CA CA - Jennifer Wilmer, 21, Willow Creek, 13 Sept 1993

[Salem]

Respectfully snipped by me...


I think it might need some clarification as well via the mods as I would like to also discuss further the details and words of the Christie family.
The more I read of them, and the sons writings, I think there maybe a possibilty of their involvement in Jennifer's disappearance.

I will contact a mod and see where we stand with the Christies as POI and the timeline frame, as well as others.

.

The family of the perp is off limits. Discussing the family of Christie is not allowed unless it can be backed up by an MSM or LE link that names them as additional POIs/suspects.

You can discuss what is printed in MSM, but you can't speculate and take it further.

Hope that helps,

Salem

 

[MysticJynx]

The family of the perp is off limits. Discussing the family of Christie is not allowed unless it can be backed up by an MSM or LE link that names them as additional POIs/suspects.

You can discuss what is printed in MSM, but you can't speculate and take it further.

Hope that helps,

Salem

What is MSM?????? What about from the newspapers, or public websites family is blogging on? Are we allowed to discuss that? The question do any of posts break any rules? cause if so i might have to remove some of it with some fun editing.

 

[True Crime Gal]

What is MSM?????? What about from the newspapers, or public websites family is blogging on? Are we allowed to discuss that? The question do any of posts break any rules? cause if so i might have to remove some of it with some fun editing.

MSM = Main Stream Media

tcg

 

[Stratford258]

I still think there is a lot more going on in those northern California Counties that LE brushes aside because it is revolving around Local Families in the illegal business.

Respectfully shortened by me.

Someone up-thread (page 2, I believe) mentioned another young woman who went missing in 2008 in Arcata, CA, under very strange circumstances. Here is her thread - it is short (2 pages) CA CA - Christine Lindsey Walters, 23, Arcata, 14 Nov 2008 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community.

Within this thread there is some information about the local illegal marijuana business and the high number of unsolved missing persons cases that happen in this area of California.

Sadly, there is only so far we can go with sleuthing this, unless and until PD gets re-involved. I have no experience with calling PD and asking about cases, and I don't know if Jennifer's cousin has been back to this thread, or will be back, to let us know if PD has become more helpful or responsive to her. I hope they have and that they are working on finding Jennifer!

It does sound like the local PD threw up their hands with Jennifer's case, sadly. It sounds, unfortunately, like there are a lot of missing persons in and around this area who are never going to be found.

 

[SophieRose]

Quote from Long Islands Lost Girls - by Bill Jensen: https://sites.google.com/site/billjens/longisland%27slostgirls:flowerchildfrombaldwin


'She waitressed and lived on welfare for a spell, mainly hanging out in Arcata Plaza with the thousands of other street people who had made the pilgrimage from all points east.'

How did she get welfare? Isn't/Wasn't it difficult for single women without children to get welfare? Was it disability for the depression?

 

[Lilibet]

How did she get welfare? Isn't/Wasn't it difficult for single women without children to get welfare? Was it disability for the depression?

I remember when my husband worked for the welfare department in Eureka in 1970-71 he was able to provide temporary help for individuals who wouldn't qualify for long term assistance. The help might be a motel voucher, a limited amount of money, etc. I don't know if that was still an option in 1993, but it seems more likely to me than disability for depression, which would take more time to obtain.

 

[Salem]

The son and his blog is off limits. I have not finished cleaning up here yet, but please do not post about him further. I'll have to finish later.

Salem

 

[SophieRose]

I remember when my husband worked for the welfare department in Eureka in 1970-71 he was able to provide temporary help for individuals who wouldn't qualify for long term assistance. The help might be a motel voucher, a limited amount of money, etc. I don't know if that was still an option in 1993, but it seems more likely to me than disability for depression, which would take more time to obtain.

That's true about disability, my understanding is that it's always been hard to get. I also thought maybe her mother meant unemployment since her waitress job had ended. But maybe it was just a limited amount of money.

As far as the Arcata roommate leaving, I thought it was maybe she had run out of money and was going back home or going to sleep on someone's couch. I imagine those people lived a very transient lifestyle and weren't in any one place a long time.

 

[MysticJynx]

The son and his blog is off limits. I have not finished cleaning up here yet, but please do not post about him further. I'll have to finish later.

Salem

Beware. SOME ARTICLES at blogspot are ok. and other are not. after the snips have been made in my posts, i noticed that only the links to a certain blogspot blogger are being removed and not others that have been linked to here from the same blogging site. I dont understand why one blog from blogspot is ok but another is not. To confusing.

 

[MysticJynx]

That's true about disability, my understanding is that it's always been hard to get. I also thought maybe her mother meant unemployment since her waitress job had ended. But maybe it was just a limited amount of money.

As far as the Arcata roommate leaving, I thought it was maybe she had run out of money and was going back home or going to sleep on someone's couch. I imagine those people lived a very transient lifestyle and weren't in any one place a long time.

I dont know about california but in my home state they will give single women Food stamps. That's it. No money no housing nothing more then being able to eat. So maybe that is all Jennifer was receiving too.

 

[FigTree]

That's true about disability, my understanding is that it's always been hard to get. I also thought maybe her mother meant unemployment since her waitress job had ended. But maybe it was just a limited amount of money.

As far as the Arcata roommate leaving, I thought it was maybe she had run out of money and was going back home or going to sleep on someone's couch. I imagine those people lived a very transient lifestyle and weren't in any one place a long time.

Economically, and from what I've read, there are very few legitimate opportunities for work and a livable wage in Humboldt and surrounding countys - unless you have access to some form of Government support, or work an illegitimate job - money is tight.
Jennifer may have been on a disability payment - it may have been easier to qualify for and to get.

There are several references in the article below to the 'new-comers' in the area - and the dangers of just 'showing up' somewhere where you weren't known. Dangerous to the point of deadly.

Source: Read More...
This is the poorest county in the state of California. About 40% of the population here is qualified for government supported health care. And they need it.
-----
.....how do a thousand people, or several thousand when you take in all the rural area surrounding your typical town, manage to support themselves, pay for their property, buy groceries, etc., when there is maybe one job for roughly every 30 people? They grow dope.

I found this interesting - seeing that Jennifer went missing around Harvest time - September

Source: Read More...
Usually there is only one way in and one way out -- by four wheel drive. This makes it very easy for the residents to note unwelcome visitors as well as the occasional guest. If, for some reason, you decide to randomly explore back roads between August and October -- harvest season -- you take your life in your hands.
-----
People shoot at cars they don't know. At people they don't know. Deep graves in the backwoods nobody's gonna find. And it does happen, unfortunately, because people are stupid. The greatest risk posed to growers is the theft of their crop by other growers or groups of armed local thugs, both in and out of uniform.

-----
Before anyone thinks they can simply drive into any little burg and pick up ten pounds of dope, start their own grow operation, or bust a mad raid on the locals think again. They don't know you, they probably won't like you, and most of them definitely have firearms. Again, note the plural. Would you drive up into the back-hills of Idaho or West Virginia just for kicks? Same rules. Do not mess with the locals because you will lose.
-----

Had any of the housemates been messing with the locals?
It might explain the sudden cutting off of the dreadlocks to change appearances very quickly if it was to hide their identity from someone they had a run-in with.
Because Jennifer was unknown and a new person to the area, she may well have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wonder if there was a crop between Jennifer and the farm she was said to be visiting?

The more I read about the Countys in the area - the more I feel that someone knows something about what happened to Jennifer - with the population being small and the 'us and them' mentality - rumours must have been swirling around when Susan Wilmer started asking questions.
The stakes in these pot growing Countys must be very high - I can imagine there would be consequences to anyone who said anything at all. That may include the Police - all 4 of them (JMO).

.

 

[MysteryMaven]

I wonder if they ever looked at the speed freak killers. They had a dumping site in Linden, Ca where over 300 bones were found (sorry to be so gruesome). As of 2012, there was at least one person found that is a UID (woman), and I don't know if Jennifer's DNA was checked against it.
Linden is a lot further south of Willow Creek, probably by hours. However, California Hwy 5 runs straight up from Linden through Trinity County. These guys also preyed on some hitchikers.

I also wondered why the room mates got rid of their dreadlocks and were packing up when Mrs. Wilmer arrived in California. Were they really shaken by Jennifer's disappearance and wanted to leave the area and the hippie scene? Did they know something and they were scared? Dreadlocks are a big commitment and most people don't get rid of them lightly. My husband used to have them (20 yrs ago) and he regrets cutting them off to this day.

 

[MysticJynx]

I wonder if they ever looked at the speed freak killers. They had a dumping site in Linden, Ca where over 300 bones were found (sorry to be so gruesome). As of 2012, there was at least one person found that is a UID, and I don't know if Jennifer's DNA was checked against it.
Linden is a lot further south of Willow Creek, probably by hours. However, California Hwy 5 runs straight up through Trinity County.

I have looked into the speed freak killers. And there was 2 bodies identified. and one female body and an unborn fetus with in the bones. Its very possible that they have more victims. Since the one in jail for life has been talking they found two others he was already charged and convicted of killing. And the three in Linden. My first thought was Penelope Jo Milbourn. She went missing in 1988 and was pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/milbourn_penelope.html

 

[Mouse]

It seems to me, just involved in reading these posts on Jennifer Wilmer, that we need some involvement with her mother to see what she knows. With this website, it is amazing as I believe that the posts are always stated in my local time. The last post was done at 4:51 am today. I am in central standard time.
My education is lacking. I don't know what 'dread locks' are.

Thank you for your dedication websleuthers to bring about justice and some closure for these families affected.

Dreadlocks are when you let your hair mat up into long coils. Like Bob Marley. Or Whoopi Goldberg. (Of, if you ever watched American Idol, contestants Crystal Bowersox and Jason Castro both had dreads during their respective seasons. And yes, I'm slightly embarrassed to know that much about American Idol.)

http://www.dreadlocks.us/

 

[Mouse]

I hate to even ask this, but has suicide ever been considered? Jennifer was experiencing depression. She left her belongings behind. To me, this seems more consistent with suicide than leaving to work on a farm. Her cryptic note (if she actually wrote it) might have been a way to keep her roommates from missing her right away. I've forgotten if we know who called in the missing persons report and when.

Maybe she never intended to go to "the farm." Did anyone search the woods near her house and along Hiway 299 nearby? Or the river? Have any unidentified remains been recovered in the past 20 years?

If not suicide, then I think it's likely she was killed, either murdered or by accident, by someone she lived with. That person could have forged or even had her write the note somehow under duress. And after disposing of her body, concocted the story about the farm.

If all her roommates knew about her demise and were protecting each other, they might have shaved their heads in symbol of mourning and penance. Her boyfriend committed suicide ten years later.

I'm not saying that she couldn't have been abducted and murdered by a random stranger, but suicide or death at home seems to fit the few clues we have at the moment. JMO

I agree that suicide at least needs to be considered as a possibility. There's been some discussion of what the last line of her note ("Hopefully I'll see you folks later") could mean, since presumably she would see them later if she was planning to return from the farm. I think it probably meant that with a friends who had a transient wanderlust lifestyle, you could never be sure who among the group would still be there when you returned (and an earlier line in the note refers to not expecting to see Mingo for a few months, since he seemed to be on his way out of the shared house). BUT...I also think that "Hopefully I'll see you folks later" could be meant as a general good-bye, with a sort of "See you in the next life, if there is one" vibe to it.

 

[MysteryMaven]

At this point, I wouldn't rule anything out. There is the issue that Jennifer had reportedly been depressed. However, Foul play comes in ahead for me because there were some reallly bad and dangerous people in the area at the time, especially ones who preyed on hitchikers.
There was a tip called in in regard to Jennfer as recent as 2011, and she was frightened of a guy from the Arcata plaza (where the hippies hung out). Then a Deadhead told Mrs. Wilmer told her a guy by the name of Happiness knew something about Jennifer's disappearance. And, Jennifer's boyfriend committed suicide 10 years after she vanished. Maybe he was feeling some heat?
Suicide is a possibility, sure. But there are so many other avenues as well. Northern California is such a beautiful place, but there is such a dark side to Humboldt County and its environs.

 

[Salem]

Beware. SOME ARTICLES at blogspot are ok. and other are not. after the snips have been made in my posts, i noticed that only the links to a certain blogspot blogger are being removed and not others that have been linked to here from the same blogging site. I dont understand why one blog from blogspot is ok but another is not. To confusing.

I'm not sure exactly what you are talking about here and am hoping as I finish going through the posts, I will understand.

I will say right now that the son's blog is off limits because according to WS TOS, he is considered a victim of his father's horrendous acts and he is a family member. Our TOS says we don't sleuth, accuse or implicate family members of perps UNLESS MSM or LE give us reason too. I have not seen anything in MSM or from LE, at this point in time, that would open the son up for sleuthing or discussion.

I'm not sure who the other blogger is, but when I figure that out, I'll address it in the thread also, so everyone will know.

Thanks,

Salem

 

[Lilibet]

Thanks for posting and commenting on snippets from this excellent article, FigTree. http://www.3ammagazine.com/politica/2002_jun/pot_county.html
It is spot on and so are your comments. I'll add my thoughts and experiences within your post, bolded with asterisks. I could write a book, but I won't.

BBM

Economically, and from what I've read, there are very few legitimate opportunities for work and a livable wage in Humboldt and surrounding countys - unless you have access to some form of Government support, or work an illegitimate job - money is tight.
Jennifer may have been on a disability payment - it may have been easier to qualify for and to get.

**My husband had a legitimate job and worked for the county. Our friends and neighbors at that time were either loggers, mill workers or teachers for the most part. The mills closed and it got very hard for folks who didn't want to grow pot. By the time Jennifer arrived, eight years after we left, it was worse. The beauty of the area comes with a high price.

There are several references in the article below to the 'new-comers' in the area - and the dangers of just 'showing up' somewhere where you weren't known. Dangerous to the point of deadly.

**Absolutely deadly! There were two murders on our county road. One was a local, who was killed for his crop by outsiders. He and my husband had the same first name, and friends who heard the initial police report called to make sure we were OK. I know of one local woman who was killed by outsiders who came up her driveway by mistake on a rip-off mission. The other killing on our road was done by our small, but tough neighbor who was fighting off outsiders who came to steal her (yes her!) crop. And then there are people who are just plain crazy and/on meth and or heroin who kill for reasons unrelated to growing.

I found this interesting - seeing that Jennifer went missing around Harvest time - September

**Yes, people disappeared and still are disappearing.

Had any of the housemates been messing with the locals?
It might explain the sudden cutting off of the dreadlocks to change appearances very quickly if it was to hide their identity from someone they had a run-in with.

**Good point. Very possible. If they were trying to leave the area, it would be smart to change their appearance radically.

Because Jennifer was unknown and a new person to the area, she may well have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wonder if there was a crop between Jennifer and the farm she was said to be visiting?

**Or the farm she is said to have gone to could have been a pot farm and they wouldn't let her leave. Perhaps she didn't seem "trustworthy" to them. I've also wondered if her housemates were into something she knew about, and she became a liability to them.

The more I read about the Countys in the area - the more I feel that someone knows something about what happened to Jennifer - with the population being small and the 'us and them' mentality - rumours must have been swirling around when Susan Wilmer started asking questions.
The stakes in these pot growing Countys must be very high - I can imagine there would be consequences to anyone who said anything at all. That may include the Police - all 4 of them (JMO).

**I agree that someone knows something and was afraid to speak up. I hope some information comes out, but I wouldn't want to be the investigator poking around.
.

 

[Lilibet]

Dreadlocks are when you let your hair mat up into long coils. Like Bob Marley. Or Whoopi Goldberg. (Of, if you ever watched American Idol, contestants Crystal Bowersox and Jason Castro both had dreads during their respective seasons. And yes, I'm slightly embarrassed to know that much about American Idol.)

http://www.dreadlocks.us/

BBM

OT No need to be embarrassed about your knowledge of American Idol, Mouse. I've been a fan for years, and so are a lot of my music-loving friends. I also watch "The Voice" and "Sing Off." I do draw the reality show line at the Kardashians, Honey BooBoo, the Bachelor, and Housewives, etc though. If they don't sing, forget it! :floorlaugh:

I remember researching dreadlocks when Crystal Bowersox was on American Idol. She is my all-time favorite and the only one whose CD I've bought. And I still remember Jason Castro doing Izzy's version of "Somewhere over the rainbow" and also "Hallelujah." Lovely.

 

[MysteryMaven]

Thanks for posting and commenting on snippets from this excellent article, FigTree. http://www.3ammagazine.com/politica/2002_jun/pot_county.html
It is spot on and so are your comments. I'll add my thoughts and experiences within your post, bolded with asterisks. I could write a book, but I won't.

BBM

I read this article, and Wow, it explains a lot. Between the lack of law enforcement, and general culture of the area, its easy to see why crimes happen and people keep their mouths shut about it.