The Log Roller of Grays Harbor: William "Billy" Charlie

Lost to Water

Tonight on Only Murders on the Harbor, we examine two haunting Grays Harbor cases connected by water, isolation, and unanswered timelines. In January 2023, 53-year-old Gerald “Jerry” Beglinger walked away from his stranded vehicle near Porter Creek Campground and was later found dead in a nearby creek. Investigators stated that foul play was not suspected, but many questions surrounding his final hours remain unanswered. Then we revisit a chilling 2009 case involving Teri Dascher and John Phillip Stapp, who departed from Westport aboard a 25-foot sailboat bound for the South Pacific. Days later, Dascher’s body washed ashore near Grayland while debris from the vessel scattered across the coastline. Stapp was never found. From remote forest roads to dangerous Pacific waters, this episode explores how quickly people can disappear along Washington’s coast—and how some stories leave behind more questions than answers. Sources: * The Chronicle — “Sheriff’s Office Investigating After Grays Harbor County Man Found Dead in Creek” * Fern Hill Funeral Home — Obituary for Gerald “Jerry” Eugene Beglinger * Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office — Statements cited in media reporting * Kitsap Daily News — “Family of Drowning Victim Left Heartbroken” Kitsap Daily News article [https://www.kitsapdailynews.com/news/family-of-drowning-victim-left-heartbroken/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Chinook Observer — “Woman’s Body Found Near Grayland, but No Trace of Companion” Chinook Observer article [https://chinookobserver.com/2009/10/25/womans-body-found-near-grayland-but-no-trace-of-companion/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * The Seattle Times — “Body That Washed Ashore in Grayland Identified” Seattle Times article [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/body-that-washed-ashore-in-grayland-identified/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Disappearance on Madison Street: Tyler Jennings Inman

In this episode of Only Murders on the Harbor, we revisit a decades-old missing persons case from coastal Washington that unfolded during a powerful winter storm. A routine evening quickly turned into a mystery that has remained unsolved for more than forty years. Through timelines, witness accounts, and historical reporting, we explore the events of that night and the questions that still remain. Sources: * The Doe Network. (n.d.). Case file: Tyler Jennings Inman. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=157dmwa [https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=157dmwa] * The Daily Herald. (1982, December 22). Windstorm turns wrath on county, Sound area. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1028805415/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1028805415/] * The Spokane Chronicle. (1982, December 22). Search underway for missing toddler. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/567275804/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/567275804/] * The Columbian. (1982, December 26). Reward offered for missing Aberdeen boy. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/816544251/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/816544251/] * The Daily Herald. (1982, December 25). Mother tries reward in hunt for missing son. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1028805990/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1028805990/] * The Kitsap Sun. (1984, May 18). Psychic ‘sees’ boy in river. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/875310667/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/875310667/] * The News Tribune. (1985, February 1). Milk cartons to be sold in state bearing missing youths’ photos. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/736677134/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/736677134/] * The Olympian. (2016, December 28). Tyler Inman disappeared 34 years ago. Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com]. https://www.newspapers.com/image/702079259/ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/702079259/] * The Resource Center for Cold Case Missing Children’s Cases. (2019, August 19). Tyler Jennings Inman. https://rcccmcc.com/2019/08/19/35-wam-tyler-jennings-inman/ [https://rcccmcc.com/2019/08/19/35-wam-tyler-jennings-inman/]

The Log Roller of Grays Harbor: William "Billy" Charlie

In the early 1900s, the rivers of Grays Harbor were more than just waterways—they were the center of work, community, and survival. Among those who lived and worked on the water was William “Billy” Charley, a fisherman, father, and one of the most well-known log rollers in the region. Drawing from newspaper accounts, census records, and Quinault Tribal documentation, this episode explores the life of Billy Charley and the events surrounding his death in 1917. On the night of September 1st, Charley was on a fishing boat in the Hoquiam River with another man. What began as an evening of drinking ended in a physical altercation—one that would later become the focus of a criminal case in Grays Harbor County. The historical record provides a general outline of what happened that night, but leaves important questions unanswered. With no direct witnesses to the final moments and conflicting details in the accounts that followed, the case would rely heavily on testimony and limited evidence. More than a century later, Billy Charley’s story remains preserved only in fragments—newspaper coverage, census entries, and brief mentions in the historical record—offering a glimpse into both his life and a case that was never fully resolved. Sources: The Tacoma Daily News (October 17–18, 1917); Aberdeen Herald (July 7, 1910); Quinault Tribal census records.

The Deputy in the Road - Carlton Mason Stearns

In this episode of Only Murders on the Harbor, we explore the mysterious death of Deputy Sheriff Carlton Mason Stearns, a cold case that has puzzled Grays Harbor County for nearly a century. Born in 1894 in Deer Lodge, Tennessee, Stearns grew up facing tragedy and loss, including the early deaths of several half-sisters. By his teens, he was working in Hoquiam sawmills, later holding jobs in printing, retail, and trucking. In 1914, he married Edna McNamara and settled in Tacoma, building a life and family while rising through local law enforcement ranks. By 1931, Stearns was Chief Criminal Deputy in Grays Harbor County, involved in enforcing Prohibition-era liquor laws and investigating local crimes. On a March night in 1936, he was sent to the remote Copalis Beach to check on thefts and burglaries at vacation homes. Hours later, his body was found on the highway under circumstances that shocked the community: a gunshot wound to the head, evidence of a struggle, and a missing service revolver. Initial reports labeled the killing a murder, yet decades later, unpublished accounts and family manuscripts suggest a far murkier story. Questions remain about what truly happened that night: Was it a targeted attack? Was Stearns’ death connected to his law enforcement work? Or did darker, more personal forces play a role? The truth may never be fully known, but his story endures as one of the Northwest’s oldest unsolved law enforcement mysteries. Today, Stearns is honored as an officer who died in the line of duty, yet the debate over his final moments continues—making this story part history, part legend. 📚 Sources * The Daily Herald, March 10, 1936 — “Deputy Sheriff’s Body is Found in Road at Copalis” https://www.newspapers.com/image/1026097233/?match=1&terms=Carlton%20Stearns [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1026097233/?match=1&terms=Carlton%20Stearns] * The Olympian, March 18, 1936 — “Award Posted for Deputy’s Slayers” https://www.newspapers.com/image/801902832/?match=1&terms=Carlton%20Stearns [https://www.newspapers.com/image/801902832/?match=1&terms=Carlton%20Stearns] * The Tacoma News Tribune, March 11, 1936 — “Mystery in Copalis Death Case Grows” https://www.newspapers.com/image/733396718/?match=1&terms=Carlton%20Stearns [https://www.newspapers.com/image/733396718/?match=1&terms=Carlton%20Stearns] * Officer memorial profile: https://behindthebadgefoundation.org/rollcall/stearns-deputy-carlton-m/ [https://behindthebadgefoundation.org/rollcall/stearns-deputy-carlton-m/] * Anderson, Rick. “The Deputy in the Road” (Seattle Weekly) — historical feature & manuscript analysis

The Road That Remembers - David Allen Gerard

Season Two of Only Murders on the Harbor opens with one of the most disturbing cases to emerge from Grays Harbor County, Washington. This episode examines the life and violence of David Allen Gerard — and the victims whose stories might otherwise have been forgotten. Raised in Aberdeen, Gerard’s early life was marked by instability, isolation, and escalating aggression. Over time, his relationships became increasingly volatile, with a documented history of domestic violence that, in hindsight, revealed a much darker pattern. Throughout the 1980s, several young women disappeared or were found murdered across rural western Washington, including Carin Connor, Connie Rolls, Roberta Strasbaugh, and Tracy West. While none of these cases have been definitively linked to Gerard, similarities in victim profiles, locations, and circumstances continue to raise questions. The episode centers on two of the most brutal killings: Elaine “Brooke” McCollum in 1991 and Carol Leighton in 1996. Both women were last seen in Aberdeen before being found along the same remote logging road. Each case involved extreme, rage-driven violence, and despite extensive investigations, both went cold for years. Everything changed in 1999. After surviving a near-fatal claw hammer attack in a dairy barn, Frankie Cochran identified Gerard as her attacker. Her survival became the turning point investigators needed. At the scene, Detective Lane Youmans recognized a chilling similarity between the attack and the earlier murders — a realization that led him to reopen the cold cases. As forensic technology advanced, DNA evidence linked Gerard to both McCollum and Leighton. Yet legal barriers complicated efforts to fully prosecute him. Gerard ultimately entered an Alford plea in Leighton’s murder and is serving time for the attempted murder of Cochran, but questions remain — particularly in McCollum’s case and others that may be connected. The episode also explores the suspicious 1995 house fire that killed Gerard’s former girlfriend Patty Rodriguez, her two sons, and her mother — a tragedy ruled accidental, but one that continues to raise doubts. At its core, this episode is about persistence and memory — the work of a detective who refused to let these cases fade, and the lives of the victims who deserve to be remembered. In Grays Harbor, the past never truly disappears. Sources * The Seattle Times (2006). “One-man task force keeps cold cases on front burner.” * Seattle Post-Intelligencer / Associated Press (2002). “Police find prisoner’s DNA on 2 murder victims.” * The Daily Herald (2002). “DNA evidence revives probe into savage murders.” * The Chronicle (2009). “Woman in a Coma After 1999 Beating.” * The Lineup (2019). “The Woman Who Was Bludgeoned by a Claw Hammer—And Survived.” * HuffPost (2012). “The Devil You Know: Woman Faked Her Death To Survive Boyfriend’s Attack.” * Oxygen / The Price of Duty (2018). “Women Murdered on Same Logging Road in Washington.” * Archival newspaper records via Newspapers.com [http://Newspapers.com] (Carin Connor, Connie Rolls, Roberta Strasbaugh, Tracy West, Elaine McCollum)