Monica Cassandra Carrasco

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

At a Glance:

  • Missing since October 2, 2003 from Balmorhea, Texas
  • Sex: Female
  • Age: 16 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 5’5″
  • Weight: 110 lbs
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: chicken pox scars on forehead, as well as depression, an eating disorder, and possibly schizophrenia (Information courtesy of fbi.gov)

This is an approximation of what Monica might look like today.

Images courtesy of missingmonica.com

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Monica home.***

Author’s Note: This post was originally published on August 5, 2023.

About Monica

Monica Cassandra Carrasco was born on December 13, 1986. Her family described her as a happy baby who was always smiling. This joyful demeanor would follow her throughout childhood and adolescence, to the point where her friends nicknamed her “Happy-Happy” in middle school.

Throughout her life, Monica was described as disciplined, both in her studies and her extracurricular activities. She loved to read, oil paint, listen to music, jog, and play the alto saxophone. She was also a Christian, and her loved ones described her as very religious. She enjoyed attending Bible studies and reading the Bible readings in front of the congregation. While most children and teens would shy away from something like that, Monica instead chose to volunteer when she was six years old. From all accounts, this was something she enjoyed, and she would continue to volunteer up until her disappearance.

Disappearance

At the time of her disappearance, Monica (then 16 years old) was living with her aunt and uncle after a series of struggles in the years leading up to her disappearance. In 2000, her father passed away after a battle with bone cancer. Following his death, she was diagnosed with depression and an eating disorder. Sources vary on her specific diagnoses. Some report that she developed depression and anorexia nervosa. Others state that she had depression, an unspecified eating disorder, and schizophrenia.

Regardless of the exact diagnoses, Monica was hospitalized after losing over 50 pounds. Information is unavailable about her course of treatment while she was hospitalized and once she was released. However, there is speculation that she was on medication at the time of her disappearance, although I was unable to find any additional information about which medications and their dosages.

It’s believed that Monica chose to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins due to being angry with her mother. However, the reason behind this anger is unknown. In addition, her mom didn’t believe their relationship problems were serious.

According to the information available, Monica’s cousins saw her go to bed at 11 PM on October 1. They then checked in on her at 1:30 AM, and they reported that she was asleep in bed. Sources vary on the exact time she was discovered missing. The time could’ve been as early as 6 AM or as late as 7:30 AM. Either way, Monica disappeared, along with the nightgown she was wearing and her Bible. She was reportedly not wearing any shoes. According to the Charley Project,

Her aunt and uncle believe[d] she may have become disoriented from her medications, left the house, and gotten a ride with a passing motorist, possibly on Highway 17 which runs near their home.

However, according to the Doe Network:

According to her aunt and uncle whom she was living with at the time, she was an avid runner. They think she may have gone out running that morning.

The terrain outside of the house was rocky and filled with thorns and cacti, so it’s unlikely she would’ve walked outside barefoot.

Searches were conducted outside of her aunt and uncle’s home, but as of this writing, there have been no signs of Monica. Reportedly, her uncle took a lie detector test and failed. Additional details about this lie detector test have not been released as of this writing.

Five months before Monica disappeared, a school bus driver reportedly harassed her. This was never reported to the authorities, but it shook her to the point where she refused to take the bus again. In my research, I was unable to find any information on the nature of these incidents or even the identity of her bus driver.

There was also some speculation that she wanted to leave to meet up with someone, possibly someone she met online. As of this writing, no information exists about who this person could be.

Her case remains unsolved.

My Thoughts

Monica’s case is one where the more you think about it, the less it makes sense. At its core, we have a 16-year-old girl who went to sleep one night, and by the next morning, she was gone. But when you add in other factors, such as her health and emotional state, it’s anyone’s guess what could’ve happened.

Honestly, it seems like we have more questions than answers here. But there’s still quite a bit of information to unpack.

For starters, I wish I knew which medications Monica was taking, if any. One theory put forth by her aunt and uncle was that she got disoriented due to medication side effects. That’s certainly possible, although it’s hard to confirm since we don’t know what she was on. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I’ve been on medications for anxiety and depression. Some of those caused me to get dizzy and lightheaded, to the point where it wasn’t safe for me to drive. Because of this, I can see her medication causing her to become disoriented, especially if there’s a disorder like schizophrenia involved.

That being said, I find it hard to believe that in such a disoriented state, she managed to walk so far that no one has seen her since. Every time I’ve gotten disoriented due to my medications, I would walk slowly and use the walls and furniture to keep myself from falling. Because of this, I find it hard to believe she could’ve made it to the end of her driveway, much less miles away. Factor in the rugged terrain and her lack of appropriate footwear, and it seems even less likely that she would’ve wandered off.

Her aunt and uncle also speculated that Monica went for a run that morning. I also find that hard to believe, especially since she was described as an “avid runner.” However, what avid runner runs barefoot in their pyjamas, bringing only a Bible?

If you haven’t had much experience running outside, it’s a very different experience than running on a treadmill. It’s difficult. Your body absorbs a lot of shock, and your knees bear the brunt of it. It’s very easy to develop injuries in your feet, ankles, knees, and back, even with proper exercise clothes and footwear. If she truly left in just her nightgown, I find it even harder to believe that she went running that morning.

Some believe that Monica might have met up with someone, possibly someone she met online. I wasn’t able to find any information about her access to computers and cell phones, so it’s hard to rule this possibility in or out. If this was a possibility, I would hope that the authorities looked into this more closely.

However, I find it hard to believe that she left. Yes, teenagers have been known to sneak out in the middle of the night, but how many sneak out wearing only a nightgown and carrying a Bible? Most would at least bring their cell phones (if they had one), their wallet, and their keys, and they likely wouldn’t go barefoot.

For me, the strongest theory is that something happened to Monica that night. She had several medical and mental health conditions, and she might have been taking medications to treat those.

One of the most common medications used to treat depression is known as a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). While these treatments are generally safe and effective, they have been known to cause rare side effects. Through my research, I found that SSRIs can cause Serotonin Syndrome, a condition where too much serotonin builds up in your brain. In particularly severe cases, it can cause symptoms like high temperature (above 100.4° F), seizures, irregular heartbeat, and loss of consciousness.

In addition, eating disorders have their own complications. When left unchecked, these disorders can take their toll. Complications from eating disorders include things like:

  • low pulse rate and blood pressure,
  • an increased risk of heart failure,
  • electrolyte imbalance,
  • ruptured esophagus due to chronic vomiting,
  • pancreatitis,
  • intestinal obstruction,
  • kidney failure, and
  • death.

We know that Monica had lost a significant amount of weight, and her mental health was bad enough that she had to be hospitalized. Most of the time, mental health professionals will advocate to treat their patients while they live at home. When you’re in recovery, having support from friends, family, and the community often helps to improve treatment outcomes. The fact that she was hospitalized leads me to believe that her health was in such bad shape that it was too risky to let her stay home. But again, that’s purely speculation on my part. Information about her health simply isn’t available.

I think it’s possible that given her health, she could’ve suffered a medical emergency that night, one that could’ve ended her life. Whether it was severe side effects from her meds, a life-threatening complication of her eating disorder, or both, I’m not sure. However, if someone found her deceased the next morning, they could’ve opted to dispose of her body, instead of contacting the authorities. This is purely speculation on my part, though. We don’t know what medications she was taking, if any. We also don’t know what her health was like, or even what her diagnoses were.

With a case that has such little information, you can find reasons to prove and disprove any theory. There’s just not enough information to definitively point us in a specific direction.

It’s heartbreaking because at the center of it all is a young woman with hopes and dreams, just like so many others. She endured pain and trauma in the years leading up to her disappearance, but she was taking steps to put her life back together. She was seeking treatment, and she seemed to find a living situation that suited her. But while so many teenagers get a chance to build lives for themselves, Monica never got that chance.

Someone knows something; she didn’t just vanish into thin air. Until someone comes forward, her family, friends, and community will continue to grieve her loss and wonder what happened.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Monica Carrasco, there are several online articles. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Monica Carrasco, please call the Reeve’s County Sheriff’s Office at (432)445-4901 or the FBI at (800)634-4097. You can also contact the Texas Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

What do you think happened? Let’s discuss in the comments.

The Disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since November 1, 2007 from Greenwich, New York
  • Sex: Male
  • Race: Biracial (Black, White)
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Green
  • Date of Birth: August 2, 1995
  • Age: 12 (at the time of his disappearance)
  • Height: 5’6″
  • Weight: 105 pounds
  • Distinguishing characteristics: Jaliek had a slight speech impediment which caused him to pronounce the letter “r” like a “w.” He had blond highlights in his hair, and it was styled in a two-inch afro. His nickname was “Jay,” and he had several moles on his back.
  • Medical conditions: Jaliek experienced prenatal exposure to alcohol and cocaine, which leads to severe emotional problems and violent outbursts. He was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder.
  • Clothing description: Jaliek was last seen wearing a bright yellow fleece pullover, a gray t-shirt with an image of a dragon, blue jeans, and black canvas high-top sneakers.

Image courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Information courtesy of The Charley Project

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Click here to support True Crime Musings!***

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Jaliek home.***

About Jaliek

Jaliek Rainwalker was born on August 2, 1995. Very little is known about his birth and early life, but from the information available, he dealt with many difficult circumstances. He was exposed to alcohol and cocaine before birth. Because of this exposure, he would later develop personality and developmental challenges.

Within days, Jaliek was placed in foster care, where he would spend his first seven years of life in six different foster homes. These were therapeutic foster homes, meaning that his foster parents received additional training to care for kids with special needs. Despite this training, many of his foster parents were unable to give him the support he needed, and he was moved to other foster homes.

Because of these disruptions, he didn’t have the opportunity to form a steady relationship with a primary caregiver, and he developed Reactive Attachment Disorder. Among other symptoms, this disorder can cause mental health issues and behavioral problems.

This was the case for Jaliek. From early on, he would have violent outbursts that could last up to an hour. During these outbursts, he would physically attack others, and his foster parents found it difficult to console him. He also had a speech impediment which caused him to pronounce the letter “r” like the letter “w,” and he found it difficult to pronounce his own name. As a result, he went by the nickname Jay.

Despite his challenges, many remember him as a beautiful, generous, loving, and intelligent child. One of his former foster parents, Jodi Schoen, admired his intelligence, noting that once he learned to read, he read a book a day. She also noted that he was an active boy who loved to run and play soccer, and he had an interest in dinosaurs.

Jodi and her husband Larry were Jaliek’s sixth foster placement. They did their best to provide for him, and they even planned on adopting him, but his violent tendencies escalated to the point where they threatened the family’s safety. The final straw came when he attacked their younger daughter in the middle of an outburst. At that point, they made the heartbreaking decision to not move forward with the adoption and place him with another family.

Soon after, he was moved to his final placement with a married couple, Stephen Kerr and Jocelyn McDonald. From outward appearances, this seemed to be the ideal placement for the young boy. Stephen and Jocelyn had three biological sons and one adopted daughter, and they were excited and enthusiastic about adding Jaliek to their family.

For a while, things seemed to be going well for him. He seemed to be happy, and Stephen and Jocelyn finalized the adoption, making him an official part of their family.

However, details later emerged that called this into question. At the time of his disappearance, Stephen, Jocelyn, and their children were living a “non-traditional lifestyle.” They lived in a cabin without running water, outhouses instead of toilets, and electricity from a generator that ran for a few hours each day, reportedly because it was better for the environment. The cabin was about 20 feet by 20 feet, and the entire family slept in the same room.

At the same time, a few people, including Jocelyn’s parents, began to question the treatment of Jaliek and the adopted daughter. Although this information has never been verified, Jaliek and the adopted daughter were treated differently from the biological children. The adopted children were often isolated, sent to bed early, denied snacks, and given fewer toys compared to the biological children.

Over the next five years, his adoptive parents reported that Jaliek’s behavior worsened. His outbursts became more frequent and severe, and they were at a loss for what to do. According to them, he was both suicidal and homicidal, but there’s no evidence that they put him in therapy, got him on medication, or sought treatment of any kind.

Disappearance

By October 23, 2007, a week before Jaliek’s disappearance, the situation had reached a new low. There had been an incident at his homeschool group, where he threatened to sexually assault another child. Between this incident, Jaliek’s previous outbursts, and his growing anger issues, Stephen and Jocelyn were quickly overwhelmed.

On October 23, Stephen called a crisis hotline and reportedly asked if there was a way to reverse the adoption. The crisis worker reportedly told him that it wasn’t possible to reverse the adoption and suggested respite care instead.

As a result, Jaliek was sent to respite foster parents Elaine and Tom Person. They had fostered over 45 children by this point, and they had experience working with kids who had emotional, behavioral, and attachment disorders. They cared for him until October 31, when Stephen picked him up. However, he and Jocelyn had arranged for him to go directly to another respite placement, which would never take place.

Instead of taking him home, Stephen brought his son to a restaurant. The server would later tell the authorities that Stephen had been mean to he,r and Jaliek was quiet and ate very little.

Afterward, he brought his son to a home in Greenwich, which belonged to his parents. It’s unknown why Stephen chose to bring him there, instead of returning to the family home. It’s also unknown if Stephen’s parents were present when he and Jaliek arrived.

The events that night are largely unknown and debated to this day. Stephen put his son to bed, and all seemed well. When he woke up the next morning around 7:30, he found Jaliek’s bed empty, and the boy was nowhere to be found. A note was left behind, which said the following:

Dear everybody, I’m sorry for everything. I won’t be a bother anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek.

-The note Jaliek allegedly left behind

Jaliek also stuffed clothes and pillows under his blanket, in an apparent attempt to make it look like he was still asleep. Once he realized the boy was missing, Stephen claimed to have searched the house and property. When he was unable to find him, he called the police to report his son as missing shortly before 9 AM.

Investigation

Upon hearing about his disappearance, the authorities quickly jumped into action and launched a massive search for Jaliek, which included dive teams, K-9 units, infrared cameras, and helicopters. Several organizations participated, including the New York State Police, the local sheriff’s office, forest rangers, and various search and rescue groups. Despite their attempts, no sign of him was ever found.

After ten days with no sign of Jaliek, the authorities began to speculate that he was met with foul play, although they never ruled out the possibility of suicide or running away.

In the absence of solid leads, the authorities interviewed his adoptive parents, and they quickly became suspicious. Jocelyn took a polygraph test, but Stephen refused to do so.

Stephen also gave contradictory information about his whereabouts that night, which only fueled authorities’ suspicions. He claimed he picked Jaliek up from his respite foster placement and took him straight to his parents’ home. However, surveillance camera footage and cell phone records showed that this was not the case. According to cell phone records, Stephen made a phone call at 8:15 PM, which was received in South Troy, 30 miles south of Greenwich. The authorities tracked down the individual who called Stephen, and they told the authorities that he seemed “agitated.”

Even the note that Jaliek supposedly left was called into question. The Persons, his respite foster parents, claimed that he had written that note as a homework assignment from his father. He supposedly told his son that he needed to write a note to apologize to the people he had harmed.

Early on, Stephen and Jocelyn stopped cooperating with the authorities and put little effort into the search for their son. Both have maintained their innocence.

Later Developments and Aftermath

By January 2008, Stephen was named a person of interest. A month later, the authorities searched Stephen’s father’s home, Jaliek’s last known location. During this search, they seized a computer to see if someone used it to write the goodbye letter. Later tests would be unable to confirm or deny the theory.

Four months after Jaliek disappeared, Stephen, Jocelyn, and the remaining children moved to West Rupert, Vermont, just over the New York State/Vermont state border. They still own the home, but it’s unknown if the family has ever returned to the property.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Jaliek’s adoptive maternal grandparents, Stephen, and Jocelyn deteriorated significantly. This was due in part to the fact that his grandparents sided with the authorities and believed that his adoptive parents were responsible for his disappearance.

Barbara Reely, Jaliek’s maternal adoptive grandmother, has actively searched for him since 2007. She even filed for custody, but she was denied. In July 2008, she was charged after attempting to burglarize Stephen and Jocelyn’s home, claiming to have found the yellow fleece shirt that the boy was supposedly last seen wearing. The police later recovered the shirt and tested it, but I was unable to determine if this was the shirt Jaliek was last seen wearing.

Over the years, authorities have investigated hundreds of leads and sightings, but very few have panned out. They’ve even brought cadaver dogs to places where Stephen was last known to be on the night of Jaliek’s disappearance, as well as their home and other places the family was known to frequent. None of these resulted in new evidence.

However, there was one lead that seemed promising. A newspaper received an anonymous note claiming that Jaliek was still alive and had been picked up along Route 40. It read

Jaliek still alive. Needed a foot soldier for this war on drugs. Picked him up Rt 40 Post 30. He’s ok. No fake. He says asks his Mama and Papa. Who are the macaronni [sic] family? My cat name diamond? Why does Franti yell fire? Don’t try to look we are not there.

Note about Jaliek’s supposed whereabouts

Stephen and Jocelyn’s lawyer argued that Jaliek wrote the letter, but the authorities disagreed. To this day, it’s unknown who wrote the letter.

In 2012, the authorities announced that the investigation had switched from being a missing persons investigation to a homicide investigation. The authorities no longer believed that Jaliek had run away, and they voiced their suspicions of his adoptive parents.

In 2016, a hiker found a skull along the Hudson River. Upon further examination, it was determined that the skull belonged to a boy between the ages of 10 and 13, and it had been there for approximately 5-10 years. Although this skull fit the details of Jaliek’s disappearance, it was later determined that the skull was from a much older man, and it was later ruled out.

Since then, Jaliek’s case has gone cold, and his fate remains unknown. His adoptive grandparents and former foster parents are still working to find him, and they hold out hope that he’ll come home. Jaliek Rainwalker remains missing as of this writing.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker is tragic, heartbreaking, and confusing. A young man who had a rough start in life finally caught a break when he was adopted. At first glance, this new family seemed like the perfect fit. His new parents were so excited to add him to their family. They had already adopted a daughter, and there were three other biological sons in the home as well. It seemed like his adoptive parents were better equipped than most to care for him.

And yet, it seemed like things fell apart almost as quickly as they came together. Jaliek’s adoptive parents soon became overwhelmed by his outbursts. And just when things seemed to reach their breaking point, he disappeared.

From all accounts, Jaliek was dealt a difficult hand in life. He was exposed to alcohol and cocaine before birth, dealt with a variety of developmental and emotional conditions, and was placed in foster care. He also lived in seven different homes by his seventh birthday. As a result of this instability, he had very few opportunities to develop healthy attachments to caregivers.

While I don’t blame any of his former foster families for admitting they were in over their heads, my heart breaks for Jaliek. While many see him as angry and violent, I can’t help but notice the fear and sadness that were likely buried below the surface. At the end of the day, he was a little boy who endured prenatal drug/alcohol exposure, his birth mother relinquishing him to the foster care system, and a lack of consistent caregivers. He deserved the world. Unfortunately, the system failed him.

When it comes to this case, there aren’t many theories. The main ones are:

  1. Jaliek ran away/died by suicide.
  2. Jaliek’s adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, is responsible for his son’s disappearance.

Let’s address these theories one by one.

First, we have the theory that Jaliek either ran away or died by suicide. At first glance, either of these theories seems possible. On the night of his disappearance, Jaliek’s life wasn’t going great. According to his adoptive parents, his anger was out of control, to the point where Stephen called a crisis hotline, asking how to reverse the adoption. He had picked up his son from one respite placement and planned to take him to another one the following morning.

If Jaliek was unhappy about this, I can imagine him running away. The only problem is that the police searched the area soon after Stephen reported him missing, and they sent out information about the boy to the local community. Everyone in the area knew to keep an eye out for him, but there were never any sightings of him. Considering he was a 12-year-old with developmental and emotional conditions, I find it hard to believe that he got so far away that no one has ever found him. I just don’t believe that he had the resources and the mental capacity to drop off the grid for nearly 20 years.

Along a similar vein, some have argued that he could’ve run away and died by suicide. But again, there were a lot of thorough searches, and no one has ever found a trace of him. If he died by suicide, why wasn’t his body recovered? People who are suicidal usually don’t worry about whether or not their bodies will be found. Again, we’re talking about a 12-year-old with developmental and emotional conditions. I don’t think he would have had the mental capacity to kill himself in such a way that no trace has ever been found.

This leads us to our second theory, that Stephen Kerr was responsible for his son’s disappearance. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was the case. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, children with disabilities are roughly three times more likely to experience abuse or neglect, compared to children without disabilities. Organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also stated that certain disorders can leave children more vulnerable to abuse, such as ADHD or other conduct/behavioral disorders. This is because parents and caregivers can hit the child out of frustration when they’re misbehaving.

We know that both Stephen and Jocelyn were frustrated with their son’s increasingly violent behavior, and it didn’t seem like they had much support. They didn’t have him in therapy or put him on medication, and I didn’t find any information about them seeking out respite care. Between the lack of support and Jaliek’s escalating behavior, it’s possible that one of them got so frustrated that they killed him accidentally. Things like chronic stress and sleep deprivation can push you to your limit.

On the night Jaliek disappeared, he was staying with Stephen at his parents’ house. As far as we’re aware, they were the only two people present. While Stephen has never been charged with Jaliek’s disappearance, his behavior in the days and weeks afterward is concerning. For example, why did he claim he took his son directly to his parents’ home, especially since cell phone records and surveillance camera footage showed otherwise? And why did he wait an hour and a half to report his son missing?

There’s a lot we don’t know about that night, or even the days and weeks leading up to his disappearance. Without this information, we can only speculate about what happened.

I believe that something happened between Jaliek and Stephen that night. Perhaps Jaliek had another outburst and Stephen, at the end of his rope, lashed out at his son out of frustration and ended up accidentally killing him. Upon realizing what he had done, he could’ve panicked because he didn’t want to lose his other kids. He would’ve had all night to dispose of his son’s body, clean the house, and stage it to make it look like he ran away.

This is all speculation on my part. There simply isn’t enough evidence, and no one has ever been charged. Whatever happened, I dearly hope the truth is revealed soon.

Jaliek Rainwalker had a rough start in life. Just when things were looking up for him, he vanished without a trace under mysterious circumstances. Underneath his angry outbursts was an intelligent, kind boy who never got a fair chance at life. Although his case is debated to this day, one thing stands out in a sea of uncertainty: he deserves to be found, and he deserves justice. May he receive both soon.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker, there are several news articles and podcasts. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker, please contact the Greewich Village Police Department at 1-518-692-9332. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Jason Jolkowski

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since June 13, 2001 from Eagan, Minnesota
  • Sex: Male
  • Race: White
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Brown
  • Date of Birth: June 24, 1981
  • Age: 19 (at the time of his disappearance)
  • Height: 6’1″
  • Weight: 160 pounds
  • Nickname: JJ
  • Medical conditions: At the time of his disappearance, Jason had speech and language-related learning disabilities. He also has above-average intelligence.
  • Clothing description: Jason was last seen wearing a white Chicago Cubs or Sammy Sosa t-shirt, a blue or black Chicago Cubs baseball cap, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

This is an artist’s rendering of what Jason might look like at age 36.

Images courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Information courtesy of The Charley Project.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Click here to support True Crime Musings!***

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Jason home.***

About Jason

Jason Anthony Jolkowski was born on June 24, 1981, in Grand Island, Nebraska to his parents, Jim and Kelly. He would later become a big brother after the birth of his younger brother, Michael. He was described as shy, intelligent, and kind by his loved ones, and he had a small group of friends. By 2001, he was studying part-time at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was enrolled in their radio broadcasting program, and he dreamt of being a DJ.

When he wasn’t studying, Jason worked part-time at a restaurant chain called Fazoli’s. He was also single and lived with his family at the time of his disappearance.

Disappearance

Jason and his younger brother Michael were enjoying their summer vacation on June 13, 2001. Their parents had left for work, and the two of them were hanging out when Jason received a phone call from his boss. Even though he had the day off, his boss asked him to come in and work.

He agreed to come in, but his car was in the shop. At first, he said he would walk, but his boss offered to arrange a ride. After further discussion, a coworker agreed to pick up Jason at 11 AM at Benson High School, his former high school, which was about half a mile away from the Jolkowski family residence. The route was comprised of “quiet residential streets with little pedestrian or vehicle traffic.”

Once he hung up, Jason completed some chores and got ready for work before meeting his coworker. One of the last confirmed sightings of him would occur at 10:45 AM, when his neighbor saw him and his younger brother taking the empty trash cans from the curb to the garage. After that, he started walking towards Benson High School, leaving his brother home alone. According to his mother, he would’ve only had about $60 on him.

Meanwhile, his coworker arrived at the high school, ready to give Jason a ride. But as the minutes ticked by, Jason never showed up. At some point between 11:15 and 11:30 AM, his boss called his home to look for him and spoke to Michael. During this exchange, Michael learned that Jason never made it to work and missed his ride.

It wasn’t until Jason’s parents came home from work that they realized he had been missing all day.

The next morning, his parents filed a missing person’s report, incorrectly believing they had to wait 24 hours to report someone missing.

Investigation

Even once his parents filed a missing person’s report for their son, it took the police a while before they started to take his disappearance seriously. According to his parents, it took at least ten days before the authorities took any meaningful action to locate him. At first, they believed he had simply run away.

However, his loved ones firmly believe that that wasn’t possible in this situation. From day one, they feared an accident or foul play had occurred. Among other factors, he had never been in trouble with the law, he wasn’t involved in drugs, and he was very unlikely to take risks. In addition, he loved his family, and his life was going well. They argued there was no reason for him to run away.

After ten days with no sign of Jason, the police began to treat his case more seriously. They interviewed neighbors and friends and conducted extensive searches of the area. Even though the authorities looked for him via helicopter, horseback, and on foot, they were unable to find him or any evidence about what might have happened.

During the investigation, the authorities also looked at the surveillance footage at Benson High School to see if he made it to the school that day. Despite looking through the footage, he never made it to the school.

Despite all efforts, Jason has never been located, and the authorities have never recovered any clues or evidence. His bank account and cell phone haven’t had any activity since he vanished. His car remained at the mechanic, and his last paycheck was left at his workplace. There have never been any suspects or persons of interest in Jason’s case.

Aftermath

Since Jason’s disappearance, his family has held onto hope that they’ll find answers. His parents have given multiple interviews to the media over the years. His mom, Kelly, published an open letter to her son a few years after his disappearance, which read, in part:

We waited and hoped that you’d walk in the door…and that the whole awful event would be over, but that didn’t happen. It feels as if it never may end, and that we may have to wait for our life after this world to see you again.”

– Kelly Jolkowski, in an open letter to her son, Jason

Jim and Kelly, determined to make something good come out of their son’s disappearance, became fervent advocates for missing persons. In 2005, they successfully lobbied to pass Jason’s Law in Nebraska, which created a statewide missing persons database. They also founded a nonprofit called Project Jason, which assisted families of missing people by providing publicity and emotional support. However, as of this writing, the link leads to an Error 403 message.

Jason Jolkowski disappeared on June 13, 2001, as he walked to Benson High School to get a ride to work. Despite the short half-mile distance, he never made it to the agreed location. He has not been seen since, and there has not been any activity on his bank account or his cell phone. As of this writing, his case remains unsolved.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Jason Jolkowski is utterly bizarre. A 19-year-old walks half a mile away to a nearby high school to catch a ride to work, only to vanish without a trace. The police chalked it up as another teenage runaway case, even though he had no reason to run away. He loved his family and friends too much. Not only that, but he was enrolled in school, working, and working toward the future he desired.

After ten days, the police took his disappearance seriously and searched for him in earnest. But this is the problem with waiting so long. Evidence gets destroyed, memories fade, and suspects have time to escape.

Since then, the authorities have never had a break in the case. If they have any evidence or leads, they haven’t said anything to anyone, not even Jason’s parents. For over 20 years, his loved ones, the authorities, and armchair sleuths have all asked the same question: where is Jason Jolkowski?

Despite the lack of evidence, a few theories have risen to the surface since his disappearance:

  1. Jason ran away.
  2. Jason was a victim of a hit-and-run accident.
  3. Jason was abducted.

Let’s review these theories one by one.

First, we have the theory that Jason ran away. Initially, this is what the authorities believed, but none of his loved ones agreed. Frankly, I don’t agree with this theory either. According to his mom, he had about $60 on him when he left that day. I know this was back in 2001, but $60 still wouldn’t get you very far. He also left behind things he would’ve needed if he wanted to run away, like his car and his last paycheck. Remember, there haven’t been any sightings of him since his disappearance. It would’ve been hard for him to go off the grid if he had money and his car. Without those things, it would’ve been even more difficult.

Not only that, but why would he run away if his coworker was waiting to pick him up? He could’ve left when no one was expecting him, which could’ve given him a larger head start.

With these reasons in mind, I believe we can safely put this theory aside.

Second, we have the theory that Jason was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, where he was either injured or killed. This theory has slightly more credibility than the runaway theory, but not much. The path he took that day was through quiet residential streets. Considering this occurred in the late morning, most adults would’ve been at work, meaning a lower chance of drivers being in the area.

But let’s say for argument’s sake that he was the victim of a hit-and-run. Wouldn’t someone have heard something? Cars are pretty noisy, especially if they hit something. Many people will look out the window to see what happened, myself included. It’s human nature. Even if the driver threw Jason into their backseat and drove away without being seen, there would’ve been evidence left behind: blood, torn clothes, hair, a missing shoe, etc. The police delayed their investigation, which allowed any evidence to be destroyed.

However, someone would’ve seen something. The fact that there were no 911 calls or police reports from that area leads me to believe that there wasn’t anything to see. There weren’t even any rumors of a hit-and-run. It’s human nature to gossip, especially when there’s little information available. The lack of information, both official and unofficial, leads me to believe it was not a hit-and-run.

Finally, we have the theory that Jason was abducted. For many, this is the theory that seems the most plausible. It’s possible a passing motorist stopped him to ask for directions, made small talk, and offered him a ride. Maybe they offered to give him a ride to work, and Jason accepted. By the time he got in the car, it would’ve been too late.

Of course, this ignores what his mom said, that Jason wasn’t a risk taker. He was unlikely to accept a ride with a stranger. That still leaves the possibility that an acquaintance, friend, or family member was involved. It could’ve even been a stranger who claimed to know one of Jason’s loved ones. If there was an existing relationship, it’s plausible that he accepted a ride. If he went along willingly, that explains why no evidence was ever recovered.

The only problem is we have no idea who could have been responsible, and we have no idea about any potential motives. Why would someone go through all that trouble to harm Jason? From all accounts, he was kind and shy with few friends. He wasn’t into drugs or alcohol, and he had never been in trouble with the law. He might’ve been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but until we get more information, we’re never going to figure out for sure.

That’s what’s so frustrating, the lack of information. In some cases, you have so much information that it’s hard to know which way is up. Jason’s case is not one of them, unfortunately. It’s been over 20 years, and we’re no closer to figuring out what happened.

Jason was a bright young man with dreams for the future. Someone robbed him of that, and they’ve been able to live their lives. It’s not too late to make things right, though. If you know something, please contact law enforcement. No detail is too big or too small, and it might be the lead the authorities need. Let’s end this nightmare for his loved ones and bring him home.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Jason Jolkowski, there are several news articles and YouTube videos. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jason Jolkowski, please contact the Omaha Police Department at 1-402-444-5818 or 1-402-444-5690. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since March 20, 1988 from Carrollton, Texas
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: White
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Green
  • Date of Birth: September 19, 1969
  • Age: 18 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 5’8″
  • Weight: 140 pounds
  • Distinguishing characteristics: Each of Susan’s ears has three piercings, and she wears contacts or glasses.
  • Clothing Description: white sweater, blue pants, and a navy blue shoulder bag with camel trim

This is an artist’s rendering of what Susan might look like at age 51.

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since March 20, 1988 from Carrollton, Texas
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: White
  • Hair Color: Blonde
  • Eye Color: Blue
  • Date of Birth: June 17, 1970
  • Age: 17 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 5’6″
  • Weight: 120-160 pounds
  • Distinguishing characteristics: Each of Stacie’s ears have two piercings, and she wears contacts or glasses.
  • Clothing Description: a long-sleeved white sweatshirt with a pink and orange logo on the front, white cotton pants, and white sneakers

This is an artist’s rendering of what Stacie might look like at age 50.

Images Courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Susan, Stacie)

Information Courtesy of The Charley Project (Susan, Stacie)

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

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About Susan and Stacie

Susan Smalley was born on September 19, 1969, and Stacie Madison was born on June 17, 1970. Each grew up with a sibling and loving parents. Susan was the younger child, joining her older brother Rich. Stacie would become a big sister in the early 1980s when her younger sister Stefanie was born. She would be six years old at the time of her older sister’s disappearance.

As they grew up, both girls were beloved by all who knew them. Susan was described as having a “sunny personality,” as well as “strong-willed and spirited,” and Stacie was described as “sweet, kind, and caring.” Their responsible natures quickly became evident as they got older, with Susan working as a hostess at the Steak and Ale restaurant in Carrollton and Stacie working as a receptionist at a local doctor’s office. They were both good students and were reportedly good about notifying their families of their whereabouts.

By the time of their disappearance, the girls were friends, and they were a few months shy of their graduation from Newman Smith High School. Stacie had a boyfriend at the time named Kevin R. Elrod, who was described as “controlling” and “abusive.” According to her loved ones, she tried to break up with him shortly before she and Susan disappeared.

Both of the girls had post-graduation plans. Susan wanted to buy a new car and head to Florida, and Stacie planned to attend the University of North Texas.

Disappearance

At the time of their disappearance, spring break was almost over. The girls wanted to enjoy every minute before returning to school.

They spent the day of March 19, 1988, hanging out together and planned for Stacie to sleep over at Susan’s house. But they had other tasks to complete before then. According to The Doe Network, Susan picked up her mother from the Prestonwood Dillard’s, where she worked as a clerk. Stacie followed in her 1967 Mustang convertible.

From there, the timeline becomes dicey. At some point in the evening, they drove to an apartment in Arlington, where there were a bunch of people hanging out. It’s unknown how many of these people were friends with Susan or Stacie. After that, the girls went to the Steak and Ale restaurant, where Susan worked as a hostess. Susan entered the restaurant, stayed inside for approximately five minutes, and spoke to a coworker while Stacie remained in the vehicle. This was their last confirmed sighting.

By midnight, the girls made it back to Susan’s home. Stacie called her mother to check in, and Susan called a friend. The authorities would later state that they believed the girls stayed long enough at the house to make these calls before leaving again.

In the early morning hours of March 20, two women matching Susan’s and Stacie’s descriptions were seen at a 7-11. They reportedly attempted to purchase beer, but they were refused service due to being underage.

At dawn, Susan’s mother noticed that neither girl was at the residence, and Stacie’s car was missing. As a result, she called the police and reported both of them as missing.

Investigation

Even though Susan’s mom called the police quickly, the police were slow to act. According to Stacie’s mom, Ida, the authorities treated the girls as runaways at first. They had disappeared towards the end of their spring break, and they thought that the girls had gone somewhere like South Padre Island. Despite the authorities’ beliefs, none of the girls’ loved ones thought they had ran away.

Eventually, the police began to search, but they failed to locate the girls. However, on Tuesday, March 22, Stacie’s Mustang was found in the Webb Chapel Village parking lot, off Forest Lane in Dallas (about 15 miles east of Carrollton). Upon examining the car, it was discovered that someone had locked the doors, put up the convertible top, and draped the girls’ jackets over a boombox in the backseat. Unfortunately, the police never collected any evidence in or around the car, which made it much harder to identify potential suspects.

While the police searched for the girls, they interviewed witnesses. One name that came up was Kevin R. Elrod, Stacie’s then-boyfriend. As mentioned earlier, he was reported to be abusive towards Stacie. She wanted to break up with him but wasn’t sure how.

Thinking they caught a break, the police brought Kevin in. He was questioned extensively, and he took a polygraph test, which he passed. However, according to The Charley Project, he began dating another woman shortly after Susan and Stacie disappeared. He confessed that he had killed both girls and buried them in a Carrollton-area cemetery.

Shocked and horrified, the woman went to the police and told them what she knew. They were able to locate the correct cemetery, but after an investigation, they were unable to find the girls or any evidence a crime had been committed.

Kevin never denied the confession, but he recanted it. At the time, he was a person of interest, but due to a lack of evidence, this is no longer the case today. After the girls disappeared, he moved out of state and changed his name.

In 2009, Shawn Sutherland, a fellow Newman Smith alumnus, performed an independent investigation and self-published a book. While the book generated hundreds of new leads, none have panned out.

Since then, there have been no new leads in the girls’ disappearance. Ida Madison, Stacie’s mother, has given several interviews with local and national media to keep the girls’ names in the spotlight. Both families love and miss their daughters and long for a resolution.

So much time has gone by without any answers. It’s hard to hold on to any hope at this point. We just want answers.

Rich Smalley, in a 2020 interview, discussing his younger sister Susan

Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison have not been seen since March 20, 1988. They remain missing as of this writing.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison is strange and frustrating. Two high school seniors hang out together as they prepare to sleep over. They later meet up with friends, and there are confirmed sightings of them in nearby cities. But after that, it’s as though the girls walked off the face of the earth. Neither girl has been seen since, leaving both of their families to deal with their inexplicable losses.

When it comes to this case, there are three main theories:

  • Susan and Stacie ran away.
  • Stacie’s then-boyfriend, Kevin R. Elrod, is responsible for their disappearance.
  • Susan and Stacie were abducted by someone else, possibly a stranger.

First, we have the theory that Susan and Stacie ran away. I feel like this is the default theory every time a teenager disappears, regardless of if the evidence points in that direction. While it’s true that many teenagers run away and come home quickly, it’s not true in every case. In Susan and Stacie’s disappearance, there’s no evidence they ran away. Both girls were excellent students, had friends, and had good home lives. Both of them were making post-graduation plans as well. Even if they weren’t happy with their home lives, Susan and Stacie were 18 and 17, respectively. Susan could’ve packed up her things and moved out. Stacie would’ve turned 18 approximately three months after her disappearance.

In short, even if either girl was unhappy, they were on the cusp of adulthood. There was no need for them to run away.

But let’s say for argument’s sake that they were impatient and wanted to leave right then and there. Wouldn’t they have taken more with them? At most, they had the clothes on their backs, maybe their purses/wallets. They would’ve needed far more to disappear, especially since they haven’t been seen in decades.

I could go on, but it’s clear that this theory provides more questions than answers. Because of this, I believe we can safely put it aside.

The next theory is that Stacie’s then-boyfriend, Kevin R. Elrod, is responsible for the girls’ disappearance. I’ll admit, this theory seems likely at first. Multiple accounts described Kevin as abusive. Usually, if a woman goes missing, her boyfriend or husband is the first suspect. He even admitted to murdering and burying the girls in a Carrollton-area cemetery. It seems pretty cut and dry.

The only problem is that when police investigated his claims, they couldn’t find any evidence that the girls were ever there. Not only that, they couldn’t even find evidence a crime had been committed. He later recanted his confession. Even though he was a person of interest at the time, that’s no longer the case as of this writing.

While he seems like a solid suspect, I have a hard time believing him. Yes, he gave a confession with very specific details, but the police never found any evidence. Not only that, but how could he overpower the girls if he was acting alone?

The only way I could see that happening is if he used a gun. If he didn’t use one, he couldn’t have done it alone. Not without being covered in blood, bruises, cuts, scratches, and other injuries.  If he had had suspicious injuries soon after the girls vanished, he would likely still be on the police’s radar.

Although this theory is plausible, we need more information to draw any conclusions. Because of this, we can’t rule this theory in or out.

The last theory is that Susan and Stacie were abducted by someone else, possibly a stranger. For me, this theory makes the most sense. They disappeared at some point in the night, and they were discovered missing the next morning. They were spotted in several different places, such as a restaurant in Carrollton, an apartment in Arlington, and a 7-11. There could’ve been strangers with malicious intents at any of these places.

Even if there weren’t, there were probably witnesses who could’ve given the police useful information. Given that the case was poorly investigated in the beginning, it’s unlikely that all of them were interviewed. I’m willing to bet that at least one of them heard or saw something. The only problem is that since this case happened so long ago, people’s memories have faded, and the responsible party had a head start of nearly four decades.

Unfortunately, unless someone comes forward, we’re unlikely to solve this case. And it’s such a tragedy. These girls were on the cusp of adulthood with their entire lives ahead of them. Meanwhile, their families and communities live with a void in their hearts and an enduring mystery. They deserve closure. Let’s help them out by sharing Susan and Stacie’s story. Maybe one day, they can come home.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison, there are several news articles and a self-published book about the case. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison, please contact the Carrollton Police Department at 1-972-466-3333. You can also submit tips via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since September 16, 2019 from Bridgeton, New Jersey
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: Hispanic
  • Hair Color: Black
  • Eye Color: Brown
  • Date of Birth: April 25, 2014
  • Age: 5 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 3’5″
  • Weight: 60-70 pounds
  • Clothing description: Dulce was last seen wearing a yellow t-shirt with an image of a white elephant, black-and-white checked pants with a flower pattern, and white sandals.

This is an artist’s rendering of what Dulce might look like at 9 years old.

Images Courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Information Courtesy of The Charley Project.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Click here to support True Crime Musings!***

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Dulce home.***

About Dulce

Dulce Maria Alavez was born on April 25, 2014, to her mother, Noema, then 14 years old. She would later become a big sister to her younger brother, Manuel, who was three when she disappeared.

Described as a “sweet,” “nice,” and “loving” girl, Dulce loved to pretend to be a princess and loved being with younger children. In one interview, Noema stated that her daughter “always liked to give hugs…and kisses.” Like many children, her favorite holiday was Christmas, and she had started Kindergarten about a week before her disappearance.

Presumably because of Noema’s young age, she shared custody of Dulce and Manuel with her parents. Noema, who was pregnant at the time, lived apart from the rest of the family in a room at a nearby residence. Dulce’s birth father had exited his daughter’s life when she was three years old. At the time of her disappearance, he lived in Sinaloa, Mexico, and hadn’t had any communication with her.

Disappearance

On the day of her disappearance, Noema took her eight-year-old sister, Dulce, and Manuel to a local store to get ice cream. Once they purchased the treats, they went to Bridgeton City Park (located behind Bridgeton High School) and arrived shortly after 4 PM.

Once at the park, Dulce and Manuel played together on the swings while Noema and her sister remained in the car, which was about 30 yards away. Noema was reportedly scratching off a lottery ticket, and she was about to help her sister with her homework. She later stated that she could see the park, but not the swings because they were behind some hills.

At around 4:20 PM, Manuel raced back to the car in tears, his ice cream lying on the ground. Noema asked him where Dulce was. According to his accounts, she ran towards some red maintenance sheds near the playground. After searching the nearby area for about 30 minutes, no one could find a trace of her. Even her coconut water ice was missing. After running out of ideas for where to search and not finding her daughter, Noema called the police at 4:51 PM.

Investigation

From all accounts, the police responded quickly, eager to find the missing girl. Over the next two days, they launched a massive search. Several law enforcement agencies and K-9 units joined the efforts. Despite their dedication, they couldn’t find any sign of her.

While the searches occurred, the authorities also interviewed witnesses. With all of the information they gathered, they got a description of the person who might have taken the young girl:

  • a light-skinned man (possibly Hispanic)
  • thin build, no facial hair
  • 5’6″-5’8″
  • wearing a black shirt, red pants, and orange sneakers (possibly Nike brand)

The authorities also believe that he led the girl to a red van with tinted windows and a sliding door, and then drove off with her.

Unfortunately, leads started to dry up within days of her disappearance, even as the reward for information climbed to $35,000. Even after the reward was raised to over $50,000, there was still very little information to work with. Meanwhile, the family and community organized prayer vigils for Dulce’s safe return. Her family repeatedly begged for the girl’s safe return but to no avail.

The next break in her case came about a month later, when the authorities released an artist’s rendering of a “possible witness” in Dulce’s case. At the time, they made it clear that this man was not a suspect or a person of interest. They simply wished to speak with him.

This is an artist’s rendering of a possible witness in Dulce’s case. Image credit: ABC News via the New Jersey State Police

This man was reportedly at the park when Dulce disappeared, and he was seen with one or two children under 5 years old. It’s unknown if either child was Dulce, and descriptions of these children are unavailable as of this writing.

In early December 2019, Noema appeared on Dr. Phil to discuss her daughter’s disappearance. During the interview, she revealed that she believed her daughter was playing hide-and-seek. She denied having any involvement in her daughter’s disappearance, as well as denying any knowledge of who could’ve been responsible.

When he asked for Noema to name someone who could’ve been responsible, she responded “an old friend [she] used to know.” According to her account, this “old friend” was a man who wanted to date her, but she rejected him. She wouldn’t name this man, and the authorities have never found any evidence that he was involved.

Dr. Phil also interviewed a family friend named Jackie Rodriguez. She didn’t believe Noema had done anything to harm the child, but she stated some concerns.

She seems too calm. I feel like she knows her child is OK. She’s missing her, but she knows she’s OK,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve never seen her freaking out. I’ve seen her cry just once.

Jackie Rodriguez, in an interview with Dr. Phil

Dr. Phil echoed these sentiments. He noted that out of all of the interviews he’s done with the mothers of missing children, she was the calmest. That being said, when he asked Noema to speak to her daughter in Spanish, she began to cry and speak more eloquently.

Since then, Dulce’s case has grown cold. Rumors have circulated that Noema either knows more about her daughter’s disappearance or was directly responsible. However, little evidence has surfaced in the years since. The community still remembers the young girl and still works to keep her name in the spotlight.

Most recently, a new age-progressed photo was released in September 2023, the fourth anniversary of Dulce’s disappearance. Within a week, the authorities received 12 tips with information and sightings. The sightings centered mainly around the New Jersey area, although one sighting placed her in Pennsylvania. As of this writing, these tips have not resulted in any breaks in the case.

Since then, the family has held events to remember Dulce every December (for Christmas), April (for her birthday), and September (the anniversary of her disappearance). Dulce Maria Alavez remains missing.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez is haunting, tragic, and frustrating. A young girl goes to the park with her mom, her younger brother, and her mother’s younger sister. Children go to parks with their families and friends every day, and most of the time, they come home safely. But that didn’t happen for Dulce. Instead, she’s been missing for over four years, and police are no closer to finding her. Since then, a void has been left in her absence, and her loved ones are still fighting to bring her home.

When it comes to this case, there are three main theories people believe:

  • Dulce ran away/got lost.
  • Dulce was abducted by a stranger.
  • Dulce’s mother, Noema, was involved in her daughter’s disappearance.

Let’s address these one by one.

First, we have the theory that Dulce ran away or got lost. At first glance, this seems like a possible theory. She was only 5 years old, and little kids are known for getting into dangerous situations. Even Noema thought that she was playing a game at first. However, she was at a playground in an urban area at 4 PM. There were plenty of people who would’ve noticed a young girl walking alone. But no one reported seeing her by herself. All of the witnesses who came forward talked about an unknown man who might have been involved.

Given the number of people in the area, and given that an AMBER alert was released so quickly, I have to believe she would’ve been recovered quickly if she had wandered off. But that never happened. Instead, we have sightings of a potential abductor and rumors that Noema was involved. Because of this, I believe we can safely rule this out as a possibility.

Our next theory is that Dulce was abducted by a stranger. This is certainly possible. The police gathered enough information from witnesses to get a description of the person, and they were even able to release an AMBER alert. Because of how strict the requirements are, they wouldn’t have released one unless they were reasonably sure their information was accurate.

The only problem is that in the years since, no one has come forward to identify this person. If it was a stranger abduction, it leads me to believe that this person either wasn’t from the area or they’re being protected. As far as I’m aware, this man has not been seen in the area since that day. If that’s the case, then he probably fled the state soon after he abducted Dulce.

While many people agree that a stranger abduction is likely, including the authorities, we’re at a dead end until we can identify this man. Until then, it’s difficult to investigate this theory any further.

Our last theory is that Noema, Dulce’s mother, was involved in her daughter’s disappearance. Although the authorities have not named any member of Dulce’s family as a person of interest, many people believe that she knows more. They point out the fact that she let her 5-year-old and 3-year-old play at a park with minimal supervision, as well as her calm demeanor during the Dr. Phil interview.

Even though it’s common for parents to be involved in the disappearances of their children, I don’t know if that’s the case here. At best, these examples are circumstantial evidence, and other explanations must be investigated further. For example, while I agree it’s strange to let a 5-year-old and 3-year-old play outside with minimal supervision, we have to keep Noema’s background in mind. She was a 19-year-old mom with two small kids and one on the way. I don’t know about you, but when I was 19, there’s no way I could’ve been a parent to a single child, never mind two or three. The situation at the park that day might have been her attempt to take a break and catch her breath. It might not have been the wisest choice, but she might not have known what else to do.

As far as the Dr. Phil interview, there are dozens of factors that could’ve contributed to her demeanor. For example:

  • She could’ve had stage fright.
  • She could’ve been overwhelmed by being on the set, especially with all of the instructions she had to process.
  • She could’ve been on antianxiety medications that had a sedative effect, such as Xanax.
  • She could’ve been dealing with grief or depression, both of which can affect mood.
  • She could’ve been struggling with a language barrier. Remember, English was not her first language, and it’s often harder to use your second language when you’re stressed. I speak Spanish as a second language, and I often prefer using English when I’m under intense stress.
  • There could’ve been some cultural differences at play. For example, some cultures value being stoic and not showing any emotions, even during traumatic situations.

Could her behavior have been an admission of guilt? Sure. But it’s just as likely that some or all of these factors contributed. Unless she decides to release this information, we simply won’t know for sure.

The biggest argument I have against the theory is this: If Noema was involved, why would she continue to give interviews years later? Why not just let her case fade from the spotlight? She’s given several interviews over the years, and she’s talked extensively about how much she misses her little girl. Does that sound like a guilty party to you?

At this point, I think that to solve this case, it’s going to take someone coming forward and identifying the suspect, the witness, or both. Unfortunately, that might be a problem. In many immigrant communities, there’s a distrust of the authorities. The reasons vary, but a common concern is that undocumented immigrants will get deported if they speak with the police. It’s going to be on the authorities to build trust with the community. If they know their citizenship status won’t be a part of the conversation, they’ll be more likely to help.

Until that day comes, Dulce will likely remain missing and the case will stall. She might not have a perfect family, but at the end of the day, she’s an innocent little girl. She deserves to be found, and she deserves to have a chance to live her life. At the very least, she deserves a proper burial so that her loved ones can visit her and have a place to mourn.

It’s an absolute shame that we live in a world where innocent children are victimized. But we have a chance to make things right, though. Dulce disappeared in 2019, just over four years ago. There’s a chance she’s still alive out there, but it’s going to take more exposure to find the people who know something.

Please, share this blog post, share the witness descriptions and composite sketch, and tell others about Dulce. She was an innocent 5-year-old girl. Don’t let her be forgotten.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez, there are news articles, podcasts, and YouTube videos. Her case was also featured on shows like Dr. Phil. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez, please contact the Bridgeton Police Department at 1-856-451-0033. You can also submit tips via the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Nyleen Kay Marshall

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since June 25, 1983 from Clancy, Montana
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: White
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Blue
  • Date of Birth: September 18, 1978
  • Age: 4 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 3’2″
  • Weight: 29 pounds
  • Distinguishing characteristics: dimples on both cheeks, a small mole above her left eyebrow, a chipped upper left baby tooth, and excess hair on her lower back. Nyleen is right-handed.

This is an artist’s rendering of what Nyleen might look like at age 43.

Images Courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Information Courtesy of The Charley Project

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Click here to support True Crime Musings!***

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Nyleen home.***

About Nyleen

Nyleen Kay Marshall was born on September 18th, 1978, to her mother, Nancy Marshall. Little information is available about Nyleen’s biological father or Nyleen’s life leading up to her disappearance. By the time of her disappearance, she was living with her mom, stepfather (Kim), a six-year-old half-brother, and a two-year-old half-sister.

Nyleen and her family lived in Clancy, Montana, a rural community with plenty of opportunities to explore the outdoors. Because of this, the family often hiked and spent time outside.

From early on, both of her parents took safety seriously. They taught their children how to be safe in the woods, and they enacted procedures to keep everyone safe. While I was unable to find specific information about these procedures, it seemed like the end goal was to prevent someone from getting lost, injured, or both during their adventures.

As for Nyleen herself, she blossomed into a sweet, courteous child who loved the outdoors and preferred playing outside whenever possible. She loved to take off her shoes, get her hands dirty, and stay out until sunset. She was also well-loved by her family, friends, and community.

Disappearance

On the day of her disappearance, Nyleen and her family attended a picnic with several other families at the Elkhorn Mountains in Helena National Park. Her stepfather was a member of the Capital City Radio Club, and he and his family were one of several who were invited. The club would often host community events, such as endurance runs and other outdoor events.

The Helena National Forest is a large state park at around 976,000 acres, with elevations rising over 9,400 feet. It’s also home to many types of big game, including bears, elk, moose, big horn sheep, whitetail deer, and Rocky Mountain goats. The terrain can be difficult to navigate, and it’s famous for being one of the spots where famed explorers Lewis and Clark passed through on their expedition.

From all accounts, the picnic was a fun event. There were plenty of opportunities for the children to play and for the adults to hang out. As fun as the event was, the area had dangers. For example, there were steep, rocky embankments, as well as abandoned mine shafts and dense forestry.

As the day wore on, the children broke into groups to play. Nyleen’s group explored the forest, the river, and a beaver dam. Sources vary on the details of what happened immediately before and after her disappearance. Most reports say that she was last seen at approximately 4:00 PM, sitting alone on a beaver dam. These sources further state that Nyleen got separated from her friends, who then returned to the adults, assuming she was playing alone or going back to the picnic. As a result, the group went back to the main area, emerging from the forest.

To everyone’s surprise, Nyleen wasn’t with this group of children and hadn’t made her way back. Confused, her parents asked the kids where Nyleen was, and they informed them that she was last seen at the Beaver Dam.

Given the difficult terrain and the dangers it presented, her parents were concerned. They immediately jumped into action, searched the forest with the help of the other attendees, and called out for the young girl. She never responded, much to everyone’s shock. She was last seen barefoot. No one thought she could’ve gotten that far.

As it became evident that Nyleen wasn’t going to be found quickly, the decision was made to drive to a phone and contact the local authorities.

Investigation

Once the authorities arrived, they contacted locals and search-and-rescue groups to help search. The forest was so dense that they needed volunteers with the skills to navigate the area. In total, there were over 2,800 volunteers and canines intensively searching for Nyleen. At one point, dogs picked up her scent near Maupin Creek, only for them to lose it just as quickly. For investigators, this brought up the dark possibility that she had been kidnapped.

While the official searches were conducted, the authorities interviewed witnesses, paying special attention to the children who were last seen with Nyleen. Despite the number of witnesses, police only discovered two pieces of information:

  1. Multiple witnesses reported seeing a man in a purple jogging suit. Some sources report that he was in the area shortly before her disappearance, and others report that the man spoke to her shortly before her disappearance. As of this writing, this man has never been identified, and it’s unknown if he’s connected to her case.
  2. One boy reported that Nyleen had told him that this same man told her to “follow the shadow.” It’s unknown what this phrase means or how it’s connected to her case.

The authorities also briefly looked into Nyleen’s stepfather, although I was unable to find any more information about why he was suspected. In any case, he was cleared, and the leads quickly went dry.

Later Developments

In November 1985, two years after Nyleen disappeared, the Marshall family received the first of three phone calls, all coming from an unknown man who police suspected abducted the young girl. Little information about these calls has been released, but this man was reported to have taken Nyleen. The police were able to trace the calls to several different phone booths in Edgerton, Wisconsin. However, the phone calls stopped soon after.

A few months later, in January 1986, a series of letters with a Madison, Wisconsin postmark were sent to Child Find of America and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. These letters were written by a man who claimed to have picked up a little girl named “Kay.” Among other details, the writer claimed to have picked up “Kay” on a road in Elkhorn Park between the towns of Helena and Boulder in Montana. He claimed to have a good investment income, worked from home, homeschooled the girl, and traveled extensively within the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. He claimed to love the child and acknowledged that her family must love her, but he couldn’t “let her go.”

These letters included details that were known only to law enforcement and whoever was responsible for Nyleen’s disappearance. As of this writing, they have not found the person or people responsible for the phone calls and letters.

In 1990, the television show Unsolved Mysteries covered the case. This airing generated at least one tip. A caller reported that he believed that Nyleen was a student at his school, which was in Vancouver, British Colombia. This student, who went by the name of Mary Ann Kelly, bore a striking resemblance to Nyleen’s age-progressed photo at the time.

The authorities investigated and conducted a background search on “Mary” and her father, “Robert Kelly.” Both individuals were living under false identities, but “Mary” was not Nyleen. Instead, she was another missing person, a young girl named Monica Bonilla. Monica had been abducted by her non-custodial father in Burbank, California on September 22nd, 1982. Shortly after this discovery, her father was arrested, and she was reunited with her mother.

The case would stall again until 1991 when Richard James Wilson turned himself in. He claimed to have murdered both Nyleen and another woman, and he told them where they could find Nyleen’s remains. In response, the authorities took him back to the Elkhorn Mountains so Wilson could show them the location. They were unable to find her remains, and upon being questioned further, he recanted his confession.

By the late 1990s, another tip was called in. A woman who worked at a hospital in New Orleans told the FBI about an unusual encounter she had had with a patient two years prior. A man and a 19-year-old woman (named “Helena”) came, wanting to be admitted for labor and delivery. As she asked the couple about their medical and family history, they became visibly uncomfortable and left before receiving care. In response, the authorities tracked down this woman and had her submit to a DNA sample, which was compared to that of her birth father. It was not a match.

Unfortunately, another tragedy befell the Marshall family in the years since Nyleen’s disappearance. Nancy, Nyleen’s mother, was found dead in Mexico in 1995. Some sources say she was in Mexico for a vacation, but others say she was there looking for houses, as Kim had received a job transfer. Either way, she was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Even though the local authorities ruled it a suicide, many are convinced it was murder. Whether or not her death was related to Nyleen’s disappearance is unknown.

There have been no new leads in Nyleen’s disappearance since the late 1990s. The case is still open, and the authorities investigate every lead, but they haven’t been able to get the evidence they need. As of this writing, her case remains unsolved.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Nyleen Marshall is confounding and heartbreaking. A four-year-old spent an afternoon doing what she loves, playing outside and hanging out with family and friends. It’s something that countless children have done, and for the most part, they come home safely. Only this time, Nyleen didn’t. She disappeared from the Elkhorn Mountains in the Helena National Forest, and she hasn’t been found in over 40 years.

To make things even worse, her mother Nancy was found dead in Mexico in the mid-1990s. She had tirelessly searched for her daughter in the years following her disappearance, but she tragically died before she could receive closure.

When it comes to this case, there are three main theories that people believe:

1. Nyleen got lost in the woods, where she either succumbed to the elements or was the victim of an animal attack.

2. Nyleen was kidnapped and murdered soon after she disappeared.

3. Nyleen was kidnapped by someone looking for a child to raise.

Let’s examine these one by one.

First, we have the theory that Nyleen got lost in the woods and succumbed to the elements or an animal attack. On face value, this seems like the most likely theory. After all, she and her family were in the woods. The terrain was difficult to navigate, and there were a variety of wild animals. Considering Nyleen was so small, it wouldn’t have taken much for her to get into a dangerous situation. She could’ve fallen into an abandoned mine shaft, drowned in a body of water, been carried off by a wild animal, or any number of other scenarios.

The problem is that we don’t have any evidence. Despite exhaustive searches and the passage of time, the authorities never found anything connected to Nyleen. No hair, no blood, no torn clothes, nothing. Besides that, no one heard any screams, growls, or anything to suggest a wild animal was in the area. I’m not saying this theory is impossible. Given how dense the forestry was and her size, she could’ve fit in tiny spaces, spaces that could’ve been overlooked. But given the number of searches and the amount of time that’s passed, you would think that something would’ve been found by now.

With all of these factors in mind, I believe we can set this theory aside.

That leads us to our second theory, that Nyleen was abducted and murdered soon after her disappearance. For many, this is the most likely theory. At first glance, it makes sense. It’s all too common for children to die soon after they’re abducted, especially by a stranger.

However, because of the lack of evidence, we can’t say for sure what the motive was. Not only that, but between the phone calls, letters, and sightings of Nyleen herself, it’s possible that she was alive for years after her disappearance. But given that there haven’t been any sightings since the late 1990s, it’s also possible she was killed years after she was last seen.

I think we have to keep this theory in the back of our minds, but given the sheer lack of evidence, we can’t say for sure.

That brings us to the last theory, that Nyleen was abducted by someone who wanted a child. Several years after her disappearance, organizations received letters and phone calls from an individual claiming to be responsible for Nyleen’s abduction. They were able to pinpoint the exact location where she was last seen, and there was reportedly information known only to law enforcement and the perpetrator.

You could argue that the phone calls and letters were hoaxes. It’s possible, but given that the information was so specific, I just don’t think that’s the case. Criminals have been known to taunt law enforcement and victims’ families, so it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the case.

The frustrating part is we have nothing to go on here. Instead, we’re left with endless questions. There was no evidence of suspicious individuals or Nyleen herself. If it wasn’t for all of the eyewitnesses, I would question whether she even went to the picnic that day.

Given that this took place in a national forest, I wonder if there was a record of him being there. Did visitors have to purchase tickets or sign a guest book? Or could people enter and exit unmonitored? I also wonder if police searched these records and interviewed people who were at the park that day. I wasn’t able to find anything definitive. If they did, they never revealed anything to the public.

Unfortunately, unless there’s a major development, I can see this case stalling for another 40 years. It’s tragic because this was an innocent four-year-old girl. She was playing outside with her friends, and she should’ve come home. She should’ve had the opportunity to live her life. But in all likelihood, she never got that chance. All because of one sick and twisted individual.

But you can help make things right. Start by sharing this post. Keep talking about her story. It might jog someone’s memory or pressure the individual involved to come forward.

Nyleen’s mother died without knowing what happened to her daughter. Let’s find out what happened so the rest of her family can have peace.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Nyleen Kay Marshall, there are several news articles and podcasts. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Nyleen Kay Marshall, please contact the Jefferson County Sherrif’s Office Missing Persons Unit at 406-225-4075. You can also submit tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Eugene Martin

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since August 12, 1984 from Des Moines, Iowa
  • Sex: Male
  • Race: White
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Brown
  • Date of Birth: August 17, 1970
  • Age: 13 (at the time of his disappearance)
  • Height: 5’0″
  • Weight: 110 pounds
  • Clothing description: A gray and white striped midriff t-shirt with red sleeves, blue jeans and blue Trax sneakers with white diagonal stripes.
  • Distinguishing characteristics: Eugene has a scar on his right knee, and he previously broke one of his wrists
  • Alias/Nickname: Gene

Image and Information Courtesy of The Charley Project.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Click here to support True Crime Musings!***

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Eugene home.***

About Eugene

Eugene Wade “Gene” Martin was born on August 17, 1970. His parents divorced shortly after his birth, and at the time of his disappearance, he was living with his father, stepmother, and several half-siblings. Described as polite, quiet, and somewhat shy, Gene showed interest in sports, Saturday morning cartoons, and video games. In particular, he enjoyed fishing, football, and skating. Like many children at the time, he had a paper route as a way to make extra money. He had picked up this route with the Des Moines Register a few months before his disappearance.

Disappearance

Thirteen-year-old Eugene Martin left his home in the early morning hours of August 12 to deliver newspapers. He normally went with his older stepbrother, but due to a sleepover at a friend’s house, he was unable to accompany him. Undeterred by his absence, Gene got ready for work anyway and left alone. Reportedly, he wanted to earn money for the state fair, and he didn’t want to miss a shift.

It’s hard to know when Gene left that day, as his family was asleep when he left. However, some sources list the time as approximately 5 AM. Because of how early he left, his absence seemed normal, and no one thought that anything was wrong at first. However, customers called the newspaper, complaining they had never received that day’s edition. Gene’s family didn’t know anything was wrong until approximately 7:15 AM, when his manager called. He stated that Gene hadn’t picked up his newspaper sack from the corner of Southwest 14th and Highview Streets, where he was to report to at the beginning of his shifts.

When Gene still hadn’t picked up his newspapers at 7:30 AM, his manager called his family again. At that point, his father called the authorities, and the search began at approximately 8:40 AM.

Investigation

Because of the disappearance of Johnny Gosch two years earlier, the police immediately jumped into action after hearing about Gene’s disappearance. They initiated a search of the immediate area, interviewed potential witnesses, and spread the word about his disappearance. Unlike in Johnny’s case, the authorities quickly brought in the FBI to assist in the search. It was briefly considered that Gene ran away due to a “domestic dispute,” but the authorities quickly ruled this out. Eventually, they theorized that foul play was involved.

Meanwhile, the Des Moines Register offered a $5,000 reward for information regarding his location. It would later increase to $25,000. They also placed notices about his disappearance in every paper, as well as a warning for carriers to be on the lookout for Gene and anyone acting suspiciously. The paper also added supervisors to monitor the routes.

Although the authorities talked to every person who lived on Gene’s route, they received very little information to work with. However, they received two pieces of interesting information:

  1. There was a report of a green car lurking near 14th and 18th streets around 5 AM. The driver was a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, and he had short, dark hair. He supposedly had been reported for following a couple of young women, but I was unable to independently verify this.
  2. A separate witness reported seeing Gene speaking to an unidentified man between 5:00-5:45 AM at Southwest 12th Street and Highview Drive. This conversation appeared friendly, but the witness was not close enough to hear the conversation. The man was further described as clean-cut and in his 30s. Later on, several other witnesses confirmed that this conversation took place. To this day, this man remains unidentified.

Eventually, the police found the man driving the green van and interviewed him. However, they were unable to find a connection between him and Gene’s disappearance. The man was in the area that morning, but he was dropping off his wife at work. His alibi was verified, and he was ruled out.

Once it became clear that Gene was no longer in the immediate area, the authorities expanded their search to include isolated areas such as parks, riverfronts, and warehouses. The official search continued to pick up steam as 25 police officers, 16 FBI agents, and dozens of volunteers continued to look for him. Many more searched for him independently, handed out fliers, and spread the word about his disappearance. Even with dozens of people searching for him, they still couldn’t find Gene or any evidence connected to him.

As it became evident that Gene was no longer in the city, the official search was expanded yet again to outlying areas, especially those that were more rural or isolated. Additional resources were brought in, which enabled the authorities to search via air and land.

After that, the authorities began to investigate the possibility that Gene’s case was connected to that of Johnny Gosch, a 12-year-old boy who disappeared two years earlier from the same area while on his paper route. While a connection is suspected, there has never been any evidence to prove it.

As time wore on, authorities had little to go on, leads began to dry up, and the case became cold. In the years since, his family has continued to search for him, giving interviews as recently as 2023. Even though both of his parents have died, the family has held out hope that they will receive answers and justice.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Eugene Martin is incredibly mysterious and heartbreaking. A 13-year-old boy disappeared while doing something common for kids his age at the time: delivering newspapers. But unlike thousands of other children, he never came home.

Oftentimes, cold case disappearances are frustrating to investigate. Sometimes, you have so much evidence, and everyone knows exactly what happened, but there’s not enough evidence to secure a conviction. Other times, there’s so little evidence that you can make pretty much any theory seem plausible. With Gene’s disappearance, we’re dealing with the latter. Even after all these years, police have never discovered a crime scene, and they’ve never named any persons of interest or suspects.

It’s as though he vanished into thin air.

But obviously, he has to be somewhere.

When it comes to this case, people generally believe one of three theories:

  • Gene ran away.
  • Gene was abducted.
  • Gene’s disappearance is connected to that of Johnny Gosch.

Let’s address these one by one.

First, we have the theory that Gene ran away. During the 1970s and 1980s in the United States, police often dismissed missing teenagers as runaways, and they assumed this was the case here as well. Very quickly, though, they realized that there was no evidence to support this theory. Yes, there was a “domestic dispute,” but I was unable to find any additional information about it. Other than that, Gene didn’t show any of the typical warning signs. He had a good home life, he was doing well in school, and he held down a job. Overall, he was a happy kid. Why would he run away from that?

In many cases, the runaway theory is plausible. But I don’t see it as a possibility here. If he ran away, he would’ve had to find a way to support himself, stay off the radar, and cut off contact with his loved ones for decades. What 13-year-old can do all of this?

With all of this in mind, I believe we can safely rule out the runaway theory.

The next theory is that Gene was abducted. Supporters point out the sightings of a green van, as well as the unknown man speaking with him. At first glance, this seems plausible. However, we don’t have enough evidence to confirm that an abduction took place. To my knowledge, no one reported shouts, screams, tires squealing, or anything unusual that morning. I know this occurred early in the morning, but you would think someone would’ve heard something.

That being said, it’s possible that Gene knew his abductor. This person could’ve exploited their relationship with him to get him into a vehicle. By the time he realized what was going on, he would’ve been far away from the neighborhood. If that was the case, though, you would think that police would’ve found something by now. Either that or rumors would’ve produced the name of a suspect. Neither of these things have happened, though.

Although I find this theory more plausible than the runaway theory, we still need more evidence. However, because of the circumstantial evidence, I can’t rule it in or out.

The last theory is that Gene was abducted by the same person or persons responsible for the disappearance of Johnny Gosch. If you’re unfamiliar with Johnny’s case, the Charley Project has an excellent summary, which can be viewed here.

That being said, the disappearances are eerily similar. For example:

  • Both boys were paperboys who disappeared before they could deliver a single paper.
  • Both boys conducted their paper routes alone.
  • Witnesses noted that both boys were talking to an unknown man shortly before they were thought to have disappeared.
  • The authorities found each boy’s newspapers abandoned.
  • Both boys disappeared on Sundays.
  • The boys disappeared from the same city, almost two years apart.

Clearly, there are a lot of similarities here, and the circumstantial evidence would say that these two cases are connected. Personally, I would be amazed if they weren’t connected.

However, we run into the same problem here. We just don’t have any solid evidence to prove that these boys were abducted, never mind connected to each other. The authorities never found a crime scene, a murder weapon, or a suspect in either case. Until we get more information, we can confirm a connection, never mind determine what happened.

If we could find the identity of the unknown man/men, that could crack these cases wide open and establish connections. At a minimum, this would help paint a clearer picture for the authorities. At a maximum, they could finally name a suspect and have more leads to follow.

It’s frustrating because there’s so much we don’t know, so much we can’t confirm, even after all this time. Unfortunately, this case (as well as Johnny’s) will likely stall until the police get new evidence. Identifying the unknown man will likely get this case moving again, but someone’s going to have to come forward and tell the police what they know.

Until that happens, the disappearance of Eugene Martin will remain cold.

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Eugene Martin, there are several news articles and podcasts. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Eugene Martin, please contact the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4864.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Lucely “Lily” Aramburo

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since June 2, 2007 from Miami, Florida
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: Hispanic
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Brown/Hazel
  • Date of Birth: November 16, 1983
  • Age: 23 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 5’4″
  • Weight: 100-110 pounds
  • Medical Conditions: Lucely was diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression, and she was taking Celexa (an antidepressant) at the time of her disappearance. She also has a history of drug abuse.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Lucely has a scar on her left hand, below her left knee, and on her lower abdomen. She also has freckles on her shoulders and face, musical notes tattooed on her back, and pierced ears. Her aliases include the names Ashley Green and Amber Hall. She also broke her right wrist and back, but the injuries had healed.
  • Other Notes: Lucely did not have a car at the time of her disappearance, and she usually relied on public transportation to get around.

Image Courtesy of cbsnews.com

Information Courtesy of The Charley Project

***Trigger Warning***

Today’s post discusses suicide. While every effort has been made to avoid graphic details, the post may contain information that upsets readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you need support, click here.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Lucely home.***

About Lucely

Lucely “Lily” Aramburo was born on November 16, 1983. Soon after, she and her parents moved to Miami, Florida, and her parents divorced. By the time of her disappearance, her father was no longer in the picture, and she did not have contact with him.

As a child, Lily attended Shenandoah Elementary, Riviera Day School in Coral Gables, and Ponce De Leon Middle School. She loved the outdoors, especially flowers. Throughout her life, she would pick flowers to cope with stress. She even starred in the Sabado Gigante Show for several seasons, a weekly Spanish-language variety show.

Life was going well until the summer of 1997, when Lily and her mom moved to Hollywood, Florida. This required Lily to change schools to Hollywood Hills High School, a change that would’ve been difficult for many teenagers. Though she attended this new school for her freshman year, she soon fell into the wrong crowd and started experimenting with drugs. Things got to the point where she would leave for days at a time, and her mother would search frantically for her night after night.

Around the same time, Lily was diagnosed with depression. Though the diagnosis provided answers, her life continued to spiral out of control. At age 16, she dropped out of high school and experimented with other drugs, such as ecstasy and ketamine.

Once these new drugs were introduced, things reached a new level of desperation. Lily met David Lamaso in 2003, after which they began to date. Once they moved in together, she increased her dependence on drugs, and her communication with her mother became sporadic. She also reportedly became angrier, and she was also diagnosed with Schizophrenia at this time.

In 2004, Lily and David met and befriended Christen Pacheco. Christen reportedly never did drugs before meeting Lily and David, but he soon became addicted to cocaine.

Drugs continued to dominate Lily’s life until January 2006, when she became pregnant. Realizing she needed to provide for her baby, she got clean, obtained her GED, and even took Buddhism courses. While taking the courses, she met Janet Forte, who became her close friend and advocate, especially after her disappearance. She gave birth in September 2006 to a baby boy that she named Palden.

Things seemed to be looking up for Lily. Unfortunately, things began to go downhill again when Lily and David broke up in late 2006, at which point she and Christen began a relationship. She moved into his condo, and they even discussed marriage. However, many described their relationship as “troubled.” The police were called on at least two separate occasions after they got into heated arguments, and Lily reportedly admitted to her mother that she was afraid of him. Even though there were never any arrests made during these altercations, police arrested Christen on drug-related charges several times after Lily’s disappearance.

By 2007, Lily’s life was once again spiraling out of control. Due to her and Christen’s drug use and late-night parties, Child Protective Services (CPS) became involved and gave custody of Paulden to Lily’s mother. CPS then told Lily that if she didn’t get clean and stay clean, she would lose her son. In response, she was admitted to an inpatient drug treatment program and underwent regular drug testing.

A few days before her disappearance, she had tested positive for drugs, which increased her risk of losing her son permanently.

Disappearance and Investigation

Lily was last seen in the early morning hours of June 2, 2007, by her boyfriend Christen Pacheco. According to his account, she walked out following an argument between them; she was wearing only a nightgown and carried two bungee cords. Her cell phone and purse were left behind. Christen claimed to have woken up around 10 AM and discovered Lily was nowhere to be found. He searched the neighborhood for hours before contacting the authorities. He ended up reporting her missing 24 hours later, at which point he claimed that she had been suicidal.

Initially, the police didn’t take her disappearance seriously. She was an adult who had a history of running away and drug abuse. However, her mother and her friend Janet insisted that it was uncharacteristic of her to abandon her son and cut off contact with everyone.

Unfortunately, this was not the only mistake the police made. Even though Christen was the last person known to be with Lily that day, he was not questioned until years after the disappearance. At that point, he was given a polygraph test, which he reportedly passed. It wouldn’t be until years later that the public found out he had actually failed.

Due to a lack of attention from the police, her mother and Janet attempted to contact the media to get the word out about her disappearance. Frustratingly, none of the media outlets were willing to cover her case.

Since then, Christen reached out to Lily’s mother to report sightings of her in the Miami area. In one sighting, he claimed to have spoken to two men who confirmed that they spoke with Lily. Reportedly, her mother spoke with one of the men, and the details were so compelling that she and Janet began to focus their efforts in the Miami area. Unfortunately, nothing came of this sighting.

For Lily’s loved ones, Christen’s inconsistencies that night warrant a closer look. There are several questions that only he can answer, such as why it took him so long to report Lily missing or contact her mother. In response, he told her that he had tried to report her missing sooner, but the police had told him that he needed to wait 24-48 hours to report an adult. He also assumed that someone else in the house had contacted her mother.

Not satisfied with these answers, her loved ones tried to go to the police with their suspicions, but nothing came of it.

After that, Janet turned to the internet to share Lily’s story in the hopes of garnering more exposure and leads. Her efforts paid off when a journalist from the Miami New Times picked up the story and wrote a comprehensive article about the case, complete with statements from the police, Lily’s mother, Janet, and Christen, among others. This article came across the desks of two private investigators, who offered their services pro bono.

Despite the assistance of the private investigators, pushes for more exposure, and a detective reinvestigating her case, no new leads have developed. Over the years, there have been rumors that Lily was murdered, and there have been reported sightings, but none of these have helped the case progress.

Since her disappearance, Lily’s mother has been caring for Palden. She’s tried to keep her daughter’s story alive, but it hasn’t been easy. As of this writing, her case remains unsolved.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Lily Aramburo is equally mysterious and infuriating. A young mother supposedly disappears early one morning after a fight with her boyfriend/fiancé. The strange part is that she disappears wearing only a nightgown and carrying a couple of bungee cords. Honestly, it reminds me of the disappearance of Monica Carrasco, which I covered in my first post.

This case was difficult and somewhat frustrating to research. Lily’s case received very little attention from police and the media, and as a result, many of the details of this case are unconfirmed, making it hard to determine what happened. Janet Forte, Lily’s friend, has done a lot of work to promote her case online. Unfortunately, the website (justiceinmiami.org) was taken down, but parts are accessible via the WayBack Machine. I scoured through the archives, looking for additional information about her case, but the only information I found discussed efforts to promote Lily’s case.

This disappearance is particularly tragic. From what information is available, it’s clear that Lily struggled. Struggled with changes in her life, struggled with mental illnesses, struggled with drug abuse. Many people prefer to distance themselves from the poor and vulnerable, especially if there are drugs involved. But I urge you to read Lily’s story (and similar stories) with compassion and an open mind. I’ve worked with vulnerable people in my personal and professional life, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned is this: you are not as removed from poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, etc. as you think you are. I say that not to scare you but to ground you in reality. Because if you ever end up in Lily’s situation, you’re going to hope and pray that someone shows you compassion and empathy.

In Lily’s case, there’s not a lot of information, but there are some theories to discuss. Most people who look at this case believe one of the following theories:

  1. Lily left Christen’s condo that night with the intent to harm herself.
  2. Lily ran away, possibly while under the influence of drugs.
  3. Lily died or was murdered.

Let’s look at these theories one by one.

First, we have the theory that Lily left Christen’s condo with the intent to harm herself. If Christen is to be believed, she was suicidal. Even though she was diagnosed with depression, I struggle to believe this theory. If she was suicidal, why did she leave the condo if she wanted to end her life? Even though it was the middle of the night, there was a decent chance that someone could’ve seen what she was doing and stopped her. There could’ve been high school or college students coming home after a night out, a mom getting up to tend to her baby, or a child woken up by a nightmare. As far as I’m aware, no one other than Christen saw her that night, never mind stopped her supposed suicide attempt.

The dealbreaker for me is her lack of shoes. I can understand leaving your wallet and phone behind, but to leave your shoes behind? I mentioned in the Monica Carrasco case that running outside barefoot puts strain on your body. Even if you’re just walking, it’s still incredibly uncomfortable and painful. The pavement is rough, and you could step on things like rocks, sticks, and broken glass and hurt yourself. Why would she have subjected herself to this discomfort and pain when there were suicide methods more accessible at the condo?

With all of this in mind, I believe that the suicide theory is the least likely.

The next theory we have is that Lily ran away, possibly while she was under the influence of drugs. I’ll admit that drugs can make you do some strange things, but I also find it hard to believe this theory. If she was under the influence, how could she have gotten so far away that no one would’ve found her? If she was in the middle of the woods, then it’s plausible. However, she disappeared from a condo in a more urban area. Besides, she was barefoot, which would’ve slowed her down considerably. If she was in the immediate area, someone would’ve found her.

The only way I see this being possible is if someone picked her up as a hitchhiker. But again, there’s no evidence that this happened. No one reported seeing unusual vehicles or suspicious people near Christen’s condo that night. Not only that, but this theory and the suicide theory completely ignore what Lily’s loved ones have said: she would never leave her son. She was working hard to regain custody. If she wanted him back that badly, why would she leave? She was already in hot water over the positive drug test. Abandoning your child would only cause more trouble, and it would further increase your risk of losing custody forever.

While this theory isn’t out of the realm of possibility, I still don’t think it’s likely.

The last theory is that Lily either died or was murdered that night, and someone concealed her body. We know that she and Christen had a rocky relationship, to the point where the authorities were called to break up their fights multiple times. She even told her mother that she was scared of him.

There are a myriad of possibilities under this theory. One notable possibility is that Lily overdosed and died, and Christen disposed of her body in the 24 hours between her disappearance and the authorities being contacted. There have been plenty of instances where people panicked after an accidental death. Rather than calling the police, they conceal the body and hide evidence. I can see this as a possibility here, especially since there were drugs involved.

But even with this theory, there are still issues. If it was an accident, why would someone like Christen go through the effort of concealing her body? I imagine charges like concealing a corpse would carry stiffer punishments than a drug possession charge.

That leads to another possibility, that Christen was responsible for Lily’s death. The fact that their arguments were bad enough for police to get involved is a massive red flag for me, as is the fact that Lily admitted to her mom that she was scared of him.

Domestic violence is a serious problem that doesn’t go away on its own. Without aggressive intervention, it can end in one or both partners being seriously injured or dying. If Lily died during an argument with Christen, that would motivate him to stay quiet after all these years. He would’ve likely received a severe punishment, especially since this wasn’t the first time police intervened during their arguments.

The only problem is that we have no evidence of any of this. Christen has never been named a suspect, never mind arrested and convicted. Between the lack of evidence and cooperation with authorities, we have almost nothing to work with here. It’s almost all speculation and hearsay.

Lily deserves better. In between her mental illnesses and drug abuse, she was still a person. She was a daughter, a mother, and a friend. She doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. She deserves her day in court, just like every other victim.

Even though most of the world forgot about her, you don’t have to. Talk to your loved ones about Lily, especially if you know anyone in the Miami area. Share this post on social media. Don’t let her continue to be forgotten.

“They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing, and a second time when somebody says your name for the last time.”

-Banksy

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Lucely “Lily” Aramburo, there’s not a lot of information. Janet had created a website to discuss Lily’s disappearance, but it has since been removed. As a result, a lot of the information available hasn’t been confirmed. The most comprehensive source I found was episode 41 of the Trace Evidence Podcast. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Lucely “Lily” Aramburo, please contact the Miami-Dade Police Department at 305-418-7200.

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What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

The Disappearance of Angelo “Andy” Puglisi

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing since August 21, 1976 from Lawrence. Massachusetts
  • Sex: Male
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Brown
  • Age: 10 (at the time of his disappearance)
  • Height: 4’0″
  • Weight: 65 pounds
  • Clothing Description: A bathing suit, a towel, and a pair of sneakers
  • Distinguishing characteristics: At the time of his disappearance, Angelo had a mild case of epilepsy which would require hospital treatment if he had a seizure. In addition, he had three scars along his spine and skin discoloration on his chest.

This is an artist’s rendering of what Angelo might look like at age 50.

Images courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Information courtesy of The Charley Project.

***Trigger Warning***

Today’s post includes a discussion of crimes against children, including rape. While not graphic, the details may be upsetting. Reader discretion is advised. To report child abuse or other crimes against children, please contact your local authorities.

To Support True Crime Musings, click here.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Angelo home.***

About Angelo

Angelo “Andy” Puglisi was born to his parents, Angelo and Faith Puglisi, on September 2nd, 1965. As the oldest of five children, he was described as “a good kid” who was “always willing to help.” At the time of his disappearance, he and his family lived at the Stadium Housing Projects.

His parents would later divorce in 1975, which resulted in his father moving to New Hampshire.

From an early age, Andy cared about others. One of his childhood friends, Melanie, remembered meeting him when he and her older brother were playing football. She asked to play, and at first, her brother said no. However, Andy stood up for her and said that if she couldn’t play, then he wasn’t going to play either. As he grew up, he would quickly become known for his kindness and gentleness.

In the 1970s, Lawrence, Massachusetts was considered one of the poorest cities in the United States. As of the most recent Census, nearly 20% of residents live in poverty. Despite this, life was good for Andy. He adored his parents and his siblings, and there were around 300 kids to play with in his housing project. A new public swimming pool, the Higgins Memorial Swimming Pool, had opened across the street, and it quickly became a popular hangout spot on hot days, especially for the local children. This would become the same pool that Andy would vanish from.

Disappearance

On the day of his disappearance, Andy went to the Higgins Memorial Swimming Pool. It is unknown when he arrived at the pool or what occurred that morning. However, there are a few confirmed events that help to establish a timeline:

  • At 2 PM, his friend, Melanie Perkins, left the pool with her brother. Andy opted to stay, as he wasn’t ready to go home.
  • At 3:30 PM, Andy’s mother, Faith, reported that Andy called home and spoke to one of his brothers. At that point, there weren’t any signs of anything wrong.
  • At 5:45 PM, a lifeguard saw him leaving the pool. This was the last confirmed sighting.

Andy’s siblings came home soon after, and they quickly noted his absence. This resulted in his family and neighbors searching for him at the pool and the surrounding areas, which included a dump, nearby woods that lead to Interstate 495, and the housing development.

At some point, the police were called, and they launched a massive search that involved state troopers, military personnel, and volunteers. They worked day and night for six days, at which time the official search was called off.

At first, the authorities believed that Andy had run away since his parents went through a difficult divorce. Their theory was that he ran away because he felt torn between his parents. However, when he failed to turn up during the official search, investigators began to consider the possibility of foul play.

Later Developments

Since Andy’s disappearance, a few suspects have risen to the surface, including Charles Pierce and Wayne Chapman.

In September 1976, approximately one month after Andy’s disappearance, Wayne Chapman was arrested in New York State for a firearms violation during a routine traffic stop. At the time, he was driving a converted van that had been a blue truck, similar to the one Andy’s friend noticed near the pool the day he vanished. Once the authorities searched his van, they found child pornography, rope, tape, handcuffs, a fake police badge, a sock that appeared to be bloodstained, and a starter’s pistol. Police later suspected him in the disappearances of over a dozen children. He was charged with several crimes against children, including the rapes of two boys in 1975, which occurred after he lured them from the same swimming pool Andy disappeared from.

Chapman was never charged in connection with Andy’s disappearance. He served his prison sentence, after which he was civilly committed as a sexually dangerous offender. Despite his status, he was released in 2019, after which he was committed to a medical facility in Boston. He died in October 2021.

A second suspect, Charles Pierce, arose after he confessed to two different abductions in the 1970s; Janice Pockett, who disappeared in 1973 from Connecticut; and an unidentified boy from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Some believe that the unidentified boy was Andy, and although Pierce claimed he sexually assaulted and buried the boy near Janice, neither body has been located. He was convicted of rape and murder, and he was serving a 20-year prison sentence when he died in 1999.

In 1998, Melanie Perkins, a friend of Andy’s who was with him at the pool that day, began filming the documentary Have You Seen Andy? The documentary was released in 2007 and featured on HBO Cinemax. The following year, it won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism.

Since 2007, Melanie has worked to keep Andy’s case in the spotlight. Unfortunately, after the two main suspects died, the case stalled. As of this writing, Angelo “Andy” Puglisi remains missing.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Andy Puglisi is incredibly haunting and unnerving. A young boy goes to the local swimming pool across the street from his house to cool off and hang out with his friends. What should have been a fun, uneventful day quickly spirals into a nightmare for his family and friends, one that’s continued for more than 40 years.

Unfortunately, except for Melanie’s documentary, there is very little information about Andy’s case. We don’t know when Andy arrived at the pool, we don’t know who he spoke with while he was there, and we don’t know if there were any suspicious activities at the pool or in the surrounding areas. It’s only years later that we find out that a truck was at the pool that day, similar to the one driven by Wayne Chapman.

These information gaps aren’t too surprising given that the police originally assumed him to be a runaway. The only problem is that we don’t have any solid evidence that he was unhappy with his life. Of course, you could argue that his parents’ divorce played a role, especially after reading this police report. According to the report:

Andy’s mother Faith is…divorced from his father and the separation has not been one of great accord. During the investigation[,] accusations and counter-accusations between the father and mother have only tended to muddy an already unclear disappearance.

Police Report, Haveyouseenandy.com

Even though the police moved away from the runaway theory, some still believe that he ran away and/or the divorce played a role in his disappearance. They argue that divorce can be incredibly difficult for children, especially if it’s a contentious one.

However, we don’t have any evidence that the divorce was a factor in his disappearance. By all accounts, he was a happy kid who cared deeply about his family and friends. That was one thing that appeared in my research repeatedly, his caring nature. Why would someone that concerned about others run away and cut off contact with everyone for over four decades? Considering he was only ten years old at the time, it’s unlikely he would’ve had the ability to leave and start a new life. Even if one of his parents was involved, the police would’ve found a connection by now.

With all of this in mind, it’s safe to say that the runaway theory is the least likely possibility.

In the years since his disappearance, two suspects have emerged: Charles Pierce and Wayne Chapman. It makes sense why police suspect them since they were both convicted of crimes against children. However, the case has stalled since both of them have died. Despite this, we can take a closer look at the two of them.

As a suspect, Chapman is particularly interesting to me. He confessed to raping two boys in 1975 after luring them away from the same swimming pool that Andy disappeared from. That was only a year before his disappearance. He also drove a vehicle that matched the description of one at the pool that day. Not only that, but the authorities recovered a variety of suspicious items in his van. These include things like child pornography, rope, tape, handcuffs, a fake police badge, a stained sock, and a starter’s pistol. When taken all together, these items paint a dark picture of a child predator who posed as a cop to lure children away, where he could then harm them.

The only problem is that even though he was suspected of being involved in the disappearances of over a dozen children, the police never found anything to connect Wayne Chapman to Andy. If he knew anything, he took those secrets to the grave in 2021.

We run into a similar problem with Charles Pierce, the second suspect. He confessed to two different abductions in the 1970s: Janice Pockett and an unidentified boy from Lawrence, Massachusetts. He also claimed to have killed both children and buried the boy near Janice. At the time of his death, he was serving a prison sentence for rape and murder, so his involvement isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The only problem is that neither body has been recovered, and the police never found any evidence connecting him to the disappearance of either child. Given his past convictions, he could’ve been involved, or he could be lying for some ulterior motive. Either is a possibility. But just like Chapman, Pierce died, taking any secrets with him to the grave.

Unfortunately, that’s where the case stops. We have a couple of suspects that are loosely connected to Andy’s disappearance, but any evidence is circumstantial at best.

At this point, it’s going to take someone coming forward or the discovery of Andy’s remains for this case to receive any kind of closure. Even though both of the main suspects have died, we still need to find him. He deserves a proper burial, and his family deserves closure and answers.

And you can be that person. All it takes is one phone call or one anonymous message to resolve this case once and for all. Do you know anything?

***

If you’re interested in learning more about the disappearance of Angelo “Andy” Puglisi, there are a lot of articles, although I had a hard time finding ones from the early days of the investigation. The most detailed source I found was the “Have You Seen Andy?” website, which provided a timeline with news articles, police reports, and more.

The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Angelo “Andy” Puglisi, please contact the Massachusetts State Police at 1-978-745-8908 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.

Roxanne Elizabeth Paltauf

~ Margaret ~ Leave a comment

AT A GLANCE

  • Missing Since July 7, 2006 from Austin, Texas
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: White
  • Hair Color: Light Brown
  • Eye Color: Green
  • Date of Birth: January 3, 1988
  • Age: 18 (at the time of her disappearance)
  • Height: 5’4″
  • Weight: 115 pounds
  • Distinguishing characteristics: pierced navel, double pierced ears, mole on right side of her neck, quarter-sized scar on left knee. Her nose had been previously fractured, and one of her upper front teeth is false.

Image Courtesy of missingpersonscenter.org

Author’s Note: Due to the holidays, I’ve opted to reshare Roxanne Paltauf’s post, which was originally published on August 12, 2023. The next new post will be published in January 2024. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

***Please share this post! Your shares could bring Roxanne home.***

About Roxanne

Roxanne Paltauf was born on January 3, 1988. Very little has been released about her early life, but the information that exists paints a picture of a kind, responsible young woman who looked out for those she cared about. As the oldest, she was devoted to her four younger siblings, and she enjoyed a close relationship with her mother.

As she grew older, her responsible nature shined through her actions. Roxanne dropped out of high school during her junior year. In spite of this, she took her future into her own hands and worked hard to achieve her goals. Instead of finishing her junior and senior years of high school, she enrolled in a job training program and studied to take the GED exam. At the time of her disappearance, she successfully passed all of the sections, with the exception of mathematics. She had even taken a second job.

Overall, things were going well for Roxanne. However, things would change in the summer of 2004, when she was 16. That was when she met and fell in love with Louis Walls. Despite being smitten with him, her mom and friends did not approve of their relationship. One of the biggest reasons for this disapproval was their age difference. When they first met, Walls told her that he was 19. He was, in fact, 28 years old with two children from previous relationships.

In addition to the age gap, her loved ones had other reasons for their disapproval. According to one of her friends, Roxanne had stated that Walls had hit her in the face, causing significant injuries to her nose. Allegedly, he’s threatened previous girlfriends, and a couple of them even sought protective orders against him.

In addition to the disapproval from Roxanne’s loved ones, Walls’s mother did not approve of the relationship either. As a result, the two would often hang out outside the home, typically in motels. By the time of her disappearance, Roxanne and Walls had been together for approximately two years.

Disappearance

Roxanne and Walls decided to spend a few days together in early July 2006. On July 7, at approximately 8:30 PM, they checked into a Budget Inn hotel near Interstate 35 and Runberg in Austin, Texas.

At some point during the evening, the pair got into a heated argument. The topic of this argument remains unknown as of this writing. Regardless, Roxanne was so angry that she stormed out of their room, carrying only her identification. All of her belongings were left behind, including her purse, wallet, and cell phone. According to Walls, he tried to follow her, but she told him to leave her alone. He then headed back to their room. Meanwhile, he saw her walk along the service road toward Runberg and turned left onto Middle Lane, at which point she disappeared out of view.

After about 20 minutes, Walls went back out of the room to search for her, as she didn’t return. Instead of calling the police, he called her mother the following day, and she was the one who filed the missing persons report.

She has not been seen since.

The Following Days

At some point between the time when Roxanne disappeared and the police were notified, Walls gathered Roxanne’s belongings, checked out of the hotel, and went to the home of his sister. Due to his actions, the authorities were working with a tampered crime scene. Whether or not they were able to obtain any DNA evidence or fingerprints remains unknown.

Walls returned Roxanne’s cell phone to her family on July 12, five days after she reportedly vanished. Reportedly, over 300 calls were placed using that phone between July 8-12. These calls were intended to a variety of recipients, such as motels in Austin, a strip club, and local singles chatlines, as well as several of Walls’s friends and previous girlfriends. (In 2019, authorities searched her phone after obtaining a warrant, and airtime charges were discovered that could indicate roaming charges the night she vanished.)

Interestingly, an arrest was made after 30-year-old Geoffrey Moore attacked and attempted to rape an exotic dancer on July 13. Moore, the dancer, and the dancer’s husband (who was with her at the time) all agreed to go to a Motel 6 that was close to the Budget Inn that Roxanne and Walls had stayed at.

Moore entered the room with the dancer, but locked the door before the husband could enter. After hearing his wife shouting, he got help from a security guard, who got the door open.

Moore ran soon after, leaving his wallet and hearing aid behind. Inside the wallet was Roxanne’s Texas ID card. To this day, it’s unclear how he obtained it. Both Moore and Walls remain persons of interest in her case, although there has never been enough evidence to charge either of them.

My Thoughts

The case of Roxanne Paultauf is one that’s equal parts frustrating and heartbreaking. She was a hard-working young woman who was putting her life together. She had passed almost all of the sections of the GED, she underwent job training, and at the time of her disappearance, she was working two jobs. But she was much more than her accomplishments. She had a close relationship with her mother, she was a devoted sister to her siblings, and she loved her friends. Tragically, all of that was taken away the night she vanished.

For many, this case has three main theories:

  1. Louis Walls was responsible.
  2. Geoffrey Moore was responsible.
  3. A stranger was responsible.

Let’s work through these theories one by one.

First, we have the theory that a stranger was responsible for Roxanne’s disappearance. At face value, this theory seems plausible. The area of Austin that she and Walls were staying at had a high crime rate. If Walls’s story is to be believed, Roxanne stormed out of the hotel and disappeared from view. She could’ve gone anywhere and come across any number of people with bad intentions.

But if that’s the case, the police likely would’ve had something to work with. Remember, she reportedly disappeared the night of July 7, meaning that most people would’ve been home from work and settling in for the night. She was in a city, not the middle of nowhere. If there was a struggle, someone would’ve heard her scream, and someone would’ve found blood, torn clothing, or other evidence. She might have been forced into a vehicle, or the perpetrator might have used a gun to get her to comply. But either he got lucky and no one saw, or no one has seen anything in the years since. If there were no witnesses, that would’ve meant that no one drove past, and no one happened to see as they walked their dogs or returned after an evening out. If this had happened in the middle of nowhere, I could buy that no one saw anything. But this is Austin, one of the largest cities in Texas. If this had happened outside, someone would’ve seen something, and they would’ve talked by now, especially since almost 20 years have passed.

The second theory is that Geoffrey Moore was responsible. For me, this theory has as many holes as the stranger theory. As far as we’re aware, the only thing connecting Roxanne to Moore is her ID card. Yes, it’s weird that he happens to have the ID card of a missing person, but he just as easily could’ve picked it up after she dropped it, meaning that the two never met each other. The only way I could see this theory work is if he somehow convinced her to go to a secondary location, where he did something to her. This is a possibility, especially given the information about the incident with the exotic dancer. However, how could he have moved her without anyone seeing? I wasn’t able to find any witnesses or evidence that put the two of them together for any length of time. Although it’s possible, this casts serious doubts on this theory.

The final theory is that Louis Walls, Roxanne’s then-boyfriend, was responsible. The information available about Walls paints a troubling picture. He reportedly had a history of threatening his previous ex-girlfriends, to the point where at least two sought protective orders against him. Not only that, but we have one of Roxanne’s friends who stated that Roxanne had confided about an incident where Walls had hit her. This wasn’t a playful shove; this was hard enough that he fractured her nose.

The striking thing for me is that two of Walls’s ex-girlfriends were so threatened by his behavior that they both sought protective orders. It’s one thing if one of them did so. That would be easy to brush off. But the fact that two of them did so tells me that Walls’s behavior wasn’t situation-specific. His behavior was far more generalized and not connected to a specific person or situation..

When I was younger, I volunteered extensively with women and children who were impacted by Domestic Violence. They came from all walks of life, but they had one thing in common: all of their abusers escalated their behaviors, to the point that they could no longer remain safely in the home. Abusive behavior never goes away on its own. It requires aggressive treatment. It involves their partners and children living outside the home, and it involves the abuser seeking treatment for underlying drug/alcohol abuse and mental health issues. The behavior is often so severe that they have to seek inpatient treatment.

Sadly, the statistics show that without aggressive intervention, abusers can and will escalate their behavior, to the point of doing the unthinkable. From 2008-2018, 46% of women who were killed were killed at the hands of their intimate partners. That means it’s statistically likely that Walls was, at a minimum, involved in her disappearance, and at a maximum, killed her and hid her body.

For me, it boils down to Occam’s Razor, where the simplest explanation is the most likely. What’s more likely? That Geoffrey Moore or a stranger just so happened to be in the same area as Roxanne when she stormed out of the hotel that night? Or that her boyfriend, with a history of violence towards his ex-girlfriends, had something to do with her disappearance?

Sadly, there seems to be very little physical evidence to work with. In order for charges to stick, the authorities need solid evidence, such as DNA, fingerprints, and video surveillance. Until someone comes forward with what they know, new evidence is found, or her remains are discovered, this case will continue to languish and grow cold.

Roxanne Paltauff was a smart, hardworking young woman with dreams for the future. She wanted to be a fashion designer, and she was taking steps to make it happen. In addition, she was devoted to her family; she adored them and they adored her. Who knows what she could’ve accomplished. She could’ve been a famous fashion designer. She could’ve gone to college, gotten married, had kids, or any other of life’s accomplishments. Unfortunately, she will never have a chance to do any of these things because someone selfishly stole her away.

Someone knows something. Is it you?

***

If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Roxanne Paltauf, there are several news articles, and a Facebook page. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

If you have any information about the disappearance of Roxanne Paltauf, please contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000. You can also contact the Texas Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-252=TIPS (8477).

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.