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

[Andreee]

The thing is, most RSOs have committed crimes against young children. It's not like Jason looked young for his age or was underdeveloped. They would have to be pretty ballsy to target a 6 foot grown man. Not ruling anything out, but I have a sneaky feeling the unsub in this case wouldn't have been on any police radar.

Then again, there are days when I don't know what the hell to think about this case. It's so bewildering.

Yes, that is the case that many RSOs seek young children. Perhaps there are one or two individuals with homes or renting a house in JJ's walking path that could've made an exception and just lured him in due to his naivety and trusting nature which is what it seems he has. The long walks JJ was said to like may've led to this as well. I looked up at one point the SO's in his neighborhood (of course don't know if they were there at time) and saw quite a few of various types; plus as you mention, there could be others not known.

 

[ekardh]

Yes, that is the case that many RSOs seek young children. Perhaps there are one or two individuals with homes or renting a house in JJ's walking path that could've made an exception and just lured him in due to his naivety and trusting nature which is what it seems he has. The long walks JJ was said to like may've led to this as well. I looked up at one point the SO's in his neighborhood (of course don't know if they were there at time) and saw quite a few of various types; plus as you mention, there could be others not known.

It's certainly possible but what stands out to me is that Jason's plans got changed at the last minute. It's not like someone would've been lying in wait for him. He would have to been terribly unfortunate to cross paths with a random sexual predator luring grown men in broad daylight.

I still believe if it was Jason's idea to meet at the school he may have been using that as an excuse to drop by someone's house. Let's say Jason was going to meet the unsub that day. Suddenly, he gets a shift from Fazoli's. He's a young guy, he's not going to turn down the chance to earn some extra cash. He asks the co-worker to pick him up at the school, using the excuse he's lousy at directions, and makes a pit stop along the way. Perhaps the unsub invites him inside momentarily or offers to drive him to the school? I wouldn't be surprised if the person lived pretty nearby, since Jason seems to have vanished not long after setting off.

I also suspect someone connected to Jason's church could be involved in this.

 

[MysteryMaven]

I found the “Walk to Benson” video interesting. It seems like kind of a long walk. Longer than I realized.
I posted about Fontanelle Park but it was when WS was glitchy so I don’t see the post anymore. Unless I am just not seeing ot so sorry if this is repetitive.
There was some previous speculation that Jason could have cut through the Fontanelle Park on his walk. It’s a big area, 108 acres according to its Wiki page. Also current online reviews mention it being in a bad area.
I feel like cutting through a sketchy park could lead to foul play. I also wouldn’t rule out an accident or death by misadventure in or near the park especially if there was construction going on.
The park was reportedly under construction on and off for a long time but I don’t know the status of that in 2001.
People can wind up in weird places.

 

[spearhead1030]

Besides the fact that I think what you suggested meets the definition of "sinister" and is morally reprehensible, I just don't see someone colliding into Jason, a 6'1, 160 lb. man, and making the spot-on decision to pick him up and toss him into their car. This is very risky, and someone would have seen something. I think the driver would have just sped off.

I second the need for a cold case investigation; fresh eyes are needed here.

I don't know why one's mind immediately goes to a sinister theory. His co-workers wouldn't have known which time he was walking, how long it would take him ( 10 min? 20 min? ) or which route he was using. If a neighbor planned something they'd have known there could be witnesses ( it was trash day after all, people would have been outside more to remove the trash, anyone could have been staring out a window ). And if someone lured him into a car, how could they have controlled him while they were driving? I think it's possible the neighborhood was so quiet , that someone came speeding around a corner totally not expecting to see a pedestrian, and maybe injured him with the car. Witnesses might have seen something and not linked it up with his disappearance, but maybe the car blocked him from their view if he lay in the street ( the perp could even have parked their car in a way to hide him from street view ). I think because Jason was a handsome young man there is this strong theory he was the victim of a sexual predator who was watching through a window daily...but really his good looks might have had nothing to do with it. The case is so odd so I think the explanation was probably odd too.

 

[MysteryMaven]

The “hit and take the body” theory has been tossed around a lot but I think it is pretty far fetched. Jason was a big guy. So someone would have to have been thinking and acting extraordinarily quickly as well as have immense strength (or an accomplice sworn to secrecy) to hit him and then get Jason as well as any belongings of his that may have flown from him or his hands into the car without anyone seeing or hearing anything.
It seems plausible at first but when I really think about what it would entail to pull that off it falls off as a theory for me.

 

[Andreee]

It's certainly possible but what stands out to me is that Jason's plans got changed at the last minute. It's not like someone would've been lying in wait for him. He would have to been terribly unfortunate to cross paths with a random sexual predator luring grown men in broad daylight.

I still believe if it was Jason's idea to meet at the school he may have been using that as an excuse to drop by someone's house. Let's say Jason was going to meet the unsub that day. Suddenly, he gets a shift from Fazoli's. He's a young guy, he's not going to turn down the chance to earn some extra cash. He asks the co-worker to pick him up at the school, using the excuse he's lousy at directions, and makes a pit stop along the way. Perhaps the unsub invites him inside momentarily or offers to drive him to the school? I wouldn't be surprised if the person lived pretty nearby, since Jason seems to have vanished not long after setting off.

I also suspect someone connected to Jason's church could be involved in this.

Yes, that makes sense re. the last minute change causing a change in Jason's plans to meet up with someone, possibly. It could be that Jason wanted to make a stop along the way. I just think the meeting at the school reason does sound plausible, as it is sometimes difficult to give directions to one's house. I have experienced that myself lol. What is an unsub by the way?!

 

[Andreee]

The “hit and take the body” theory has been tossed around a lot but I think it is pretty far fetched. Jason was a big guy. So someone would have to have been thinking and acting extraordinarily quickly as well as have immense strength (or an accomplice sworn to secrecy) to hit him and then get Jason as well as any belongings of his that may have flown from him or his hands into the car without anyone seeing or hearing anything.
It seems plausible at first but when I really think about what it would entail to pull that off it falls off as a theory for me.

I agree completely. I know that theory has been discussed alot here and it just doesn't seem likely. I'm thinking maybe we should organize a write-in to various investigative teams and tv shows to request coverage of this case. Like have a list with email contacts, etc. I know a few have started doing write-ins lately, but a proper list to make things easier.

 

[MysteryMaven]

I agree completely. I know that theory has been discussed alot here and it just doesn't seem likely. I'm thinking maybe we should organize a write-in to various investigative teams and tv shows to request coverage of this case. Like have a list with email contacts, etc. I know a few have started doing write-ins lately, but a proper list to make things easier.

Yes I agree. Some exposure could shake something loose.

 

[Alleykins]

Unless I totally missed it, nearly all the information we have on Jason's disappearance begins on the morning Jason disappeared. I'd like to know what he did in the days, possibly weeks, leading up to his disappearance.
We're told he went to church the preceding Sunday and gave a reading. Was it morning, afternoon, or evening mass? What about after church? Did they do anything as a family, like go out to Sunday brunch, lunch, or dinner after services? Go to a matinee? Or did they all go do their own thing, or all of them simply go home?
What did Jason do on the Monday and Tuesday before? I'm assuming both his parents worked, being weekdays, so how much of Jason did they see in the days prior? As an older teen, between my schedule and my mom's, I seldom saw her, we were so busy. We weren't out of touch, we talked on the phone or left notes, but as for laying eyes on each other, we could go days without doing so.
When was his previous shift at Fazoli's, prior to being called in? I imagine weekends are busy at a pizza place, so did he work the Saturday before? If so, and if his car was in the shop by then, how did he get there? What was his car in the shop for? If that was ever disclosed, I apologize, I can't remember.
Did he hang out with friends in the days prior? When was the last time he went to a friend's house? Or one visited him at his house?
Did he go on any of those long walks he enjoyed in the days before? Was he on the phone a lot? Were the usage details pulled and scrutinized on both the home phone and his cell phone?
We know so little about his activities and events leading up to his disappearance. Maybe there's a clue in there somewhere.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I still think that some kind of pre-made plan or pit stop on his part seems the most logical (although there are some faults with that as well). Still would love to know to what extent his computer was searched. Sadly I don't have a lot of faith in the Omaha PD in general with this case, especially after the Samuel Sherman mix up, so I'd love to know what exactly they searched or found on his computer. This was the age before social media profiles, but they did have chat rooms- not sure if conversations on there could be traced back then once they were logged out or deleted. Was he talking to someone? If Jason was as shy and introverted as others say, then he probably did have some kind of activity online. Maybe he linked up on there with someone who lived close by, and all their conversations took place on the chat room and that's why there's no phone logs. It could have been something innocent like buying/selling something to someone, or stopping by to say hello or inform them that his plans were changed. That still begs the question of why it caused this person to kill him though.

If we assume that none of that happened and he did just happen to be killed on his way to work, then creepy neighbor who got incredibly lucky would be my second guess.

 

[Alleykins]

I spent some time on a local AOL chat, but can't remember if the chats were saved or retrievable. I think once I closed it out, the conversation was lost. Or it may be I never went looking for any after.
I know the messenger I used at work had a way of saving a previous chat, but that was how the app was set up for our company, a professional version.

 

[hannah246]

I still think that some kind of pre-made plan or pit stop on his part seems the most logical (although there are some faults with that as well). Still would love to know to what extent his computer was searched. Sadly I don't have a lot of faith in the Omaha PD in general with this case, especially after the Samuel Sherman mix up, so I'd love to know what exactly they searched or found on his computer. This was the age before social media profiles, but they did have chat rooms- not sure if conversations on there could be traced back then once they were logged out or deleted. Was he talking to someone? If Jason was as shy and introverted as others say, then he probably did have some kind of activity online. Maybe he linked up on there with someone who lived close by, and all their conversations took place on the chat room and that's why there's no phone logs. It could have been something innocent like buying/selling something to someone, or stopping by to say hello or inform them that his plans were changed. That still begs the question of why it caused this person to kill him though.

If we assume that none of that happened and he did just happen to be killed on his way to work, then creepy neighbor who got incredibly lucky would be my second guess.

I doubt the LE looked at his computer activities if they didn't even bother to search for him after the parents filed a missing person report and only took it somewhat seriously 10 days after. But it would be interesting if Jason used any chat rooms, forums or searched anything that suggested he wanted to runaway.

 

[?unknown?]

The “hit and take the body” theory has been tossed around a lot but I think it is pretty far fetched. Jason was a big guy. So someone would have to have been thinking and acting extraordinarily quickly as well as have immense strength (or an accomplice sworn to secrecy) to hit him and then get Jason as well as any belongings of his that may have flown from him or his hands into the car without anyone seeing or hearing anything.
It seems plausible at first but when I really think about what it would entail to pull that off it falls off as a theory for me.

I think that is almost zero possibility the same way for when it mentioned in a bunch of other cases. The thing is how often would this even happen in reality? If a random layman average Joe is driving along the road and they smash into somebody with enough force to kill them or knock them flying across the street how likely is that persons first reaction to be “i know I’ll scoop the body up , tidy up the scene and drive off, dump the body and go about my life” most likely the person would be in complete shock, panicking, unable to compose themselves. By the time they did compose themselves someone would be coming along to witness it. The person would most probably stop at the scene and call the relevant people or they would instantly drive off while in the state of shock with adrenaline surging. I can only see the fleeing with the body theory working for hardened seasoned psychopaths or serial killers. You’d have to be a pretty demented person to pick a dead body up out of the road and drive off and dispose of it like it’s normal behaviour.

I also think that while it’s extremely unlikely to happen that kind of thing could potentially only work with a group of people involved. Like if a car of 3-4 people hits someone and the body is laying there in the road those people could decide between them to hide the body some place. If that happened with Jason though I believe someone would have talked by now.

 

[ekardh]

I think that is almost zero possibility the same way for when it mentioned in a bunch of other cases. The thing is how often would this even happen in reality?

It still doesn't beat the theory that Jason was mauled to death by a neighbour's dog, so the neighbour hid the body to protect his pooch. That was unironically posted on here.

 

[Andreee]

It still doesn't beat the theory that Jason was mauled to death by a neighbour's dog, so the neighbour hid the body to protect his pooch. That was unironically posted on here.

True, hadn't seen that theory! What I would like to see at this point (and I may be repeating myself) is a team of cold case investigators thoroughly look at this missing persons case with a fine tooth comb. Starting with identifying the homeowners and renters, each and every one, on JJ's possible route to the school and also the immediate area including JJ's church. And doing a thorough background check. Plus of course forensic research on any electronic devices applicable and all of the police paperwork.

 

[ekardh]

Yes, that makes sense re. the last minute change causing a change in Jason's plans to meet up with someone, possibly. It could be that Jason wanted to make a stop along the way. I just think the meeting at the school reason does sound plausible, as it is sometimes difficult to give directions to one's house. I have experienced that myself lol. What is an unsub by the way?!

Of course. It's perfectly plausible that Jason was lousy at directions, but I also think we've taken this detail for granted. I believe the change to Jason's plans that day was the deciding factor here. Not to belabor the point, but Jason's change of plans happened at the 11th hour. That would narrow the potential suspects down to a small group of people for premeditation, i.e. Jason's family and the Fazoli's employees. Not unless Jason told someone else that morning where he was going, otherwise we're looking at a random opportunist, but Jason's victim profile put him at low risk of this. In most cases, a low-risk victim has some kind of contact or relationship with the offender and they're less likely to face stranger-danger. But what motivated this person to murder Jason that day?

That's what makes foul play quite a headscratcher. Perhaps Jason was that rare exception to the rule. Maybe a random predator or creepy neighbour took him on a whim. If Jason did visit someone, that person got lucky that no one saw Jason visiting his house, because he would become the chief suspect. Then again, it was mid-morning, a lot of people would already be at work or school, and they may have lived in a discreet part of the neighbourhood. Also, if anyone did see Jason visiting him they might have completely forgotten about it by the time the police started investigating. Think of all the people we pass everyday. How many of them would you actually recall ten days later?

 

[MysteryMaven]

It still doesn't beat the theory that Jason was mauled to death by a neighbour's dog, so the neighbour hid the body to protect his pooch. That was unironically posted on here.

Aack! I missed that one!

 

[MatthewTyler]

The fact that nobody recalls seeing him on his walk should probably be taken with a grain of salt. After 10 days, who even knows what day is in question. If someone did see Jason enter someone's house, it wouldn't really matter because unless they spent all day staring out their window, they wouldn't know that he never came back out.
I still think Jason was involved in or at least doing something that his parents didn't know about. There was a FB comment one time from someone who Jason went to high school with who said that Jason would always make kids laugh during lunch by rapping. And one of the stories told by his uncle at his 20 year anniversary event was that he had gone downtown to a huge celebration after the Huskers (?) won a football game, and he randomly ran into Jason in the middle of the celebration. And also Studebkr's story about Jason going outside to defuse a bullying situation he overheard. This leads me to think that Jason wasn't quite as socially inept as his mother made him sound. Kelly always brings up his disabilities, but he still seemed like a fairly normal person. Not that this necessarily played a role in his disappearance, but if Jason was bolder than his family gives off, then perhaps he was willing to meet someone that day for something. And maybe he even was willing to be a tiny bit late to work, who knows.

 

[Andreee]

The fact that nobody recalls seeing him on his walk should probably be taken with a grain of salt. After 10 days, who even knows what day is in question. If someone did see Jason enter someone's house, it wouldn't really matter because unless they spent all day staring out their window, they wouldn't know that he never came back out.
I still think Jason was involved in or at least doing something that his parents didn't know about. There was a FB comment one time from someone who Jason went to high school with who said that Jason would always make kids laugh during lunch by rapping. And one of the stories told by his uncle at his 20 year anniversary event was that he had gone downtown to a huge celebration after the Huskers (?) won a football game, and he randomly ran into Jason in the middle of the celebration. And also Studebkr's story about Jason going outside to defuse a bullying situation he overheard. This leads me to think that Jason wasn't quite as socially inept as his mother made him sound. Kelly always brings up his disabilities, but he still seemed like a fairly normal person. Not that this necessarily played a role in his disappearance, but if Jason was bolder than his family gives off, then perhaps he was willing to meet someone that day for something. And maybe he even was willing to be a tiny bit late to work, who knows.

Interesting, and I recall you mentioning some of these things before, but these are things that are good to be reminded about! Perhaps he made stops to visit friends or whatever on some of his long walks that he was said to often take. NOT saying that in a negative way at all, as JJ was/is obviously a great guy.

 

[ekardh]

The fact that nobody recalls seeing him on his walk should probably be taken with a grain of salt. After 10 days, who even knows what day is in question. If someone did see Jason enter someone's house, it wouldn't really matter because unless they spent all day staring out their window, they wouldn't know that he never came back out.
I still think Jason was involved in or at least doing something that his parents didn't know about. There was a FB comment one time from someone who Jason went to high school with who said that Jason would always make kids laugh during lunch by rapping. And one of the stories told by his uncle at his 20 year anniversary event was that he had gone downtown to a huge celebration after the Huskers (?) won a football game, and he randomly ran into Jason in the middle of the celebration. And also Studebkr's story about Jason going outside to defuse a bullying situation he overheard. This leads me to think that Jason wasn't quite as socially inept as his mother made him sound. Kelly always brings up his disabilities, but he still seemed like a fairly normal person. Not that this necessarily played a role in his disappearance, but if Jason was bolder than his family gives off, then perhaps he was willing to meet someone that day for something. And maybe he even was willing to be a tiny bit late to work, who knows.

Interesting, I didn't know some of those tidbits.

Sometimes, one of the problems when teens disappear is that all of the information comes from the immediate family, i.e. parents, who naturally have a blinkered view of their child. Some children are incredibly open with their parents (unhealthily so, imo), but generally speaking we keep things from our parents. If Jason did have something going on in his personal life, particularly something that might clash with his white bread, midwest, Christian upbringing, there's no reason for his family to know about it.

I honestly think Jason was stopping by somewhere that morning to explain his change of schedule. It could be someone that he met online or someone he knew from church. Jason's sudden habit of taking long walks around the neighbourhood has new significance in this context.