Investigations Reopen Decades-Old Deaths of Pastor John Bridges’ First Two Wives

Detectives in Kentucky and Oregon are actively investigating the 1972 death of Joyce “Mable” Bridges and the 1993 death of Astrid Bridges, both spouses of 86-year-old retired Seventh-Day Adventist pastor John Thomas Bridges of Sheldon, Missouri. Neither case resulted in charges, and Bridges has not been arrested.

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John Bridges has lived and worked across the United States, serving as a teacher, pastor, evangelist and departmental director for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church for more than two decades. He married Joyce Bridges, who died in Louisville, Kentucky, after he reported finding her unresponsive on July 5, 1972. Later, he married registered-nurse Astrid Bridges; the couple raised three children—Lenny, Julie and Monte—while moving between Maine, Arkansas and Oregon. Bridges also has a minor criminal record, including a 2012 conviction for blocking a disabled-person parking space.

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• 1972 – Joyce Bridges’ death was originally ruled accidental.

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• 2015 – Her body was exhumed; a subsequent autopsy reclassified the manner of death as homicide.

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• July 24, 2024 – Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) posted that the case remains “open and active” and solicited information from the public.

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• July 2, 1993 – Astrid Bridges was found unresponsive outside the family home in Gresham, Oregon; the death was initially deemed accidental.

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• July 9, 2024 – Gresham Police Department announced via Facebook that the medical examiner re-examined the evidence and changed the classification to homicide, reopening the investigation.

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• July 30, 2024 – Gresham detectives traveled to Missouri, served a search warrant at Bridges’ residence and conducted interviews, but released no further details.

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The Gresham Police Department stated that it now considers John Bridges a suspect in Astrid’s death, while emphasizing that investigators will follow the evidence wherever it leads. Detective Adam Wright of the Gresham department noted that current evidence points toward Bridges but cautioned against premature conclusions.

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Both investigations remain active, with law enforcement agencies in Kentucky and Oregon coordinating efforts and seeking public assistance. No charges have been filed, and Bridges continues to reside in Missouri. The cases illustrate how advances in forensic review can prompt cold-case reexaminations decades after the original incidents.

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