13-03-2025
‘Dr. Cold Fingers': Oregon Youth Authority staffer accused of sexually abusing boys in custody
Editor's Note: This story shares details of child sex abuse that may be disturbing for readers.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Youth Authority is set to face a major lawsuit regarding the sexual abuse of at least 10 boys in juvenile detention, according to attorneys.
The victims, now men, claim they were sexually abused as children while they were in custody of the State of Oregon at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. Their representatives claim the children — between the ages of 12 and 16 — were treated as 'throwaway kids.'
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Attorneys Peter Janci of Crew Janci LLP and Paul Galm of Galm Law say the case involves a specific OYA staffer known as Dr. Edwards 'Gary' Edwards.
'His abuse of boys at MacLaren was so prolific that he was known amongst boys and staff as Dr. Cold Fingers,' Janci said.
Edwards served as the primary medical provider at Maclaren from 1977 until at least 2008, and attorneys say he had private access to thousands of children during this time.
'This doctor was in charge of intake exams at MacLaren, which means that he had a reason to be alone with every single child that came through MacLaren during those 40+ years of service,' Janci said. 'And at nearly 300 youth housed there at any given time, by 40 years, that means this doctor had an opportunity to abuse more than 10,000 children in Oregon custody.'
According to the lawsuit, victims had reported their concerns about Edwards to other staffers and through the OYA abuse hotline. However, victims claim the staffers who had received those reports allegedly ignored them.
'Worse than that, we allege in this lawsuit that at times, the MacLaren staff weaponized Dr. Edwards' abuse of youth, and by that we mean when one of our client's behavior wasn't to the staff's liking, they would threaten them that, 'Hey if you don't get in line, we're going to send you to see Dr. Cold Fingers,'' Janci said.
Attorneys also shared that the victims would seek treatment from Dr. Edwards and instead be sexually abused. One example shared by Janci involved a victim going to the staffer for a sore throat.
'For his sore throat, he had his genitals fondled by Dr. Edwards for minutes with ungloved hands,' Janci said, adding that other victims reported similar experiences along with instances of ungloved masturbation and anal penetration with fingers.
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The lawsuit claims that these children have grown up to avoid the doctor's office, refuse to see a doctor who isn't female, and put off treatment. Galm shares that these responses come from a long-term trauma of sexual abuse while being in a correctional facility where they are stripped of their rights and do not have an authority figure to turn to.
'The worst part of it, too, is these kids are abused by staff and then they think to themselves that they can't really tell anybody, because nobody is going to believe them,' Galm said.
Both attorneys believe Edwards, who died in February 2025, may have had other victims during his time at MacLaren.
In a press release, OYA shared that it has made recent improvements to its Professional Standards Office to 'ensure youth reporting and investigation processes remain accessible, transparent, and thorough.'
The improvements follow a review made in January 2025 that identified concerns about how investigations within OYA have been conducted as well as the number of cases that are open or suspended.
According to OYA, the Professional Standards Office reported the following numbers as of March 2025:
534 reports from 2018 to October 2024 require a deeper review ('open' or 'suspended')
165 reports since October 2024 also remain 'open' or 'suspended'
4,105 cases were closed by investigators between 2018 and the end of 2024. These cases then undergo a final review and sign-off by our chief investigator, and they have signed off on 724 since Jan. 21, 2025.
'Oregonians need OYA to have grievance and investigation processes that are accessible, transparent, and thorough,' Acting Director Jana McLellan said. 'These elements are necessary to ensure youth and staff safety. We have work ahead of us, but I'm confident we're doing what we need to do to ensure trust in our systems.'
Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story.
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