VA VA - Doris Lentz, 31, Arlington, 23 April 1996

Doris Fay Lentz
Missing since April 23, 1996 from Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5"; 155 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Dark blonde hair; green eyes.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Lentz was last seen in Arlington, Virginia around 19:00, after telling a friend that she was going to Fort Washington, Maryland to pick up her daughter on April 23, 1996.
A week later, police in Southeast Washington D.C. found her blood-spattered Toyota. The door was unlocked and her purse was in full view.
Her ex-husband was arrested in connection with Doris' disappearance in May 2001 in Indiana. In August 2001, He was charged with her kidnapping and causing her death. He maintains his innocence in the case. He was convicted of the charge in June 2003 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The trial judge took the unusual step of throwing out the jury's verdict; he acquitted the ex-husband in July 2003. However, in September 2004, a court of appeals ordered a new trial for the ex-husband, saying that the trial judge was wrong to overturn the verdict. He was convicted again of the same charges in March 2006.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Arlington County Police Department
Homicide/Robbery Unit
Detective John Coale
703-228-4183
or
703-558-2222

Source Information:
Arlington County Police Department
The Washington Post - Lentz Archives

Links:
http://doenetwork.org/cases/1621dfva.html
http://charleyproject.org/cases/l/lentz_doris.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/996/60
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/crime/lentz/?sub=new
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13079-2004May9.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001515.html

Doris has been missing for 18 years. She had already been missing for 5 years when her ex-husband (a former naval intelligence officer) was arrested for her kidnapping. She could be anywhere. The case was very complicated and involved several appeals; see the links above.

2006 article:

The case of U.S. v. Jay Lentz has indeed coursed through the legal system since he was arrested in 2001. The government said Lentz had lured Doris Lentz from her Arlington County home in April 1996 to his house in Fort Washington. He used the pretense of picking up their daughter, Julia, then 4, who actually was in Indiana visiting his parents. Then, prosecutors said, Jay Lentz killed Doris Lentz and disposed of the body. He later joined Julia in Indiana.

A federal jury in July 2003 convicted Lentz of kidnapping resulting in Doris Lentz's death but declined to sentence him to death. That verdict was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, who said prosecutors had failed to prove that a kidnapping had taken place as defined by federal law.

Three jurors then came forward and said they had viewed evidence they weren't supposed to see -- two of Doris Lentz's day planners, which had mysteriously shown up in the jury room. Lee had ruled much of the material in them inadmissible. The planners contained material that included Doris Lentz's notes about threatening phone calls Jay Lentz allegedly had made to her.

The case then took an even more extraordinary turn: Lee accused Mellin, at the time the lead prosecutor, of deliberately planting the day planners in the jury room. The battle reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, which in September 2004 threw out Lee's finding about Mellin, saying the judge made "a rather broad leap" without evidence.

The appeals court reinstated Lentz's conviction but ordered a new trial because jurors had seen the disputed materials. The court took the unusual step of removing Lee from the case, and Mellin was not on the prosecution team for the retrial.

The retrial included yet another twist: Prosecutors presented a taped jailhouse phone conversation between Lentz and Salvato in which Lentz said a "hit guy" was on his way to the jail because he needed witnesses to disappear. Salvato immediately warned Lentz that such a statement would destroy him at his retrial.

When he was convicted a second time, Lentz erupted in court: "No, no! Reconsider!" he screamed at the jury.

Click to expand...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/23/AR2006062301483.html

Doris Fay Lentz:




http://www.missingin.org/reg808/doris_fay_lentz.htm

The call came from the jail Jan. 10, 2005, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Haynes told the jury.

On the phone was Lentz, accused of kidnapping and killing his former wife in 1996. On the other end of the line: his attorney, Frank Salvato.

Lentz said an inmate had told him that his case had been dropped when the key witness was shot, and Lentz wanted to know if Salvato could verify that.

"Why do you need to know?" Salvato asked.

"In case I need something like that to happen in my case,'' replied Lentz, who said a "hit guy" was on his way to the jail.

"Don't get into thoughts of killing people. Just don't,'' Salvato instructed his client. "This is going to end up destroying you at trial."

Click to expand...

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Misc/misc.legal/2006-03/msg00369.html

:notgood:

2008 appeal. The conviction was affirmed. Lots of interesting info about the evidence that sent Jay Lentz to prison for life, even though this was a no-body case.

Rayemonde said:

2008 appeal. The conviction was affirmed. Lots of interesting info about the evidence that sent Jay Lentz to prison for life, even though this was a no-body case.

Click to expand...

Wow, thank you...

the ex-husband has all the elements to be accused of the death of doris

• 
• 
• 
• 

Doris, circa 1996; Doris's 1994 Toyota Celica

• Missing Since 04/23/1996
• Missing From Arlington County, Virginia
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 31 years old
• Height and Weight 5'5, 155 pounds
• 
  
• Associated Vehicle(s) Dark teal 1994 Toyota Celica with the Virginia license plate number ZWR-9728 (accounted for)
• 
  
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark blonde hair, green eyes. Doris's ears are pierced. Her middle name may be spelled "Faye."

Details of Disappearance​

Doris was last seen at approximately 7:00 p.m. on April 23, 1996 as she departed her Arlington County, Virginia residence. She was en route to pick up her child from her estranged husband Jay E. Lentz's home in Fort Washington, Maryland at the time. Jay's house was approximately 20 miles from Doris's residence.

Doris has never been seen again. Her dark teal 1994 Toyota Celica with the Virginia license plate number ZWR-9728 was discovered abandoned several days after her disappearance. Photos of the car are posted with this case summary.

The vehicle was located on Livingston Road Southeast in an apartment complex parking lot, which is known to be a high-crime area of Washington, D.C. The car was splattered with blood and Doris's keys, cash and credit cards were still inside it. Her purse was in full view in the car. There was no other sign of her at the scene.

Doris and Jay were involved in a bitter divorce in April 1996. She had filed several police reports against Jay prior to moving out of the couple's home in 1993. Doris stated that he abused and harassed her in the complaints.

A court hearing had been scheduled regarding the divorce on April 24, 1996, the day following Doris's disappearance. Doris had been awarded primary custody of their child, and Jay apparently owed her a substantial amount in back alimony payments.

Jay claimed that he never saw his estranged wife on the day she vanished. Investigators learned that Jay had sent their child to his mother's residence before Doris was scheduled to pick the child up from his house.

Authorities do not believe that Jay informed Doris where their child was located on the day she vanished and allowed her to drive to his Maryland home. Jay moved to Indiana with their daughter in October 1996, six months after Doris vanished.

Jay was arrested in connection with Doris's disappearance in May 2001 in Indiana. In August 2001, He was charged with her kidnapping and causing her death. Jay maintains his innocence in the case. He was convicted of the charge in June 2003 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The trial judge took the unusual step of throwing out the jury's verdict; he acquitted Jay in July 2003.

The judge cited a lack of physical evidence linking Jay to Doris's presumed murder and questioned whether they had even seen each other the day she disappeared. The judge also claimed that even if she had been murdered there was no evidence to indicate that Doris was at any time held against her will, an essential element in a kidnapping case.

However, in September 2004, a court of appeals ordered a new trial for Jay, saying that the trial judge was wrong to overturn the verdict. He was convicted again of the same charges in March 2006.

Doris has never been located, but foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved in her disappearance. She was employed as a receptionist for former Tennessee senator and United States ambassador to China, James Sasser, in 1996. Jay is a former naval intelligence officer.

Investigating Agency​

• Arlington County Police Department
• 703-228-4183
• 703-558-2222

Source Information​

• Arlington County Police Department
• The Washington Post
• The New York Post
• The Post-Tribune
• ABC 7 News
• The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated April 10, 2006; details of disappearance updated.