Loni Kai Okaruru made several stops on the morning of August 26, 2001, and interacted with several people, before she was beaten to death, her body left on a farm in Washington County, Oregon. Loni Kai’s murder was quickly labeled by police as a hate crime, but decades later her killer is still unknown.
Courtesy of PortlandOnline.com/Police with card redesign by audiochuck staff
Episode Info
If you know anything about the murder of Loni Kai Okaruru in August 2001 in northwest Oregon, please call the Washington County Sheriff’s Investigations Division at 503-846-2500, and ask for Detective Shannon Wilde.
To learn more about Basic Rights Oregon, please visit their website by clicking here.
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Thank you to author and activist Raquel Willis, who helped us by reviewing and editing this episode. Visit her website to learn more about her work!
To apply for a Cold Case Playing Card grant through Season of Justice, please visit www.seasonofjustice.org.
Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Shannon Wilde, who’s investigating the Okaruru case, points to a map during her interview with audiochuck in October 2023. Photo taken in a Washington County Sheriff’s Office conference room by audiochuck staff
A copy of a Just Out Magazine story about Loni Kai’s homicide, from September 7, 2001. Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
A copy of a Just Out Magazine story about Loni Kai’s homicide, from September 7, 2001. Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
A copy of a Just Out Magazine story about a vigil held for Loni Kai Okaruru, from September 21, 2001. Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
A copy of a Just Out Magazine story about a vigil held for Loni Kai Okaruru, from September 21, 2001. Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
A photo of TV Highway, near where Loni Kai Okaruru flagged down a Beaverton Police Department patrol car. This was the last known sighting of Loni Kai before her body was found. Photo by audiochuck staff
An undated photo of Loni Kai Okaruru. Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Loni Kai Okaruru’s body was found behind this row of hedges off of Farmington Road in Washington County, Oregon. Photo by audiochuck staff
Episode Source Material
- USA Today: At least 33 transgender or gender nonconforming people killed in US in past year, report says, by Marc Ramirez.
- The Oregonian (Portland, OR): Slaying called county’s first hate crime, by Holly Danks via NewsLibrary.com.
- Albany Democrat-Herald (Albany, OR): Investigators: Man killed for dressing in women’s clothing, by Associated Press via Newspapers.com.
- Washington County Oregon: Cold Case Investigations.