GA GA - Jenna Van Gelderen, 25, Atlanta, 18 Aug 2017 #1

[borndem]

I am pretty familiar with individuals on the autism spectrum. I am a former special education teacher who specialized in autism. My guess is that her minor autism (poor social skills, lack of awareness of consequences/wrong doing, desperately wanting independence from her family but not having the skills/means to be independent, etc) made Jenna the perfect target for someone to take advantage of her.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great informative post! It helps to understand her better. Are the individuals in that spectrum aware of their limitations? Does this frustrate them? (<---I assume this question is kind of a d'oh one!) Is is possible to overcome them with help? Thanks!

 

[Mountain Misst]

With the tapestry being of the Egytian God, Anubis - IMO as this Egyptian god is related to the afterlife - it may have been removed as part of the 'disappearance' ie a symbolic trip to the afterlife.

Did we ever get the time of the MPR for 20th August?

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

I posted somewhere around page 58 or so with a picture of it, but the missing wall art does not actually contain Anubis or possibly any Egyptian gods. It appears to contain several human Egyptian figures.

 

[ce73418]

Few questions that have me wondering:

-lack of Police/News Coverage. Would this be because they already have a theory of where she is possibly? With a lack of news on this, it almost seems like they would either know who was responsible, or they feel she left on her own will.

-no trace of car still after this long. I would think this license plate tag has been flagged if pulled over, so the thought that even if it was left somewhere and abandoned, that the possibility of someone not calling in a suspicious vehicle that hasn't moved seems unusual. (Also, the fact that police didn't fingerprint the mothers car until the family asked why not, seems like they may know the possibility of where she is.)

-Tapestry missing, could this be theft of the tapestry or a sign of why she disappeared. If this a tapestry they have because is has significance to their religious beliefs, the question would be how strong was she with her religious beliefs? Did she take it with her because of this and she knew she was leaving, or was it stolen because someone had reason to think there was value to it?

-Secondary phone. It seems someone would have to be behind the reason she has a second phone. Is there a way to see who has been making the payments on the phone?

-Leaving the house without finishing up the responsibility seems to me a thought that she did not leave on her own free will, which is scary. If she knew she was leaving, you would think she would leave the house unlocked for someone to get in and take care of the cat, either to know the cat would be ok, or to suspend anyone's thought that she left on her own free will.

Just some thoughts I had today...my thoughts and prayers go out to her family. The uncertainty of a missing family member or loved one has got to be devastating. I wish there was more we could do to help them.

 

[cnmccarthy]

Oops. My post got cut short. Sorry! I am new to this site.

I see there is some back and forth on if Jenna seemed to be hiding something, so I think it is important to look at a few of the FACTS that we know thus far. None of these facts are meant to judge or be critical. It is just important to focus on the facts when we know so little....

1. She had a second phone that her family was not aware of. I am sorry, but this is a red flag. I am Jenna's age and can barely afford (and keep track of!) having ONE phone.
2. She stole money from her job (approx.) 6-7 months ago. Why? We do not know. Somebody could have been forcing/pressuring her to do this against her will. She could have done it completely on her own. We unfortunately just don't know. All we know is that "large sums of money" were taken from the cash register at her last job. Red flag.
3. Jenna's roommate wouldn't let her parents come inside the apartment. This, alone, makes me furious. And is another red flag. A young woman is MISSING. Maybe this roommate had some drugs he was trying to hide, completely unrelated to Jenna. Regardless, whatever on earth made him turn the parents away is completely unacceptable and ridiculous. This adds to the sketchiness of this whole mystery because clearly SOMETHING is/was going on in that apartment.
4. Jenna used an alias for her second phone. Justify this all you want but it is bizarre and doesn't make sense. Red flag. 5. Jenna is "on the autism spectrum and is highly functioning - but vulnerable." The family noted this for a reason. I think they mentioned this to inform the public that she can be swayed easily. Interpret how you will.




There are more facts I could note but now I have my questions:

1. Did Jenna have a history of prostitution, or not? I see that she was, then we were told that that was just a rumor, but then it was actually not a rumor...? Can this be confirmed somehow? This is nobodies business but the families and I hate seeing anybody exploited like this - but it is a pretty important question in regards to the whole disappearance. Prostitution, trafficking, etc. It's a slippery slope. If she had dabbled in any type of prostitution, that's a vital angle. A difficult one to approach, but important nonetheless.


2. I think it is great and admirable that Jenna wanted to be independent - but I am confused as to how she lived day to day. Again, I hate digging into somebodies personal life like this (none of my business and I am the last person who would ever judge anyone) but really, what was going on here? Jenna had an apartment the family did not know about - a phone that the family did not know about - and no job [that we are aware of! could have had a job, but nobody on this thread seems to mention one post-pet store]. How was Jenna getting money? Was the family helping? Did she have savings from previous jobs? Did she ever give the money back from the pet store or could she potentially be using that? Realistically, Jenna was getting money somewhere. If there had been any on-the-books jobs she had post-pet store, LE would be able to verify I'm sure.



3. It has now been what, 3 weeks or so since Jenna was confirmed missing? I am baffled by the lack of media and how many unanswered questions there are. Something is not right about all of this. There is a lot we don't (and probably can't) know. But something just doesn't sit right with me.


If I HAD to come up with a theory right now - it would be this - Jenna got involved with the wrong crowd / wrong boy - going back to instagram account w/ references to pimping and clubs on cambleton road (bad area of atlanta, bad), stopping on english ave (again, bad area), multiple gas station stops day before she vanished (this will continue to baffle me) and just looking at the big picture. swayed easily, vulnerable - i think the situation went from bad to worse - fast.


I really hope that Jenna is okay. I hate that the family is having to endure this. It is so unfair. Please let us know what else can be done to get this story out there more and whatever else you may need. --- I live in druid hills as well, xox

Incredible post! I couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[Sillybilly]

There is absolutely no need to post in a rude or disrespectful fashion toward other members.

Post respectfully and responsibly or you may find yourself not able to post at all. That would be terrible, right?

:wave:

 

[Stanly]

Putting Jennas secret life aside, the circumstances around her actually leaving the house are suspicious. I keep trying to go back to that day she disappeared but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
It would be useful to know what was in her suitcase that she took with her. We dont know for sure but we know her shoes and toiletries were left behind. What about her clothes?
The last face to face contact we know she had was with her brother on friday and he spoke to her later on around 4-5pm so we know she was ok at this point.
She continued to communicate with people up until 2-2:30am but if all the communication was messaging then we cannot be certain it was her.
Going back to basics, the lights were still on which indicates night time, she wouldnt have left the cat on its own if she was attached to it and it needed meds, a lot of (if not all) of her stuff was left behind. This shouts out to me that she didnt leave voluntarily.
So, even though her secret life is relevant to the bigger picture, there are still suspicious circumstances surrounding her actually leaving the house and the police should be taking it seriously.
Subie, are you able to confirm if her clothes were left behind or missing?


Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

 

[Shiressleuth]

One is on our family plan (TMobile )
The other is metro pcs her own plan

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Friends and family for the T-Mobile line.
Metro line still not sure , but we found her account info at the house as well

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Early on in this thread, you told us that she was not the primary account holder on the Metro pcs phone (that's the one that you and parents were unaware of until after she went missing, right?). Was this a typo, confusion over the two accounts, or you have since received new information about that phone account????

Confusion. She did not use her first name as the account name. Hence the reason why I first called metro. They said that she was not listed and it may be under a different account holder .

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

What name did she use?

Her middle name Ruth as her first and Jenna as her last. I didn't realize service providers allowed you to do this

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I'm lost in the confusion of:

In the beginning it was said her chargers were at the house but not her phones. Plural.
Then it was said subie found out she had another phone..not in her name. well yeah it's in her middle and first name.
This indicates to me brother, parents knew she had two phones.

It has been stated she is on the lease for the apartment with a man? How long did she live at this apartment? Don't you have to fill out an application, list
job, income, etc on a lease application?

Could we possibly get clarification and straight fact here....is the man she was supposedly seen with (in mom's car), the same man who didn't want her at his apartment, then is he the same man who is a possible person of interest? Please, if possible, be very concise on the multiple men. TIA

MOO

Did she use the family phone alot or just to contact family?

Can any of her friends explain why she has two phones? Having two just seems so bizarre unless you are using one for work.

Is one phone paid for by mom and dad?
And is the other phone a no contract phone?

@BitofHope
Sorry for all these quotes -they begin at post 985 and hopefully show how the info changed that you have in the timeline regarding a primary account holder on the Metro pcs phone.

This is a good example of how difficult the timeline has been to put together and update, so thanks for all the work.

Please remove the bit about a primary account holder and replace it with the info that the Metro pcs is in the name of Ruth Jenna with beginning post 985 as the reference.

Re. Sillybilly post, I apologize if any of my posts have come over as rude or sarky - I certainly have not intended them to be. The above sequence of posts is typically how info is coming out about this case and shows how difficult it can be to pinpoint when other posters ask for links.

 

[subie_climber]

Putting Jennas secret life aside, the circumstances around her actually leaving the house are suspicious. I keep trying to go back to that day she disappeared but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
It would be useful to know what was in her suitcase that she took with her. We dont know for sure but we know her shoes and toiletries were left behind. What about her clothes?
The last face to face contact we know she had was with her brother on friday and he spoke to her later on around 4-5pm so we know she was ok at this point.
She continued to communicate with people up until 2-2:30am but if all the communication was messaging then we cannot be certain it was her.
Going back to basics, the lights were still on which indicates night time, she wouldnt have left the cat on its own if she was attached to it and it needed meds, a lot of (if not all) of her stuff was left behind. This shouts out to me that she didnt leave voluntarily.
So, even though her secret life is relevant to the bigger picture, there are still suspicious circumstances surrounding her actually leaving the house and the police should be taking it seriously.
Subie, are you able to confirm if her clothes were left behind or missing?

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

Some clothes were at my parents still and some were given back to us from her apartment. No idea what all she took if anything in that suitcase.

 

[JLD333]

Subie, you are doing so much for your sister and I hope and pray that this pays off with some answers sooner rather than later for you and your family.

I'm new to this thread, as I just discovered this case when I saw it here at the top of the forum. It seems clear to me that Jenna was hiding things from the family but it's hard to know if that was due to her desire to be independent or if it was because someone was possibly telling her to not share these details of her life. I can certainly see someone telling her to not tell anyone/her family where she lives, about the phone, etc. I can also see if your parents closely monitored her cell records at any time previously, why she may have had a second phone for no particularly worrisome reason.

Subie- had Jenna been this private/secretive in any way before February?

My instinct says she's been taken advantage of due to her trusting nature. I noticed on her facebook page where in the past couple of years it appeared she was trying to meet new people(post about Hillel at Emory/GT, asking if anyone attends Gwinnett Tech) which makes me think that as she was attempting to make new friends, she happened to make some less than desirable ones.

I had a thought about her post on the Atlanta housing page- if this is all related to trafficking, could she have been used to potentially bait this girl that posted?? I'd imagine she's been interviewed by now but it seems like targeting women looking for roommates could be a good strategy for traffickers. It could also have been she was looking for a new place to live, but that was just a thought I had.

It sounds like this case is getting more of the attention it deserves by LE and I'm praying they can get some answers soon.

 

[Shiressleuth]

Some clothes were at my parents still and some were given back to us from her apartment. No idea what all she took if anything in that suitcase.

Do you know if any of her clothes are missing? Eg. The clothes in the photos of Jenna, were they amongst the items left behind? What are the dimensions of the missing suitcase and what about the suitcase or bag she brought over for her housesitting for the two week period ?

 

[subie_climber]

Do you know if any of her clothes are missing? Eg. The clothes in the photos of Jenna, were they amongst the items left behind? What are the dimensions of the missing suitcase and what about the suitcase or bag she brought over for her housesitting for the two week period ?

Honestly, don't know and my parents were going to check on this

 

[borndem]

:welcome:to Websleuths, ce73418!!
:cheer:We're glad you're here!!:cheer:
​

 

[Stanly]

Honestly, don't know and my parents were going to check on this

Did they? The police should have been doing this weeks ago

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

 

[Bit of hope]

No, Vet tech couldn't get into house since J wasn't there and didn't have a key. One person can give the meds.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Hi Subie....is my assumption right that he couldn't get in Saturday a.m. ()Jenna not there, her phone dead), you were not supposed to go/come there and he alarmed you and your parents then....did you go there on Saturday a.m, or on Sunday?

 

[Bit of hope]

@BitofHope
Sorry for all these quotes -they begin at post 985 and hopefully show how the info changed that you have in the timeline regarding a primary account holder on the Metro pcs phone.

This is a good example of how difficult the timeline has been to put together and update, so thanks for all the work.

Please remove the bit about a primary account holder and replace it with the info that the Metro pcs is in the name of Ruth Jenna with beginning post 985 as the reference.

Re. Sillybilly post, I apologize if any of my posts have come over as rude or sarky - I certainly have not intended them to be. The above sequence of posts is typically how info is coming out about this case and shows how difficult it can be to pinpoint when other posters ask for links.

Thank you....Helpful...

 

[Bit of hope]

Subie is there any news on the fingerprints taken from your mom's car?

 

[ce73418]

Thank you!! &#128522;

 

[Shiressleuth]

Hi Subie, I wonder if you could explain a bit about the pocket dial at 11.30pm? What is a "pocket dial" first -I am not familiar with the term. You then said it indicated a prostitution/pimping or somesuch contact (I am trying to remember this.) What phone was that on and could you explain it a little more please.
Many thanks.

 

[subie_climber]

Hi Subie....is my assumption right that he couldn't get in Saturday a.m. ()Jenna not there, her phone dead), you were not supposed to go/come there and he alarmed you and your parents then....did you go there on Saturday a.m, or on Sunday?

I was supposed to come by only that Saturday a.m but not the rest of the weekend due to other plans.