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

[MatthewTyler]

Update: Sgt. Brett Schrage of the Omaha PD did reach out to me earlier this week after seeing that I inquired about the Sherman case. I attached the messages below. Basically the only thing I got out of this was that the police know absolutely 'F*ck all' about Sherman's case, and that the little info they do have on it isn't even accurate. I'll see if he gets back to me this coming week.

 

[ekardh]

Update: Sgt. Brett Schrage of the Omaha PD did reach out to me earlier this week after seeing that I inquired about the Sherman case. I attached the messages below. Basically the only thing I got out of this was that the police know absolutely 'F*ck all' about Sherman's case, and that the little info they do have on it isn't even accurate. I'll see if he gets back to me this coming week.

Doesn't look promising but hats off for trying. I'd be interested to know the incorrect information the sergeant is referring to.

Apparently, the original investigating officer was Jim Reisinger. Don't know if that helps?

 

[MatthewTyler]

Doesn't look promising but hats off for trying. I'd be interested to know the incorrect information the sergeant is referring to.

Apparently, the original investigating officer was Jim Reisinger. Don't know if that helps?

Yup, not very promising at all. He replied to me today and basically said "thanks for reaching out, these cases are under active investigation and hopefully one day we will have answers"- and that was that. I don't see much of a point reaching out to Reisinger, as I'm sure he'll tell me the same thing. Though it does make me wonder, given that information was incorrect, if any of the Sam Shermans I saw on Facebook could possibly be him if he is truly unaware that he is listed as missing. If, say, they were incorrect about his age, this expands the possibility of one of those Shermans being him, since I was using age to rule out potential matches

 

[ekardh]

Yup, not very promising at all. He replied to me today and basically said "thanks for reaching out, these cases are under active investigation and hopefully one day we will have answers"- and that was that. I don't see much of a point reaching out to Reisinger, as I'm sure he'll tell me the same thing. Though it does make me wonder, given that information was incorrect, if any of the Sam Shermans I saw on Facebook could possibly be him if he is truly unaware that he is listed as missing. If, say, they were incorrect about his age, this expands the possibility of one of those Shermans being him, since I was using age to rule out potential matches

Oh well, back to the drawing board. IF Samuel Sherman did exist, I think it would make sense for him to be a young drifter who was crashing somewhere. There's no photo because the people putting him up didn't have one, and this would explain why some of the information is inconsistent. If he was estranged from his family, they wouldn't be chasing it up. The "job interview" down town could've been or something dodgy. I suspect with the complete dearth of information here the police dropped this one pretty quick.

 

[ekardh]

Getting back to Jason, I'm almost 100% sure that his abduction was sexually-motivated. Did someone harbour feelings for Jason? Was he in a homosexual tryst? I can't speculate on his sexuality, but it's the most likely angle imo.

Would it be odd for a 6 foot guy to be kidnapped in broad daylight by a sexual predator? Yes. Yes, it would. That's precisely what makes Jason's case so unusual. I'm not suggesting he was literally nabbed off the street. Someone known to him may have caught him and offered him a ride to the school that morning or invited him into his home. It's one guy, and the secret will probably die with him, if it hasn't already.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Getting back to Jason, I'm almost 100% sure that his abduction was sexually-motivated. Did someone harbour feelings for Jason? Was he in a homosexual tryst? I can't speculate on his sexuality, but it's the most likely angle imo.

Would it be odd for a 6 foot guy to be kidnapped in broad daylight by a sexual predator? Yes. Yes, it would. That's precisely what makes Jason's case so unusual. I'm not suggesting he was literally nabbed off the street. Someone known to him may have caught him and offered him a ride to the school that morning or invited him into his home. It's one guy, and the secret will probably die with him, if it hasn't already.

There was once a post on one of the Reddit threads from a girl who knew Jason. She mentioned something about how he tried to kiss her once, but she rejected it. Or something like that, but I was never able to find the post again. Not that that necessarily proves anything about his sexuality, of course. If there was a mutual "tryst" and it involved a neighbor, then the only thing I can think of is the gay man that lived one block over from Jason at the time. He was around 30 at the time. I hate to even say that, but it's something to consider if one considers a mutual thing.
I still can't help but feel this was a one-sided thing, however. A naive, friendly guy taken advantage of by someone who saw him and decided to act on it. But yes, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that it was someone he knew. It's weird how if only the gender was reversed but all other physical stats and situation were the same, most people wouldn't think twice about accepting it as an abduction in broad daylight.

 

[JohHall1001]

Donna Murphy, 81

Apparently Kelly's mother passed away last week. Nothing Earth shattering or anything, but I just thought it was interesting how they list Jason as someone she is survived by.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Donna Murphy, 81

Apparently Kelly's mother passed away last week. Nothing Earth shattering or anything, but I just thought it was interesting how they list Jason as someone she is survived by.

I don't foresee them ever declaring Jason legally dead. Frankly, there's really no reason to. Although most people would argue there's a slim to none chance that he's alive, there technically ISN'T anything that supports that. Though don't get me wrong, I'm personally convinced that he's deceased.

 

[ekardh]

Have the Jolkowskis never commented on the current status of Project Jason?

 

[black27dog]

I’ve never seen anything saying they were dismantling Project Jason and find that very strange. To do all that work and then just drop it I can’t figure out. I’d love to know why they didn’t at least say they were winding down and closing.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I found this article in the archives of the Omaha World Herald. It's restricted access so I screenshotted it here. Basically it describes a possible sighting of Jason at a state park more than a week after he went missing. Normally I wouldn't consider that of any relevance, but one thing I did find interesting:
This state park is the same area where that human skull was found a few years ago. The skull was never identified, but was determined to be a white male aged 19-30. I uploaded a map of the state park where Jason was possibly seen vs. where the skull was (approximately) found in 2017. I've also linked the article about the skull.
Obviously it's all circumstantial, but I did find it interesting that there is at least one article out there about a Jason sighting after his disappearance. I know @studebkr mentioned that people were confusing Jason's cousin for him, but here is at least one written record of one.

ETA: While I do not necessarily change my original opinions on the case, this opens the possibility of other options: if he was in the area after his intial disappearance, perhaps he drowned in the river and didn't resurface? Maybe he was killed there and dumped? Who knows.
Found skull reveals few clues so far

 

[CountSnap]

Wow. Heck of a find. Going deeeep into the archives for that one.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Wow. Heck of a find. Going deeeep into the archives for that one.

When one gets tired of scratching the surface, then deep is the only direction to go haha

 

[ekardh]

I found this article in the archives of the Omaha World Herald. It's restricted access so I screenshotted it here. Basically it describes a possible sighting of Jason at a state park more than a week after he went missing. Normally I wouldn't consider that of any relevance, but one thing I did find interesting:
This state park is the same area where that human skull was found a few years ago. The skull was never identified, but was determined to be a white male aged 19-30. I uploaded a map of the state park where Jason was possibly seen vs. where the skull was (approximately) found in 2017. I've also linked the article about the skull.
Obviously it's all circumstantial, but I did find it interesting that there is at least one article out there about a Jason sighting after his disappearance. I know @studebkr mentioned that people were confusing Jason's cousin for him, but here is at least one written record of one.

ETA: While I do not necessarily change my original opinions on the case, this opens the possibility of other options: if he was in the area after his intial disappearance, perhaps he drowned in the river and didn't resurface? Maybe he was killed there and dumped? Who knows.
Found skull reveals few clues so far

Very interesting. Good work, Matthew. I have not heard about this before. Like you, it doesn't change my thoughts on this case. I don't see what Jason would be doing all that way, over a week after his disappearance. The fact the witness wasn't sure about the sighting either doesn't give it much weight.

In the article it says that tests carried out on the skull ruled out several cold cases in Nebraska. I'm going to assume Jason is one of them? It might be worth contacting the Sheriff's office for clarity, if they'll disclose that info.

 

[studebkr]

I found this article in the archives of the Omaha ...
Found skull reveals few clues so far

How is everyone? I've been working from home and forget I can take a break here once in a while!

I remember this story. I was very excited that they may had found Jason, but the dental records did not match any cold case. I believe it is still a John Doe.

Half way from Omaha to Lincoln is the wide and marshy Platte River valley. Constant flooding, gravel pits. It is a good place to make yourself or someone disappear. The other popular place is Hummel and Dodge Parks North of town. That is where they found Amber Harris. They already had a suspect. Oddly enough, a group of ghost hunters found her. (Hummel Park is supposedly haunted because of lynchings at the turn of the century)

The bomb cyclone caused massive flooding here last year, and I hoped more things might turn up like the story above, but nothing so far.

Be well!

Mike

 

[MatthewTyler]

How is everyone? I've been working from home and forget I can take a break here once in a while!

I remember this story. I was very excited that they may had found Jason, but the dental records did not match any cold case. I believe it is still a John Doe.

Half way from Omaha to Lincoln is the wide and marshy Platte River valley. Constant flooding, gravel pits. It is a good place to make yourself or someone disappear. The other popular place is Hummel and Dodge Parks North of town. That is where they found Amber Harris. They already had a suspect. Oddly enough, a group of ghost hunters found her. (Hummel Park is supposedly haunted because of lynchings at the turn of the century)

The bomb cyclone caused massive flooding here last year, and I hoped more things might turn up like the story above, but nothing so far.

Be well!

Mike

Welcome Back!

I've heard of Hummel Park, as there's a YouTuber conspiracy man named David Shurter who claims to be a survivor of the pedophilic Satanic rituals that took place there. He also talks about the credit union scandel from the 80's. The guy is a total wackjob but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find his ramblings interesting to say the least.
The park seems to be a popular recreational area, so I can't imagine a body being undiscovered there for 19 years. Nor can I see someone being able to inconspiculously bury a body there, especially in the Summer. The marshlands, however, could be another story. I still tend to believe that Jason is buried on private property. Whether in a concrete wall or underground, I don't know. Someone lured him, someone killed him, someone hid him. Until there's any other significant proof to the contrary, that just seems the most likely.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I attached another article I found in the archives of the Omaha World Herald. I shared it with a couple people on here but I'll upload it here for anyone who wants to read it. It does reveal a couple new things I did not know previously about the case:

1) Jason had to drop out of college the winter before he disappeared due to financial issues. This was supposedly going to be solved with the new job he was starting at SITEL.
2) Jason had been in contact with a seminary in St. Louis and was considering the priesthood. Studebkr mentioned this, but this confirms the rumor.
3) This article did name the female coworker that was picking Jason up, however I have blackened out her name to give her privacy.

 

[JohHall1001]

Ohio Teen, Who Was Found Safe Days After Going Missing, Wanted 'to Start a New Life,' Says Sheriff

If anyone was following the Madison Bell case, it's one of the more rare instances that the person was intentionally looking to disappear and start a new life. Seemingly happy girl, just graduated school, no problems that are known. Not saying that this is definitely what happened to Jason, but it does serve as a reminder that it DOES happen. She even abandoned her car and phone as well. I believe she met up with a guy who picked her up. Suppose Jason did the same and that's why he wanted to allow time by meeting at Benson?

 

[ekardh]

Ohio Teen, Who Was Found Safe Days After Going Missing, Wanted 'to Start a New Life,' Says Sheriff

If anyone was following the Madison Bell case, it's one of the more rare instances that the person was intentionally looking to disappear and start a new life. Seemingly happy girl, just graduated school, no problems that are known. Not saying that this is definitely what happened to Jason, but it does serve as a reminder that it DOES happen. She even abandoned her car and phone as well. I believe she met up with a guy who picked her up. Suppose Jason did the same and that's why he wanted to allow time by meeting at Benson?

Not viable, imo. Even back in 2001, it would've been difficult for an average 19 year-old to go completely off the grid (for nigh-on twenty years) without foul play involved.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Ohio Teen, Who Was Found Safe Days After Going Missing, Wanted 'to Start a New Life,' Says Sheriff

If anyone was following the Madison Bell case, it's one of the more rare instances that the person was intentionally looking to disappear and start a new life. Seemingly happy girl, just graduated school, no problems that are known. Not saying that this is definitely what happened to Jason, but it does serve as a reminder that it DOES happen. She even abandoned her car and phone as well. I believe she met up with a guy who picked her up. Suppose Jason did the same and that's why he wanted to allow time by meeting at Benson?

A couple months ago I would have said ' absolutely no way' to this, however after reading that last article I posted, I will simply say ' I don't think so'. The only thing I can possibly see Jason running away from is an overly religious household that would force him to choose priesthood over his passion as a radio DJ.