Police Reopen Cases After Pastor’s Four Wives Died Decades Apart
Investigators on opposite sides of the United States are reopening two cold cases involving the deaths of four women who were married to the same retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor. Police in Oregon have named the 86-year-old man as a suspect in one of the deaths, while authorities in Kentucky are actively investigating the other, decades after both incidents were initially ruled accidental.
John Thomas Bridges, who now lives in Sheldon, Missouri, has not been arrested or charged with any crime in connection with the deaths, according to NBC News. Four of his wives have died since 1972, though only the deaths of his first and second wives are under investigation.
The 1972 Death of Joyce “Mable” Bridges
Joyce “Mable” Bridges was found unresponsive by her husband at their home in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 5, 1972. She was transported to a hospital “by personal conveyance,” where she was pronounced dead. There was no initial police or EMS involvement at the time, the Louisville Metro Police Department said.
For decades, her death was considered accidental. But in 2015, after police received new information, her body was exhumed for an autopsy, which determined her manner of death was homicide. The Louisville Metro Police Department announced in late July that its Homicide Cold Case Unit is actively investigating the case, as WAVE3 reported.
“Mable’s homicide is actively being investigated by LMPD Homicide’s Cold Case Unit,” the department said in a Facebook post. “[Investigators] are desirous to interview anyone who has information related to this investigation or knew the Bridges family.”
Authorities have not publicly disclosed how Joyce Bridges died, though a former neighbor recalled hearing that she “mysteriously drowned in a bathtub.”
The 1993 Death of Astrid Bridges
Astrid Bridges, a 45-year-old registered nurse, was found dead outside her home on Overlook Court in southwest Gresham, Oregon, on July 2, 1993. Officers and medical personnel responded to a call from John Bridges, who reported finding his wife unresponsive, according to KATU.
Detectives collected physical evidence at the scene, interviewed family members, and canvassed neighbors at the time. The medical examiner initially ruled her death accidental, but the case was always flagged as suspicious within the Gresham Police Department.
In July 2026, the medical examiner’s office reexamined evidence and Astrid’s injuries, reclassifying her death as a homicide and prompting police to reopen the investigation. Gresham police have since named John Bridges as a suspect in her death.
“While the evidence right now points at Mr. Bridges, we believe pretty strongly we’re not going to rush to judgment,” Gresham Police Detective Adam Wright said. “We’re going to complete the investigative steps and follow all of the evidence wherever it leads.”
Detectives traveled to Bridges’ home in Missouri in late July, where they conducted interviews and served a search warrant, as KPTV reported. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is assisting with the investigation.
A Pastor’s Career Spanning the Country
Bridges’ career as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor took him across the United States, according to Newsweek. Articles reviewed by the outlet show he lived and worked in Oregon, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, and New England.
In 1968, he was pictured with Joyce Bridges and eight people he reportedly baptized in Linden, Tennessee. In February 1986, he began serving as senior pastor at Gentry Church in Arkansas, having moved from the Northern New England Conference. At that time, he had served the denomination for 22 years as a teacher, pastor, evangelist, and departmental director.
Why the Cases Are Being Reopened Now
Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg attributed the department’s ability to pursue cold cases to a voter-approved Police and Fire levy, the hiring of additional detectives, and crime-reduction efforts including the Ceasefire initiative. The post-pandemic drop in homicides also gave investigators time to follow new leads, according to the Portland Tribune.
In Louisville, Joyce Bridges’ family contacted investigators seeking answers, prompting the renewed investigation, as AOL/People reported.
Questions Remain
Former neighbor Pam Prettyman, who lived near the Bridges family in Gresham, recalled the suspicions that surrounded the deaths.
“We did hear that his first wife had mysteriously drowned in a bathtub, and then this wife falling off a ladder,” she said. “To lose two wives, both in a mysterious kind of way, is a bit peculiar.”
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Bridges’ third and fourth wives have not been publicly detailed. Neither police department has announced charges against Bridges, and he has not publicly responded to the investigations.
Lead Detective Tyson Conroy of the Gresham Police Department said he is confident the investigation will yield answers. “While cold case homicides present unique challenges,” he said, “I am confident we will be able to get justice for Astrid.”
Anyone with information about either case is urged to contact the respective police departments. Gresham police can be reached at Tyson.Conroy@GreshamOregon.gov, and the Louisville Metro Police Department tip line is 502-574-LMPD (5673).