Identified! TX - Pecos, WhtFem, 17-20, UP13480, in motel swimming pool Jul'66 - Jolaine Hemmy

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onceuponadecember said:
Okay I don’t know if anyone talked about this detail from one of the newspapers, but it says that the clothes Jolaine were wearing that were found in the room were brand new with no evidence of being washed:
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I can't see the type (too small) but what were the clothes? Dress? Shorts? Or could you screenshot the part about her clothing, so I can see it?
Thx!
 
onceuponadecember said:
Okay so I know most of this thread has been focusing on the idea that Jolaine died accidentally, but I wanted to explore the idea of homicide or something deeper. Here’s my timeline of events if we consider it homicide:
  1. The two are seen at the pool, “Russell” drinking a beer and Jolaine a non-alcoholic soda
  2. Russell and Jolaine get into a physical fight (possibly explaining the abrasion on her left cheekbone and the scream)
  3. Jolaine falls in the pool and drowns or “Russell” drowns her
  4. “Russell” returns to the room and takes a nap
  5. Jolaine’s body is found in the pool and “Russell” is notified
  6. “Russell” takes the registration card and drives away, never to be seen again
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I'll try one out for accidental as well:
  1. The two are seen at the pool, Russell drinking a beer and Jolaine a non-alcoholic soda;
  2. Russell returns to the room to take a nap. Jolaine stays to enjoy the outdoors;
  3. Jolaine slips on the notoriously unsafe & slippery pool decks of the time and screams as she falls down also losing grip on her glass;
  4. Jolaine's head strikes the pool edge rendering her unconscious or severely concussed,(possibly explaining the abrasion on her left cheekbone) and ends up in pool;
  5. Jolaine’s body is found in the pool and Russell is notified
  6. Russell takes the registration card and drives away, never to be seen again (probably because he was married or she was underage when he picked her up).
Awsi Dooger said:
Details are all over the place, depending on the source. I seldom see so much variance from article to article or account to account. One article says the couple initially went swimming together. But the vast majority don't mention him swimming at all. Some accounts place time she was discovered at 4:00 while others have it at 5:30. There are reports that a hotel maid and a patron rushed to the pool after hearing her screams. Other accounts indicate that a maid walking past the pool saw her motionless body at the bottom of the pool. One version has the "husband" quickly notified and helping to pull her from the pool, while others say the 16 year old granddaughter of the motel owner was the one who jumped in and pulled the girl out, after the maid and the patron had rushed to the pool after hearing the screams. Some accounts say scream singular, while others say her screams reverberated throughout the complex.

One article says 2000-3000 people viewed the body, while another says only 50 people attended the funeral/burial. I suppose both of those could align. I was quite surprised by the 2000-3000 reference.

The most interesting twist I saw was one account indicating the "husband" initially left the motel, before returning to retrieve the registration slip. That indicates to me that he was initially panicking but then composed himself enough to think through the particulars of concealing his identity.

I've seen prostitute speculated elsewhere. That makes little sense, given the afternoon swim. Also the perfect teeth don't tilt in that direction, although that is more random and she was very young.

Regardless, the best contact seems rather obvious. The motel owner's name is within the 1966 articles. His granddaughter was 16 years old at the time so only 69 now, if still alive. She might be able to reconstruct which version is correct, and anything else she might remember about the couple and the event.

At least they know where this Jane Doe is buried. Lots of pictures of her well-marked grave site, in case DNA is sought. I remember other low population cases like one on I-40 from the late '70s in which there are old articles regarding the case but authorities don't know where she was buried. I think that was Guadalupe, New Mexico.
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For me, "accidental" still works as completely plausible despite the issues you've noted above in your post. As to recovering her from the pool:

Is it possible that people throughout the complex heard her scream (singular) and rushed towards pool area where maid saw her at bottom of pool along with 16 year old owner's daughter. The daughter dove in to pull her up and to side of pool and the maid and "Russell" then pulled Jolaine out of the pool. That would also match up with details given and explain the presumed 'discrepency' in the various statements.

Obviously, the scream must have come from the pool area as people who heard it moved to that area and I do believe it was singular. A single bruise is not itself indicative of assault.

The only charges he could have faced would result from "defrauding" the motel, which he may have done "out of fear" according to this link: 1503UFTX (doenetwork.org)

Excellent teeth and dental state. Brand new clothes having never been washed. A man approx 25 years old. Checked in to a motel and had a poolside room (given he arrived so quickly to assist from the room) which usually cost more than the regular rooms. Not undernourished. No signs of abuse. He, of age, was drinking alcohol while she, underage, was not. She, close to certain, wasn't a prostitute given the relaxing out by the pool (not the stated usual business practice of prostitutes). She had been cared for and looked after whether it be by him or her family prior to this day. A boyfriend who was older that her family wasn't aware of for obvious reasons? Or maybe a guy that her family knew, but they didn't have a clue about any relationship between the two existing?

I think he was incentivized to run based on her being underage. Perhaps her family even "knowing" who he was (a family friend?) and were going to beat his butt when they found out a relationship existed. If so, he returned to his home afterwards their encounter (no reports of her and a guy disappearing at same time) and she did not. So, if so, he's perhaps been interacting with her family since.
 
From what has been communicated by Jolaines sisters on social media and the internet:

He has not interacted with her family aside from a bogus letter he sent from Las Vegas pretending to be her to her parents after Jolaine died.

Her sisters knew him a bit as he was Jolaines boyfriend for some time (not sure for how long, likely a short time) but they do not know any information about who he really was. They say she was working at a diner and the guy met her there and they started dating. Her sisters and their boyfriends and Jolaine and "Russell" met one time to go to cinema or so. But not enough to know a lot about him. Jolaine complained about him being "controlling".
They are sure he kidnapped her as she was very attached to her family and also she never picked up her last paycheck. Which she would have done if she would have left on her own motivation.
 
I got the impression that the sister felt responsible for her Jolaine's behavior.
Susikatze said:
From what has been communicated by Jolaines sisters on social media and the internet:

He has not interacted with her family aside from a bogus letter he sent from Las Vegas pretending to be her to her parents after Jolaine died.

Her sisters knew him a bit as he was Jolaines boyfriend for some time (not sure for how long, likely a short time) but they do not know any information about who he really was. They say she was working at a diner and the guy met her there and they started dating. Her sisters and their boyfriends and Jolaine and "Russell" met one time to go to cinema or so. But not enough to know a lot about him. Jolaine complained about him being "controlling".
They are sure he kidnapped her as she was very attached to her family and also she never picked up her last paycheck. Which she would have done if she would have left on her own motivation.
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"Jolaine" sent correspondence postmarked from Las Vegas dated before she died on July 3rd.
She died July 5th.
Her family believed that it was not her handwriting.

I don't believe he ever contacted the family after Jolaine died.
He basically left the scene and was never seen again.
Decades After Mysteriously Drowning, Pecos Jane Has a Name

pecos-jane-case-9.jpg
 
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So, this guy's fake name was supposedly Russell "Battuon"

The surname Battuon does not even exist. So, they must have thought it was some other surname if they found a Russell "Battuon" somewhere.

There is someone with a similar name (Batten) who was born in 1940, died in 2015, who was also a veteran. Maybe that was the fake name that he used and the receptionist got it wrong or the newspapers transcribed it wrong? Confusing....grhhh


Although, Jolaine disappeared with this guy and her siblings were concerned about the relationship, but they don't remember his name? I remember all my siblings boyfriends and girlfriends names. They had access to his name from his employer. (But I only have 3 siblings..I dunno)

Sometime that summer, Jolaine met an older man while at work. Her siblings don’t remember his name, but Joyce, who met him a few times, guessed he was in his late twenties—perhaps a decade older than Jolaine. Joyce took an instant dislike to him. “He wasn’t nice to her,” she told me. “He was controlling. I told her she ought to find somebody else, but she said she liked him. I said, ‘Well, he doesn’t treat you very good.’ And she said, ‘That’s probably because I don’t do exactly what he wants.’ ”

<snip>

Joyce and Carolyn learned that Jolaine’s boyfriend was also missing..

Decades After Mysteriously Drowning, Pecos Jane Has a Name

I wish they remembered his name.

I really don't suspect foul play.
MOO: He was older insecure guy, who dated younger women/teens because he could not find a woman his own age.
This was actually fairly common back then.
Older guys were seen as financially stable and secure.
It was easier to hide personality flaws from teens.
These relationships did not turn out well.
Often the guy was possessive and eventually abusive.
I don't necessarily see it as grooming as much as he was probably a possessive, jerk, pain to be with.
The fact that he took off so quick indicates he had issues in the past.
I wonder if he and Jolaine had married under assumed names?
I think Jolaine was regretting this relationship by the time they got to Pecos.
Seriously...being stuck in a motel in the desert southwest with some older guy has got to be beyond boring.

________________________

I wonder if they did toxicology at the autopsy?
 
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I am usually very opinionated, but Jolaine's case is one where I could truly see it going either way re: murder or accident. Sometimes I lean more towards murder, some I lean towards accident.
 
onceuponadecember said:
If it were an accident, my question is why was she near the deep end?
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That's why I asked if toxicology was done.

The autopsy showed that she drowned, but she also could have had something in her system that impaired her judgment and slowed her senses. Especially, if she was bored the guy may have given her something to calm down.

I kinda don't think they did a tox screen.
 
One thing about Texas heat: It can make you feel crazy and make you do things that you normally would not do.
I would not be surprised if his car did not have air conditioning.
He was driving a 1963. Our 1963 did not have A/C and my dad was a cross country driver.

Whenever someone who is not from Texas gets off a plane in the summer, they feel like dying.
Heat exhaustion is a real issue. I have to plan and pace everything I do outside in the summer. I get exhausted very easily.

So here she was...in this stifling heat, with this stifling guy...She had been in Las Vegas, which also has horrific weather.

There was nowhere to go in Pecos if she wanted to go for a walk etc. (She couldn't just go to a park. She couldn't just walk downtown to get an ice cream cone) It's just too hot. It's too hot to even get a tan.

Also, it's too hot to sit around a pool........

The only way to cool off is to go inside with the A/C with boyfriend or immerse yourself in the pool, head to toe. Seriously, when I get in a pool, I always get my head wet to cool off.
.
It takes awhile to acclimate to the heat. Heat exhaustion is real.
The heat can impair judgement. (This is me BTW)

And if she had been drinking (one beer is enough and I'm a total goner in the heat) or taken a small amt of anything that could impair her judgement, it just adds to it.

Anyway, something to keep in mind when thinking about Jolaine...

ETA: (Removed the Midland weather data. They're cooler than Pecos)

Death in Big Bend
 

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onceuponadecember said:
If it were an accident, my question is why was she near the deep end?
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Witness state they were seen sitting on plastic patio furniture alongside the pool - he drinking alcohol and her a soda. It's entirely possible that seating area was off the deep end. It is where it is. If she slipped and hit her head near there and accidently went in, that would explain her being in the deep end.

Likewise had she been found in the shallow end - a slip and a fall with a bump to her head rendering her unconscious and falling in to the shallow end would have resulted in her drowning as well.

If he assaulted her and put her in, she ended up wherever her slid her in. Likewise if she tripped, screamed and fell striking her head and slipped in to the pool on her own accidently ... either from being in the seating area at the deep end or tripping while walking past the deep end.

The end of the pool she was found in indicates neither foul play nor accident. An accidental drowning could have occurred at either end as well.
 
Friday Fan said:
So, this guy's fake name was supposedly Russell "Battuon"

The surname Battuon does not even exist. So, they must have thought it was some other surname if they found a Russell "Battuon" somewhere.

There is someone with a similar name (Batten) who was born in 1940, died in 2015, who was also a veteran. Maybe that was the fake name that he used and the receptionist got it wrong or the newspapers transcribed it ?
Click to expand...

There are actually loads of Russell Battons, Russel Buttons and Russel Battens in the records. I doubt the guy from the obit is connected, he spent all his life in VA. But loads of others who fit the age range and have similar names. He may have indeed stated his real name but whoever was at the reception just had no good writing skills..

Needle in a haystack... also, it could have been a fake name altogether.But why would he take his registration card from the hotel with him then and disappear? If it was a fake name, he could have rested easily.
 
Susikatze said:
There are actually loads of Russell Battons, Russel Buttons and Russel Battens in the records. I doubt the guy from the obit is connected, he spent all his life in VA. But loads of others who fit the age range and have similar names. He may have indeed stated his real name but whoever was at the reception just had no good writing skills..

Needle in a haystack... also, it could have been a fake name altogether.But why would he take his registration card from the hotel with him then and disappear? If it was a fake name, he could have rested easily.
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His motel registration card would have had his license plate number.
Hotel Registration Cards | 2 Part | 500/pack (Payment was due at check out back then)

Fake names were very commonly used to book rooms if couples were not married.
Motels frequently banned unmarried couples back then.
The guy with Jolaine could have known that guy and used his name.
Was the guy with Jolaine from Virginia? Was he a veteran?
 
Such a fascinating case! A couple of opinions:

No laundry marks likely means that her name was not written on the tags of her clothes, not that they had never been washed. It must have common to do that back then when laundromats or laundry services were way more common than today when everyone has a washer/dryer in their home.

Accident seems more plausible to me to because there were reports of a scream as opposed to an argument or scuffle which would likely have drawn more attention.

If he put a fake name on registration card, why would he have needed to take it? Did the name come from the desk clerk who might have not gotten it right? It must have been his real name unless there was other info like the tag # of the car.

Awesome that she was identified but I think the details of her drowning and who the mystery man was are likely going to remain a mystery lost to time
 
MagicCityMan said:
Such a fascinating case! A couple of opinions:

No laundry marks likely means that her name was not written on the tags of her clothes, not that they had never been washed. It must have common to do that back then when laundromats or laundry services were way more common than today when everyone has a washer/dryer in their home.
Accident seems more plausible to me to because there were reports of a scream as opposed to an argument or scuffle which would likely have drawn more attention.

If he put a fake name on registration card, why would he have needed to take it? Did the name come from the desk clerk who might have not gotten it right? It must have been his real name unless there was other info like the tag # of the car.

Awesome that she was identified but I think the details of her drowning and who the mystery man was are likely going to remain a mystery lost to time
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The registration card had his plate number.

Hotel Registration Cards | 2 Part | 500/pack
 
Friday Fan said:
The registration card had his plate number.

Hotel Registration Cards | 2 Part | 500/pack
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Makes sense that he would take it then because surely he wrote the real tag number as it was verifiable by motel staff if they had wanted to compare. He still could have used his real name though and the clerk got it wrong when recalling it to authorities...who knows.
 
A few pages upthread there are posts that refer to a Marine who I believe was actually named Russell Battoun. I'm sure I read (possibly in this thread,possibly elsewhere) that they spoke to the marine and gave him descriptions of both Jolaine and her boyfriend but he didn't recognise them.
This is speculation on my part just now as this is from memory and I will have to go back through the thread to check I'm not making it up! So all MOO and NOT fact.
 
Camp LeJuene NC is a long way from Pecos Texas. He would have also needed to travel to Kansas and maybe Las Vegas too in a short period of time. I wonder if any followup on that marine or the name was ever reported? If he was AWOL at the time that might explain taking the registration card but not much else seems to fit well with the circumstances other than the name.
 
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