Police in Oregon and Kentucky are investigating the decades-old deaths of two women married to John Thomas Bridges, an 86-year-old retired Seventh-Day Adventist pastor living in Sheldon, Missouri.
Bridges has not been arrested or charged with any crime and did not respond to requests for comment.
In a bizarre turn of events, four of his wives have died since 1972. Investigators are focused on the deaths of his first and second wives, both originally ruled accidental but later reclassified as homicides.
Gresham, Oregon, police have identified Bridges as a suspect in the 1993 death of his second wife, Astrid Bridges, though no charges have been filed. Her death was initially ruled an accident. Neighbors said they believed she fell while cleaning the gutters.
Louisville, Kentucky, police are actively investigating the 1972 death of his first wife, Joyce “Mable” Bridges, and are seeking information from anyone who knew the family. The two departments are coordinating.
Joyce Bridges was found unresponsive at their Louisville home on July 5, 1972. She was taken to a hospital by personal conveyance, pronounced dead, and transferred to a funeral home with no initial police or EMS involvement. Her death was long considered accidental. After new information prompted the exhumation of her body in 2015, an autopsy ruled the manner of death a homicide.
Authorities have not publicly detailed how she died. The Louisville Metro Police Department’s Cold Case Unit is handling the investigation and has not confirmed whether anyone is a suspect.
Astrid Bridges, 45, was found unresponsive outside the couple’s Gresham home on July 2, 1993, after her husband called authorities. Physical evidence was collected and interviews conducted at the time, but the medical examiner ruled the death accidental. Following a reexamination of the evidence and injuries, the death was reclassified as a homicide and the case reopened. Gresham detectives traveled to Missouri to interview Bridges and serve a search warrant at the 86 year old’s man’s residence, where he was living with wife #5. She has since asked him to leave their home.
A detective has said evidence currently points to him, but investigators will not rush to judgment and will follow all evidence.
Bridges’ career as a teacher, pastor, evangelist, and SDA church administrator took him to states including Kentucky, Oregon, Arkansas, Tennessee, and New England.
Observations
John Bridges has been married five times, including his current wife. Four of his wives have died. Recently, authorities have ruled the deaths of wife #1 and #2 (Joyce "Mable" Bridges and Astrid Bridges) as homicides. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of his other wives have not resulted in homicide findings.
Losing four wives to death is a bizarre turn of events. It’s certainly possible, but very unlikely.
Bridges is currently separated from wife #5, following the investigation.
One wonders how wives #4 and 5 convinced themselves that it was ok to marry someone with with Henry VIII vibes. At a minimum, you would think his string of bad luck would give most women second and third thoughts.
According to contemporaneous Seventh-day Adventist church publications and later reports summarizing Adventist records, John Thomas Bridges held the following conference-level administrative (departmental director) positions: Personal Ministries director, Sabbath School director, and Communications director. These roles were in the Northern New England Conference (prior to his move to Arkansas in early 1986).
In an April 1986 article in the Southwestern Union Record, he was described as having already completed 22 years of denominational service as a teacher, pastor, evangelist, and departmental director. He was also ordained in Kentucky in 1970.
Bridges has not been arrested or charged with any crime and did not respond to requests for comment.
Authorities in Kentucky and Oregon are seeking input from anyone who may have information in the deaths of Astrid and Joyce Bridges.
Please pray for this situation and all involved.
****
“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2). “…be sure your sin will find you out'“ (Numbers 32:23).
Both of these verses express the notion of delayed revelation and accountability, without presuming guilt in any specific case.
