal Anderson's Senate seat and Pete Kremen of Bellingham won election as Whatcom County executive. The Associated Press 99 Carton $1 1 SURGEON GENERALS' WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health mmn mi mm it.

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