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

[deadinthewater]

The investigation has shown itself to be so incompetent that the idea of his body just not having been found isn't a hard sell.

I really see your point here. They waited 10 days and even after that, were they taking it seriously or was it just an attitude of, "Eh, he's nearly 20, he probably left of his own volition"/ "Eh, he'll turn up," .. twenty years later, and he's still gone.

The Jolkowski family hired a private investigator, though, right? Does anyone know exactly when? I've read that they investigated Fazoli's pretty thoroughly but aside from that, I don't remember reading anything further.

Praying for justice for you one day, JJ. Hope you're in a better place, man

I hope the person that harmed JJ is still alive. Maybe they'll grow a semblence of a conscience on their way out.

He deserved so much better.

 

[spearhead1030]

2001 Jolkowski, Jason 6-14-2001 - PorchlightUSA (tapatalk.com)

This thread is the only reference I can find of the family working with PI's. However, I also remember Jason's mom (on Websleuths, I think?) saying at some point before or after that the family was not of means and could not afford hiring a PI. I remember thinking just how heartbreaking that was. Not having the means to search for your own child. I wonder what would come of hiring one now.

The thread above also hears from another friend of Jason's who I hadn't heard of before. She gives a really sweet take on who he was, and you can hear just how much respect she had for him.

 

[ekardh]

Bumping for Jason.

We seem to have waves of activity on here, followed by crickets, but I guess it's to be expected. It could be argued we're lucky to get anything at all when this case turned cold years ago. Unless someone comes forward or remains are found, I don't know what else could break this case open.

 

[Alleykins]

Bumping for Jason.

We seem to have waves of activity on here, followed by crickets, but I guess it's to be expected. It could be argued we're lucky to get anything at all when this case turned cold years ago. Unless someone comes forward or remains are found, I don't know what else could break this case open.

Sadly, there's not much to go on.

 

[kelsie]

In my opinion, the idea of Fazoli's being involved is more unlikely than anything I listed above. That's a lot of people needed to keep something secret, so I'm not even going to list that.

Honestly, this could be more likely than you think. I've seen it where entire groups of friends have worked at one restaurant, because the manager will hire all their buddies. Sometimes drug dealing is involved. Sometimes there's a falling out and they have to hire a new person the group doesn't know. Bad things happen if new person finds out things not meant for their eyes/ears.

Every possible scenario seems unrealistic so while I'd normally say this is far fetched, idk about it being so in this case.

Also, his remains could still be in the area. Bodies are sometimes harder to find than people think.

 

[Rtael]

Honestly, this could be more likely than you think. I've seen it where entire groups of friends have worked at one restaurant, because the manager will hire all their buddies. Sometimes drug dealing is involved. Sometimes there's a falling out and they have to hire a new person the group doesn't know. Bad things happen if new person finds out things not meant for their eyes/ears.

Every possible scenario seems unrealistic so while I'd normally say this is far fetched, idk about it being so in this case.

Also, his remains could still be in the area. Bodies are sometimes harder to find than people think.

But...I mean...that was essentially the only theory, and I think it was investigated pretty thoroughly. And I think your idea is really more far fetched than you're giving it credit for...people don't just mirk their fellow restaurant employees because they saw them with a baggie of coke or something. It is technically true that nothing is impossible but...

 

[MatthewTyler]

Not to mention that teenagers are generally stupid/untrustworthy when it comes to crime. Hard to imagine that not a single one bragged about their crime, or had a guilty conscience, thus getting the word out around town. And like Rtael said, drug dealing is simply not worth catching a murder charge over. Fazoli's' involvement seems a little convoluted- they would have to know he didn't have a car, AND that his parents weren't home to take him. Plus, the whole meeting at the school thing would be such an unncessary step. I mentioned in a earlier post that if his coworkers wanted to carry out this interception plan, they could have just had him walk to the restaurant (which he originally offered to do) and picked up him somewhere on the way and just say he never made it. The school would not have been needed. Just imo, I still say the least far fetched idea is that he had SOMETHING planned that day that got rearranged due to the schedule change. If we look at the time, place, description of victim, he had no business going missing that day. The only oddity is the schedule change, and if we rule out Fazoli's involvement, then the only thing that leaves is something with Jason himself.

 

[CountSnap]

We have a lot of people on here who are passionate about JJ's case and that is a wonderful thing.
So it's nice to see it refreshed from time to time, even if we don't have anything "new" to bring to the table.
What are all of the running theories we've had through the years?

Wild driver
Wild neighbor
Known neighbor he was visiting - (think this would have had to have been someone relatively close. Walk there then to high school. Unless walk to the person, then get a ride to Fazoli's. Still doesn't leave a ton of time in planning for that.)
Fazoli's
Church related?...?
Self harm
Left on his own to get away

 

[Alleykins]

If Jason had other plans that day, he could have said "no" to going into work if he wanted to. I guess it would depend on how important those plans were.
How and when did his parents first find out he was called into work? They, themselves, were at work, and weren't at home to witness the call coming in or what transpired afterward.
I'd still like to know what happened in the days preceding Jason's disappearance, when his last regularly scheduled shift at Fazoli's was.

 

[MatthewTyler]

If Jason had other plans that day, he could have said "no" to going into work if he wanted to. I guess it would depend on how important those plans were.
.

True, but Jason was also saving money to go back to school and had other financial obligations (says his mother) so he probably needed the money and didn't want to take off from work.

 

[CountSnap]

True, but Jason was also saving money to go back to school and had other financial obligations (says his mother) so he probably needed the money and didn't want to take off from work.

True.
And in regards to that whole Fazoli's situation, the words, "You better be there." still bother me.
That's not "See you in twenty minutes" or "catch you on the flipside."
Still such an interesting phrase to use.

 

[Andreee]

dbm

 

[Alleykins]

True.
And in regards to that whole Fazoli's situation, the words, "You better be there." still bother me.
That's not "See you in twenty minutes" or "catch you on the flipside."
Still such an interesting phrase to use.

Yes, it is a strange thing to say, almost leads me to believe she'd been there before and the person didn't show.

 

[Andreee]

True, but Jason was also saving money to go back to school and had other financial obligations (says his mother) so he probably needed the money and didn't want to take off from work.

Plus from everything I've read about Jason, he had a sense of responsibility and duty when needed in such a work situation, and would put any social plans in second place if they weren't super important.

 

[Gilderoy Lockhart]

"You better be there"

I don't find it suspicious. I suspect the co-worker didn't understand why they would meet at school when she could've just picked Jason up, especially on short notice. She likely didn't understand that Jason had a learning disability (iirc).

"Let's just meet at Benson High"

"Why don't I just pick you up at your place?"

"Nah meeting at Benson is easier."

"Well all right. You better be there!" (that is to say, she meant to be on time)

That's how I think it went.

I think about JJ's disappearance all the time. As I said before, it just so happens that I was in Omaha that day. I was on my way out of town, and I remember it was late morning when my flight was scheduled. I was likely flying right above whatever happened to him.

There's just nothing to go on. It's the most mysterious missing person case of all time.

 

[CountSnap]

"You better be there"

I don't find it suspicious. I suspect the co-worker didn't understand why they would meet at school when she could've just picked Jason up, especially on short notice. She likely didn't understand that Jason had a learning disability (iirc).

"Let's just meet at Benson High"

"Why don't I just pick you up at your place?"

"Nah meeting at Benson is easier."

"Well all right. You better be there!" (that is to say, she meant to be on time)

That's how I think it went.

I think about JJ's disappearance all the time. As I said before, it just so happens that I was in Omaha that day. I was on my way out of town, and I remember it was late morning when my flight was scheduled. I was likely flying right above whatever happened to him.

There's just nothing to go on. It's the most mysterious missing person case of all time.

That is a possible explanation for it. Sure.
And wanted to say, I don't find the person who said it suspicious, just the phrase.

And definitely, without a doubt the strangest disappearance I've ever heard of.
This is the "vanished off the face of the Earth" that has been talked about. This is the one.
Though still, something happened to him in that littler area of time and distance.
It's crazy.
And crazy that Gilderoy was in the same area at that moment.
We've had a few folks with close ties to this one.

 

[Andreee]

"You better be there"

I don't find it suspicious. I suspect the co-worker didn't understand why they would meet at school when she could've just picked Jason up, especially on short notice. She likely didn't understand that Jason had a learning disability (iirc).

"Let's just meet at Benson High"

"Why don't I just pick you up at your place?"

"Nah meeting at Benson is easier."

"Well all right. You better be there!" (that is to say, she meant to be on time)

That's how I think it went.

I think about JJ's disappearance all the time. As I said before, it just so happens that I was in Omaha that day. I was on my way out of town, and I remember it was late morning when my flight was scheduled. I was likely flying right above whatever happened to him.

There's just nothing to go on. It's the most mysterious missing person case of all time.

I agree, it is mysterious. And I would like to see some avid cold case investigator team take a thorough look at it again, have access to all the files and homeowners and their backgrounds along the route; along with a mainstream tv show featuring it. Of course, that is not going to happen. Just a pipe dream. Along with all that, it would be great to use technology to scan each and every backyard along the route for signs of human remains. I know, I know, I'm reaching.

 

[studebkr]

My understanding was that Jason was having a hard time giving her directions to his house. It was partly his inability to describe it well, and her being unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Don't forget that GPS was only in handheld devices at that time, and harder to use than looking at a map. There were no smartphones, etc.

I didn't find our neighborhood too hard to navigate, but someone from West Omaha might have been a little off put by it. Meeting at Benson might have just been easier for her.

I have to be honest that I get a little put off when I here people suspect someone at Fazoli's being responsible for this. I've been in there many times, and never found the staff to be at all sketchy. I guess there could have been those one or two individuals 20 years ago, but I've never gotten that vibe. That being said, we can't discount anything. Especially the last persons we know he talked to.

A lot of companies sponsored ads to find Jason. The "River" (the radio station), DTN (where his mom worked). It's a story everyone in this town knows, and you can credit both parents for keeping the story alive. I don't remember Fazoli's even putting up a flyer on their window. I remember asking once or twice about him, and the person working was usually too new to have known him. From that standpoint, they could have done more.

 

[Andreee]

My understanding was that Jason was having a hard time giving her directions to his house. It was partly his inability to describe it well, and her being unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Don't forget that GPS was only in handheld devices at that time, and harder to use than looking at a map. There were no smartphones, etc.

I didn't find our neighborhood too hard to navigate, but someone from West Omaha might have been a little off put by it. Meeting at Benson might have just been easier for her.

I have to be honest that I get a little put off when I here people suspect someone at Fazoli's being responsible for this. I've been in there many times, and never found the staff to be at all sketchy. I guess there could have been those one or two individuals 20 years ago, but I've never gotten that vibe. That being said, we can't discount anything. Especially the last persons we know he talked to.

A lot of companies sponsored ads to find Jason. The "River" (the radio station), DTN (where his mom worked). It's a story everyone in this town knows, and you can credit both parents for keeping the story alive. I don't remember Fazoli's even putting up a flyer on their window. I remember asking once or twice about him, and the person working was usually too new to have known him. From that standpoint, they could have done more.

Well, there had been some posts here in the past referencing an unnamed staff member in that region in the F's chain, which I believe led to a bit of suspicion. (just explaining generally as possible) However, I read that LE did question JJ's work coworkers in full, and there was nothing untoward. Besides, this last minute change in JJ's plans to meet up at the school was very last minute; so IMO the mishap had everything to do with the route and planned stop or unplanned event that happened along the way.

 

[Andreee]

My understanding was that Jason was having a hard time giving her directions to his house. It was partly his inability to describe it well, and her being unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Don't forget that GPS was only in handheld devices at that time, and harder to use than looking at a map. There were no smartphones, etc.

I didn't find our neighborhood too hard to navigate, but someone from West Omaha might have been a little off put by it. Meeting at Benson might have just been easier for her.

I have to be honest that I get a little put off when I here people suspect someone at Fazoli's being responsible for this. I've been in there many times, and never found the staff to be at all sketchy. I guess there could have been those one or two individuals 20 years ago, but I've never gotten that vibe. That being said, we can't discount anything. Especially the last persons we know he talked to.

A lot of companies sponsored ads to find Jason. The "River" (the radio station), DTN (where his mom worked). It's a story everyone in this town knows, and you can credit both parents for keeping the story alive. I don't remember Fazoli's even putting up a flyer on their window. I remember asking once or twice about him, and the person working was usually too to have known him. From that standpoint, they could have done more.

p.s. I forgot to mention that I can totally understand Jason having trouble giving directions to his house! I have similar difficulties, not because of any learning issue, but because if someone new is coming to your house and starting off from their house, it isn't always easy to explain if it is all convoluted lol