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.

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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.

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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:

• The Charley Project
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• KETV Omaha
• Disappearedblog.com
• The Crime Wire
• CNN.com
• Medium.com

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.