Editor’s Note: This story, which initially made headlines in March 2020, is being republished due to continued reader interest.
Oregon Woman Accused of Heinous Crimes Found Dead in Jail Cell
Tragedy struck the Linn County Jail in Oregon on March 11, when 40-year-old Tina Ketcham was discovered dead in her cell—just two weeks after being arrested on a staggering array of child sex abuse charges.
Linn County Sheriff Jim Yon told KATU that jail deputies found Ketcham hanging in her cell during a routine security check at 5:10 a.m. “Deputies immediately entered the cell, called for medical assistance, and began life-saving measures,” he reported. Despite their efforts, paramedics from the Albany Fire Department pronounced her dead at 5:18 a.m.
Authorities have not released additional details, citing an ongoing investigation into the incident.
Ketcham faced a disturbing list of charges: six counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, one count of first-degree sodomy, along with six other serious sex crime allegations.
According to prosecutor Keith Stein, the charges filed were only the tip of the iceberg. “This is a situation where hundreds of charges could have been brought,” he stated in court, underscoring the gravity of the case.
Ketcham’s death leaves behind unanswered questions—and a community shaken by the deeply troubling allegations.
Ketcham was accused of repeatedly raping a young boy over the course of nearly five years, beginning in 2015 and continuing until January 2020—the month he finally came forward and reported the abuse to police.
Though Ketcham denied all allegations, investigators were deeply concerned by the timeline and gravity of the accusations. In order to protect the identity of the alleged victim, authorities withheld specific details about his relationship to Ketcham. However, they confirmed that the boy was someone known to her at the time the abuse is believed to have begun.
Earlier this month, during a tense bail hearing, a judge denied Ketcham’s request to have her $350,000 bail reduced to $50,000—citing the severity of the charges and the risk posed to the community. Just days later, before she could appear at her next scheduled hearing, Ketcham took her own life inside her jail cell.
Ketcham’s attorney, Stephen Doyle, argued that his client posed a minimal flight risk due to her ownership stake in a local business. He emphasized that reducing her bail would not only allow her to remain connected to her community but also enable her to attend much-needed counseling sessions while awaiting trial. Despite these arguments, the court remained unmoved. If convicted, Ketcham faced the possibility of spending decades behind bars.
