TX TX - Jana Witt, 44, Glen Rose, Aug 2005

Jana Witt is a distant cousin whom I have never met.
She was reported as Missing- Endangered, with Possible Foul Play involved to the Texas Department of Public Safety about a week after she was last seen.

Her poster is here:
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpdetails.asp?id='M1/19/20061:07:46PM'

Info-
Name: Jana Mann WittAKA: Jana Holstin, Jana Howard, Jana BranchCase Number: M0601007Case Type: Endangered - Foul Play PossibleLast Seen in: Glen Rose (Somervell County)Last Seen on: 8/17/2005Height: 5' 3 " Weight: 160 lbs. Age Missing: 44 Eye Color: BlueHair Color: RedDate of Birth: 7/17/1961Race: WhiteSex: FemaleState Missing From: TexasCountry Missing From: USACircumstances: Ms. Witt displayed personality changes several weeks prior to her disappearance.

Project Jason

http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=2948.0

Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpdetails.asp?id='M1/19/20061:07:46PM'

North American Missing Persons Network

http://www.nampn.org/cases/witt_jana.html

Updated TX DPS link: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/m...d='M1/19/20061:07:46PM'&Person=Missing Person

A local media outlet spoke with Jana's mother back in 2009 and the video is archived on Youtube. She talks quite a bit about the circumstances when Jana went missing, search efforts and Jana's children.
Somervell County Salon
Where is Jana Mann Witt of Glen Rose? Mother Speaks
https://youtu.be/79-oGywH82E

That video is heartbreaking. Despite the eight-year gap, I'm wondering if Jana could be "Dolphin Doe," an unidentified woman who drowned off Myrtle Beach in 2013. That case has always been close to my heart and I'd love to see it resolved. You can read more about it here:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?211114-SC-Myrtle-Beach-WhtFem-(UP11327)-40-50-Dolphin-Ankle-Tattoo-May-13&p=12132877#post12132877

Hello, I have tried all the links in this thread but all of them say the case has either been moved or does not exist... are there any updates?

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wdmcmahan said:

Hello, I have tried all the links in this thread but all of them say the case has either been moved or does not exist... are there any updates?

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This case is where I got my user ID. It definitely was a valid missing person's case. I see exactly what you are seeing.. The links are not working, which happens on WS on " older" cases.
I'm in the extended local area to this, and I'm going to be making some calls and inquiries right now.

I'll post what I find out. Thank you for bringing this to WS attention.
Note- It's not an " official link" to anything, but the YT video by her mother is still up and it's heartbreaking.
She REALLY loved/ loves her daughter!

Thanks again for the head's up. I am wondering if she died a natural death, maybe not with the same last name or in the same area of TX.. Will try to check this out as well.

http://charleyproject.org/case/jana-mann-witt

Charley Project updated the circumstances under which she went missing in 2016.
Will continue to seek updates.

http://www.yourglenrosetx.com/news/...remains-found-at-sand-pit-in-somervell-county
The Glen Rose newspaper reported on a missing person's remains being found in 2016.
Jana Witt and an elderly man, William Moore, who lived in the same private community as I do were listed as missing at that time.

SeekingJana said:

http://charleyproject.org/case/jana-mann-witt

Charley Project updated the circumstances under which she went missing in 2016.
Will continue to seek updates.

http://www.yourglenrosetx.com/news/...remains-found-at-sand-pit-in-somervell-county
The Glen Rose newspaper reported on a missing person's remains being found in 2016.
Jana Witt and an elderly man, William Moore, who lived in the same private community as I do were listed as missing at that time.

Click to expand...

http://salon.glenrose.net/default.asp?view=plink&id=16270

Is this the same remains that you are talking about?

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wdmcmahan said:

http://salon.glenrose.net/default.asp?view=plink&id=16270

Is this the same remains that you are talking about?

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Yes, but this man's case ( Siddall's) is not linked at all to Jana Witt's disappearance. I don't know if his case has been solved, but it's believed that he likely was involved with the wrong people regarding substance buying/ distribution. He had prior arrests for same.

The point of my posting the link to the first 2016 article in the Glen Rose newspaper is that there is a little blurb right at the bottom of the article about his murder/ body being found in the gravel pit which lists 2-3 missing adults in this part of Texas. I can see it, can you?
It has a link embedded which goes to this site, that county's Crimestopper's Missing page::
http://www.somervellcrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=1130&P=missing

I honestly do not know why her case is active on the Charley Project but not on other sites. I cannot find an obituary for her to indicate that she's been found, alive or deceased. Nor do I have any info at this time that she called home and is no longer a Missing Adult.
As far as I know, she is still listed as a " missing adult" because the file on the Charley Project was updated in 2016 as well. Provided more background info, but known facts didn't really change.

I'm still checking with local and state LE. I'm getting affirmative answers to the calls I've made thus far. She is a Missing Adult, status unchanged.

SeekingJana said:

Yes, but this man's case ( Siddall's) is not linked at all to Jana Witt's disappearance. I don't know if his case has been solved, but it's believed that he likely was involved with the wrong people regarding substance buying/ distribution. He had prior arrests for same.

The point of my posting the link to the first 2016 article in the Glen Rose newspaper is that there is a little blurb right at the bottom of the article about his murder/ body being found in the gravel pit which lists 2-3 missing adults in this part of Texas. I can see it, can you?
It has a link embedded which goes to this site, that county's Crimestopper's Missing page::
http://www.somervellcrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=1130&P=missing

I honestly do not know why her case is active on the Charley Project but not on other sites. I cannot find an obituary for her to indicate that she's been found, alive or deceased. Nor do I have any info at this time that she called home and is no longer a Missing Adult.
As far as I know, she is still listed as a " missing adult" because the file on the Charley Project was updated in 2016 as well. Provided more background info, but known facts didn't really change.

I'm still checking with local and state LE. I'm getting affirmative answers to the calls I've made thus far. She is a Missing Adult, status unchanged.

Click to expand...

I can see a comment made by someone about his body being found, but nothing else and no link. I am using my phone though, so that might change the layout of the article's page and it's contents...

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wdmcmahan said:

I can see a comment made by someone about his body being found, but nothing else and no link. I am using my phone though, so that might change the layout of the article's page and it's contents...

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Could be, I guess. It says this ( quoting).

"In total, there are currently three missing persons listed on the Somervell and Hood County Crime Stoppers websites.


Jana Mann Witt, 44, of Glen Rose was last seen Aug. 17, 2005.
William Moore, 82, of Granbury was last seen March 10, 2012.
Shane Michael Siddall, 31, of Granbury was last seen April 13, 2015."

Note, with the ID of Siddall's remains, 2 are considered missing. Mr. Moore, from Hood County, is likely long deceased even if he lived after he went missing due to his elderly age at the time of his really eerie disappearance, and it lists Jana Witt, who is from Somervell County. As noted previously, this was from a 2016 article.

Missing persons are probably the least reported occurrence in this area, but we take them to heart.
I never drive out the gates in the private community where I live and where Mr. Bud Moore lived without wondering about him and feeling sad. He drove to town in his distinctive truck, but the gate system and cameras never recorded his return and his son, whom he lived with, reported him missing that day, as he was/ is a high risk endangered person due to age. We do not know where he went, or why, just that he never came home.

Jana's case is sad because she absolutely loved her mom and her children, and vanished on the way to their school. Again, it is a rural area.

To give you an idea of topography and geographical location, Hood County is about 35 miles west of the metro DFW, TX, area, and Somervell County is adjacent to Hood County. Somervell county, with the one town of Glen Rose, has a total population of just over 8,000.

SeekingJana said:

Could be, I guess. It says this ( quoting).

"In total, there are currently three missing persons listed on the Somervell and Hood County Crime Stoppers websites.


Jana Mann Witt, 44, of Glen Rose was last seen Aug. 17, 2005.
William Moore, 82, of Granbury was last seen March 10, 2012.
Shane Michael Siddall, 31, of Granbury was last seen April 13, 2015."

Note, with the ID of Siddall's remains, 2 are considered missing. Mr. Moore, from Hood County, is likely long deceased even if he lived after he went missing due to his elderly age at the time of his really eerie disappearance, and it lists Jana Witt, who is from Somervell County. As noted previously, this was from a 2016 article.

Missing persons are probably the least reported occurrence in this area, but we take them to heart.
I never drive out the gates in the private community where I live and where Mr. Bud Moore lived without wondering about him and feeling sad. He drove to town in his distinctive truck, but the gate system and cameras never recorded his return and his son, whom he lived with, reported him missing that day, as he was/ is a high risk endangered person due to age. We do not know where he went, or why, just that he never came home.

Jana's case is sad because she absolutely loved her mom and her children, and vanished on the way to their school. Again, it is a rural area.

To give you an idea of topography and geographical location, Hood County is about 35 miles west of the metro DFW, TX, area, and Somervell County is adjacent to Hood County. Somervell county, with the one town of Glen Rose, has a total population of just over 8,000.

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Thank you for explaining all this. What to you think happened to Jana? What do you think happened to Mr. Moore?

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wdmcmahan said:

Thank you for explaining all this. What to you think happened to Jana? What do you think happened to Mr. Moore?

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From what I can read between the lines a bit, Jana had a volatile personality. I think she made the wrong person mad, and was killed and hidden similarly to Mr. Siddall.. but she could be alive somewhere. I do believe there was a precipitating event like a fight or the like.

Mr. Moore is a totally different story, most likely. His wife of many years had died not too long before he went missing. He had moved into his son and daughter in law's home. He DID have times of forgetfulness and the son said he had gotten lost, possibly shortly after moving here. ( I got lost at first in all the cul de sac streets on the riverbank too and I was in my 30's.)

My initial theory is still the one I hold to. I believe he left to go to a parts store in Granbury ( which is our legal address although residents here live several miles outside Granbury city limits and have a different zip code).
His son's house is in one of our 2 air parks, and he has or had his private plane in a hangar attached to his house. The son needed a part and Mr. Moore went to get it for him. It wasn't in stock yet, according to the parts store.

At that point, he had a decision to make. He could go back without the part, or he could go elsewhere and try to find the aviation part. I believe he didn't head home, but went either east toward Fort Worth or Dallas.
As I understand it, when he had his own home with his wife, they lived in Waco or close to Waco.
I have believed that he got lost, and accidentally drove into a deep body of water, as we are one of the most water- covered areas around. Even if he decided to come back to his home with his son, he had 2 bodies of water: Lake Granbury in town and also outside our back gate, and the Brazos River, which surrounds Pecan Plantation, our private community, except for one sliver of land mass. We are a peninsula with no other homes or businesses, just the very large private community of Pecan Plantation. The Brazos River is NOT that deep here in most places, but it has been the scene of many drownings.
Also, this part of Texas had a horrible drought one summer about 3 years ago.
The remains of a lady who had been missing since the late 1970's were found in her car, because it was visible due to the low water level, and some other autos and trucks were found, but Mr. Moore's was not among them.
This weakens my theory a great deal unless he drove into the water in another county.

So, my theory is that I tend to think he got lost and disoriented and drove into deep water unnoticed, which is NOT unusual in a rural area like this, or got lost and someone very bad robbed him and killed him.

The problem with a robbery as motive and a murder as part of a robbery is that his truck was never found. My husband says it would be easy to hide in a barn somewhere, and that if a person could hide a body, they could hide a truck.

Another theory is based on psychological principles. He had sustained losses. Loss of his spouse, loss of his health to a good degree, loss of his personal home, loss of being head of the household. I did not know him so I do not know if he was happy, or just acted happy.. He'd moved in with his mature middle aged son and daughter in law. All I know about the relationship is that the son said that he and his dad spent a lot of time together in the plane's hangar.. They'd leave the hangar door open and sit and talk over coffee and maybe keep a watch on the planes and comings and goings as it is an unstaffed airstrip and the homes all have small taxiways which end at their hangars. So, he seemed to get along well with his son.
His son doesn't have a theory about what happened to him, or didn't the last time I read anything about the case.

My other theory is that he might have chosen a place where his truck and body were not likely to be found ( again, the large bodies of water here are not fenced, and the ground is usually very level, so it's extremely easy to end up in a lake or river).
He could have taken his own life, though there are no publicly known indications that this happened. His age combined with the many personal losses are what I base this on in general.

Those are my very imperfect theories.

Do you have any theories?

SeekingJana said:

From what I can read between the lines a bit, Jana had a volatile personality. I think she made the wrong person mad, and was killed and hidden similarly to Mr. Siddall.. but she could be alive somewhere. I do believe there was a precipitating event like a fight or the like.

Mr. Moore is a totally different story, most likely. His wife of many years had died not too long before he went missing. He had moved into his son and daughter in law's home. He DID have times of forgetfulness and the son said he had gotten lost, possibly shortly after moving here. ( I got lost at first in all the cul de sac streets on the riverbank too and I was in my 30's.)

My initial theory is still the one I hold to. I believe he left to go to a parts store in Granbury ( which is our legal address although residents here live several miles outside Granbury city limits and have a different zip code).
His son's house is in one of our 2 air parks, and he has or had his private plane in a hangar attached to his house. The son needed a part and Mr. Moore went to get it for him. It wasn't in stock yet, according to the parts store.

At that point, he had a decision to make. He could go back without the part, or he could go elsewhere and try to find the aviation part. I believe he didn't head home, but went either east toward Fort Worth or Dallas.
As I understand it, when he had his own home with his wife, they lived in Waco or close to Waco.
I have believed that he got lost, and accidentally drove into a deep body of water, as we are one of the most water- covered areas around. Even if he decided to come back to his home with his son, he had 2 bodies of water: Lake Granbury in town and also outside our back gate, and the Brazos River, which surrounds Pecan Plantation, our private community, except for one sliver of land mass. We are a peninsula with no other homes or businesses, just the very large private community of Pecan Plantation. The Brazos River is NOT that deep here in most places, but it has been the scene of many drownings.
Also, this part of Texas had a horrible drought one summer about 3 years ago.
The remains of a lady who had been missing since the late 1970's were found in her car, because it was visible due to the low water level, and some other autos and trucks were found, but Mr. Moore's was not among them.
This weakens my theory a great deal unless he drove into the water in another county.

So, my theory is that I tend to think he got lost and disoriented and drove into deep water unnoticed, which is NOT unusual in a rural area like this, or got lost and someone very bad robbed him and killed him.

The problem with a robbery as motive and a murder as part of a robbery is that his truck was never found. My husband says it would be easy to hide in a barn somewhere, and that if a person could hide a body, they could hide a truck.

Another theory is based on psychological principles. He had sustained losses. Loss of his spouse, loss of his health to a good degree, loss of his personal home, loss of being head of the household. I did not know him so I do not know if he was happy, or just acted happy.. He'd moved in with his mature middle aged son and daughter in law. All I know about the relationship is that the son said that he and his dad spent a lot of time together in the plane's hangar.. They'd leave the hangar door open and sit and talk over coffee and maybe keep a watch on the planes and comings and goings as it is an unstaffed airstrip and the homes all have small taxiways which end at their hangars. So, he seemed to get along well with his son.
His son doesn't have a theory about what happened to him, or didn't the last time I read anything about the case.

My other theory is that he might have chosen a place where his truck and body were not likely to be found ( again, the large bodies of water here are not fenced, and the ground is usually very level, so it's extremely easy to end up in a lake or river).
He could have taken his own life, though there are no publicly known indications that this happened. His age combined with the many personal losses are what I base this on in general.

Those are my very imperfect theories.

Do you have any theories?

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Regarding Mr. Moore... Do you know if the parts store might have suggested where he could get the part that they didn't have?

I will keep thinking about both of these cases and come back later to discuss. It's time to get the Toddler ready for bed!

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wdmcmahan said:

Regarding Mr. Moore... Do you know if the parts store might have suggested where he could get the part that they didn't have?

I will keep thinking about both of these cases and come back later to discuss. It's time to get the Toddler ready for bed!

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No, to the best of my knowledge and the narrative of this case, he went to O'Malley's ( I think that's the name) and it's a chain type of auto parts store in N. Texas.
They likely would not suggest a competitor ( like Lowe's and Home Depot wouldn't recommend the other).
I'm not dissing them, of course.

Now that I think about it, why wouldn't the son who was a pilot and knew exactly what he'd ordered or what he needed that might be in auto parts stock, call the parts store himself and see if the part was in? I was once married to a private pilot, and they want and need exactly what's going to fit their plane's engine or cockpit control panel. My late husband would no more trust a courier with a part than he'd have trusted me to fly the plane. Most of the aviation part area is so expensive that a wrong item is not returnable, either.

It's not a fun drive from Pecan Plantation into Granbury. Both routes have the typical southern and very sad family- made white wooden crosses on the right of way with flowers... Two lane winding roads with lots of fatalities. I'd rather go to Fort Worth, 35 miles away, than to Granbury, 5-6 miles away, because of the totally inadequate roads in Hood Co.

I guess my point is that the aviation part coming from an auto parts store and taking a chance that it was there and driving just to see isn't really making sense. I do not know, however, if the son had ordered a specific part and had been given an approximate date of its arrival. The details of his errand are not that clear after so long, but IMO, Mr. Moore was so aged at the time of his disappearance that he is almost certainly deceased in 2018.

As the son said once. " Once the possibility of accident has been exhausted, then that leaves foul play, and I know people will look at the family first".
I do not think the family had anything to do with his missing status. There was no history of a contentious home situation, and the son co-operated fully with authorities. ( I'm sure his wife did as well, but she's not quoted in public sources). I'm not at all sure they still live here, because it was a heavy burden and the case was mentioned in the newspaper fairly often. I think we ALL looked for Mr. Moore.

One other thing: IF Mr. Moore and his son or daughter in law weren't getting along well, then the Moore family likely had the means to put Mr. Moore in a Senior Apartment, or like living arrangement. We have several very posh lakefront senior apartment complexes with either independent living or assisted living which were built just before he disappeared. They are in Granbury.

On a slightly related note, and so the demographics are understood a bit better, as far as I know, we, the residents of this private community, do not have a history with homicides perpetrated by strangers ( or neighbors). I've lived here close to 2 decades, and there have been some very tragic and notable violent crimes within families. Most have been within the past 5-6 years.

The population here is over 5,200 people, over 60% of residents are retired, and the median income is $77,000. Except for 2 small, luxurious groups of condos a block from one of the golf courses which are resident- owned, all residences are single family homes only. We have both famous celebrities and multi-millionaire non- celebrities living among us who are the " working class poor" LOL. All who apply for membership in our Country Club or HOA pay a fee ( I think it's $10,000 now) for background checks and part is a non-refundable fee. The applicant signs many legal forms authorizing the funding and the checking, or chooses another community in which to reside.

We've had a small amount of lethal family violence, some which I probably never knew about because I've stopped wanting to know, to be honest. There was a middle aged daughter living here with her very elderly mother who was said to have advanced dementia and the daughter beat her mother to death with a hammer. But- she didn't conceal the body or make up a cover story. It was a frenzied crime and almost certainly, mental issues were present. The perpetrator may be institutionalized...

We also had a prominent insurance company owner who mowed his estranged wife down with his new luxury sedan in her yard- 4 or 5 times. This was also a crime of passion and impulsiveness. He didn't try to hide her body or clean up the crime scene,, but I'm certain that neighbors heard and saw the altercation and ensuing crime take place. I think he entered a guilty plea in court, but I don't know the final disposition of the case.

Overall, though, the above crimes are known because they are so aberrant. We have a lot of land mass, great physical activity amenities, relaxing walking trails, pools, golf courses, and putting greens for stress relief. No one is crowded, to the best of my knowledge there isn't financial stress to a notable degree, no rampant illegal drug use ( probably due to the median age of residents). People who don't like the rules of conduct usually move and don't cause problems. We have an adequate sized security force, and gates and cameras at both entrances/ exits. The security officers which patrol the streets 24/7 and the office security staff who man the phones make it clear that they call 911 when there is any violence or threat of violence. Usually, our monthly security report contains many reports of golf carts in the lake, crashes with mailboxes ( almost everyone has a huge brick column housing their mailbox beside their driveway, and they are rebuilt quite often) and things like barking dogs, snake call outs, and the occasional coyote sighting in residential areas.