NE NE - Jason Jolkowski, 19, Omaha, 13 June 2001 - #2

[MatthewTyler]

I stopped by their house and offered my condolences/help soon after I found out, and apologized for being oblivious to it all. It was an awkward visit. They are not outgoing people. Kelly is more so. For a while I suspected the father, but not of foul play. My gut feeling is that someone helped Jason escape a situation where he was at odds with his father. I'm not saying Jason was gay, but say he was. That would not fly with his father. His father wanting him to be a priest? A rumor I heard from more than on person. So, as you see, like any mystery, everyone in the room is a suspect.

When I first got involved with this forum. It made my head spin all over again. A hole get's put in every theory. Then your mind just keeps trying to solve the puzzle. In my gut, I feel he ran away, but how does one stay off the grid for nearly 18 years? How did he know not to use his bank account and cell phone? No smartphones and fitbits then, would have been nice. His family was close. I can't imagine him staying away for an extended length of time.

The stuff about his dad is really fascinating to me. I'm curious if maybe his father even felt that his strict religious ways could be a reason behind things, only because I see he didn't seem to push their other son into anything religious from what I saw on his social media. He even ended up going into the armed forces-quite a different route than the seminary.

As for the running away, I don't have any trouble believing that he could open a new bank account and not use a cellphone (seeing as it was 2001 and they weren't as prevalent) especially if he had help; my main issue with any running away theory is the time he chose to do it. Why run off when someone is waiting for you to get to work and you know you'd be missed within 30 minutes? From what it seemed, Jason's parents worked every day which would leave Jason free to take off at any time when nobody would notice for hours. Not that I personally believe that's what happened, but it's a theory that's as good as any other.

Again, the biggest issue with this case is that the cosmos had to align perfectly for whatever happened to have happened. Different schedule that day, short window of time, zero evidence anywhere. It will haunt me until I die for sure

 

[MatthewTyler]

As for staying away this length of time, sometimes that's just the way it goes. Then as time passes, the person thinks it would be even worst if I showed up now. "I've put them through almost 20 years of pain........"

This is one of the thoughts I had regarding the Brian Shaffer case. Once his dad died, there was absolutely no going back from that point. I don't consider it out of the realm of possibility that Jason could have thought that way

 

[CountSnap]

This is one of the thoughts I had regarding the Brian Shaffer case. Once his dad died, there was absolutely no going back from that point. I don't consider it out of the realm of possibility that Jason could have thought that way

Yes.... Absolutely.

 

[ekardh]

Doubtful that Jason ran away. It doesn't make sense for him to leave on a day when his absence would've been noted and his vehicle was still out of service. It's ironic you mention Brian Shaffer because just like his case, it's extremely unlikely these two men were able to pull off the perfect crime.

In Brian's case, it was surely an accident in the construction site. With Jason, almost definitely foul play.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Kelly works up the street from me. She was very heavy when I first met her. After Jason disappeared she started bike riding and taking better care of her health. They say he would not recognize her if he returned. For her to crusade, like she did, it required a lifestyle change. I imagine she is pretty burned out by now. I will quiz my mother sometime and see if they still talk. I only see her on interviews, when they find a body somewhere, or when June rolls around.

Not for nothing, and not that it really matters to the case, but I believe Kelly has lived in Washington state for a few years now. Quite the commute if she works up the street from you haha . Project Jason is also defunct now, so my guess is that Kelly is looking to move on and focus on other aspects of life.

 

[studebkr]

Not for nothing, and not that it really matters to the case, but I believe Kelly has lived in Washington state for a few years now. Quite the commute if she works up the street from you haha . Project Jason is also defunct now, so my guess is that Kelly is looking to move on and focus on other aspects of life.

Changed her name too. Kind of sad. Mom said she and Jim had not been a part of Saint Vincent De Paul in quite a few years. I just figured she'd retire from DTN, but I've made countless changes in the same time span. I forget how long it's been since I've even been by the old house.

I wish I could find a copy of the website the family put up before Project Jason. It was very religious looking; full of chalices and Sacred Heart images of Jesus. I think music too. 89.7 The River kept an ad up for years too.

This case just makes your head go into a feedback loop because you can't solve it. Somebody knows something. I hope you all keep reaching out to people, like you did to me. Maybe one day something will be said.

 

[studebkr]

Here is a link on the Way Back Machine of the first website the family put up on their Cox.net account.
Prayers & Posters

 

[Jbrown324320]

I can definitely see him running away due to conflicts with family beliefs. I do not know if Jason was gay, bi or anthing but straight as I do not know him, but many LGBTQ youths run away or are kicked out of homes. Especially super religious homes. He could have easily been picked up by the person he was running away with and told the mom he was getting a ride to work from someone else. He could have bought an identity (SSN and id) on the street easily.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I can definitely see him running away due to conflicts with family beliefs. I do not know if Jason was gay, bi or anthing but straight as I do not know him, but many LGBTQ youths run away or are kicked out of homes. Especially super religious homes. He could have easily been picked up by the person he was running away with and told the mom he was getting a ride to work from someone else. He could have bought an identity (SSN and id) on the street easily.

If anything, I could believe that possible family issues could have made him more groom-able to an older person that he may have confided in (neighbor? Pastor?) and they could have used his vulnerability to eventually hurt him. But I just don't see the running away theory as plausible. He was dressed for work and had his ride waiting for him. It just wouldn't make any sense. We also don't even really know the extent of what problems the family might have had-from the outside looking in they seemed like a really close knit family.
I still believe this was a crime of opportunity, and more than likely by a neighbor or acquaintance. The area has been described before as sketchy with pockets of decline.

 

[JohHall1001]

Hello. Long-time lurker, finally created an actual account on here today to post. I'm sure this might have been mentioned, but are we sure that Jason wasn't meeting someone before heading to work? He didn't know until that morning that he would be heading to work, so if he were to have planned a rendezvous the night before it could have been too late to back out. When Jason originally didn't have a ride he told his boss he would walk. Then even after arranging a ride, Jason still made sure that he would be walking at least a few blocks before catching his ride. I understand that this was because it was easier than giving directions to his home, but that could have just been a ruse to make sure he had some time beforehand. If Jason had been picked up right from his house, whatever he may have planned beforehand would be ruined. Now when I say 'rendezvous', I do not mean running away with someone. There was a post a few pages back that mention that someone may have seen him that morning heading down Bedford Ave. towards the grocery store (though unconfirmed if it was actually the same day). This was the opposite direction to the school, so that's why I was curious if maybe he was doing a pit stop first. The area is rough looking, so my immediate thought would be if he was buying drugs. We know he had $60 on him-plenty of money for buying something off someone. I know his parents are adamant that he did not use drugs, but there's no way for parents to know that 100%. I have had friends that were big stoners throughout high school and their parents were none the wiser. The only reason I think some kind of arrangement was premeditated is because the idea of randomly attacking a grown man in such a short time span on such an out of the ordinary day for him is just too odd. I would have an easier time believing that he was prearranged to be lured to his attacker, giving the perp more time to plan this out. For example, my thinking is that he went out of his way to buy something from someone (I only guess drugs, but who knows) and this seller knew that he was more vulnerable or learning disabled. This would make it easier to take advantage of him and (probably) kill him. If the perp knew the night before that Jason would be lured there, it could also have given them more time to plan what they were gonna do next--alibis, getting rid of the body, etc.

 

[dotr]

Hello. Long-time lurker, finally created an actual account on here today to post. I'm sure this might have been mentioned, but are we sure that Jason wasn't meeting someone before heading to work? He didn't know until that morning that he would be heading to work, so if he were to have planned a rendezvous the night before it could have been too late to back out. When Jason originally didn't have a ride he told his boss he would walk. Then even after arranging a ride, Jason still made sure that he would be walking at least a few blocks before catching his ride. I understand that this was because it was easier than giving directions to his home, but that could have just been a ruse to make sure he had some time beforehand. If Jason had been picked up right from his house, whatever he may have planned beforehand would be ruined. Now when I say 'rendezvous', I do not mean running away with someone. There was a post a few pages back that mention that someone may have seen him that morning heading down Bedford Ave. towards the grocery store (though unconfirmed if it was actually the same day). This was the opposite direction to the school, so that's why I was curious if maybe he was doing a pit stop first. The area is rough looking, so my immediate thought would be if he was buying drugs. We know he had $60 on him-plenty of money for buying something off someone. I know his parents are adamant that he did not use drugs, but there's no way for parents to know that 100%. I have had friends that were big stoners throughout high school and their parents were none the wiser. The only reason I think some kind of arrangement was premeditated is because the idea of randomly attacking a grown man in such a short time span on such an out of the ordinary day for him is just too odd. I would have an easier time believing that he was prearranged to be lured to his attacker, giving the perp more time to plan this out. For example, my thinking is that he went out of his way to buy something from someone (I only guess drugs, but who knows) and this seller knew that he was more vulnerable or learning disabled. This would make it easier to take advantage of him and (probably) kill him. If the perp knew the night before that Jason would be lured there, it could also have given them more time to plan what they were gonna do next--alibis, getting rid of the body, etc.

Welcome to Ws JohHall!
Excellent thought concerning the possibility that Jason was meeting someone or going to a store before his designated meeting spot.
Maybe Jason simply wanted to buy a pack of smokes before his shift started, perhaps he only smoked occasionally (unknown to his parents) - maybe he bummed some off co-workers that he wanted to repay? imo, speculation.

 

[JohHall1001]

Welcome to Ws JohHall!
Excellent thought concerning the possibility that Jason was meeting someone or going to a store before his designated meeting spot.
Maybe Jason simply wanted to buy a pack of smokes before his shift started, perhaps he only smoked occasionally (unknown to his parents) - maybe he bummed some off co-workers that he wanted to repay? imo, speculation.

Could even be as simple as wanting to stop to get a soda before work. Even if he wasn't meeting someone, and presumably was headed towards the grocery store (half a mile from his home) it could open up the possibility that he was just a victim of a random crime. The area that store is in is rough from the looks of it, and we already know that they were only a few blocks away from gang violence. I also don't think we can totally rule out 'random' crime (whether gang related or not) simply because it was the morning. Crime can happen at any time, and if this is an area that is prone to violence then any neighbors may have already learned to mind their own business.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Could even be as simple as wanting to stop to get a soda before work. Even if he wasn't meeting someone, and presumably was headed towards the grocery store (half a mile from his home) it could open up the possibility that he was just a victim of a random crime. The area that store is in is rough from the looks of it, and we already know that they were only a few blocks away from gang violence. I also don't think we can totally rule out 'random' crime (whether gang related or not) simply because it was the morning. Crime can happen at any time, and if this is an area that is prone to violence then any neighbors may have already learned to mind their own business.

Not a bad theory. Of course this is dependent on whether this witness was accurate on which day he saw Jason walking there. It is interesting to note that this grocery store is actually the halfway point between Jason's home and the block where Samuel Sherman was staying. I uploaded a map showing the routes. I personally still feel that Sherman was either a nomad or not even real to begin with, but IF these two cases are connected then it sets up the idea that it could be someone on Bedford. This area definitely seems more high-risk than Jason's block

 

[MatthewTyler]

I also don't think we can totally rule out 'random' crime (whether gang related or not) simply because it was the morning. Crime can happen at any time, and if this is an area that is prone to violence then any neighbors may have already learned to mind their own business.

My only issue with random robbery/crime is why hide the body at all? I know that the Mafia is known to make people disappear, but some random street gang? Or if it wasn't a gang but just one or two thugs, still. Hardly seems vital to make sure that the victim is never found, could just dump him in a cornfield or vacant lot and be done with it. Also, his bank card was never used. So they only rolled Jason for $60 and never attempted to get more? It just hardly seems worth killing over. Usually in these missing persons cases when a card or cellphone are never used again I just assume it's because these items got buried with the victim. Although I do agree with you that it can't be ruled out, just still lean more towards nefarious neighbor.

 

[studebkr]

Nefarious neighbor here. I just want to give you a layout of the neighborhood. I had never heard this grocery store connection.

The Holy Name parish had a benefactor named Loyd Vaughan. In the 80's and 90's his family had an idea to keep the church and school alive. They purchased, remodeled houses, and financed them to young (probably mostly white catholic) families. This set up several pockets of nice neighborhoods among the more run down. We called 47th Ave and 48th Street "The Oasis". By the time I moved into the neighborhood, Loyd had passed and this project had stopped, but there were several freshly remodeled houses left by his crews and by other's who had moved in and remodeled, taking advantage of the then stable housing prices. These were neighbored by rental properties. Anything west of Fontenelle Blvd was deteriorating, and houses bordering the Fontenelle Park were mostly in need of repair.

By the time you got to the grocery store at 42nd and Bedford, you were "out of your element". I never went in there. I believe there was a bad shooting there a few years back. In fact the store has quite a history. It was firebombed in a racial riot in 1968 and a target of many robberies since. As mentioned in an earlier post. This is closer to where Samuel Sherman was staying. I've otherwise dismissed this connection.

 

[JohHall1001]

We had two bad hail storms that spring and I had to replace my Nissan, and Jason had to put his Honda in the shop which is why he needed a ride to work that day. (this was in the news) I know it was a Honda because it sadly sat in the driveway for quite a while after he disappeared.

According to archived weather and news, this bad hailstorm happened on May 13, 2001. I'm curious why Jason would wait an entire month to get his car fixed. Did you also wait to replace your Nissan? Was there another storm closer to the time he disappeared?

 

[MatthewTyler]

Nefarious neighbor here

hmmm Thought so

By the time you got to the grocery store at 42nd and Bedford, you were "out of your element". I never went in there. I believe there was a bad shooting there a few years back. In fact the store has quite a history. It was firebombed in a racial riot in 1968 and a target of many robberies since. As mentioned in an earlier post. This is closer to where Samuel Sherman was staying. I've otherwise dismissed this connection.

Without having been to the neighborhood, I'm going to guess that the blocks around the store is a predominately black area, so I'm curious if a thin white guy like Jason would be target for harassment there. I googled a few articles about crime involving that store, and all of them are (as you said) shootings. In all of those instances the victims have been left to either die or get away. The M.O of a clean cut disappearing act isn't really the style of this area it seems.

 

[studebkr]

According to archived weather and news, this bad hailstorm happened on May 13, 2001. I'm curious why Jason would wait an entire month to get his car fixed. Did you also wait to replace your Nissan? Was there another storm closer to the time he disappeared?

The first storm was horrible. I replaced my Nissan with a Mazda truck which got dinged enough in the second storm to make a claim but it was easily fixable. I don't remember the dates of the storm. I'm sure a lot of people waited. He may have only had liability insurance, or a high deductible. All speculation.

 

[JohHall1001]

Human skull found in Salt Creek remains unidentified

I wish we heard more about this skull found in Ashland in 2017. The last report of it was from Sept.2017 saying that it remains unidentified. They estimate it to be a white male aged 19-30. The article says they ruled out some cold case victims, but didn't say which ones.

 

[MysteryMaven]

Thinking about Jason today. I just don't understand how there is no trace of him after 6/13/01.
Something to keep in mind is that Jason had some cognitive issues when it came to directions. I don't think it's out of the question to theorize that he got distracted, decided to detour to get a soda and then met with some kind of foul play.
He was also trusting. Not too crazy to think a creep in the neighborhood saw him coming and stopped to ask him for some kind of help. I would like to know why LE searched a neighbor's house in connection to Jason.
I don't think he ran away, even if there was some issue at home. He was reportedly family oriented, a reliable worker, and a shy person with some cognitive issues. I think that is what sets him apart when theorizing about what happened to him.
I keep coming back to someone on his route knowing his disposition and taking advantage of the situation to ask him to pop inside to "help" with something. If he got lost and fell into a ravine or some body of water I feel like he would have turned up. The Ashland skull is a possibility but that looks so far from Omaha. I don't see a body of water, creek, etc. connected from there to Omaha that could have carried the skull all that way. Unless it was put there by someone who did him harm. Hopefully they will publish rule outs so we know for sure someday.