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Reading Order

These investigations span multiple cases and years. They’re grouped by subject on the Investigations page, but the stories build on each other. This is the recommended reading order.

Start at the top. Each story provides context for the ones that follow.

The Background

The power structures and institutional failures that made everything possible.

  1. 1

    The Canary

    2021

    Three years before Russell Bingaman, the state was warned. This is the case they ignored.

  2. 2

    Denied, Delayed, Then Dismissed

    2023 – 2025

    How EOCCO denied critical care for 14 months. Introduces the Medicaid organization co-owned by the hospitals it pays.

  3. 3

    The Union County Nexus

    1907 – present

    The power map. Read this before anything in the Bingaman case to understand who protects whom and why.

  4. 4

    Grande Ronde Hospital Under Scrutiny

    2018 – 2025

    Whistleblowers, unnecessary pacemakers, and a pattern of malpractice at the hospital at the center of the Nexus.

The Bingaman Case

Russell Bingaman, 76, a veteran with Alzheimer's. Isolated from his wife of 58 years. Died January 29, 2025.

  1. 1

    Investigating Guardianship Abuse

    2022 – 2024

    The overview that started it all. How ORS 125.323 was weaponized to sever a 58-year marriage.

  2. 2

    Anatomy of Isolation (Overview)

    2022 – 2025

    How the Nexus made one foster home untouchable. Sets the stage for the 5-part deep dive.

  3. 3

    Anatomy of Isolation: The Foundation

    Feb 2022 – Dec 2023

    Russell's admission, the invalid IBL, the police escort on Halloween, and the family agreement that lasted 94 days.

  4. 4

    Anatomy of Isolation: Building the Record

    Jan – Jun 2024

    Whistleblowers reveal staff were ordered to fabricate negative reports. Guardian logs prove the deception.

  5. 5

    Anatomy of Isolation: The Legal Process

    Jun 17 – Jul 17, 2024

    In 23 days, a billing entry became a locked door. The phone call where DHS said “lock door to keep Patty out.”

  6. 6

    Anatomy of Isolation: The Documentation Review

    Jul – Nov 2024

    Missing logs, escalating chemical restraints, $1,000/day billing for nonexistent staff, and Patricia's fight.

  7. 7

    Anatomy of Isolation: The Documented Sequence

    2022 – 2025 (summary)

    The complete two-year pattern: documentation manipulation, medical exploitation, authority confusion, information control.

  8. 8

    The Numbers Don't Lie

    Feb 2022 – Jan 2025

    Forensic analysis of 68 administrative edits. Impossible weight records. 48 service code changes that inflate Medicare billing.

  9. 9

    The Manipulation Matrix

    Feb 2022 – 2025

    How the family was systematically deceived into believing isolation was an act of mercy.

  10. 10

    The Complicit Watchdog

    Aug 2023 – Jul 2025

    DHS transitioned from passive negligence to active complicity. They closed the case 48 hours before Russell died.

  11. 11

    Deconstructing the Order

    Jan – Sep 2025

    A rebuttal to the judge who barred the evidence from entering the court record.

The McSherry Case

Twin sisters Jean and Jayne, moved 298 miles from home. Both dead within 20 months under the same guardian.

  1. 1

    The Guardianship Pipeline

    Jan 2024 – 2025

    How Oregon law moved two sisters 298 miles from home, isolated them, and drained their assets.

  2. 2

    The Last Milk Run

    Jan 2024 – Dec 2025

    A forensic reconstruction from billing records. Both sisters died within 20 months. Over $100K consumed in fees.

  3. 3

    The Strike

    Jan 2024 – Jan 2026

    The judge struck the objections before the response deadline expired. Then the witnesses found the suppressed Will.