Found Deceased MI - Jeremy Zerbe, 35, Traverse City, 25 Feb 2014

[pokypuppy67]

The official story of Jeremy's disappearance makes NO sense! I have been "investigating" this situation since just about three days after Jeremy disappeared. I've had numerous conversations with his mother, have spoken maybe half a dozen times with both the Petoskey and Grand Traverse police, and initially spoke with someone from the Record-Eagle. I also did a small bit of sleuthing on my own and spoke with several people who worked at the hospital whom I thought might have some information about Jeremy. They didn't. Of course, they couldn't really say anything if they did know something...out of respect for his privacy.

I have to admit that I felt very uncomfortable, myself, for intruding upon his privacy. Maybe he was fine and he just didn't want to be found. That's what the police seemed to think. But I decided that SOMEBODY needed to look for him and make sure that he was okay. I knew the police weren't looking for him. Every time I called they told me the same exact thing. "He isn't really missing". "He's an adult and he has the right to disappear if he wants to". "We aren't investigating this, the family is handling it." And then they would give me the family's phone number.

It stated in the news stories that the police were looking for Jeremy, but whenever I called them they were very frank in refuting that fact, saying that he wasn't really missing and that there was no investigation into his disappearance. The first thing they usually said was that he wasn't actually missing. That there was no case. I got that same answer from the police every time I inquired. Honestly, I didn't know what to think. The way they said it, it sounded like they knew something they couldn't share -- as though they knew where Jeremy was, and that he was fine, and that he had disappeared intentionally. It always felt like they were trying really hard to stress that point -- that he wasn't really missing. I don't know what their reasoning was for that.

I spoke to the newspaper shortly after Jeremy disappeared and they told me the exact same thing: that Jeremy wasn't really missing -- that they had just printed that story for the sake of the family.

I was encouraged by the idea that the police and the newspaper both seemed to think that Jeremy was okay. But I was concerned about their attitude at the same time. There have been many tragic endings to stories just like Jeremy's where the police shared that same "they're an adult, they can disappear if they want to" attitude. Not every adult disappears voluntarily. And not every child runs away. ANYONE can end up in a dangerous predicament and need somebody to find and help them. So I decided to keep looking for Jeremy, to try and find out for sure that he was safe. I know that wasn't my job. I just knew that, in the same circumstances, I would want somebody looking for me. That, and the story about how he went missing didn't sound right at all.

I knew he had been taken to Munson. That's where they take anybody who's in crisis. My first thought was that perhaps he had angered one of the doctors in the ER and that they had transferred him down to the state hospital in Kalamazoo. That happened to me one time and I had to "earn my phone privileges" there. So my family didn't know where I was for several days. That could explain Jeremy's silence.

But then it occurred to me that he could also still be in Center One. And if the cops believed that it could certainly explain their lack of concern. So on March 2nd I called Center One and left a message with a staff member there to have Jeremy Zerbe return my call. I didn't really know if he was there. I acted like I knew he was there but it was just a bluff. They won't give out that information. Their procedure is to, upon a patient's admission to the unit, have that patient write down the names of anyone they want to receive calls from. If someone calls a patient and their name isn't on the patient's list, they can't speak to the patient or leave messages for them, or even be informed as to whether that patient is there. And since Jeremy had no idea who I was, my name wasn't going to be on his list. I knew the odds were slim of getting a message to him...and THAT was if he was even there. But it seemed worth the bluff, and the invasion of privacy, to have someone who could speak up for him, if needed, and to know that he was safe. I realize it was presumptuous of me to elect myself as that someone but I knew that I cared about what happened to him and that I would speak up if things turned out for the worst. That is the very thing I am trying to do now.

Anyway, when I left that message for him I guess I didn't really expect to receive a call back. The staff would have had to violate protocol to give him a message from a stranger. But I DID get a call back. Just about ten minutes later. And my caller ID indicated that it originated from the hospital. When I answered he just said "Hi". So I asked him "Is this Jeremy Zerbe?" His response was a very hesitant "this is...Jeremy". I didn't think much of that at the time. Here I was, a stranger, asking him to give me a call. His apprehension seemed logical.

I spoke with him for just a few minutes, told him that I had heard he was there and that I was worried about him. That was all true, of course, but for some reason I didn't tell him the rest of the truth. I didn't tell him why exactly I was calling. I didn't tell him that his family was frantically worrying about him or that he was listed in the newspaper as a missing person. We just talked about how he was doing. He said he was doing really well and that I shouldn't worry about him. It was a very awkward conversation, actually. I'm really proficient at awkward conversations. I can turn anything into an awkward situation. But I was relieved to know that he was okay. At the time, I believed that he really was Jeremy Zerbe. Most of me believed that. But it turns out I was terribly wrong.

I quit looking for him for a long while after that because I didn't want to expose his secret. If he didn't want his family to know he was still in the hospital then it certainly wasn't my place to dishonor his wishes. Much later, however, after there was still no word from him and I KNEW he wasn't in Center One anymore, I began to doubt the legitimacy of that call. Finally, I did contact his mother, and I played a small portion of the call for her (the very end of it that I had thought to record and which I had labeled as "proof of life - JeremyZ"). She confirmed that the man I spoke with on the phone -- the man who claimed to be Jeremy and said he was doing well -- was, in fact, NOT her son.

He must have been a Center One staff member. According to the autopsy, Jeremy was apparently already deceased by that point. I just can't imagine any good reason for someone to return a call to a stranger (a call that wasn't even to him in the first place), to pretend to BE the person whom the call was for (a person who was publicly reported missing and later turned up dead) and to tell the concerned stranger who called that the missing/dead man was fine; that he was doing well and that she shouldn't worry about him. That seems very strange to me.

There are more strange elements about this case which I'll add in a little bit.

 

[Roselvr]

The official story of Jeremy's disappearance makes NO sense! I have been "investigating" this situation since just about three days after Jeremy disappeared. I've had numerous conversations with his mother, have spoken maybe half a dozen times with both the Petoskey and Grand Traverse police, and initially spoke with someone from the Record-Eagle. I also did a small bit of sleuthing on my own and spoke with several people who worked at the hospital whom I thought might have some information about Jeremy. They didn't. Of course, they couldn't really say anything if they did know something...out of respect for his privacy.

I have to admit that I felt very uncomfortable, myself, for intruding upon his privacy. Maybe he was fine and he just didn't want to be found. That's what the police seemed to think. But I decided that SOMEBODY needed to look for him and make sure that he was okay. I knew the police weren't looking for him. Every time I called they told me the same exact thing. "He isn't really missing". "He's an adult and he has the right to disappear if he wants to". "We aren't investigating this, the family is handling it." And then they would give me the family's phone number.

It stated in the news stories that the police were looking for Jeremy, but whenever I called them they were very frank in refuting that fact, saying that he wasn't really missing and that there was no investigation into his disappearance. The first thing they usually said was that he wasn't actually missing. That there was no case. I got that same answer from the police every time I inquired. Honestly, I didn't know what to think. The way they said it, it sounded like they knew something they couldn't share -- as though they knew where Jeremy was, and that he was fine, and that he had disappeared intentionally. It always felt like they were trying really hard to stress that point -- that he wasn't really missing. I don't know what their reasoning was for that.

I spoke to the newspaper shortly after Jeremy disappeared and they told me the exact same thing: that Jeremy wasn't really missing -- that they had just printed that story for the sake of the family.

I was encouraged by the idea that the police and the newspaper both seemed to think that Jeremy was okay. But I was concerned about their attitude at the same time. There have been many tragic endings to stories just like Jeremy's where the police shared that same "they're an adult, they can disappear if they want to" attitude. Not every adult disappears voluntarily. And not every child runs away. ANYONE can end up in a dangerous predicament and need somebody to find and help them. So I decided to keep looking for Jeremy, to try and find out for sure that he was safe. I know that wasn't my job. I just knew that, in the same circumstances, I would want somebody looking for me. That, and the story about how he went missing didn't sound right at all.

I knew he had been taken to Munson. That's where they take anybody who's in crisis. My first thought was that perhaps he had angered one of the doctors in the ER and that they had transferred him down to the state hospital in Kalamazoo. That happened to me one time and I had to "earn my phone privileges" there. So my family didn't know where I was for several days. That could explain Jeremy's silence.

But then it occurred to me that he could also still be in Center One. And if the cops believed that it could certainly explain their lack of concern. So on March 2nd I called Center One and left a message with a staff member there to have Jeremy Zerbe return my call. I didn't really know if he was there. I acted like I knew he was there but it was just a bluff. They won't give out that information. Their procedure is to, upon a patient's admission to the unit, have that patient write down the names of anyone they want to receive calls from. If someone calls a patient and their name isn't on the patient's list, they can't speak to the patient or leave messages for them, or even be informed as to whether that patient is there. And since Jeremy had no idea who I was, my name wasn't going to be on his list. I knew the odds were slim of getting a message to him...and THAT was if he was even there. But it seemed worth the bluff, and the invasion of privacy, to have someone who could speak up for him, if needed, and to know that he was safe. I realize it was presumptuous of me to elect myself as that someone but I knew that I cared about what happened to him and that I would speak up if things turned out for the worst. That is the very thing I am trying to do now.

Anyway, when I left that message for him I guess I didn't really expect to receive a call back. The staff would have had to violate protocol to give him a message from a stranger. But I DID get a call back. Just about ten minutes later. And my caller ID indicated that it originated from the hospital. When I answered he just said "Hi". So I asked him "Is this Jeremy Zerbe?" His response was a very hesitant "this is...Jeremy". I didn't think much of that at the time. Here I was, a stranger, asking him to give me a call. His apprehension seemed logical.

I spoke with him for just a few minutes, told him that I had heard he was there and that I was worried about him. That was all true, of course, but for some reason I didn't tell him the rest of the truth. I didn't tell him why exactly I was calling. I didn't tell him that his family was frantically worrying about him or that he was listed in the newspaper as a missing person. We just talked about how he was doing. He said he was doing really well and that I shouldn't worry about him. It was a very awkward conversation, actually. I'm really proficient at awkward conversations. I can turn anything into an awkward situation. But I was relieved to know that he was okay. At the time, I believed that he really was Jeremy Zerbe. Most of me believed that. But it turns out I was terribly wrong.

I quit looking for him for a long while after that because I didn't want to expose his secret. If he didn't want his family to know he was still in the hospital then it certainly wasn't my place to dishonor his wishes. Much later, however, after there was still no word from him and I KNEW he wasn't in Center One anymore, I began to doubt the legitimacy of that call. Finally, I did contact his mother, and I played a small portion of the call for her (the very end of it that I had thought to record and which I had labeled as "proof of life - JeremyZ"). She confirmed that the man I spoke with on the phone -- the man who claimed to be Jeremy and said he was doing well -- was, in fact, NOT her son.

He must have been a Center One staff member. According to the autopsy, Jeremy was apparently already deceased by that point. I just can't imagine any good reason for someone to return a call to a stranger (a call that wasn't even to him in the first place), to pretend to BE the person whom the call was for (a person who was publicly reported missing and later turned up dead) and to tell the concerned stranger who called that the missing/dead man was fine; that he was doing well and that she shouldn't worry about him. That seems very strange to me.

There are more strange elements about this case which I'll add in a little bit.

My opinion when I saw he was found with no clothes was that something happened there & that he was thrown in. His family really needs their own autopsy to see if he did drown. Dr Teleka Patricks family had a 2nd one done; Jeremy's family should too. Your experience was a huge help

I'm sure Jeremy thanks you for all you did. Someone needed to care & believe he was missing & not just trying to have privacy. Glad you thought to make that phone call.

 

[skydelta3574]

The official story of Jeremy's disappearance makes NO sense! I have been "investigating" this situation since just about three days after Jeremy disappeared. I've had numerous conversations with his mother, have spoken maybe half a dozen times with both the Petoskey and Grand Traverse police, and initially spoke with someone from the Record-Eagle. I also did a small bit of sleuthing on my own and spoke with several people who worked at the hospital whom I thought might have some information about Jeremy. They didn't. Of course, they couldn't really say anything if they did know something...out of respect for his privacy.

I have to admit that I felt very uncomfortable, myself, for intruding upon his privacy. Maybe he was fine and he just didn't want to be found. That's what the police seemed to think. But I decided that SOMEBODY needed to look for him and make sure that he was okay. I knew the police weren't looking for him. Every time I called they told me the same exact thing. "He isn't really missing". "He's an adult and he has the right to disappear if he wants to". "We aren't investigating this, the family is handling it." And then they would give me the family's phone number.

It stated in the news stories that the police were looking for Jeremy, but whenever I called them they were very frank in refuting that fact, saying that he wasn't really missing and that there was no investigation into his disappearance. The first thing they usually said was that he wasn't actually missing. That there was no case. I got that same answer from the police every time I inquired. Honestly, I didn't know what to think. The way they said it, it sounded like they knew something they couldn't share -- as though they knew where Jeremy was, and that he was fine, and that he had disappeared intentionally. It always felt like they were trying really hard to stress that point -- that he wasn't really missing. I don't know what their reasoning was for that.

I spoke to the newspaper shortly after Jeremy disappeared and they told me the exact same thing: that Jeremy wasn't really missing -- that they had just printed that story for the sake of the family.

I was encouraged by the idea that the police and the newspaper both seemed to think that Jeremy was okay. But I was concerned about their attitude at the same time. There have been many tragic endings to stories just like Jeremy's where the police shared that same "they're an adult, they can disappear if they want to" attitude. Not every adult disappears voluntarily. And not every child runs away. ANYONE can end up in a dangerous predicament and need somebody to find and help them. So I decided to keep looking for Jeremy, to try and find out for sure that he was safe. I know that wasn't my job. I just knew that, in the same circumstances, I would want somebody looking for me. That, and the story about how he went missing didn't sound right at all.

I knew he had been taken to Munson. That's where they take anybody who's in crisis. My first thought was that perhaps he had angered one of the doctors in the ER and that they had transferred him down to the state hospital in Kalamazoo. That happened to me one time and I had to "earn my phone privileges" there. So my family didn't know where I was for several days. That could explain Jeremy's silence.

But then it occurred to me that he could also still be in Center One. And if the cops believed that it could certainly explain their lack of concern. So on March 2nd I called Center One and left a message with a staff member there to have Jeremy Zerbe return my call. I didn't really know if he was there. I acted like I knew he was there but it was just a bluff. They won't give out that information. Their procedure is to, upon a patient's admission to the unit, have that patient write down the names of anyone they want to receive calls from. If someone calls a patient and their name isn't on the patient's list, they can't speak to the patient or leave messages for them, or even be informed as to whether that patient is there. And since Jeremy had no idea who I was, my name wasn't going to be on his list. I knew the odds were slim of getting a message to him...and THAT was if he was even there. But it seemed worth the bluff, and the invasion of privacy, to have someone who could speak up for him, if needed, and to know that he was safe. I realize it was presumptuous of me to elect myself as that someone but I knew that I cared about what happened to him and that I would speak up if things turned out for the worst. That is the very thing I am trying to do now.

Anyway, when I left that message for him I guess I didn't really expect to receive a call back. The staff would have had to violate protocol to give him a message from a stranger. But I DID get a call back. Just about ten minutes later. And my caller ID indicated that it originated from the hospital. When I answered he just said "Hi". So I asked him "Is this Jeremy Zerbe?" His response was a very hesitant "this is...Jeremy". I didn't think much of that at the time. Here I was, a stranger, asking him to give me a call. His apprehension seemed logical.

I spoke with him for just a few minutes, told him that I had heard he was there and that I was worried about him. That was all true, of course, but for some reason I didn't tell him the rest of the truth. I didn't tell him why exactly I was calling. I didn't tell him that his family was frantically worrying about him or that he was listed in the newspaper as a missing person. We just talked about how he was doing. He said he was doing really well and that I shouldn't worry about him. It was a very awkward conversation, actually. I'm really proficient at awkward conversations. I can turn anything into an awkward situation. But I was relieved to know that he was okay. At the time, I believed that he really was Jeremy Zerbe. Most of me believed that. But it turns out I was terribly wrong.

I quit looking for him for a long while after that because I didn't want to expose his secret. If he didn't want his family to know he was still in the hospital then it certainly wasn't my place to dishonor his wishes. Much later, however, after there was still no word from him and I KNEW he wasn't in Center One anymore, I began to doubt the legitimacy of that call. Finally, I did contact his mother, and I played a small portion of the call for her (the very end of it that I had thought to record and which I had labeled as "proof of life - JeremyZ"). She confirmed that the man I spoke with on the phone -- the man who claimed to be Jeremy and said he was doing well -- was, in fact, NOT her son.

He must have been a Center One staff member. According to the autopsy, Jeremy was apparently already deceased by that point. I just can't imagine any good reason for someone to return a call to a stranger (a call that wasn't even to him in the first place), to pretend to BE the person whom the call was for (a person who was publicly reported missing and later turned up dead) and to tell the concerned stranger who called that the missing/dead man was fine; that he was doing well and that she shouldn't worry about him. That seems very strange to me.

There are more strange elements about this case which I'll add in a little bit.

Without discounting your ideas in their entirety, is it possible that the staff was confused and that there was another patient in the hospital named Jeremy whom you were connected to?

I was hospitalized at Munson last year (not in Center One, however) and had a very positive experience with the staff but they're also extremely busy and may very well have just figured you were looking for whichever "Jeremy" was currently there. Perhaps the person you spoke to was just confused or not well and for whatever reason pretended to be Jeremy or somehow didn't realize you were looking for Jeremy Zerbe.

Considering the proximity of the hospital (where Jeremy was last seen) to the place where he was found and all of the businesses in-between, I would like to know if the police questioned any of the workers in Downtown Traverse City or the bartenders along the way as to whether they recognized Jeremy. I wonder also if they checked any in on any of the local shelters (I would assume they did) down there as well.

Some one had to have seen him.

 

[bakerlady]

Jeff Boucher was recently found nude in Lake Ontario. His thread is one here and very active and full of mystery.

 

[Redux]

Without discounting your ideas in their entirety, is it possible that the staff was confused and that there was another patient in the hospital named Jeremy whom you were connected to?
I was hospitalized at Munson last year (not in Center One, however) and had a very positive experience with the staff but they're also extremely busy and may very well have just figured you were looking for whichever "Jeremy" was currently there. Perhaps the person you spoke to was just confused or not well and for whatever reason pretended to be Jeremy or somehow didn't realize you were looking for Jeremy Zerbe.

Considering the proximity of the hospital (where Jeremy was last seen) to the place where he was found and all of the businesses in-between, I would like to know if the police questioned any of the workers in Downtown Traverse City or the bartenders along the way as to whether they recognized Jeremy. I wonder also if they checked any in on any of the local shelters (I would assume they did) down there as well.

Some one had to have seen him.

BBM. I'm wondering this too.

One time when I still lived at home, my mom told me I had a call from my boyfriend, John.

I talked to the caller for a good 5 minutes even though some of what he was saying wasn't making sense to me - he was talking about things I wasn't familiar with and his voice sounded different. Finally I said, "Who is this?" And he said "John". And I said, "Where are you calling from?" And he said "Prison".

Apparently it was another person named John, and my mom just assumed it was my boyfriend when he called because of his name. My brain got stuck on a one way track that it was my boyfriend so even when he was saying things that didn't make sense, I was still thinking it was my boyfriend.

So I'm wondering if whoever called you back was just a result of a miscommunication among the staff or something.

Still strange circumstances ending up in a lake with no clothes on.

 

[I'm Lahoma]

I just spoke with Jeremy's mother earlier this evening. They still don't have any news. She said they came to Traverse City yesterday and spent all day here talking to churches and our local SafeHarbor homeless program. I don't have a full understanding of the situation but I have a possible theory that I shared with the police, albeit a much abbreviated version of what I've shared here. I had called the cops yesterday but they weren't particularly interested; they just gave me the family's phone number and said that the family was handling it, so I'm not sure how involved the authorities actually are in trying to find Jeremy at this point.

I do have a theory, though, based on an experience that happened to me in the same hospital a few years ago. My dad had been killed the year before, I wasn't getting along with my family, and although I didn't know it at the time, I had become ragingly hormonal with what I now know to be PMDD (Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (a VERY SEVERE form of PMS). Anyway, I attempted suicide shortly after Christmas in 2009 and was thusly hospitalized in-patient in Munson's "Behavioral Health Center". In other words, I was locked up on the psychiatric floor of the hospital, in the unit of the hospital known as "Center One."

Snipped by me..(i think that is what you say. lol)

Damn! That is freaking horrible.

 

[pokypuppy67]

Without discounting your ideas in their entirety, is it possible that the staff was confused and that there was another patient in the hospital named Jeremy whom you were connected to?

I was hospitalized at Munson last year (not in Center One, however) and had a very positive experience with the staff but they're also extremely busy and may very well have just figured you were looking for whichever "Jeremy" was currently there. Perhaps the person you spoke to was just confused or not well and for whatever reason pretended to be Jeremy or somehow didn't realize you were looking for Jeremy Zerbe.

Considering the proximity of the hospital (where Jeremy was last seen) to the place where he was found and all of the businesses in-between, I would like to know if the police questioned any of the workers in Downtown Traverse City or the bartenders along the way as to whether they recognized Jeremy. I wonder also if they checked any in on any of the local shelters (I would assume they did) down there as well.

Some one had to have seen him.

I agree with you. SOMEBODY had to have seen him. Somebody out there, whether they realize it or not, has the missing pieces of information that are needed to understand what happened that night. We just need to talk with them and find out what they know.

If anybody out there is interested in this case and lives nearby (in the Northern Michigan area), just know that I am looking for a local individual to partner with on investigating this case. I want to find out what really happened to Jeremy.

kgunzzz: I'm glad to get someone else's take. Your idea is possible. I did ask whoever called me back if he was "Jeremy Zerbe". Instead of correcting me he just said "this is...Jeremy"

The thing I find most strange about that is that somebody called me back at all. Center One has very strict rules about patient interactions with outsiders. In order for me to even get a message to a patient, that patient would have had to write my name on a list stating that I was allowed to know they were there and that I was allowed to leave messages for them. Jeremy couldn't have put my name on his list because he didn't even know I existed. And having been there as a patient myself I see how carefully they follow that procedure.

So even if Jeremy Zerbe was there at that time their policies wouldn't have allowed them to give him a message from me. And any other possible Jeremy that could have been there wouldn't have added me to his list either so same situation. It's a privacy protection matter, kind of along the lines of a Hippa policy.

I've always known them to take it very seriously. My own mother was unable to leave me messages because I hadn't put her on my list. She was out-of-state and I figured I'd be out of Center One in a few days anyway. But my friend, who knew I was there and WAS on my list told me that my mom had been trying to reach me. My friend told her I was there but they never let me know I had messages from her until I added her to my list.

It certainly is possible that somebody could have violated that policy and given my message to another patient named Jeremy. That would be somewhat of a coincidence for them to have another Jeremy there at just that time, but certainly possible. But iF so, THAT Jeremy knew I was calling for Jeremy Zerbe. He called me back and said "Hi", and I said "Is this Jeremy Zerbe?" His response was a hesitant "this is...Jeremy." He didn't correct me. He proceeded to tell me that he was doing fine and that I need not worry. In fact, I think his actual words were "Please don't worry about me tonight".

You know, whoever the caller was, the staff definitely violated policy, either by giving a patient a message from an unapproved caller OR by pretending to be a patient himself and returning a call that was meant for a patient. It's a strange situation. I've been trying to coordinate a meeting time with the local detectives to just go over the information and evidence I have. But they don't seem any more interested than they did when Jeremy was still considered missing. They probably couldn't have saved him but I am angry that they blew off his case and refused to investigate.

They made it very clear that Jeremy was NOT a missing person...that he was an adult and that he could disappear from his life if he wanted to. They declined to accept any evidence being offered and just directed people to call Jeremy's family. His family had no idea what to do. They were depending on the police to find him.

I'm really glad to have people trying to make sense out of what happened in this case. I could really use some people offering ideas and trying to help unravel the mystery of it. The official story, in any of its forms, just doesn't add up.

I said before that I would post the discrepancies between the official story and actual plausibility. I failed to do that at the time but I will do so within the next day or two. Based on the "facts" as they have been reported, I personally haven't been able to come up with a single plausible scenario for what happened to Jeremy. Maybe somebody here on Websleuths can do that.

 

[skydelta3574]

BBM. I'm wondering this too.

One time when I still lived at home, my mom told me I had a call from my boyfriend, John.

I talked to the caller for a good 5 minutes even though some of what he was saying wasn't making sense to me - he was talking about things I wasn't familiar with and his voice sounded different. Finally I said, "Who is this?" And he said "John". And I said, "Where are you calling from?" And he said "Prison".

Apparently it was another person named John, and my mom just assumed it was my boyfriend when he called because of his name. My brain got stuck on a one way track that it was my boyfriend so even when he was saying things that didn't make sense, I was still thinking it was my boyfriend.

So I'm wondering if whoever called you back was just a result of a miscommunication among the staff or something.

Still strange circumstances ending up in a lake with no clothes on.

The no clothes thing is weird--how does that happen? If someone is in the water for a fair amount of time can their clothes somehow be torn off from the elements?

Here are some of my observations, questions, and theories:

-JZ was found in the marina, not the lake. The lake actually froze over this year and at the time of JZ disappearance was completely frozen over. The Marina, however, was not frozen, so Jeremy had to have been there all along or at some point placed there.

-Another thought is that, I believe the Boardman River flows into the Marina through drainage pipes. I don't know how big the pipes are there, I'll have to check next time I'm down there.

-Where does it actually say that JZ was found nude? If he was indeed, then that is greatly suspicious, since as far as I've read and heard, his clothes were never recovered. Also, the marina is never rough or choppy, so I find it difficult to see how they could be taken off by the elements.

-If he was clothed, I'm less inclined to jump to the theory of foul play. The dock he was found under moves with the water and has no railing and is, quite frankly, easy to fall off of.

-The dock JZ was found underneath is also in an area that is desolate in the wintertime. No one walks in that area during winter, especially because, like I said, there's no railing and the dock is wobbly.

 

[skydelta3574]

BBM. I'm wondering this too.

One time when I still lived at home, my mom told me I had a call from my boyfriend, John.

I talked to the caller for a good 5 minutes even though some of what he was saying wasn't making sense to me - he was talking about things I wasn't familiar with and his voice sounded different. Finally I said, "Who is this?" And he said "John". And I said, "Where are you calling from?" And he said "Prison".

Apparently it was another person named John, and my mom just assumed it was my boyfriend when he called because of his name. My brain got stuck on a one way track that it was my boyfriend so even when he was saying things that didn't make sense, I was still thinking it was my boyfriend.

So I'm wondering if whoever called you back was just a result of a miscommunication among the staff or something.

Still strange circumstances ending up in a lake with no clothes on.

By the way, FREAKY CREEPY STORY!!! :scared:

 

[skydelta3574]

I agree with you. SOMEBODY had to have seen him. Somebody out there, whether they realize it or not, has the missing pieces of information that are needed to understand what happened that night. We just need to talk with them and find out what they know.

If anybody out there is interested in this case and lives nearby (in the Northern Michigan area), just know that I am looking for a local individual to partner with on investigating this case. I want to find out what really happened to Jeremy.

kgunzzz: I'm glad to get someone else's take. Your idea is possible. I did ask whoever called me back if he was "Jeremy Zerbe". Instead of correcting me he just said "this is...Jeremy"

The thing I find most strange about that is that somebody called me back at all. Center One has very strict rules about patient interactions with outsiders. In order for me to even get a message to a patient, that patient would have had to write my name on a list stating that I was allowed to know they were there and that I was allowed to leave messages for them. Jeremy couldn't have put my name on his list because he didn't even know I existed. And having been there as a patient myself I see how carefully they follow that procedure.

So even if Jeremy Zerbe was there at that time their policies wouldn't have allowed them to give him a message from me. And any other possible Jeremy that could have been there wouldn't have added me to his list either so same situation. It's a privacy protection matter, kind of along the lines of a Hippa policy.

I've always known them to take it very seriously. My own mother was unable to leave me messages because I hadn't put her on my list. She was out-of-state and I figured I'd be out of Center One in a few days anyway. But my friend, who knew I was there and WAS on my list told me that my mom had been trying to reach me. My friend told her I was there but they never let me know I had messages from her until I added her to my list.

It certainly is possible that somebody could have violated that policy and given my message to another patient named Jeremy. That would be somewhat of a coincidence for them to have another Jeremy there at just that time, but certainly possible. But iF so, THAT Jeremy knew I was calling for Jeremy Zerbe. He called me back and said "Hi", and I said "Is this Jeremy Zerbe?" His response was a hesitant "this is...Jeremy." He didn't correct me. He proceeded to tell me that he was doing fine and that I need not worry. In fact, I think his actual words were "Please don't worry about me tonight".

You know, whoever the caller was, the staff definitely violated policy, either by giving a patient a message from an unapproved caller OR by pretending to be a patient himself and returning a call that was meant for a patient. It's a strange situation. I've been trying to coordinate a meeting time with the local detectives to just go over the information and evidence I have. But they don't seem any more interested than they did when Jeremy was still considered missing. They probably couldn't have saved him but I am angry that they blew off his case and refused to investigate.

They made it very clear that Jeremy was NOT a missing person...that he was an adult and that he could disappear from his life if he wanted to. They declined to accept any evidence being offered and just directed people to call Jeremy's family. His family had no idea what to do. They were depending on the police to find him.

I'm really glad to have people trying to make sense out of what happened in this case. I could really use some people offering ideas and trying to help unravel the mystery of it. The official story, in any of its forms, just doesn't add up.

I said before that I would post the discrepancies between the official story and actual plausibility. I failed to do that at the time but I will do so within the next day or two. Based on the "facts" as they have been reported, I personally haven't been able to come up with a single plausible scenario for what happened to Jeremy. Maybe somebody here on Websleuths can do that.

Very interesting, I didn't know that you had to be on a person's list to get ahold of them on Center One, and yet, that makes sense and definitely causes me to question why someone would even put you through in the first place!!

 

[Roselvr]

I agree with you. SOMEBODY had to have seen him. Somebody out there, whether they realize it or not, has the missing pieces of information that are needed to understand what happened that night. We just need to talk with them and find out what they know.

If anybody out there is interested in this case and lives nearby (in the Northern Michigan area), just know that I am looking for a local individual to partner with on investigating this case. I want to find out what really happened to Jeremy.

kgunzzz: I'm glad to get someone else's take. Your idea is possible. I did ask whoever called me back if he was "Jeremy Zerbe". Instead of correcting me he just said "this is...Jeremy"

The thing I find most strange about that is that somebody called me back at all. Center One has very strict rules about patient interactions with outsiders. In order for me to even get a message to a patient, that patient would have had to write my name on a list stating that I was allowed to know they were there and that I was allowed to leave messages for them. Jeremy couldn't have put my name on his list because he didn't even know I existed. And having been there as a patient myself I see how carefully they follow that procedure.

So even if Jeremy Zerbe was there at that time their policies wouldn't have allowed them to give him a message from me. And any other possible Jeremy that could have been there wouldn't have added me to his list either so same situation. It's a privacy protection matter, kind of along the lines of a Hippa policy.

I've always known them to take it very seriously. My own mother was unable to leave me messages because I hadn't put her on my list. She was out-of-state and I figured I'd be out of Center One in a few days anyway. But my friend, who knew I was there and WAS on my list told me that my mom had been trying to reach me. My friend told her I was there but they never let me know I had messages from her until I added her to my list.

It certainly is possible that somebody could have violated that policy and given my message to another patient named Jeremy. That would be somewhat of a coincidence for them to have another Jeremy there at just that time, but certainly possible. But iF so, THAT Jeremy knew I was calling for Jeremy Zerbe. He called me back and said "Hi", and I said "Is this Jeremy Zerbe?" His response was a hesitant "this is...Jeremy." He didn't correct me. He proceeded to tell me that he was doing fine and that I need not worry. In fact, I think his actual words were "Please don't worry about me tonight".

You know, whoever the caller was, the staff definitely violated policy, either by giving a patient a message from an unapproved caller OR by pretending to be a patient himself and returning a call that was meant for a patient. It's a strange situation. I've been trying to coordinate a meeting time with the local detectives to just go over the information and evidence I have. But they don't seem any more interested than they did when Jeremy was still considered missing. They probably couldn't have saved him but I am angry that they blew off his case and refused to investigate.

They made it very clear that Jeremy was NOT a missing person...that he was an adult and that he could disappear from his life if he wanted to. They declined to accept any evidence being offered and just directed people to call Jeremy's family. His family had no idea what to do. They were depending on the police to find him.

I'm really glad to have people trying to make sense out of what happened in this case. I could really use some people offering ideas and trying to help unravel the mystery of it. The official story, in any of its forms, just doesn't add up.

I said before that I would post the discrepancies between the official story and actual plausibility. I failed to do that at the time but I will do so within the next day or two. Based on the "facts" as they have been reported, I personally haven't been able to come up with a single plausible scenario for what happened to Jeremy. Maybe somebody here on Websleuths can do that.

Have you spoken to his family? You really need to share this with them. They really should have gotten their own autopsy. I do not know if he was buried or cremated; but exhuming him can be costly. Something was seriously wrong here

The no clothes thing is weird--how does that happen? If someone is in the water for a fair amount of time can their clothes somehow be torn off from the elements?

Here are some of my observations, questions, and theories:

-JZ was found in the marina, not the lake. The lake actually froze over this year and at the time of JZ disappearance was completely frozen over. The Marina, however, was not frozen, so Jeremy had to have been there all along or at some point placed there.

-Another thought is that, I believe the Boardman River flows into the Marina through drainage pipes. I don't know how big the pipes are there, I'll have to check next time I'm down there.

-Where does it actually say that JZ was found nude? If he was indeed, then that is greatly suspicious, since as far as I've read and heard, his clothes were never recovered. Also, the marina is never rough or choppy, so I find it difficult to see how they could be taken off by the elements.

-If he was clothed, I'm less inclined to jump to the theory of foul play. The dock he was found under moves with the water and has no railing and is, quite frankly, easy to fall off of.

-The dock JZ was found underneath is also in an area that is desolate in the wintertime. No one walks in that area during winter, especially because, like I said, there's no railing and the dock is wobbly.

See this article - Body found underneath raft at Clinch Park Marina

 

[Roselvr]

Jeremy being found deceased after "not being missing" really eats at me. Something tells me he is not resting in peace
He leaves behind a wife & children; mother and 2 sister as well as a bunch of other loved ones.

Jeremy Leroy Zerbe obituary

Jeremy Leroy Zerbe (1978-2014) of Charlevoix, Michigan

Jeremy was born Oct. 17, 1978, in Petoskey. He is the son of Leroy and Grace (King) Zerbe.

Jeremy was a Tribal Citizen of Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

Jeremy loved the outdoors; fishing, swimming and biking were a few of his favorite things to do besides spending time with his children.

He also completed the Native American Iron Workers Program in Chicago, Ill.

 

[skydelta3574]

Have you spoken to his family? You really need to share this with them. They really should have gotten their own autopsy. I do not know if he was buried or cremated; but exhuming him can be costly. Something was seriously wrong here



See this article - Body found underneath raft at Clinch Park Marina

Ah, thanks for the reference. I ALREADY READ THAT I don't know how that part slipped from my mind. How could they mention he was naked but not answer any questions about where his clothing may be? I've known UpNorthLive to be a particularly bad news source but that's just sketchy.

 

[Wendigo403]

I know this is like a couple years after the fact but. You said this is the second one found nude? When, who, where was the first? I am currently working on a research project based on drowning deaths in michigan specifically accidental ones. If you remember which one you were referring to that would be awesome. Thanks.