IL IL - Jesse Ross, 20, Chicago, 21 Nov 2006

[Ozoner]

One thing that's never been stated clearly, as far as I can tell, is whether anyone besides Parker remembers Jesse being present at the Model U.N. Security Council meeting and, if so, whether anyone else noticed what time he left. And does after 2:00 A.M. mean just after 2:00 or potentially hours after 2:00?

I still think a fall into the Chicago River is the best bet, but a concealed death from alcohol poisoning or from some kind of hazing at the Sheraton wouldn't surprise me, either.

 

[Ohhhj0]

This whole case is mind boggling.

 

[dotr]

This whole case is mind boggling.

Welcome to Ws Ohhhj0, this is definitely a strange and mind boggling disappearance!

 

[dotr]

Families gather for 11th annual missing persons event
June 10 2018
Jesse, 19 at the time, was attending a Model United Nations conference with University of Missouri-Kansas City when he disappeared on the final day, Nov. 21, 2006. By the time police were alerted, most students were already on their way home, and the hotel rooms had been cleaned.

The Chicago Police Department hasn't had a lead on the whereabouts of their son since his disappearance, Donald Ross said.

"He had several things — jobs, school, friends — going on, so he had no reason not to want to come home," he said, glancing at his son's missing person flyer on the table. "We feel he just fell into a bad situation."

""I think the common person, the ordinary person, doesn't comprehend how serious something like this is," Donald said. "Maybe they view families like ours as being unique, but we're like everyone else. We were going along our way, living our lives, enjoying our lives and then boom, it hits you. I think it can happen to anyone, anywhere, any time. So, it's really important people know about what's going on and learn as much as they can about what's happening."

 

[dotr]

Episode 33: Jesse Ross – Thin Air Podcast

Surveillance photo of Jesse leaving the Sheraton Four Points, the hotel where his team stayed. He is leaving to attend the dance at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers. Note the Gatorade bottle mentioned in the episode.

The last known photo of Jesse Ross, taken at the dance. Ralph is pictured on the far right.

Belton man, Jesse Ross, remains missing 10 years later

 

[dotr]

The D-Word: When I Last Saw Jesse - documentary film
When I Last Saw Jesse
No One Could Figure Out What Happened To Him...
Website
Official Website
Overview
Genre
Investigation and Docu-Drama
Synopsis
The weekend before Thanksgiving in 2006, Jesse Ross traveled to Chicago with his classmates to attend a conference being held there. Early on the morning of the last day of the conference, he attended a meeting scheduled to last all night. However, he only stayed for thirty minutes before he was observed getting up, and walking out the door.

He has not been seen or heard from since.

This film is the story of that night in Chicago.

Stage
in post-production
Running time
87 and 82 minutes
VIDEO
Welcome

 

[Jewels53]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jesse Ross was just 19 years old when he went to a college conference in Chicago and seemingly vanished. Now, a local documentary is shining a new light on this decade-old missing person’s case.

“When I Last Saw Jesse” tells the story of the Belton native's disappearance

...

“When I Last Saw Jesse” premiers at the Kansas City Film Festival on April 14. You can find ticket information here.

Documentary shines new light on UMKC student’s mysterious disappearance in 2006

 

[dotr]

Film snippet at link.
"He was prone to poor judgement every once in a while"
Documentary shines new light on UMKC student’s mysterious disappearance in 2006
“When I Last Saw Jesse” tells the story of the Belton native's disappearance.

“He’s really, he’s just a regular, young adult. He’s got his dreams. He has his ambitions, and he is working hard," filmmaker Brian Rose said. "But he also likes to have fun and in so doing, he you know makes mistakes and sometimes makes poor decisions like we all do. We all turn out OK, and for whatever reason, there was a confluence of events that happened that night that resulted in Jesse not coming home and not being OK."

Ross went to Chicago in November 2006 for a model United Nations conference. He was last seen on video leaving the hotel conference room around 2:30 a.m.

“The last video we have of Jesse was outside the Sheraton. But once he went back in the hotel, there was no more video," said Sgt. Tony Rizzo with the Chicago Police Department.

Several hours would pass before anyone realized Jesse was missing.

“I definitely have a lot of sympathy for the Chicago police on this case because they were handed an investigator’s nightmare. You have this individual go missing on the last day of a conference, and the conference wraps up before he’s even reported missing," Rose said. "You have 1,200 students in attendance. There’s 1,200 potential witnesses, very few of whom are local to the area, who all immediately scatter by train, by plane by automobile, and it's Thanksgiving weekend."

Don Ross traveled to Chicago soon after his son was reported missing.

“We were determined to find him, but we felt like the wind come along and swept us up and we were totally out of control,” he said.

Along with prompting new tips, Brian hopes that the documentary will help people remember the young man with a promising future.

“If nothing else, my hope would be that Jesse himself is not forgotten," Ross said."

 

[theforgotten]

I just got done listening to True Crime Garage's two part episode on Jesse. What a strange case. I can't believe it's been almost 13 years. They seem to be just as clueless as they were the day he went missing. I'm praying that the Ross family gets some answers!

 

[Cagle]

Don and Donna Ross felt their moods darken as they made the long drive to Chicago from their home outside Kansas City.

It had been a few years since they'd returned to the city Donna Ross calls "evil," the city that claimed their youngest son, Jesse, just over 10 years ago.

...SBM

"Every time we do this, we open that sore," Donna Ross said of their visits to Chicago to try to renew interest in the case. They accept that their son is likely dead; they just want to know what happened to him.

...SBM

The Rosses returned to Chicago last month to attend a Missing Persons Day hosted by the Cook County medical examiner's office. They met with organizers and submitted Jesse's old dental retainer in hopes it would yield DNA for a national database of missing people. While in town, they hung posters with his photo near the hotel where he was last seen and passed out fliers, as they've done for a decade now.

The efforts have been heartbreakingly fruitless, and the visits to Chicago bring up painful memories. But the Rosses say they have no other choice.

...SBM

The couple have been frustrated at times with how the investigation seemed to stall. Over the years, Don Ross said he's sent hundreds of postcards with his son's photo to detectives on the case, city officials and the media, hoping to keep Jesse on their minds.

The couple also hosts an annual event in their hometown of Belton, Mo., to honor Jesse. They've enlisted the help of a private investigator. Don Ross has self-published two books about his son's disappearance and writes poetry about Jesse.

The Rosses still wear buttons every day with Jesse's photo. Their SUV displays a decal of their missing-person poster. It took years for them to pack away most of Jesse's belongings, and Don Ross still wears his son's T-shirts.

...SBM

"This ought to be a documentary," he recalled thinking. "This could do some good. If nothing else, (viewers) will remember Jesse Ross. ... I just don't want anyone to forget."

Rose eventually got in touch with the Rosses and started working on the film. He's done scores of interviews and has visited Chicago several times. Rose has stayed at the Sheraton, retracing Jesse's steps.

Four years later, Rose said the film is nearly complete, and he plans to enter it into festivals this summer.

10 years after son vanished on college trip, couple still seek answers

Very length article there....

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bumping

 

[dotr]

Don and Donna Ross felt their moods darken as they made the long drive to Chicago from their home outside Kansas City.

It had been a few years since they'd returned to the city Donna Ross calls "evil," the city that claimed their youngest son, Jesse, just over 10 years ago.

...SBM

"Every time we do this, we open that sore," Donna Ross said of their visits to Chicago to try to renew interest in the case. They accept that their son is likely dead; they just want to know what happened to him.

...SBM

The Rosses returned to Chicago last month to attend a Missing Persons Day hosted by the Cook County medical examiner's office. They met with organizers and submitted Jesse's old dental retainer in hopes it would yield DNA for a national database of missing people. While in town, they hung posters with his photo near the hotel where he was last seen and passed out fliers, as they've done for a decade now.

The efforts have been heartbreakingly fruitless, and the visits to Chicago bring up painful memories. But the Rosses say they have no other choice.

...SBM

The couple have been frustrated at times with how the investigation seemed to stall. Over the years, Don Ross said he's sent hundreds of postcards with his son's photo to detectives on the case, city officials and the media, hoping to keep Jesse on their minds.

The couple also hosts an annual event in their hometown of Belton, Mo., to honor Jesse. They've enlisted the help of a private investigator. Don Ross has self-published two books about his son's disappearance and writes poetry about Jesse.

The Rosses still wear buttons every day with Jesse's photo. Their SUV displays a decal of their missing-person poster. It took years for them to pack away most of Jesse's belongings, and Don Ross still wears his son's T-shirts.

...SBM

"This ought to be a documentary," he recalled thinking. "This could do some good. If nothing else, (viewers) will remember Jesse Ross. ... I just don't want anyone to forget."

Rose eventually got in touch with the Rosses and started working on the film. He's done scores of interviews and has visited Chicago several times. Rose has stayed at the Sheraton, retracing Jesse's steps.

Four years later, Rose said the film is nearly complete, and he plans to enter it into festivals this summer.

10 years after son vanished on college trip, couple still seek answers

Very length article there....

Thanks for posting this article, if only listeners could find Jesse's remote site now!
rbbm.
From link..
"At first, police speculated that Jesse, who reportedly had been drinking, might have fallen into the Chicago River near the hotel.


The Rosses aren't convinced. Their theory is that when Jesse left the meeting, he might have walked back to the other hotel where he was staying, in the opposite direction of the river. They believe he could have met with foul play on the way, and note that divers didn't find their son's remains in the river, despite several searches.

"We're wondering who's walking around free in Chicago who may have harmed our son," Don Ross said."

On the morning drive show on the local radio station, where Jesse had an internship, his on-air moniker was "Opie Cunningham" because of the red hair and freckles that made him resemble a young Ron Howard. In a regular segment called "Where's Opie?", Ross would call in from remote sites and listeners would guess his location."

 

[Gardener1850]

In 2006, College Student Jesse Ross Walked Out Of A Hotel & Disappeared

July 17, 2019

[...]
On the new ID digital special The Missing: Is Jesse Ross Still Out There?, Donna Ross, Jesse’s mother, said he called her from the conference to say, “It’s great, Mom! We’re loving it!”— and that that was the last time she ever spoke to her son.

November 20 was reportedly the last day of the gathering, which culminated with a dance that ended just before 1 A.M. the next morning.

At 2 A.M., however, event officials called a mock “emergency” meeting of the U.N., to demonstrate that, when it comes to international affairs, anything can happen at any time.

Don Ross, Jesse’s father, said that Jesse joined the others for the sudden session and, at around 2:30 A.M., they decided to take a break. Jesse then reportedly stepped out a back door, which allegedly led to a “shortcut” that the students said they’d been using.

The next morning, as the participants were getting ready to head home, Jesse was nowhere to be found.

Read more: Jesse Ross Has Been Missing Since 2006 | Shows | Investigation Discovery

 

[dotr]

Bumping for Jesse, where are you Opie?

 

[ekardh]

What a strange case. I can't believe it's been almost 13 years. They seem to be just as clueless as they were the day he went missing.

Not unlike Jason Jolkowski's disappearance in that respect. However, in Jason's case I'm confident it was foul play. From what I've read about Jesse, it sounds like he might have drowned in the river.

 

[dotr]

Not unlike Jason Jolkowski's disappearance in that respect. However, in Jason's case I'm confident it was foul play. From what I've read about Jesse, it sounds like he might have drowned in the river.

Unrelated, just noting that Jesse Ross, Jason Jolkowski and Joshua Guimond (besides all having "J' names) also share strong religious backgrounds..
Fwiw.. this man finally came forward in his 60's.
Lawsuit: Famed Jesuit abused boy 1,000 times around world
December 30, 2019 lengthy article.
"Goldberg has filed a lawsuit claiming he was abused more than 1,000 times in multiple states and countries by the late Donald McGuire, a prominent American Jesuit priest who had close ties to Mother Teresa"

Ws threads..
MN - MN - Joshua Guimond, 20, Collegeville, 9 Nov 2002 - #2

NE - NE - Jason Jolkowski, 19, Omaha, 13 June 2001 - #3

 

[swedeheart]

at this fb link is a copy of the documentary "when i last saw jesse." this case was not familiar to me, but i've now read this thread and watched the documentary. i've always been fascinated with the "missing men" (that end up in water) cases. this one is very strange and baffling.

Spread Awareness Now

 

[Seattle1]

at this fb link is a copy of the documentary "when i last saw jesse." this case was not familiar to me, but i've now read this thread and watched the documentary. i've always been fascinated with the "missing men" (that end up in water) cases. this one is very strange and baffling.

Spread Awareness Now

Thank you the the link.

I just saw Jesse's story on Investigation Discovery this morning and read about the documentary shortly after.

College student who vanished in Chicago more than 12 years ago subject of new documentary, ‘When I Last Saw Jesse’

July 24, 2019

For six years, documentary filmmaker Brian Rose worked on a film about a case that still haunts him — the 2006 disappearance of Kansas City, Mo., college student Jesse Ross, who vanished while attending a Model United Nations conference at a Streeterville hotel.

Rose, also from the Kansas City-area but who never knew Ross, traveled to Chicago several times, retracing Ross’ steps, even staying in the hotel where he was last seen. He interviewed Ross’ parents, his friends, a police detective and some of those at the conference with the 19-year-old. He researched the flow and locks in the Chicago River, which police have said Ross could’ve fallen in the night he disappeared. Ross’ family does not believe that theory, however, and several police searches of the river were unsuccessful.

 

[Ozoner]

Thank you the the link.

I just saw Jesse's story on Investigation Discovery this morning and read about the documentary shortly after.

College student who vanished in Chicago more than 12 years ago subject of new documentary, ‘When I Last Saw Jesse’

July 24, 2019

For six years, documentary filmmaker Brian Rose worked on a film about a case that still haunts him — the 2006 disappearance of Kansas City, Mo., college student Jesse Ross, who vanished while attending a Model United Nations conference at a Streeterville hotel.

Rose, also from the Kansas City-area but who never knew Ross, traveled to Chicago several times, retracing Ross’ steps, even staying in the hotel where he was last seen. He interviewed Ross’ parents, his friends, a police detective and some of those at the conference with the 19-year-old. He researched the flow and locks in the Chicago River, which police have said Ross could’ve fallen in the night he disappeared. Ross’ family does not believe that theory, however, and several police searches of the river were unsuccessful.

I fear this case will never be solved. One thing I've never seen explained is how close to the river his expected route would have taken him.
-
I don't know whether he went into the river or not—or, if he did, whether he fell in or was thrown in—but I wouldn't rule it out just because he wasn't found. Water searches are hit or miss.

 

[Seattle1]

I fear this case will never be solved. One thing I've never seen explained is how close to the river his expected route would have taken him.
-
I don't know whether he went into the river or not—or, if he did, whether he fell in or was thrown in—but I wouldn't rule it out just because he wasn't found. Water searches are hit or miss.

I've been to Chicago in November and it's bitter cold near the lake. It could have been icy or he could have encountered somebody that did him wrong. He wasn't a very big guy -- less than 150 lbs. It's heartbreaking for his folks and wish they had answers.