Every cold case is a puzzle of fragments—records left in dusty basement boxes, silent files, and truths buried beneath layers of institutional bureaucracy. Uncovering those truths requires a particular kind of patience, the kind built over a lifetime of looking closely at what others overlook. 

My name is Mark Creighton. I am an investigative journalist, a researcher committed to shedding light on missing and forgotten cases. 

Long before I began digging into archival records for The Forgotten Files, my perspective was shaped by a life on the front lines of public service and investigation. In 1969, I served as a U.S. Marine with the 3rd Tanks, 3rd Marine Division, in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. That experience instilled in me a fundamental belief in duty and accountability—values that carried me through a decades-long career in law enforcement and public safety. I have always fought for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.

Career in the Justice System

Over the years, I have worn many hats in the justice system, accumulating thousands of hours of specialized training and education in law enforcement:

Law Enforcement Leader: Serving as a Police Chief, Major Crimes and Narcotics Detective, and Patrol Officer across multiple agencies.

Private Investigator: An Oregon-licensed private investigator for 15 years.

Forensic Investigator: Spent approximately 20 years as a Deputy Medical Examiner, a role that taught me to read the silent final chapters of human lives and to understand the clinical, precise realities of death investigations.

Advocate for Transparency: Using my background to push for government accountability and the open, uncompromising application of public records laws.

Today, my work has shifted from the active badge to the investigative keyboard. Based in the High Desert of Hines, Oregon, I split my time between the quiet precision of cultivating styled bonsai trees and the relentless pursuit of answers for families left in the dark. Because I feel a deep need to give back what I have learned over a lifetime of service, I charge no fees for my work.

The Philosophy of the Public Record: Transparency is Not Selective

An investigation is only as strong as the facts that support it, and in the world of cold cases, those facts belong to the public. Having spent decades working within public safety institutions, I know exactly how government machinery operates from the inside. I know how files are categorized, how records are maintained, and how easily a difficult or inconvenient case can be shelved out of sight.

Because of this insider perspective, my approach to investigative journalism is grounded in a strict commitment to government transparency. The public records held by law enforcement, judicial offices, and state agencies are not institutional property—they are public property.

Under Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 192, the public has a right to know how its institutions administer justice. My work on The Forgotten Files is driven by a systematic, relentless application of these transparency laws. I do not rely on gossip or unofficial rumors; I rely on the unvarnished truth found in original incident reports, investigative logs, forensic data, and interviews.

When local or state agencies try to withhold information, rely on unjustified exemptions, or bury files behind prohibitive fees, I use the public records petition and appeals process to challenge them. Transparency cannot be selective. An agency cannot open its doors only when it is politically convenient or comfortable. True accountability means shining a light into the dark corners of a case file, regardless of how old, complex, or uncomfortable the truth might be for local authorities.

Some stories are difficult to tell, and even harder to uncover. But the bottom line is simple: no one is meaningless, and no story should be left behind just because it didn't fit neatly into a city or county file.

I founded theforgottenfiles.net because a case should never become a footnote. With an intimate understanding of how investigative systems work, I use public records petitions, deep-dive local research, and investigative journalism to piece together regional cold cases that deserve to be remembered.

Welcome to The Forgotten Files. Let’s look for the truth together.