What Lies Beneath the Oregon Zoo

The Oregon Zoo might seem like an unlikely setting for true crime and paranormal history, but beneath its family friendly surface lies a past with some unsettling chapters. In 2013, construction crews working on a new elephant habitat unearthed human remains. These undocumented burials trace back to Hillside Farm — a poor farm and sanatorium for the mentally ill and those with infectious diseases. The identities of those found remain unknown, their presence lingering as a quiet reminder of Portland’s forgotten dead.

The episode also explores two modern tragedies that unfolded at the zoo. In 1970, a late night break-in led to the death of 19-year-old Roger Adams after he fell into a lion enclosure, followed by the controversial shooting of the lions involved. Decades later, in 2019, concertgoer Carl Stanley Ross Sr. was found dead in an uninhabited rhino exhibit days after being reported missing. Though investigators found no evidence of foul play, a lawsuit and court ruling concluded that negligence on both sides contributed to his death. Together, these stories reveal the Oregon Zoo as a place where history, tragedy, and unanswered questions quietly coexist, long after the crowds have gone home.

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