NE NE - Judy Fowler, 21, South Sioux City, 1965

Jodibug

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Well, this is good to know.

My exhusband's mother dissappeared when he was a baby and was never heard from again.

When ex and I were married, we lived (and I still do) in another state from his father and stepmom. I had always heard bits and peices of rumors about what had happened to my ex's mother.

I never knew that FIL had been publicly accused of murder. Well my ex called today to let me know that his father has finally been cleared:

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/art...est_news/d1d623d0832d47f8862571ee006bff5b.txt

I won't mention my ex FIL's name since it isn't in this article, but I always knew him to be an extremely sweet and caring man.

However, if anyone knows more to this story, I would love to hear it. I have searched for my ex's mother (grandmother of my children) for years off and on.

I don't know what name she was living under, but I was never able to find her. Now I know that she passed away five years ago. I always wanted to ask her what posesses a woman to walk away from her children and never look back.
 
What a relief for your ex father in law and his family. So she was living in another town all this time?
 
what an interesting story...the poor family left behind. I am sure the story was repeated many times over the years...


LYnie
 
This is very good news for your Ex's family. It's a shame that it took so long to clear him.
 
lynie said:
what an interesting story...the poor family left behind. I am sure the story was repeated many times over the years...


LYnie
I bet. I found a missing uncle this year who disappeared 35 years ago, was thought deceased too. I found his death certificate by his date of birth.
 
Well the story that I have always been told is that she locked her three children in the attic while FIL was at work. Her oldest was 7 at the time and my ex was 2. Their little brother was just a baby.

Between all of them they have nine children that she never knew.

My ex said that his dad was arrested at the time and then the police would hassle him every few years. Ex said that he and his siblings were ridiculed at school by other kids who would tell them that their dad killed their mom.
 
Oh, that's sad that he lived with that hanging over his head all these years.

My husband had an uncle-by-marriage who disappeared years ago...I heard he had a business partner with Mafia ties, though, so I guess that's what happened.
 
Jodi, so her body was never found? I maybe did not read it right, lol. I am tired...Anyway its interesting. Sad for the family. What is this about cancer and a death certificate with her name and her parents.
 
She was living in St Paul MN under another name. She died there as a cancer patient.

I haven't read this in any of the articles, but earlier today my ex told me that they were told that she went on to have three more children. It was early in the day and he was still getting information, so don't hold me to that! I haven't spoken with him in a few hours.


This was definitely a lesson for me. I've always been one who presume that the "husband did it!". Even though I have known for about 15 years now about the rumors about my former FIL and just never thought much about it.

My former FIL is a very sweet guy. He has been in poor health for years, and I'm really glad that he has stuck around long enough to see his name cleared. I just wish we lived closer to them so that my kids could see them more often.
 
what a horrible person....

I don't think there are many more cruel things parents can do than desert their family. A very chicken thing, and self serving and just cruel.

Changed her name 4 times. Had more kids. :mad:

Letting people think she was dead and having the family go through the acusations.

Bad, bad person :furious:

Lynie
 
lynie said:
what a horrible person....

I don't think there are many more cruel things parents can do than desert their family. A very chicken thing, and self serving and just cruel.

Changed her name 4 times. Had more kids. :mad:

Letting people think she was dead and having the family go through the acusations.

Bad, bad person :furious:

Lynie

Yes, this is pretty much my thoughts.

My ex is pretty depressed over all of this. I sort of think it would have been easier for him to believe that his dad killed her than to know that she walked away willingly and never tried to contact her children again.
 
http://www.ktiv.com/News/index.php?ID=4517

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2006/09/20/news/local/ddf2571e318f488b862571ef000a6d60.txt

I wish I could find out more about the time she was missing. During those times she was in MN and went by Katherine Marie Martin, Katherine Marie Young, Katherine Marie Short and Katherine Marie Prusha. She also used her maiden name there for awhile, which is Judith Kay Preston.

I can't tell you how many times I searched for Judith Kay Preston/Fowler online. I always thought she might want to meet her grandkids or at least explain to her own children why she left.
 
It sounds to me like this was her way of getting back at her husband if they were going through a nasty divorce. She must have known that if she didn't send her friend a post card that she would think the worst and it sounds like that is why she didn't send one. When people are out for revenge they don't think about the impact on the kids.

She must not have wanted to be found as she kept changing her name. Didn't she ever wonder about her kids? I know that many a man has left and never looked back but it's hard for me to understand how a mother can do that even though in the last how many years a lot of moms have done exactly that.

The years must have been hard on your father-in-law with something like that hanging over his head even though he knew he was innocent. That would be horrible.

Why in the world didn't LE dig that what ever it was up 41 years ago to see if there was a body there? If it was rumored that she was buried there it would have been as easy to dig it up then as now! Shame on them.
 
A very interesting story - thanks for sharing. I must say I believe that this wiman was extremely cruel, not just cos she let her husband take the blame over what had happened but also knowing the stigma her own children were bound to face as a result as kids can be so cruel not to mention insensitive!
 
I found her obit online. Had to pay to read and print the article, but that's ok. It told me what I have been wanting to know.

Her obit states that she is greatly missed by her husband, son and dog.

It gives names of all of them.

Her dog had/has the same name as my daughter. Her grandaughter.

It says that she was "a very strong woman and fighter. active in several charities..." :furious:

It states that the funeral was private and for family only.
 
Does your EX plan on meeting his half syblings?

Maybe talking with her husband will shed further light on her actions?

It just seems very cruel to just walk away and never see ones children again.
 
I found one person in MN with her husband's name. I wrote a short letter to him, asking for medical info. I would like to have that for my children.

I don't think my ex plans to meet with anyone.

I'll have to wait and see what kind of response I get from the letter, if any.
 
Jodibug, what sad story. Thank you for sharing it. I'll never understand how a mother could leave her children, and especially to go on and have more children and never look back to the ones she left behind. Your poor ex and FIL, what a cruel cruel thing to do. I'm glad that your FIL has been cleared and I hope he at least gets some much deserved apologies from those who doubted him, but your poor ex. I think your right, better to think that your parent died than to realize that you were abandoned. I wonder what her "new" husband and son knew about her former life. What a fraud.

..... she was "a very strong woman and fighter. active in several charities..."
furious.gif
I second your :furious:
 
I wonder if they knew of their half older syblings?


When I was 4 my maternal Grandfather passed away. After the funeral my grandmother was contacted by a guy who claimed to be my grandfathers son.
He was many years older then my aunt and mother.
SO they all agreed to get together and meet.

ALthough my uncle has since passed away we all remained close over the years and I am still in contact with my cousins (his children) we all see each other a couple of times a year. We do not consider each other half cousins.
While my grandmother was alive they referred to her as grandma as well.


Oddly enough as years went by we all pretty much figured that my grandmother HAD to have known about this son from a previous relationship.
She denied it of course and no one is really clear if my grandfather ever married my uncles mother. He was told they were married and the marriage was annuled. I think my Grandmother slipped up once and said they were not married.
The thing is this was a very small town and they all lived there.
My Unlce even had my grandfathers last name.
My grandmother owned a salon and for years did my uncles aunts hair (his mothers sister) We are talking once a week for like 20 years.
My uncle was very young when his parents seperated and I don't think his mother ever gave him a real reason why or why my grandfather never saw him even though they lived in the same town. His mother passed away before my grandfather.
My uncle always knew who his father was and where he worked and that he had 2 younger sisters.
I don't know if my grandfather ever financially helped raise him..
I suspect when his aunt visited the Salon my grandmother gave her money to pass along.
 

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