LA LA - Jane Rowell Clement, 22, Baton Rouge, 7 April 1963

Richard

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Jane Rowell Clement
Missing since April 7, 1963 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Age at Time of Disappearance: 22 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3" ; 100 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics:
White female.
Dark blonde hair.
Blue eyes.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Jane Rowell Clement, an aspiring writer and mother of two young children has been missing since April 7, 1963. She was last seen at her residence at 2776 Sorrel Ave in Baton Rouge,LA. Clement called her estranged husband the day after Easter 1963 and asked him to watch their children while she went job-hunting.
The husband picked the children up but got no answer when he phoned his wife's home later that day. A week later, a worried neighbor called Clements brother in New Orleans to tell him she hadn't seen Clement in days.

The brother had to break into his sister's locked Sorrel Avenue home. In the laundry room, he found a basket of washed clothes that had mildewed. The only things missing from the house were Clement's Easter clothes and her only bedspread.

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

Baton Rouge City Police Department
Sgt. Candy Graham
225-389-8617 OR 225-389-3844

Agency Number: 5501-63
NCIC Number: N/A
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
The Baton Rouge Advocate
The Doe Network: Case File 1373DFLA

Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1373dfla.html
 
Bumping up this cold case. This month marks the 44 year anniversary. Any updates?
 
What a sad case!

I wonder too if they looked after the estranged husband? A huge mystery is the missing bedspread, which might contain evidence. Jane may have wanted to look her best for a job interview, so maybe she wore her Easter clothes.

1.) What else is known about the husband? Family background? Did he take a polygraph test? Results?

2.) How many children? Ages of the children? I wonder what they would remember over time?

3.) Was the husband ever considered a suspect in the case? Any suspects?

Satch
 
I always thought that maybe someone murdered her in the house and wrapped her in the bedspread to carry her away in. But she would have already had to be dressed in her Easter clothes. Maybe she let somebody in before she went out and they attacked her?
The estranged husband today would be a prime suspect. Also I wonder if she had been seeing and/or talking to another man since she and her husband were split up. There could have been a jealousy issue and the other man flew into a rage and maybe pushed her onto the bed, strangled or beat her to death, then wrapped her in the bedspread and carried her out.
 
Very odd that the husband didn't report her missing, that and the bedspread...Mmmm.
 
Very interesting that the husband wasn't the one to report her missing - particularly when he had been given the two young children and a week had passed. You would think someone in the immediate neighborhood may have seen someone carrying out the victim out in the bedspread - if indeed that was how her body was removed from the house. Nearby residents could have also noticed a strange car in the driveway or near the house, strangers lurking about that day, any door-to-door salesmen or similar individuals who may have been around during the time in question.
 
The details about the husband are strange, that he would call her one time, not get an answer, then just keep the kids for a week without checking back in or going to her house. If he had nothing to do with it, it seems unusual that his wife would not call about the kids or come pick them up. At that point he would have to know something was wrong. Plus, wouldn't the kids be asking for their mom? The only reason I can think of (other than him committing foul play) for the husband not to be concerned is if this was a normal occurrence in their lives, for him to take the children for days at a time with no word from her. It would be helpful to know if she had a habit of taking off for several days and the husband normally kept the kids until he heard from her. That would be less likely in the 60s than family situations we hear about today.
It does seem that she probably wore the Easter dress to look for a job. It was probably her nicest and newest dress at the time.
What would also be helpful to know is the layout of the neighborhood, such as whether the houses were close together or if it was secluded enough to carry a body out in a quilt and put it in a car. Even if the houses are close, it might have been possible to pull a car into a garage or around to the back door and remove a body after dark.
 
Bumping for Jane. I still believe the reason the bedspread is missing is because she was killed in the house and carried out wrapped in the bedspread. And that makes me think she was killed by someone she knew. A stranger breaking into your house wouldn't be likely to take your body with him. The most likely folks to look at would be the husband or a boyfriend if she had one. I wonder if police ruled the husband out. It could have gone like this, hypothetically, because I am not accusing him of anything:
Let's say your husband comes over to pick up the kids before you go out dressed in your Easter dress for a job interview. Maybe the kids have already gotten in the car before an argument breaks out or maybe you tell the kids to get in the car so they won't hear the argument. Things go wrong and and your husband strangles you and wraps you in the bedspread. Maybe he carries the bundle to the car trunk and tells the kids some excuse for what the bundle is or maybe he comes back for it later. At some point he disposes of the body somewhere. Meanwhile his kids are staying at his house and he doesnt report you missing.
Or....your boyfriend stops by either before or after your job interview, argues with you, kills you, wraps you in the bedspread and carries you away.
I would think it would have to be a man in order to carry a grown woman out of the house, or else two people could have done it, in the case of the killer being a woman or someone with a small build.
 
I happend to be familiar with this case. The children were 7 months and 2 1/2 years. Neither one had memories of their Mom. There is always that possibility that the spouse did it, but there are so many things involved in this case that was not mentioned.

First of all, when the dad, Will, went to pick up the kids, it wasn't unusual for Jane to be gone a week. She had a brother that lived in New Orleans and often visited him. When Will, the dad, went to pick up the kids, Jane had a really bad sunburn. She had been on a picnic/fishing/or maybe beach. This could explain the missing sheet/bedspread.

What's really missing here is the fact that there was alot of mental illness on Jane's side of the family. Jane's Father committed suicide when she was a little girl. He shot himself in the head. There mother died of TB and lived in a TB hospital in Greenwell Springs for years. During this time Jane went from family to family and never had a stable home. What's really funny is that Jane had a sister that disappeared 10 years earlier. Her name was Patsy Rowell. Wylie, Jane's brother, told me that she had gotten pregnant, and so disappeared. Nobody has ever looked for her, or has cared to find her. I find this strange that this was never mentioned in the police report.

Jane was a beautiful woman. She wanted to be an actress and had won several awards in High School. She loved her kids very much, but did not like being married and wanted another life. She had gotten married for some stability in her life, but she was not a happy person. It wouldn't surprise me if she ran away and assumed another identity.

Because Jane was a very beautiful woman, foul play could of have been involved. If someone came along and promised her an acting career, she may have jumped on it. That would of been the job interview she was going on. Things like that didn't happen back then, so it would be a shocker and a very sad thing if it did.

I don't think we will ever know. But to this day it bewilders me too. I just wanted to give you guys some other facts. The facts listed above were very one sided and given by a person who really wanted to see the Dad, Will, suffer. And he has. To this day, he has never gotten remarried. It was a horrible experience for the whole family.
 
Very strange.
Of course it could be argued that if the Ex did it the first thing he would have done is report her missing"...I was just supposed to have the kids for a day and its been three!!!!..."
Besides 'job interview' may have just been something she told him because she didnt want to say who she was meeting or why fearing he would refuse to babysit if she was just meeting some guy.
Very Beautiful Lady.
 
Glaring Error(s) vs. Primary Sources:
I'm not complaining, just asking for help to correct mistakes about this case posted on several websites, including this one. New info could result from doing so.

1. Jane Rowell Clement reportedly missing since "April 7, 1963," the "day after Easter." That date is wrong. Easter always falls on a Sunday, making the day after Easter a Monday. April of 1963 had 5 Mondays: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th. The easy answer is the 8th--which matches the date in a half-dozen historical newspaper articles I've read about Ms. Clement. But over a decade of researching historical murders has taught me that newspapers rush to print to beat out their competition--and correct their errors later, if at all.

Easter apparently fell on the 14th in 1963 according to:
-- Online historical calendars.
-- Websites that give the dates of holidays going back 100 years or more.
-- A genealogy site posting an Easter photo with the date April 14, 1963 written on the back.
-- Easter 1963 articles & ads in multiple newspapers. Ads for Easter bonnets, etc. were still running on the 13th. Several April 14th newspapers had announcements--giving Easter parade times for the afternoon of April 14th.

So when did Clement really go missing? Monday the 8th or Monday the 15th of April?

Hannah J -- Your post makes me think you've seen the police report:
"What's really funny is that Jane had a sister that disappeared 10 years earlier. Her name was Patsy Rowell. Wylie, Jane's brother, told me that she had gotten pregnant, and so disappeared. Nobody has ever looked for her, or has cared to find her. I find this strange that this was never mentioned in the police report."

If so, what's the Missing Since Date on it?

2. Why did you say a "sheet/bedspread" was missing when everywhere else it's stated as: "her only bedspread"? A missing sheet is quite a different thing. Are both listed on the police report?

3. Why would "been on a picnic/fishing/or maybe beach" explain either item missing? She not only took her only bedspread on an outing where it was likely to get filthy--she forgot to bring it home? A sheet would be more believable but still not something you'd easily overlook when packing up.

Please know I'm not being confrontational. I'm asking questions to make sure I'm not researching a false trail.

<modsnip>

There are more avenues I want to explore but I'll save those for later. I don't want my first post here to run too long.

Thanks!
 
Welcome to Websleuths, JWD! Excellent catch on the date. And a belated welcome to HannahJ, as well. We're glad you've both joined us.

:welcome5:


The details as stated in the opening post are too pat for my liking. Husband presumably the last to see her; he has the children; only one outfit missing (who would know?); and her only bedspread. It must be the husband, right? Not necessarily. One could as easily make a case against the brother. (I'm not.)

If she had recently been to the beach, the bedspread might have remained in someone's trunk full of sand. Despite it being her only bedspread, it could happen.

No car is mentioned. Would she have used public transporation in her job search?

Where, and with whom, did she spend Easter Sunday?

If it was customary for Jane to go off for a week, why did the neighbor grow alarmed and call the brother? (This is not a dig at HannahJ.)

I have a feeling many details have either been omitted or skewed over the years, like the date (which I've changed in the title, btw). I'd like to see that police report, myself.
 
This is a case I have followed for years. I still feel like the bedspread is missing because whoever killed her wrapped her up in it. I suppose you could take your one and only bedspread to the beach but I wouldn't want to, myself, if it was my only one, although someone who knew her well may be aware that she had a habit of using her bedspread for this purpose.
My husband who I still live with would never in a million years be able to tell anyone what clothes were missing from our house, or even make a guess at what I was wearing. It could be the husband assumed she disappeared in the Easter outfit because he had seen the outfit when he picked up the kids and it wasn't in the house anywhere after she disappeared. He couldn't know for sure it was the ONLY clothing missing, but he could make a pretty certain guess that the Easter outfit was gone. Considering she had a mildewed load of wet wash in the house, it seems evident she meant to return shortly. Even if she had planned to be gone overnight I wouldn't expect her to leave a load of wash to mildew unless it just slipped her mind. I am not sure whether the husband was involved, or whether maybe she had a boyfriend or admirer who was involved.
 
I happend to be familiar with this case. The children were 7 months and 2 1/2 years. Neither one had memories of their Mom. There is always that possibility that the spouse did it, but there are so many things involved in this case that was not mentioned.

First of all, when the dad, Will, went to pick up the kids, it wasn't unusual for Jane to be gone a week. She had a brother that lived in New Orleans and often visited him. When Will, the dad, went to pick up the kids, Jane had a really bad sunburn. She had been on a picnic/fishing/or maybe beach. This could explain the missing sheet/bedspread.

What's really missing here is the fact that there was alot of mental illness on Jane's side of the family. Jane's Father committed suicide when she was a little girl. He shot himself in the head. There mother died of TB and lived in a TB hospital in Greenwell Springs for years. During this time Jane went from family to family and never had a stable home. What's really funny is that Jane had a sister that disappeared 10 years earlier. Her name was Patsy Rowell. Wylie, Jane's brother, told me that she had gotten pregnant, and so disappeared. Nobody has ever looked for her, or has cared to find her. I find this strange that this was never mentioned in the police report.

Jane was a beautiful woman. She wanted to be an actress and had won several awards in High School. She loved her kids very much, but did not like being married and wanted another life. She had gotten married for some stability in her life, but she was not a happy person. It wouldn't surprise me if she ran away and assumed another identity.

Because Jane was a very beautiful woman, foul play could of have been involved. If someone came along and promised her an acting career, she may have jumped on it. That would of been the job interview she was going on. Things like that didn't happen back then, so it would be a shocker and a very sad thing if it did.

I don't think we will ever know. But to this day it bewilders me too. I just wanted to give you guys some other facts. The facts listed above were very one sided and given by a person who really wanted to see the Dad, Will, suffer. And he has. To this day, he has never gotten remarried. It was a horrible experience for the whole family.

Thanks for this information and updates! It sheds new light on the family situation. Was there any evidence of domestic abuse from the ex-husband, or anyone else in the family? Hannah, if you don't mind me getting too personal, can you share your theory of what happened to Jane?

Satch
 
I don't think we will ever know. But to this day it bewilders me too. I just wanted to give you guys some other facts. The facts listed above were very one sided and given by a person who really wanted to see the Dad, Will, suffer. And he has. To this day, he has never gotten remarried. It was a horrible experience for the whole family.
And who would that person be? The brother? Why would he, or whoever provided the details, want to see the husband suffer?

I agree the details appear one-sided. It seems everything's been left out except a few hand-picked facts that lean toward the husband as the guilty party. That's why I'm skeptical.
 
Hi, Bessie, Satch & dogperson! A belated thanks to HannahJ for posting insider info to fill in some of the many gaps in our knowledge of the case.

Satch, thanks for posting the link to the LSU Faces site. It's the only one I've seen that gives her full date of birth. However, it and NameUs list her height as 65 inches = 5'5". Other sites list her height as 63 inches = 5'3". The latter jibes with news reports.

Bessie, thanks for the welcome and correcting the date. It still bothers me the way the date was reported in the newspapers. Reporters are usually quoting whatever the family or neighbors said because they didn't witness the events themselves. But reporters did have first-hand knowledge of which Sunday Easter fell on. If all the sources I checked, including newspapers, were correct about Easter being on the 14th, why did those same newspapers repeatedly say Clement disappeared "on the 8th, the day after Easter?" The first articles were written only a couple of weeks after she vanished--not long enough for reporters to "forget". Weird.

Here's a twist in the bedspread: Although I lack the resources ($$) to check every news article, the ones I have seen don't read: "her only bedspread." It's phrased: "only a bedspread." You can see that maybe somewhere in the past 50 years the words got twisted.

Ever play that party game where one person writes down a sentence, then whispers it into the ear of the person sitting next to them? The 2nd person whispers it to somebody else. The last person says the sentence out loud, then the original person passes the written version around the room. The 2 versions are hilariously different.

Clement's story isn't funny though. Neither is tracking a false trail. Jane Clement's brother is dead so we can't ask him. We really need to see the police report. Does anyone here have an LE acquaintance in Baton Rouge, LA? Is that a question I'm allowed to ask on the experts board?
 

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