NE NE - Jason Jolkowski, 19, Omaha, 13 June 2001 - #2

[Nick_1]

I wonder if LE ever considered checking the sewer system in the city. I know this might sound strange (and probably doesn't help that I recently saw IT) but could he have been dumped down a drainage pipe? Omaha's sewer system has two separate routes to it, according to the city website: waste gets brought to the treatment plant and rainwater/various debris that goes down storm drains get dumped into the Missouri River. Is it possible that he could have somehow ended up in the River and just never resurfaced? I don't know, but I don't think I've seen anyone say anything about the Missouri River

Unlikely, but possible. If an individual ends up in the Missouri, they may never be located.

 

[Nick_1]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was no new information. It's as if Jason simply disappeared into the void.

It's just a such baffling case. In a lot of missing person cases you can always fit some kind of angle to the crime. If it's a young child, it's usually a sexual predator or an accidental death/cover-up by a relative. Young women are often the victims of sexual predators or crimes of passion by an ex-partner, etc. Old/disabled people have been murdered by their carers. People fitting Jason's profile just don't have those same risk factors. And it's not like Jason had any history of criminal activity, gangs, etc. If we're not dealing with a Randy Kraft or John Wayne Gacy type who had a taste for young men, I can't think of what possible motive anyone would have for targetting Jason.

He did disappear without a trace. That just doesn’t happen. Whether it be remains located, a strong working theory regarding what occurred or an eyewitness statement, back then. People don’t just vanish. This victim did. It’s fhe most baffling case you’ll come across in the Midwest, I would argue. Hundreds of hours have looked at many angles, none of which were conclusive in their findings.

Don’t be so sure that this case is forgotten. Law enforcement has to protect the integrity of any investigation. People don’t disappear into thin air. Don’t write this one off yet.

 

[Nick_1]

Ok sorry if this is not allowed, I will paraphrase a comment I read on this other site. Someone claimed that when Fazoli’s called the house looking for Jason his little brother answered the phone in a deep voice pretending to be Jason.
I have never read that before, ever. I wonder if it is true.

I believe a records request would make this information publicly available. But, yes, that is true.

 

[Nick_1]

This case has always bothered me. I can't come up with a single theory that makes sense. I've followed a lot of cases and usually I can come up with my own theory. On this case I am stumped. My heart hurts so much for Jason's family. I really thought they would have answers by now. They really deserve them.

Precisely. Nothing adds up. No signs of foul play were located. A hit and run? Blood would have been present in the street, along with various articles of debris that are consistent with a motor vehicle collision.

The Fazolis angle doesn’t quite add up, either. Predominantly, young people work at restaurants, such as Fazolis. What do young people do? They speak to one another. Someone would have said something.

The Sex Offender angle doesn’t make sense because the victim would have been hard to control due to physical size, years of age and urban location.

No angle makes sense. Remains were never located. Nor was a crime scene. The victim just vanished. It makes no sense.

 

[dotr]

Maybe Jason was scooped up in a car and driven far away?
Had previously speculated that if a sex perp was involved, that he may have mistaken Jason for his brother.
If it is in fact true that Jason's brother answered the phone in a deeper voice, somebody may really have thought that Jason was home and the brother was the one seen leaving the house?
Still wondering if there is some connection with Jason, who was about to start his dream job working at a radio station and missing person Jesse Ross, who, coincidentally also was about to start his dream job at a radio station when he completely vanished from a convention he attended away from home.
imo, speculation.

 

[Nick_1]

Maybe Jason was scooped up in a car and driven far away?
Had previously speculated that if a sex perp was involved, that he may have mistaken Jason for his brother.
If it is in fact true that Jason's brother answered the phone in a deeper voice, somebody may really have thought that Jason was home and the brother was the one seen leaving the house?
Still wondering if there is some connection with Jason, who was about to start his dream job working at a radio station and missing person Jesse Ross, who, coincidentally also was about to start his dream job at a radio station when he completely vanished from a convention he attended away from home.
imo, speculation.

Was previously unfamiliar with the Jesse Ross case. I’d be interested to learn if other young, W/M, broadcast radio or media employees, disappeared without remains being located, over the last 25 years.

I don’t know recall much about the Sam Sherman case. But, I believe he was reportedly headed to Chicago.

Some dots certainly. Connecting them? TBD

 

[dotr]

Was previously unfamiliar with the Jesse Ross case. I’d be interested to learn if other young, W/M, broadcast radio or media employees, disappeared without remains being located, over the last 25 years.

I don’t know recall much about the Sam Sherman case. But, I believe he was reportedly headed to Chicago.

Some dots certainly. Connecting them? TBD

IL - IL - Jesse Ross, 20, Chicago, 21 Nov 2006
Not much known about SS,not even a photo seems to be available.
NE - NE - Samuel Sherman, 19, Omaha, 19 July 2001

 

[ekardh]

No angle makes sense. Remains were never located. Nor was a crime scene. The victim just vanished. It makes no sense.

I think there's no crime scene because Jason never got far from his house before he disappeared. Either he was picked up by someone, or he was lured into a neighbour's house and murdered. I tend to favour the latter, based on the fact that a neighbour's house was reportedly searched and we have reports that Jason's neighbour upped sticks not long after his disappearance.

 

[Nick_1]

I think there's no crime scene because Jason never got far from his house before he disappeared. Either he was picked up by someone, or he was lured into a neighbour's house and murdered. I tend to favour the latter, based on the fact that a neighbour's house was reportedly searched and we have reports that Jason's neighbour upped sticks not long after his disappearance.

While the neighbor’s house was searched, and it’s residents investigated, the conclusion was that they were not involved, at the time. Not sure if that changed since then. Also can’t recall if that was a search warrant served, or consent. I believe consent. Mainly because their was no PC and they were cooperative.

 

[Nick_1]

I think there's no crime scene because Jason never got far from his house before he disappeared. Either he was picked up by someone, or he was lured into a neighbour's house and murdered. I tend to favour the latter, based on the fact that a neighbour's house was reportedly searched and we have reports that Jason's neighbour upped sticks not long after his disappearance.

I do not believe the victim’s remains were disposed of near his residence. This was thoroughly looked at. Is it possible? Sure. Likely? No.

 

[ekardh]

Tall, male teens are usually low-risk victims when it comes to sexual predators. It is rare for something like this to happen, but Jason's case in itself is quite the oddity. I theorize that a neighbour exploited Jason's good nature that morning. Either he invited Jason inside to help with something, or he offered him a ride to the school, drove him somewhere remote and killed him.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I still am very suspicious of the house right next door to the Jolkowskis. I've attached an image from Google Maps showing Jason's driveway where he would have been taking in the cans. Just to the left past the telephone pole you can see the neighbor's brown car port/garage. It would be very easy for the neighbor to simply walk outside and quickly lure Jason with false pretenses into his garage (less than 50 feet away) and subdue or kill him in there. OR perhaps the neighbor watched Jason from a window, let him walk ahead a couple of blocks and then followed him in a car and lured him there with false pretenses.
Either way a neighbor is likely the best bet. They would not only be able to have surveillance over Jason, but also know the schedules of his parents and other neighbors to weed out potential witnesses. If it was the neighbor, they likely knew Jason's parents wouldn't be home and that he wouldn't be missed for awhile.
Of course this is all speculation and I have no way of even knowing if that garage was built back in 2001 or if it was a newer addition to the house. Still I do believe whoever grabbed Jason was watching him right from the start of his walk

 

[neesaki]

I still am very suspicious of the house right next door to the Jolkowskis. I've attached an image from Google Maps showing Jason's driveway where he would have been taking in the cans. Just to the left past the telephone pole you can see the neighbor's brown car port/garage. It would be very easy for the neighbor to simply walk outside and quickly lure Jason with false pretenses into his garage (less than 50 feet away) and subdue or kill him in there. OR perhaps the neighbor watched Jason from a window, let him walk ahead a couple of blocks and then followed him in a car and lured him there with false pretenses.
Either way a neighbor is likely the best bet. They would not only be able to have surveillance over Jason, but also know the schedules of his parents and other neighbors to weed out potential witnesses. If it was the neighbor, they likely knew Jason's parents wouldn't be home and that he wouldn't be missed for awhile.
Of course this is all speculation and I have no way of even knowing if that garage was built back in 2001 or if it was a newer addition to the house. Still I do believe whoever grabbed Jason was watching him right from the start of his walk

Is it known if the neighbor lived alone or was he married, or anyone else living in the home? Is this the neighbor that moved out shortly afterwards ? TIA
ETA: for some reason that pic gives me a rather creepy feeling, jmo.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Is it known if the neighbor lived alone or was he married, or anyone else living in the home? Is this the neighbor that moved out shortly afterwards ? TIA
ETA: for some reason that pic gives me a rather creepy feeling, jmo.

Yup, this is the neighbor who moved in August 2001 and sold the house for half the price they bought it for. Unfortunately I don't know anything about who owned the house at the time. The website 'Spokeo' gave me a list of names but it doesn't say what years they lived in the house, and I don't think some of those names are even accurate. I reached out to Kelly and was ignored so we can't find out about who lived there at the time. I would imagine that they were questioned, though I don't know if that's the house that was searched or if that was the neighbor that witnessed seeing Jason that morning.

 

[neesaki]

Is there any new information about Project Jason? All evidence is that it is defunct but is there any news on why it ceased to exist?

Wow, what happened to Project Jason? I actually donated to it not all that long ago, kind of disappointing.

 

[MaryG12]

Jason was attending Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the time he disappeared. Omaha is about 12 minutes drive to Council Bluffs, right across the state border.

I came across the following regarding Jason's disappearance which also mentions the disappearance of Wade Steffey:

http://maryhaberstroh.com/wp-conten...rnalandCourier_Lafayette_IN_March_20_2007.pdf

And Steffey's being found:

Body identified as missing Purdue student Wade Steffey

Did Jason know anyone at IWCC who may be a POI?

 

[Nick_1]

Yup, this is the neighbor who moved in August 2001 and sold the house for half the price they bought it for. Unfortunately I don't know anything about who owned the house at the time. The website 'Spokeo' gave me a list of names but it doesn't say what years they lived in the house, and I don't think some of those names are even accurate. I reached out to Kelly and was ignored so we can't find out about who lived there at the time. I would imagine that they were questioned, though I don't know if that's the house that was searched or if that was the neighbor that witnessed seeing Jason that morning.

Who’s Kelly?

 

[ekardh]

Who’s Kelly?

Jason's mother and founder of 'Project Jason' (which is now defunct by the looks of it).

 

[MatthewTyler]

Did Jason know anyone at IWCC who may be a POI?

I saw on a Facebook thread on the anniversary of his disappearance that a couple of people commented that had classes with him, but nothing suspicious. I personally doubt that someone from his class would happen to swing by on a Summer morning and hurt him. Given the extremely small window of time and out-of-the-ordinary circumstances that particular day, it would likely have to be either someone who was able to watch him from the start (neighbor) or someone who would have known that he'd be walking around that morning due to schedule change (Fazoli's worker). Neighbor seems to be the most logical to me now

 

[dotr]

Jason was not only in the Boy Scouts, but he spoke at his Church the week prior to his disappearance...
An early post by Jason's mother. rbbm rsbm.
NE - Jason Jolkowski, 19, Omaha, 13 June 2001 - #1
"The week starts with a 9 a.m. Mass at Holy Name Church, where Jason was a lector. The Sunday before his disappearance, he read Scripture from Romans, including: "We gladly suffer because we know that suffering helps us endure."