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

[Alleykins]

I agree Jason wouldn't be an ideal target for a random abduction by a stranger in broad daylight. It's a populated area with too much risk of being seen or heard by someone if it went wrong.

I don't think he ran away. I don't think he was a victim of a random, coincidental abduction by a stranger. I also don't think his disappearance was the result of an act of grooming by a secret lover, who he had plans with that day before his originally scheduled shift, who just happened to live along the route to the school, and Jason popped in to tell that person there was a change of plans.

That doesn't leave much else, does it?

The only thing that makes sense to me is he ran into someone he knew, somewhere between when the last eye witness saw him and the school. That person offered to give him a ride to the school, but, instead, took him somewhere else. There would have been no scuffle or scene made curbside to bring attention to him getting into a car. And most likely it would have been a quick, uneventful interaction that didn’t draw attention.

On a side note, in addition to interviewing the employees at Fazoli's, does anyone know if investigators interviewed their regular customers? Maybe one of them overheard the conversation between the coworker and Jason and deduced where Jason lived, and took advantage of that? If Jason was acquainted with that person, maybe he would get in a car with them?

I ask because nearly every place I've worked had what I called frequent flyers, who were there often, sometimes every day, like clockwork. Even when I was a directory assistance operator, I had daily calls from one customer who was blind, looking for the date and time of day. While working in retail, I walked to work on occasion if I didn’t have bus fare and would catch a ride home with one of my coworkers. But if one of my regulars stopped and offered me a ride to work because they were heading my way, and I wasn’t getting weird vibes from them, I might have gotten in their car, especially on a hot day where I was pressed for time. That never happened to me, but I can't rule out I wouldn't have accepted a ride if it did.

 

[Andreee]

I agree Jason wouldn't be an ideal target for a random abduction by a stranger in broad daylight. It's a populated area with too much risk of being seen or heard by someone if it went wrong.

I don't think he ran away. I don't think he was a victim of a random, coincidental abduction by a stranger. I also don't think his disappearance was the result of an act of grooming by a secret lover, who he had plans with that day before his originally scheduled shift, who just happened to live along the route to the school, and Jason popped in to tell that person there was a change of plans.

That doesn't leave much else, does it?

The only thing that makes sense to me is he ran into someone he knew, somewhere between when the last eye witness saw him and the school. That person offered to give him a ride to the school, but, instead, took him somewhere else. There would have been no scuffle or scene made curbside to bring attention to him getting into a car. And most likely it would have been a quick, uneventful interaction that didn’t draw attention.

On a side note, in addition to interviewing the employees at Fazoli's, does anyone know if investigators interviewed their regular customers? Maybe one of them overheard the conversation between the coworker and Jason and deduced where Jason lived, and took advantage of that? If Jason was acquainted with that person, maybe he would get in a car with them?

I ask because nearly every place I've worked had what I called frequent flyers, who were there often, sometimes every day, like clockwork. Even when I was a directory assistance operator, I had daily calls from one customer who was blind, looking for the date and time of day. While working in retail, I walked to work on occasion if I didn’t have bus fare and would catch a ride home with one of my coworkers. But if one of my regulars stopped and offered me a ride to work because they were heading my way, and I wasn’t getting weird vibes from them, I might have gotten in their car, especially on a hot day where I was pressed for time. That never happened to me, but I can't rule out I wouldn't have accepted a ride if it did.

 

[lisamkomo88]

I agree with the fact that he could have encountered foul play. I am familiar with the area Jason lived in; it was not the greatest area of town; however, it certainly was not the worst. I don't think it was random; a 15-minute window is a tiny time frame. Suppose it was a crime of opportunity, such as Jason encountering gang members, drug dealers, or just sick individuals unless they were able to force him into a vehicle gone sight unseen. In that case, I don't see how you could harm an individual in that big of a residential area and not go unnoticed or leave evidence. I think one would have to outweigh the benefit for the individual committing the random crime. Jason did not have much money on him, roughly $60. I don't see how it was a random individual unless there was a calculated motive or intent. <modsnip>

 

[deadinthewater]

Problem is, Jason was not a kid. He was 18 years-old and over six foot. He was a low-risk victim for stranger danger.

Also, random muggings are not the same as abductions. If someone had attacked Jason on the street, there'd be noise, there'd be commotion. No one saw or heard absolutely anything that morning. Now that doesn't necessarily mean something didn't go down, but it doesn't do much to support it either.

And isn't it convenient that the morning Jason's without a car and he's had a sudden change of plan, he disappears? And in a narrow window of time?

Jason was basically 20 years old. He wasn't hitchhiking or wandering aimlessly. He was right by his house. He knew the streets well.

 

[Alleykins]

I agree with the fact that he could have encountered foul play. I am familiar with the area Jason lived in; it was not the greatest area of town; however, it certainly was not the worst. I don't think it was random; a 15-minute window is a tiny time frame. Suppose it was a crime of opportunity, such as Jason encountering gang members, drug dealers, or just sick individuals unless they were able to force him into a vehicle gone sight unseen. In that case, I don't see how you could harm an individual in that big of a residential area and not go unnoticed or leave evidence. I think one would have to outweigh the benefit for the individual committing the random crime. Jason did not have much money on him, roughly $60. I don't see how it was a random individual unless there was a calculated motive or intent. <modsnip>

Unlike other cases, I haven't come across one official statement in a news broadcast, a press conference, or a quote from the OPD on this case at all in the paper. Has anyone else got a link to the OPD giving a statement about Jason's case, and I've just missed it?

 

[Andreee]

I agree with the fact that he could have encountered foul play. I am familiar with the area Jason lived in; it was not the greatest area of town; however, it certainly was not the worst. I don't think it was random; a 15-minute window is a tiny time frame. Suppose it was a crime of opportunity, such as Jason encountering gang members, drug dealers, or just sick individuals unless they were able to force him into a vehicle gone sight unseen. In that case, I don't see how you could harm an individual in that big of a residential area and not go unnoticed or leave evidence. I think one would have to outweigh the benefit for the individual committing the random crime. Jason did not have much money on him, roughly $60. I don't see how it was a random individual unless there was a calculated motive or intent. <modsnip>

A few pages back I wrote to the local police in Omaha about the cold case investigator from 2018 and I posted the reply which basically said the investigator had moved on. And just that there was nothing new to report. I haven't heard of any investigators working on it since then?

 

[vandeeje]

Does anyone know if they've looked at unidentified bodies in other states? I've found more than a few that could possibly meet his physical characteristics.

Unfortunately it's more likely his remains are on someone's farm.

 

[Andreee]

Does anyone know if they've looked at unidentified bodies in other states? I've found more than a few that could possibly meet his physical characteristics.

Unfortunately it's more likely his remains are on someone's farm.

That's a good question. There was one UID, actually I think a skull, found in an area near Omaha that was looked into, but as far as I recall was not JJ. I don't really know about other states, but IMO his remains are likely on a farm or wilderness area in Nebraska, sad to say.

 

[vandeeje]

I've read a lot of this thread but if I'm repeating something I apologize.

Omaha is on the border of Iowa as well as Nebraska. If I remember correctly he was going to community college in Iowa. I can't help but wonder if they did any investigating at the college (who were his friends? how well was he doing in his classes? etc.) I know here in Iowa it's not unusually to road trip for hours to get somewhere.

I'm also wondering if they looked into his financials. I know I read somewhere that his bank account hasn't been touched, but was he stashing money away? How often was he withdrawing cash?

I know the possibility that JJ was gay has been floated. I can say that in 2001 in the Midwest it was not easy to be LGBT+, especially if your family had raised you in a church. I can see a scenario in that he was questioning his sexuality and thought that going into the seminary could remove the temptation to act on it or remove the pressure for him to date women.

I've also seen the possible fact that he hadn't spoken to his friends in months. That definitely makes me wonder if that's only the friends that his parents knew about. I've listened to a couple of podcasts and it sounds like the family are fairly certain JJ wasn't hiding things from them. If he was hiding things how could they know for sure? This is not criticism of his family, I know they've done everything they could think to do to bring JJ home.

Does anyone know of a way to find out who lived at the houses in the area at that time? I've been searching for an Omaha phonebook from 2001 since cell phones were not what they are today. So far no luck. If anyone has any ideas I'm open minded.

Does anyone know if they've used facial recognition software to check the cameras in the area, not just the school? Of course security cameras were not what they are today, but I believe they didn't have facial recognition software in 2001. It could be worth another look.

I agree with the idea that the phone and computer should be looked at again with today's technology. Chatrooms were very popular but I'm not well enough versed in technology to know if they could look through his chatroom activity at the time.

Sorry for the very long post

 

[vandeeje]

One last thing:
Perhaps he knew it would be easy for them to track him if he took his own car. If he was chatting with someone that wanted to get him far away from his home, willingly on JJ's part or not, they may have insisted on picking him up.

It was certainly easier to disappear in 2001 than now. Hopefully we'll find the truth someday.

 

[Andreee]

Also, this is a good suggestion Vandeeje. If you have any potential UID's like you mention, I think its ok to post them on this thread. Although, yes, it is most likely Jason can be found in a field near Omaha somewhere, sadly enough.

 

[Andreee]

One last thing:
Perhaps he knew it would be easy for them to track him if he took his own car. If he was chatting with someone that wanted to get him far away from his home, willingly on JJ's part or not, they may have insisted on picking him up.

It was certainly easier to disappear in 2001 than now. Hopefully we'll find the truth someday.

His car was getting fixed at a local mechanic place. As for his finances, I believe his folks said he had left college for awhile to earn more money for said college.

 

[Andreee]

I've read a lot of this thread but if I'm repeating something I apologize.

Omaha is on the border of Iowa as well as Nebraska. If I remember correctly he was going to community college in Iowa. I can't help but wonder if they did any investigating at the college (who were his friends? how well was he doing in his classes? etc.) I know here in Iowa it's not unusually to road trip for hours to get somewhere.

I'm also wondering if they looked into his financials. I know I read somewhere that his bank account hasn't been touched, but was he stashing money away? How often was he withdrawing cash?

I know the possibility that JJ was gay has been floated. I can say that in 2001 in the Midwest it was not easy to be LGBT+, especially if your family had raised you in a church. I can see a scenario in that he was questioning his sexuality and thought that going into the seminary could remove the temptation to act on it or remove the pressure for him to date women.

I've also seen the possible fact that he hadn't spoken to his friends in months. That definitely makes me wonder if that's only the friends that his parents knew about. I've listened to a couple of podcasts and it sounds like the family are fairly certain JJ wasn't hiding things from them. If he was hiding things how could they know for sure? This is not criticism of his family, I know they've done everything they could think to do to bring JJ home.

Does anyone know of a way to find out who lived at the houses in the area at that time? I've been searching for an Omaha phonebook from 2001 since cell phones were not what they are today. So far no luck. If anyone has any ideas I'm open minded.

Does anyone know if they've used facial recognition software to check the cameras in the area, not just the school? Of course security cameras were not what thesy are today, but I believe they didn't have facial recognition software in 2001. It could be worth another look.

I agree with the idea that the phone and computer should be looked at again with today's technology. Chatrooms were very popular but I'm not well enough versed in technology to know if they could look through his chatroom activity at the time.

Sorry for the very long post

As far as a phonebook from the time, I'm not sure. I think LE questioned many of the neighbours but how extensively and effectively is another thing. Especially as 10 days had elapsed in the meantime. Perhaps someone here can address the phonebook aspect. I think the question of his computer didn't bring up anything unusual when LE looked at it, however I also think the messaging back and forth if JJ did it, was not saved like nowadays? I have read that JJ liked video games and did message friends on it. I hadn't heard he had lost touch with friends over the previous few months, but if so, maybe that was because he had left college for a bit to concentrate on work. WS Matthew Tyler may be able to talk more to the whole case, as he seems to be our 'go to' guy here for info I do think it is possible that JJ (his DJ radio name had something or someone in his life that was private to even his family. Why do I think that? Because many of us have raised a generally 'quiet' teenager, only to find out surprising secrets they have hidden from us years later, and not always good ones!!!

 

[BethAnn777]

Regarding Jason taking time off from college because he needed to save up money to pay for tuition, I wonder if that was the real reason why he left college? Could there have been another reason?

Making several assumptions here, I know, but community college is not that expensive, especially in the 90’s and early 00’s. There are also student loans that can easily be taken out to pay the tuition. You can also do a payment plan where you pay as you go. I was a community college student in the late 90’s and it was less than 4k per year to be a full time student. I don’t know what other bills he may have had, but 4k is doable when you live at home and work part time. And if it’s not a doable amount, you get a student loan.

I understand there are variables here I can’t possibly know, like maybe he was debt averse, or his parents told him not to take out a loan and to save up instead. Who knows.

I read here that he went to college in Iowa. Really? According to Google, it’s two hours from Omaha to the Iowa state line. Am I reading that correctly? What was he majoring in? Could he not have done that same degree at a local community college? Maybe he had to pay out of state tuition which was more expensive?

 

[vandeeje]

I read here that he went to college in Iowa. Really? According to Google, it’s two hours from Omaha to the Iowa state line. Am I reading that correctly? What was he majoring in? Could he not have done that same degree at a local community college? Maybe he had to pay out of state tuition which was more expensive?

Yes, he went to Iowa Western Community College. It's two hours to the center of Iowa, but directly over the state line is Council Bluffs, Iowa. The college is only about 11 miles away from Omaha. The attached file is a pdf of the Des Moines Register article about a vigil the family held that tells us the school he went to. He was majoring in broadcasting.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

I honestly don't believe JJ just "ran away" for any reason. Even if he had something going on in his life that he was keeping concealed from his family (which may or may not have been the case), it makes no sense that he would just vanish completely - for all of the reasons already discussed: I.e., he was a responsible kid who had a good relationship with this family; no activity re: his bank account or cell phone since the disappearance, etc.

So, unfortunately, I believe something happened to JJ & that he's no longer around.

IMHO what may have helped this investigation is the authorities doing a through canvassing of the neighborhood(s) where JJ lived & where he would have needed to walk through to get to the parking lot - immediately after the disappearance. I.e., by this I mean:

1) Thoroughly knocking on all of the relevant doors and asking both the neighbors & people in the other houses on his would-be route if they saw JJ on his way to the school - especially since people walking stand out a lot more than people quickly driving by in a car. And,
2) Thoroughly searching the outdoor physical area(s) that JJ would have walked through on his route, i.e. streets, parking lots, open fields, construction sites, etc.

As discussed, even though he vanished mid-morning on a weekday - it's hard to believe that no one saw anything. I.e., people who may have been home ATT included: stay-at-home spouses/parents, kids playing in the yards/streets outside, retired people, etc. Since this was mid-June, I suspect kids may have been home from school, etc.

Sure, even if they had done this - there is still a good chance the authorities wouldn't have found anything to help them with the case. But, it definitely wouldn't have hurt. That being said, I don't believe they took the case that seriously & probably also had more important (in their eyes) issues to deal with/look into ATT.

I think there's a slim possibility that JJ was lured into someone's house en route to the school, and it's also possible that a neighbor either saw or was aware of this - and didn't say anything because they were afraid of retaliation from the perp. However, what I think is much more likely (and what also seems to be the general consensus) is that he willingly got into a car on his way to the school.

 

[Alleykins]

I looked it up. Omaha has city directories. They're in print or on microfiche at the local library. I haven't used city directories much, but they are a good genealogical tool. I believe they're based on street addresses, not phone numbers, like the phone book.

City Directory Collection

City Directories in Print Located at the Genealogy & Local History Room, this collection includes: Bellevue/Sarpy County (1963-89,…

omahalibrary.org

I didn't know, so I looked up AIM, AOL's now defunct chat room/chat feature. Because that's what I used. I recall trying out Yahoo messenger, but it never seemed to work for me, so I stuck with AIM. It has been resurrected, but by another company, not by AOL, so it's not the same thing that was used back in the day. They wouldn't have any access to AOL's chat server. Chat transcripts could be saved locally on the machine, so if they still had the computer and it was functional, they could be retrieved. I'm not sure about conversations had through a game console, though.

I believe during the 10 days waiting for OPD to act, Jason's parents knocked on doors and canvassed the neighborhood as well. Not sure how thorough of a job the PD did, but, based on what studbkr said, it doesn't sound like it was. I believe he said he lived directly behind the Jolkowskis and no one talked to them. Plus during that 10 day window, some neighbors who were there that day could have moved. Time was definitely of the essence.

One thing I have to say, especially as a parent of a new adult who also happens to be on the spectrum, but it could especially apply to a majority of neuro-typical teens Jason's age. Parents don't know everything about their kids and what goes on in their lives. They may have an idea, or have an image of their kid and what they're like, and most of it may be spot on. But when it comes down to it, parents only know what their kid reveals, unless they go snooping, have the kid under their thumb, or are controlling. I don't believe that's the case here, as Jason showed a ton of independence and agency. There's no way for parents to know every single thing that's going on. So Jason could have socked money away in a dresser drawer and his parents didn't know about. Or he could have been messaging someone online his parents didn't know about. We only know what the parents know, or what they believe they know, and parents only know what their kids show them or allow them to see, IMHO, from personal experience both as a parent and as a former teen.

I still would like to know if the home phone service was scrutinized, and if so, how thoroughly. Not just calls showing up on the bill, but all incoming and outgoing local and long distance numbers dialed and received. Whether billed or not, all that info was stored electronically at one point and should have been retrievable at the time.

 

[vandeeje]

I looked it up. Omaha has city directories. They're in print or on microfiche at the local library. I haven't used city directories much, but they are a good genealogical tool. I believe they're based on street addresses, not phone numbers, like the phone book.

City Directory Collection

City Directories in Print Located at the Genealogy & Local History Room, this collection includes: Bellevue/Sarpy County (1963-89,…

omahalibrary.org

Nice! Thanks

 

[Alleykins]

Nice! Thanks

You're welcome. My grandmother sent me to our local library one time to look up names at certain addresses for certain years. Not sure why, as she wasn't the genealogist in the family, my great aunt was. But that's how I became aware of them.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Does anyone know of a way to find out who lived at the houses in the area at that time? I've been searching for an Omaha phonebook from 2001 since cell phones were not what they are today. So far no luck. If anyone has any ideas I'm open minded.

Douglas County, NE » WG Xtreme

Tax and parcel information for <%=cfg.SITE_TITLE%> including interactive mapping and GIS data.

douglascone.wgxtreme.com

Log On

These 2 sites are good for looking up the property records with who lived where and when. The first site is more of a basic outline of who owns the house and when they sold it, and the second site (which you'll have to register an account for) has in-depth property documents like deeds.