OH OH - Jane Gault, 17, Barberton, 14 March 1982

[upallnite]

Thanks mysteriew, you have some really good ideas. One of my other sisters is really hyped about doing this now too. She wanted to get on here too, but she couldn't because all 3 e-mail addresses she has are free. I don't really understand why that makes a differance. She remembered that it was, she thinks January 1982, when my sister was found, so I actually was eleven years old like I remembered. She also remembered some crazy theories that were floating around town about all of this. That's why I wish I could involve all of my sisters in this, but so it is.... I think you're the only one who understands how nervous I am about doing this. I told my sister it feels like I have a blindfold on and I'm about to jump off a pier backwards!!! LOL!!!!!

 

[mysteriew]

Start with the easy stuff. Do ancestor.com first. The exact (legal) date of death is important. The health dept. I think you can go to the local dept., but you can also go to the Ohio Dept. of Health website and get the info about applying for the death certificate, the cost, and you can then mail off for them. If I were you, I would get a copy of her birth certificate too. The libraries, the hosp., the doctor, get all of the non-le info first. That willl get you warmed up to it. Then the coroner's office, pathologist's office. Then LE, working your way closer to Barberton.

About the date of death. You may get one place where it may say the 17th, and another place where it says the 18th. The date of death used on the death certificate could be the estimated date of death, the date the body was found, or the last date she was verified as being seen. So when searching, if it isn't under her name- use the date range those provide. In other words that is an estimate- and not exact, so use some leeway there.
Same on birthday. Let's say that her birthday is the 17th, but the one you find uses a DOB of the 15th. Examine it closely to see if it might be related to your sister, as there could be a typo.
And I am glad you will be getting some help. I wish I was closer, as I have done some of these things for other reasons and that is partly how I know about them.

 

[upallnite]

Start with the easy stuff. Do ancestor.com first. The exact (legal) date of death is important. The libraries, the hosp., the doctor, get all of the non-le info first. That willl get you warmed up to it. Then the coroner's office, pathologist's office. Then LE, working your way closer to Barberton.

About the date of death. You may get one place where it may say the 17th, and another place where it says the 18th. The date of death used on the death certificate could be the estimated date of death, the date the body was found, or the last date she was verified as being seen. So when searching, if it isn't under her name- use the date range those provide. In other words that is an estimate- and not exact, so use some leeway there.
Same on birthday. Let's say that her birthday is the 17th, but the one you find uses a DOB of the 15th. Examine it closely to see if it might be related to your sister, as there could be a typo.

Mysteriew, do you work in missing persons or something? You seem very knowledgable about this stuff. I don't think they will have a date of death exactly, because she was believed to be in the water a long time. I am going to work towards getting that autopsy report in the morning though.

 

[mysteriew]

Okay, but keep in mind there are several pieces of paper you need.
1)Death Certificate. Shows the official dates of death. Shows the official cause of death. May also show address where found, family doctor's name if known, her last known address. Coroner may ask for that.
2)Autopsy report. Official findings of the body at the time the autopsy was completed.
3)Missing persons reports, if any were filed.
4)Police reports, investigative reports. Notes, witnesses interviews (they may not let you see those).

One thing to note is like Richard mentioned. In Ohio, the State Patrol is only thought to have jurisdiction on the highway. Actually, the have jurisdiction over the local police and sheriff's dept. in investigation of those depts. And they do frequently give assistance to local LE agencies, and they have to document everything they do. So they may have some info.

Don't be afraid to go to the courthouse to look for info. Most of what is in the courthouse is public info and searching there is easy to do. You can ofen even see the court file if you specifically ask for it. Just go to probate office, tell them what you want to find and ask them how you go about searching for it.

No, I never did anything with missing people. LOL, I just read a lot! And I have had a little personal experience researching info for a civil case. Got birth certificates for my kids, etc.

Info for obtaining a death certificate:
http://www.odh.state.oh.us/vitalstatistics/vitalstats.aspx

They always list an offical date of death. The exact date may not be known, but they have some policy on what date to use.

 

[upallnite]

Okay, but keep in mind there are several pieces of paper you need.
1)Death Certificate. Shows the official dates of death. Shows the official cause of death. May also show address where found, family doctor's name if known, her last known address. Coroner may ask for that.
2)Autopsy report. Official findings of the body at the time the autopsy was completed.
3)Missing persons reports, if any were filed.
4)Police reports, investigative reports. Notes, witnesses interviews (they may not let you see those).

One thing to note is like Richard mentioned. In Ohio, the State Patrol is only thought to have jurisdiction on the highway. Actually, the have jurisdiction over the local police and sheriff's dept. in investigation of those depts. And they do frequently give assistance to local LE agencies, and they have to document everything they do. So they may have some info.

Don't be afraid to go to the courthouse to look for info. Most of what is in the courthouse is public info and searching there is easy to do. You can ofen even see the court file if you specifically ask for it. Just go to probate office, tell them what you want to find and ask them how you go about searching for it.

No, I never did anything with missing people. LOL, I just read a lot! And I have had a little personal experience researching info for a civil case. Got birth certificates for my kids, etc.

Info for obtaining a death certificate:
http://www.odh.state.oh.us/vitalstatistics/vitalstats.aspx

They always list an offical date of death. The exact date may not be known, but they have some policy on what date to use.

Thank you so much and thanks for that link. Very informative. I read too much!!!!

 

[mysteriew]

You're Welcome

 

[vanillasky]

Once you get those documents, I think it would be worth a shot to contact 48 Hours. This was obviously a homicide and coverup - and I with everyone else will also be anxiously awaiting any and all news you come up with. What a terrible injustice your family has suffered.

ADDRESS:
48 Hours
524 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019

48hours@cbsnews.com

PHONE: (212) 975-3247

 

[Shadow205]

Upallnite, I think Jane may have gotten more publicity than you may have realized. I have always lived in Southern Ohio, and her name sounds familiar to me. But for the life of me I can't remember where I read it or heard it. First of all do you are any of your family still live in Barberton?

Okay the first thing you need to do is establish the exact date of death. Go to ancestor.com, sign up for a free trial, and go back to the page you first came to. Enter your sisters name and dates of birth if known. Click search. On the next page look to the left and choose birth marriage death date. Click on Social Security death index. Look there for a match to your sister's name, city or county, and age. They should have your sister's date of death- as it was recorded on the death certificate.
Next contact the local newspaper and see if they have archives of their newspapers on microfiche. If so go there search around that date and forward a few months. You should find some mention of your sister's death if nothing other than an obit notice. For a small fee you can usually make copies.
Call your local library (the main branch, not the satellites). See if they keep any of the old newspapers in any form. You will have to visit the library and register (free) to get a look at them probably. You have to do your own record search and copies are usually less than $.50.
Okay, now you know for sure what dates to look at. Contact the Ohio Dept. of public health and get her death certificate. (Fee is somewhere in the region of $8-$12 dollars).
Summit Co. Coroner's office. The local office should have a record.
Then make a day trip to Akron. Check the city papers. (And for some reason I am thinking to look for her last name being spelt Gault, I don't know why). So look under both names. If you are shy about questions, then say you are working on your family geneological history.
Since the officer who your sister was seeing worked for Barberton, leave them til last.
Contact the County Sheriff's office and request if they have a copy of the autopsy. In Ohio if your sisters body was found outside of the city limits, then the sheriff's dept will have an investigation report on it. If they assisted the city police in any way, they may also have reports. Ask to see them. (LOL, your genelogical history got you curious about the details of your sisters death, parents too upset to talk about it, barely remember her, etc). Ask them where you would find the autopsy report for your sister. Due to our coroner's system in Ohio- the sheriff's office may actually keep the coroner's records. (For instance in my county the coroner is a local doctor, and there is no "coroner's office".) Also, find out who did the autopsies for your county in '81. (In my county there is still no pathologist and any autopsies get sent to Cincy for the autopsy). Whatever office they used, for the autopsy is where you can find the autopsy report. That can vary from county to county.
Go to the county courthouse, to the probate court and check for any records they may have on your sister.
Did your sister have a family doctor, and is he still living? He may have a copy of the autopsy report.
Check at the local hospital for any records they may have on your sister, or on an unidentified body recieved on the date your sister was found. If your sister was taken to the morgue there, they may not have a record of her name. You may have difficulty getting the records there as your parents will be listed as next of kin, but it is worth a shot.
Okay, now you are ready to go to Barberton. Again, you were researching family history and got curious about your sister's death as family too upset, never would talk about it. Be very casual.
After you have assembled as much info as possible about your sister and you still have questions then ask the Akron officer as a friend to look at it with you, answer questions, etc. After getting his opinion, then explain to him about the possible City Police connection. Other possible resources- your family doctor. Also a nurse can help explain the technical jargon.
Hope this helps some.

Mysteriew,

For some reason, I can't find anything at all in the Soc. Sec. death index. I have tried searching a ton aof different ways. Weird.

(And for some reason I am thinking to look for her last name being spelt Gault, I don't know why...that is the spelling that upallnight gave us. Are you having a "blond moment" ?

 

[upallnite]

Mysteriew,

For some reason, I can't find anything at all in the Soc. Sec. death index. I have tried searching a ton aof different ways. Weird.

(And for some reason I am thinking to look for her last name being spelt Gault, I don't know why...that is the spelling that upallnight gave us. Are you having a "blond moment" ?

I know, one time I did a search for this information on line also, I couldn't find a trace of her. I thought it was odd, but then maybe their records in Barberton are still in the paper/folder form, guess I'll find out, huh?

 

[upallnite]

Once you get those documents, I think it would be worth a shot to contact 48 Hours. This was obviously a homicide and coverup - and I with everyone else will also be anxiously awaiting any and all news you come up with. What a terrible injustice your family has suffered.

ADDRESS:
48 Hours
524 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019

48hours@cbsnews.com

PHONE: (212) 975-3247

Thanks SimonSays!!!! I'm going to update on here and let's see what I can figure out, 2 of my sisters are now pumped about doing this also, one of them wanted to get on here, but it will not allow her because of her e-mail status being free. Does anyone know why that is? It's too bad because she remembers alot more about this.

 

[shadowangel]

Upallnite...I know what you're feeling, this is not a task to be taken lightly. And, in your case, we're speaking of a close family member, so that can only add to the anxiousness you are feeling. I had tried to get to the bottom of my brother's death in 1979, something my folks just wouldn't talk about. I never really found what I was looking for, but I can give you an idea of what to look forward to--roadblocks, brick walls,maybe harrassment, more questions than answers, and maybe a few nasty truths that could better be lived without. In my case, I was dealing with a branch of the US military, so I had some avenues available that you may not--and a lot more red tape than I hope you'll have to run in to.

Its takes a commitment to finding the truth, no matter what that truth may be. If I can be of any help, or at least moral support, just let me know, and I'm sure you have the full support of everyone else here. Some of us can ask questions that you may not feel comfortable asking, considering the situation.

As for the archives, even if the town's newspaper isn't archived yet, the story should have been picked up by other area papers, or even the news wires like AP, so something should be out there.
:angel: Big group hug.:angel:

 

[upallnite]

Upallnite...I know what you're feeling, this is not a task to be taken lightly. And, in your case, we're speaking of a close family member, so that can only add to the anxiousness you are feeling. I had tried to get to the bottom of my brother's death in 1979, something my folks just wouldn't talk about. I never really found what I was looking for, but I can give you an idea of what to look forward to--roadblocks, brick walls,maybe harrassment, more questions than answers, and maybe a few nasty truths that could better be lived without. In my case, I was dealing with a branch of the US military, so I had some avenues available that you may not--and a lot more red tape than I hope you'll have to run in to.

Its takes a commitment to finding the truth, no matter what that truth may be. If I can be of any help, or at least moral support, just let me know, and I'm sure you have the full support of everyone else here. Some of us can ask questions that you may not feel comfortable asking, considering the situation.

As for the archives, even if the town's newspaper isn't archived yet, the story should have been picked up by other area papers, or even the news wires like AP, so something should be out there.
:angel: Big group hug.:angel:

Hey, don't worry about asking me anything, if it's one thing I'm not, it's shy. I have seen way too much for a person of my age and believe me nothing would surprise me and nothing would ever bother me. I found out last night that one of my other sisters has at least one article about this, she lives in another state and I'm going to call her and have her dictate it to me over the phone as soon as she gets back from a vacation she went on ( a couple of days) and also another one of my sisters says there were two articles one in the Barberton Herald and one in The Akron Beacon Journal.

 

[upallnite]

This case was listed a drowning, so I'm making the assumption that it is not an open case. The files (IF they exist) should be accessible to at least a family member. If I'm reading this right, Upallnite, do your parents have a copy of the autopsy report?

Did you find a listing of this? Or were you just saying that's what it should have been listed as? A drowning.

 

[shadowangel]

Sorry, I was repeating what you had said in an earlier post---shouldn't have used the word "listed" I guess. The police told your parents she drowned. It would be VERY interesting to see if the police report says something different...Are you sure they are not carrying this as an open case?

 

[upallnite]

Sorry, I was repeating what you had said in an earlier post---shouldn't have used the word "listed" I guess. The police told your parents she drowned. It would be VERY interesting to see if the police report says something different...Are you sure they are not carrying this as an open case?

Oh, Ok. It should say undetermined because right after my parents got the autopsy they called and were like hey, what's the deal? I just called the Summit County Coronors office and the woman I spoke to is going to call me back because she says she has to look in archives for this, hope I'm still here when she calls back because I have to work later on.

 

[upallnite]

Oh, Ok. It should say undetermined because right after my parents got the autopsy they called and were like hey, what's the deal? I just called the Summit County Coronors office and the woman I spoke to is going to call me back because she says she has to look in archives for this, hope I'm still here when she calls back because I have to work later on.

I was thinking if they open this thing up when she finds it and look at it, they're gonna be like what the he....? LOL!!!!

 

[shadowangel]

That would make things a lot easier, wouldn't it? I found this, any idea who posted it?

http://barbertonmagics.com/obits/80s/82/jgault.htm

 

[upallnite]

That would make things a lot easier, wouldn't it? I found this, any idea who posted it?

http://barbertonmagics.com/obits/80s/82/jgault.htm

Shadowangel, you're a smartie!!!!! I can't believe you found that. No, we don't know who put that on there, wish we did. The coronors office just called me back. Jan's autopsy report is on microfilm so they have to send it downtown Akron to get it processed and she said it'll take a week. SIGH!!!!Then she's going to call me when they get it back and I have to send check and then they'll send it to me. GEEZ!!!! Is this that red tape you were referring to?LOL!!!!

 

[shadowangel]

Hey, it sounds a lot easier than I expected!!!! A little waiting is no big deal...The red tape is, "Who are you? What do want? Why do you want it? PROVE you're a family member. I don't think I can do this. Call back later. Who are you again?" :bang: I'm gonna dig a little on that post...Could prove interesting.

 

[upallnite]

Hey, it sounds a lot easier than I expected!!!! A little waiting is no big deal...The red tape is, "Who are you? What do want? Why do you want it? PROVE you're a family member. I don't think I can do this. Call back later. Who are you again?" :bang: I'm gonna dig a little on that post...Could prove interesting.

I'm sorry you never found anything about your brother. I told my sister I'd at least like to have this looked at and ruled a homicide if nothing else. But more would be great!!!! My sister said she thinks one of her high school friends placed that ad. Who knows!!!