VA VA - Jennifer Pandos, 15, Williamsburg, 10 Feb 1987
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VA VA - Zhinae McLaurin, 12, Portsmouth, 10 May 2024- Latest: Happypetitvieux01
May 4 2021
Virginia Cold Case: Where is Jennifer Pandos?
''Jennifer Lynn Pandos was 15 years old when she went missing in 1987. She has hazel eyes and brown hair, and at the time of her disappearance she was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a nightshirt with a picture of a panda on the front, a pink sweater, a pink nylon waist-length jacket, and white high-top sneakers. She is left-handed and has a small mole on her left shoulder. If you have any information about Jenny, please contact the James City County Police Department at 757–253–1800.''
Age progression of Jennifer (Photo provided by NCMEC
Virginia Cold Case: Where is Jennifer Pandos?
''Jennifer Lynn Pandos was 15 years old when she went missing in 1987. She has hazel eyes and brown hair, and at the time of her disappearance she was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a nightshirt with a picture of a panda on the front, a pink sweater, a pink nylon waist-length jacket, and white high-top sneakers. She is left-handed and has a small mole on her left shoulder. If you have any information about Jenny, please contact the James City County Police Department at 757–253–1800.''
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Jennifer Lynn Pandos – The Charley Project
Details of Disappearance
Jennifer was last seen in the Kingsmill area of Williamsburg, Virginia on February 10, 1987. She was reportedly distraught because she and her boyfriend were having problems. Her mother woke up sometime after 6:00 a.m. and discovered Jennifer's bedroom door was locked. It was uncharacteristic of Jennifer to leave the door locked.
Her parents forced their way in and noticed the window blinds in the bedroom were bent in such a way that suggested someone had been looking out through them. Jennifer was gone. She has never been heard from again. She took only her purse with her, leaving behind all her other personal belongings, including her coat. A note was left behind. It started out in the third person, stating:
Your daughter's with me. She's fine. She's having some problems and needs some time away.
The note then switched to the first person, though it was still in the same writing:
I'm fine, I just need time to think. Both of you please go to work tomorrow ‘cause I will try to call you. I won't call you at home, only at one of y'all's work. Do not call the police. I can easily find out if you do. I may never come back home. Don't tell my friends about this. Just tell them that I'm sick.
The note did not appear to be in Jennifer's handwriting, but her mother believes she did in fact write it. Some investigators theorize that Jennifer, who is left-handed, wrote the note with her right hand to change the writing.
Jennifer's boyfriend was interviewed by police and said they'd been having relationship problems, but he was not involved in her disappearance and was as shocked by it as anyone else. He isn't considered a suspect in her case. Investigators stated there was no evidence of a crime in her case and they think she left of her own accord.
She was a sophomore at Lafayette High School in 1987, didn't use drugs or alcohol, and wasn't having any apparent problems with her parents, her friends or at school.
Her parents, who moved away 1990, hope she is still alive and will return home. Her father now resides in Texas and her mother in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Details of Disappearance
Jennifer was last seen in the Kingsmill area of Williamsburg, Virginia on February 10, 1987. She was reportedly distraught because she and her boyfriend were having problems. Her mother woke up sometime after 6:00 a.m. and discovered Jennifer's bedroom door was locked. It was uncharacteristic of Jennifer to leave the door locked.
Her parents forced their way in and noticed the window blinds in the bedroom were bent in such a way that suggested someone had been looking out through them. Jennifer was gone. She has never been heard from again. She took only her purse with her, leaving behind all her other personal belongings, including her coat. A note was left behind. It started out in the third person, stating:
Your daughter's with me. She's fine. She's having some problems and needs some time away.
The note then switched to the first person, though it was still in the same writing:
I'm fine, I just need time to think. Both of you please go to work tomorrow ‘cause I will try to call you. I won't call you at home, only at one of y'all's work. Do not call the police. I can easily find out if you do. I may never come back home. Don't tell my friends about this. Just tell them that I'm sick.
The note did not appear to be in Jennifer's handwriting, but her mother believes she did in fact write it. Some investigators theorize that Jennifer, who is left-handed, wrote the note with her right hand to change the writing.
Jennifer's boyfriend was interviewed by police and said they'd been having relationship problems, but he was not involved in her disappearance and was as shocked by it as anyone else. He isn't considered a suspect in her case. Investigators stated there was no evidence of a crime in her case and they think she left of her own accord.
She was a sophomore at Lafayette High School in 1987, didn't use drugs or alcohol, and wasn't having any apparent problems with her parents, her friends or at school.
Her parents, who moved away 1990, hope she is still alive and will return home. Her father now resides in Texas and her mother in Charlotte, North Carolina.
LunaticFringe
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<modsnip: quoted post was not an approved source>
I will be watching.This is my hometown and I had never heard of her disappearance back in the day.Everyone talked about the parkway murders but never her.I guess because they considered her a runaway.
I will be watching.This is my hometown and I had never heard of her disappearance back in the day.Everyone talked about the parkway murders but never her.I guess because they considered her a runaway.
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imstilla.grandma
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LunaticFringe
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She lived in the most affluential neighborhood in Williamsburg and I am surprised there was no coverage of this.I'll have to ask some of my friends who went to Lafayette High what they knew about her even though we are a couple of years older than her.
After watching the documentary, this is just another sad case from back in the 80s that the police just considered her a runaway and didn't put too much effort into investigating. <modsnip: parents have not been named suspects or POIs by law enforcement> They both failed lie detectors miserably, and that alone would not be enough to convince me. But the fact that Jennifer's father told his family and friends for several years after her disappearance different stories as to where Jennifer was when visiting or questioned about her whereabouts is the biggest fact I see as to his involvement. He never told his close family or friends that Jennifer was even officially missing for years. Not even telling them that she ran away, he just said things like "she is visiting her friends and couldn't make it". Jennifer's mother did something similar with her family and friends, however after a little while she did call them and ask if any of them had seen Jennifer, but each person she called and asked said the same thing...that her mother did not sound stressed or worried about Jennifer and that it sounded very strange. They all said the same thing, that Jennifer's mother sounded strange and that they were all surprised that they didn't know sooner that Jennifer was missing. The fact that the father had essentially told his son that he had hit her and that she fell and hit her head. The interrogations with the mother were really wild, she was given full immunity for everything except the murder and she still would confess. In my opinion, I think the interrogators should have threatened her with "OK, if you don't accept the immunity, then maybe your ex-husband will when we offer it to him" to see her reaction then. Because on the documentary, it is clearly OBVIOUS that all she cared about was herself getting in trouble. If she was indeed innocent then why be worried at all especially when offered immunity for everything except the actual murder. Such a tragic case, I really feel for Jennifer as she was so young and had her whole life ahead of her. I hope and pray that her brother and the investigator (Wendi Reed) both find the answers they are looking for and can get Justice for Jennifer.
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I just finished the last episode. SPOILERS!!
IMHO:
The state knows they'll never have enough evidence to convict <modsnip> who might and should still be a suspect in an open investigation.
They told Stephen what he needed to hear so he'll reconcile with his mother and get him off their backs. <modsnip: not victim friendly>
Is this all just a ruse to trick his parents into thinking they are off the hook so they'll just let it slip one day what really happened?? Stranger things have happened.
Justice for Jennifer.
IMHO:
The state knows they'll never have enough evidence to convict <modsnip> who might and should still be a suspect in an open investigation.
They told Stephen what he needed to hear so he'll reconcile with his mother and get him off their backs. <modsnip: not victim friendly>
Is this all just a ruse to trick his parents into thinking they are off the hook so they'll just let it slip one day what really happened?? Stranger things have happened.
Justice for Jennifer.
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MrsEmmaPeel
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Excellent documentary. One of the best I've seen. The reenactments of Jenny are heartbreaking and make vivid her loss. <modsnip>
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I just finished watching this. Spoilers ahead:
I think Steven was too quick to accept the new direction, pointing at Tony. Points I still need to understand:
why did the parents go to work, act normal for 3 days before reporting her missing?
why did the dad almost confess, then retract, then almost confess to Steven as well?
In the meeting with police and Steven, when she was offered immunity, why did the mother lose her composure, get upset and cry out scenarios of how he (Raymond, dad) might have disposed of the body? As though she too suspected him?
why did the parents take so long to tell their kin that she was missing? Example: at Steven’s wedding, some relatives were told she was away, others that she was in a relationship with someone who forbade her to attend her brother’s wedding. That is some serious fabrication.
Re: the letter left in her room - the analysis of the letter really points to the parents. Tony has nothing to gain by it. Are we to believe he got her out of her house somehow, accidentally or intentionally killed her, then went back and wrote a note on paper from her notepad in her room? To what end?
if the Charlie story is so plausible, have the police ever gone looking for a chemical filled burn barrel in the area he allegedly suggested to Tony for disposal?
on the other hand - it would be interesting to see Cori (Tony’s girlfriend then wife) interviewed to see if she has any insights.
I think Steven was too quick to accept the new direction, pointing at Tony. Points I still need to understand:
why did the parents go to work, act normal for 3 days before reporting her missing?
why did the dad almost confess, then retract, then almost confess to Steven as well?
In the meeting with police and Steven, when she was offered immunity, why did the mother lose her composure, get upset and cry out scenarios of how he (Raymond, dad) might have disposed of the body? As though she too suspected him?
why did the parents take so long to tell their kin that she was missing? Example: at Steven’s wedding, some relatives were told she was away, others that she was in a relationship with someone who forbade her to attend her brother’s wedding. That is some serious fabrication.
Re: the letter left in her room - the analysis of the letter really points to the parents. Tony has nothing to gain by it. Are we to believe he got her out of her house somehow, accidentally or intentionally killed her, then went back and wrote a note on paper from her notepad in her room? To what end?
if the Charlie story is so plausible, have the police ever gone looking for a chemical filled burn barrel in the area he allegedly suggested to Tony for disposal?
on the other hand - it would be interesting to see Cori (Tony’s girlfriend then wife) interviewed to see if she has any insights.
Further spoiler alert:
Also - when the police investigators called the mother, why did they have to call her multiple times, and she would not call them back? In fact, instead of calling them back, why did she email her by then ex-husband telling him the police were calling? This has all the appearance of getting their stories straight before speaking with police.
Innocent parents would be calling for updates constantly, not avoiding calls from investigators.
Also - when the police investigators called the mother, why did they have to call her multiple times, and she would not call them back? In fact, instead of calling them back, why did she email her by then ex-husband telling him the police were calling? This has all the appearance of getting their stories straight before speaking with police.
Innocent parents would be calling for updates constantly, not avoiding calls from investigators.
Caring1
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I realize this is a stretch but if Jennifer did plan in advance to run away, she may have pre-planned for someone to pick her up or hitched a ride. In this case she could have ended up anywhere.
The unidentified Jane doe below was found in Colfax CA on
2/10/90. PMI is reported to be DOD 1989-1990.
Circumstances certainly do not fit together but UID age and height estimates are within range. She has not been reviewed for rule out. Just suggesting as a remote possibility.
No mention of scars or tattoos for Jennifer but if she was alive and well for a year or two, anything is possible.
The unidentified Jane doe below was found in Colfax CA on
2/10/90. PMI is reported to be DOD 1989-1990.
Circumstances certainly do not fit together but UID age and height estimates are within range. She has not been reviewed for rule out. Just suggesting as a remote possibility.
No mention of scars or tattoos for Jennifer but if she was alive and well for a year or two, anything is possible.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
IDK but if you've seen Abducted In Plain Sight, the parents allowed their daughter to go on overnight trips with the male, predator neighbor by themselves. they didn't call police either when he didn't immediately return her. They were clearly severely naive and i don't think it is far fetched to believe Steven's parents were naive in believing she'd be back eventually. Didn't a friend say that running away sounds like something she'd do?
It seemed like the mom was emotionally exhausted at being accused by her son. I saw her lashing out as being frustrated at the accusations. As if they wanted her to give them the complete story when she had none.
As far as the letter, didn't the handwriting analysis show it was likely Tony who wrote it?
I believe the handwriting was inconclusive with respect to Tony.
MrsEmmaPeel
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If Jenny suffered abuse and mistreatment at home — Especially her mother’s lack of protection, that alone would cause enough guilt in her parents to act suspicious. Imho. Jenny was already acting out in dangerous ways, due to her hellish home life. She could have run away into a worse situation just to escape her father’s brutality.
Jweaver2766
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After watching the documentary and doing some research myself. I personally believe she was killed by her "ex" boyfriend at the time, Tony. Call it intuition, but the FIRST time he was put on camera I got that vibe. His body language was wrong in my opinion as well. By episode 3 when it shows him and his wife (someone who claimed to be Jennifer's friend, and is even labeled as one on the documentary, but her very close friend-the one on the phone the night she disappeared- said Jennifer couldn't stand her), he moves his foot in circles, his leg unconsciously shakes and moves....no other person that I saw be interviewed (even by police) had the body language that he did!
Beyond just my intuition, I believe it was him as well because of the argument her friend said she got into with her dad. Who does a 15 year old girl go cry to when they're mad or upset other than their bff???....THEIR BOYFRIEND. Even if they had technically broken up by that point, they were still talking and I believe even seeing each other. I've been a 15 year old girl and the only reason I would do the things they say Jemnifer did to catch his attention like walking by his classes intentionally and even his wife's, is because she was still being led to think that he wasn't serious with the other girl. He also stated he lived in a trailer park. Heritage Trailer park was only 4.5 miles from her home at the time.
The police certainly didn't do a good enough job when it came to questioning suspects, and I know some people may think I'm off base, but I fully believe she snuck out that night to go meet Tony after the argument with her dad. I think he killed her that night as well. How many cases have we seen where teenagers have killed their friends or lovers?? Or even cases where teenage couples have killed together because of jealousy?? TONS OF THEM!! Diane Zamora and David Graham are a dead ringer for this case! They were still teenagers when they murdered Adrianne Jessica Jones! All because of JEALOUSY! The letter they said was found would make sense being written by him logically as well to me. It stated intimate details of her life that only someone like a boyfriend would know. He threw the bit in there about "I'm like a dad to her and she's like a daughter to me" to point investigators in the direction of an older male, but it clearly had naive undertones to that of a teenager. IT EVEN OPENED WITH "MR. AND MRS."!! That's how a child addresses an adult!! What makes the whole thing so much worse too is that BOTH parents said the whole time they believe he had something to do with it and all the while they were the ones being looked at. I hope one day she gets the justice she deserves!
Oh and I'd also be curious to know if telephone records were pulled from that night as well! Oh and the very few small things she took would make sense if she was just sneaking out to meet him vs running away.
Beyond just my intuition, I believe it was him as well because of the argument her friend said she got into with her dad. Who does a 15 year old girl go cry to when they're mad or upset other than their bff???....THEIR BOYFRIEND. Even if they had technically broken up by that point, they were still talking and I believe even seeing each other. I've been a 15 year old girl and the only reason I would do the things they say Jemnifer did to catch his attention like walking by his classes intentionally and even his wife's, is because she was still being led to think that he wasn't serious with the other girl. He also stated he lived in a trailer park. Heritage Trailer park was only 4.5 miles from her home at the time.
The police certainly didn't do a good enough job when it came to questioning suspects, and I know some people may think I'm off base, but I fully believe she snuck out that night to go meet Tony after the argument with her dad. I think he killed her that night as well. How many cases have we seen where teenagers have killed their friends or lovers?? Or even cases where teenage couples have killed together because of jealousy?? TONS OF THEM!! Diane Zamora and David Graham are a dead ringer for this case! They were still teenagers when they murdered Adrianne Jessica Jones! All because of JEALOUSY! The letter they said was found would make sense being written by him logically as well to me. It stated intimate details of her life that only someone like a boyfriend would know. He threw the bit in there about "I'm like a dad to her and she's like a daughter to me" to point investigators in the direction of an older male, but it clearly had naive undertones to that of a teenager. IT EVEN OPENED WITH "MR. AND MRS."!! That's how a child addresses an adult!! What makes the whole thing so much worse too is that BOTH parents said the whole time they believe he had something to do with it and all the while they were the ones being looked at. I hope one day she gets the justice she deserves!
Oh and I'd also be curious to know if telephone records were pulled from that night as well! Oh and the very few small things she took would make sense if she was just sneaking out to meet him vs running away.
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