Brad Jackson murders own daughter Valiree Jackson

Just east of Spokane, Washington is the suburb of Spokane Valley. At the center the region known as the Inland Northwest, this area of eastern Washington has seen its share of immoral activity. Just a few years prior to the disappearance of Valiree Jackson, Spokane was the target of multiple bank robberies and bombings. Forensic Files covered the actions of a group calling themselves the Phineas Priesthood in the episode Line of Fire (s06e17).

Spokane Valley seemed to be a rural and tight-knit community. Teacher’s aide Shelly Egeland spoke of the residents gathering together to do whatever it took to find Valiree (when they still believed her to be missing). Before Brad’s call to police, neighbors were asked if they’d seen the missing nine-year-old. It was never clear if Brad checked at McDonald Elementary School, just a few blocks from their house. It's conceivable that Valiree could’ve walked to school, simply forgetting her backpack. Of course, Brad already knew this wasn’t the case.

Dispatcher: Location of emergency?
Brad Jackson: I can’t find my daughter.
Dispatcher: Ok, how old is she?
Brad: Nine.
Dispatcher: Ok, she didn’t go to school today?
Brad: No, we were just getting ready to go and she went outside to play for a while because she was done early, and I can’t find her.
Dispatcher: She’s a white female?
Brad: Yes, a little redhead.

Nine-year-old Valiree and antidepressant/SSRI medication

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

It seemed strange that Valiree, at only nine years old, was on Paxil. The antidepressant is a pretty strong psychotropic drug, and as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is not to be given to children or even teens without due caution. Recall that Sharon Guthrie was on multiple psychotropic medications for anxiety, including oxazepam and lorazepam in the episode Ghost in the Machine (s07e21). Since the events of this case, the FDA began requiring a “black box” warning on antidepressant, antianxiety, and other similar medications for an increase in the risk of suicide in children and young adults.

According to the record, Valiree began seeing a counselor on the recommendation by Danette Schroeder, Brad Jackson’s girlfriend. I’m a strong proponent of therapy, and Valiree might have legitimately needed its benefits. Perhaps the expert even acknowledged a chemical imbalance in young Valiree leading to their recommendation of medication. Paxil seems excessive, but some of the newer antidepressants like Lexapro and Cymbalta were not yet available in 1999 (Zoloft has been around since 1992). It was stated that Danette and Valiree argued and even fought. It’d be curious to know if Valiree was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder – she certainly seemed to have multiple risk factors for ODD.

Investigation into Valiree Jackson’s disappearance

Brad’s description of Valiree’s outfit was entirely too precise. At nine years old, Valiree was fully capable of dressing herself. But after her murder, Brad felt if Valiree’s body was discovered, his story would only be believable if Valiree was dressed for school. Then, maybe to sound convincing, Brad recalled each article of clothing he’d dressed Valiree in. Often when lying, a person believes they’re giving they story the ring of truth when they embellish with details. But actual truth isn’t conveyed in the details, and this often trips the liar up.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

The investigation of Brad’s home (which he shared with his parents) revealed adult pubic hairs in Valiree’s bed. They were red, Brad’s hair color. This would lead many people to suspect Brad might’ve been sexually abusing his own daughter, a heinous act. Contrarily, it’s been observed that pubic hairs “migrate” within a home. But in the episode Trail of Truth (s05e07), investigators did an experiment and showed that the migration of these hairs from an adult’s bedroom to a child’s is very uncommon. Were red pubic hairs found elsewhere in Valiree’s room? In the Jackson home?

The bloodstains on Valiree’s pillow came with an explanation from Brad Jackson. It was known that Valiree had occasional nosebleeds, and she’d (conveniently) had one the night before her disappearance. However, this explanation from Brad was not backed up by any additional evidence of stopping a nosebleed. One would expect to find tissues, toilet paper, or towels used to stem the bleeding.

When obtaining the search warrant for Brad Jackson’s home, police were thinking ahead when they sought and were granted permission to place GPS devices in Brad’s vehicles. Investigators impounded both vehicles to search and to install the trackers. Toward the end of the first 10-day period of the tracking warrant, police requested and were granted an additional 10-day window to continue monitoring Brad’s whereabouts.

The GPS tracking evidence ultimately led detectives to both grave sites, and it also helped indicate Brad Jackson’s motive. The case against him would’ve suffered if Brad hadn’t fallen for detective Madsen’s ploy. If Brad never visited Valiree’s original burial site, the only way the plastic bag and duct tape evidence would’ve have been discovered was if animals actually unearthed Valiree’s remains. So, a more thorough initial burial (and confidence in his work) might have given Brad the advantage.

Instead, Brad not only revealed that locations of the original and new grave sites, but he left behind key evidence pointing to his involvement. It seemed the plastic bags were in plain sight at the location where he exhumed Valiree’s body. Brad was probably hoping the site was so remote that investigators wouldn’t even look there, so he saw no reason to fill in the shallow hole.

Alternate theories for Valiree Jackson’s disappearance and murder

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

Initially, it was suspected that Valiree’s mother, Roseann Pleasant, might’ve been involved in her disappearance. Though no one had heard from Roseann in seven years, investigators couldn’t immediately rule out the theory that she’d resurfaced and laid claim to her daughter. Despite the assertion that Roseann Pleasant had a “drug problem” when she vanished in 1992, it’s likely that she is no longer alive. Brad role in her disappearance or demise may never be known.

Roseann’s brother John Stone suspected Brad from the get-go, and he proposed an interesting theory regarding the motive. Guessing that Brad may have had his own drug problem or owed someone money, Stone indicated that Brad sought financial gain from Valiree’s disappearance. He specifically said he’d believed Brad had sold Valiree into a “pornography ring”. I’m not sure how the money that Brad was raising toward a reward played into this plan in John Stone’s theory – there’d be no conceivable way for Brad to claim a reward.

Once Brad had been thoroughly implicated in the disposal of Valiree’s body, he now had to explain her death in a manner that absolved him of her murder. With his lawyers’ help, the new story that Brad simply discovered Valiree had died from an overdose of Paxil emerged. This ploy must work sometimes since defendants and their lawyers often try to pass similar scenarios off at the truth. Recall one of Ken Tranchita’s explanations for Tina Biggar’s death in the case covered in Deadly Knowledge (s05e19). Of course, the Paxil levels in Valiree’s system were found to be normal.

Brad Jackson’s just rewards

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

Video footage shared in the episode showed Brad wearing a rigid back brace at times. I’ve learned that driving a truck can wreak havoc on one’s back, and Brad had previously worked in concrete. I imagined the condition of Brad Jackson’s back as he dug a new grave at the logging site for 44 minutes before driving the 60 miles back to Valiree’s original interment. Grabbing the shovel again, Jackson dug to recover Valiree’s body and move it back to the logging site. Any back discomfort Brad suffered that day was deserved.

Finally, how delusional was Brad to think that Danette would want to be with him again? Valiree was already in therapy and on medication when the couple broke up. Did Brad think Valiree’s disappearance and/or death would remove what he must have believed to be the “only thing” keeping him and Danette apart? Then to call and propose marriage after being arrested for his daughter’s murder is absurd. I guess he supposed he had nothing more to lose – what was the worst she would do? Tell him “no”?

Where is Brad Jackson now in 2024?

In 2000, William Bradley “Brad” Jackson was sentenced to 56 years in prison. This was double the standard sentence which was based on the monstrous circumstances of the case. Jackson has filed appeals at the county and state level, but his conviction was upheld by the Washington Supreme Court in 2003.