NE NE - Jason Jolkowski -19 - Omaha - 13 Jun 2001 - #4

[rkendmar]

I'm not from the area, but according to Google Maps, I see several, more direct routes from his house to the school. If I'm reading the map correctly, and have the right church, the church is out of the way and would have doubled his time to get to the school. In her own words, the coworker told him he'd better be there, so he knew he couldn't make a side trip without missing his ride, or, at the very least, possibly angering his ride.
However, you may not be way off base. If Jason had time blindness, or a poor concept of time, he could have thought he had time to go there. Also, I appreciate you pointing out how close his church was to his house. I didn't realize that. It's certainly food for thought.

What was Jason's home address?

 

[rkendmar]

I'm not from the area, but according to Google Maps, I see several, more direct routes from his house to the school. If I'm reading the map correctly, and have the right church, the church is out of the way and would have doubled his time to get to the school. In her own words, the coworker told him he'd better be there, so he knew he couldn't make a side trip without missing his ride, or, at the very least, possibly angering his ride.
However, you may not be way off base. If Jason had time blindness, or a poor concept of time, he could have thought he had time to go there. Also, I appreciate you pointing out how close his church was to his house. I didn't realize that. It's certainly food for thought.

I used 3425 N 48th St, Omaha, NE 68104 as Jason's home address.
The entrance to Holy Name Church is Maple & Fontanelle Blvd. and Benson HS parking lot is on Maple.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

I'm not from the area, but according to Google Maps, I see several, more direct routes from his house to the school. If I'm reading the map correctly, and have the right church, the church is out of the way and would have doubled his time to get to the school. In her own words, the coworker told him he'd better be there, so he knew he couldn't make a side trip without missing his ride, or, at the very least, possibly angering his ride. However, you may not be way off base. If Jason had time blindness, or a poor concept of time, he could have thought he had time to go there. Also, I appreciate you pointing out how close his church was to his house. I didn't realize that. It's certainly food for thought.

I could be wrong about this, but I find it unlikely that JJ made any kind of intentional side-trip on his way to the H.S. to meet his co-worker. By all accounts he was responsible & conscientious. And, as has been said - the co-worker insisted that he needed to be there. He already knew roughly how long it would take him to walk to the H.S. - given that he had graduated the previous year & had presumably walked to school at some point during his time there. And, as you said, I don't believe he would have wanted to upset/anger the co-worker - who was obviously doing him a favor. After all, if he took too long getting to the H.S. - she would probably leave. And then he wouldn't have been able to easily get to work - given that his car was in the shop.

As has been previously discussed, if JJ walked to the H.S. without stopping anywhere - by all accounts it would have taken roughly 15 minutes. And, after the co-worker waited at the H.S. for 1/2 hour - she called JJ's house & the manager @ work. Given that she was driving, it's plausible that she got to the H.S. at roughly the same time that JJ left his house on foot. So, JJ obviously didn't have a lot of leeway here re: the timing.

Note that someone in one of the houses (on his way to the H.S.) could have distracted him with something, which led to his vanishing. This is one of the many theories we've discussed on here. However, this type of thing obviously wouldn't have been planned.

 

[MatthewTyler]

By all accounts he was responsible & conscientious.

Yes, but remember that all these accounts are from his own parents, who of course would want to paint him in an only positive light, especially if they didn't know anything else that he may have been involved in. I'm not saying that Jason WAS involved in anything, or that he was irresponsible/ not conscientious, but we can't just dismiss a side-stop theory simply because he helped a kid in a wheelchair back in HS.

19 is an age where you'll young enough to want to experiment in different things without thinking of potential consequence, but old enough where you have enough freedom to hide things from parents. For example, Jason had $60 on him when he vanished. It could have been emergency money for whatever, but if he truly wasn't social like his parents say, and just went from home to work and nowhere else, seems odd to specifically withdraw that without reason. Maybe he was buying something on the way to work. Maybe weed? Maybe from sketchy person he knew from either the internet or through someone else who harmed him, who knows. Or even if he just sidetracked to get a soda from the store, it would open a new area where something could have happened.

 

[Alleykins]

I could be wrong about this, but I find it unlikely that JJ made any kind of intentional side-trip on his way to the H.S. to meet his co-worker. By all accounts he was responsible & conscientious. And, as has been said - the co-worker insisted that he needed to be there. He already knew roughly how long it would take him to walk to the H.S. - given that he had graduated the previous year & had presumably walked to school at some point during his time there. And, as you said, I don't believe he would have wanted to upset/anger the co-worker - who was obviously doing him a favor. After all, if he took too long getting to the H.S. - she would probably leave. And then he wouldn't have been able to easily get to work - given that his car was in the shop.

As has been previously discussed, if JJ walked to the H.S. without stopping anywhere - by all accounts it would have taken roughly 15 minutes. And, after the co-worker waited at the H.S. for 1/2 hour - she called JJ's house & the manager @ work. Given that she was driving, it's plausible that she got to the H.S. at roughly the same time that JJ left his house on foot. So, JJ obviously didn't have a lot of leeway here re: the timing.

Note that someone in one of the houses (on his way to the H.S.) could have distracted him with something, which led to his vanishing. This is one of the many theories we've discussed on here. However, this type of thing obviously wouldn't have been planned.

I agree with you, but knowing the church was so close gives me pause.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

Yes, but remember that all these accounts are from his own parents, who of course would want to paint him in an only positive light, especially if they didn't know anything else that he may have been involved in. I'm not saying that Jason WAS involved in anything, or that he was irresponsible/ not conscientious, but we can't just dismiss a side-stop theory simply because he helped a kid in a wheelchair back in HS.

19 is an age where you'll young enough to want to experiment in different things without thinking of potential consequence, but old enough where you have enough freedom to hide things from parents. For example, Jason had $60 on him when he vanished. It could have been emergency money for whatever, but if he truly wasn't social like his parents say, and just went from home to work and nowhere else, seems odd to specifically withdraw that without reason. Maybe he was buying something on the way to work.

Good point(s). I agree that $60 cash is probably a lot of $ to randomly have on you - especially back in 2001. I almost never have that much (if any) cash with me, for fear I will lose this & also for fear of theft, etc.

Did JJ have this much with him because he was specifically planning on buying something with the $ - or did he have this much with him just as a "back-up" in case he needed this?!

Going along with this, it would be interesting to know if JJ had a credit card with him when he left for work. If so, the cash doesn't make as much sense because if had a credit card & wanted to buy something at a store (for example) he could easily have used the card. Note that if he did, we know this wasn't used subsequent to his vanishing because there was no record of any activity on any of his accounts.

If he didn't have a credit card with him & needed money to buy something - then that makes more sense. Just spit-balling here - but I wonder if he planned to go out to eat somewhere after work - or maybe he wanted the money because he wanted to eat @ work?! I worked in a restaurant years ago, and the employees could sometimes eat "for free" in the kitchen. But, not all places would have this same "policy", obviously.

That being said, $60 is a lot more than he would need for lunch/dinner - especially at a fast-food place in 2001.

Wow. The more I think about this case, the less sense it makes. Baffling & inexplicable.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Good point(s). I agree that $60 cash is probably a lot of $ to randomly have on you - especially back in 2001. I almost never have that much (if any) cash with me, for fear I will lose this & also for fear of theft, etc.

Did JJ have this much with him because he was specifically planning on buying something with the $ - or did he have this much with him just as a "back-up" in case he needed this?!

Going along with this, it would be interesting to know if JJ had a credit card with him when he left for work. If so, the cash doesn't make as much sense because if had a credit card & wanted to buy something at a store (for example) he could easily have used the card. Note that if he did, we know this wasn't used subsequent to his vanishing because there was no record of any activity on any of his accounts.

If he didn't have a credit card with him & needed money to buy something - then that makes more sense. Just spit-balling here - but I wonder if he planned to go out to eat somewhere after work - or maybe he wanted the money because he wanted to eat @ work?! I worked in a restaurant years ago, and the employees could sometimes eat "for free" in the kitchen. But, not all places would have this same "policy", obviously.

That being said, $60 is a lot more than he would need for lunch/dinner - especially at a fast-food place in 2001.

Wow. The more I think about this case, the less sense it makes. Baffling & inexplicable.

I feel like teens would mostly use cash for fast food places, but probably because their parents wouldn't trust them with a debit card. If Jason actually had one then perhaps he only withdrew cash so he can keep track on how much money he had and didn't spend with a card willy nilly. According to his mom, he only had about $600 total in his account, so maybe frivoulous spending wasn't a risk he wanted to take. The other alternative of course is that if he was buying anything, it was something that was "cash only"- like a drug or perhaps even some ebay item that was being sold by someone local.

 

[Zapoleon]

I do wonder how they knew he had $60 dollars cash on him. Like had he withdrawn it recently to use it for something but never had the chance to spend it. Or did his parents etc know he always carried $60 in case he needed it?

 

[Vital Forces]

I do wonder how they knew he had $60 dollars cash on him. Like had he withdrawn it recently to use it for something but never had the chance to spend it. Or did his parents etc know he always carried $60 in case he needed it?

My understanding is that is the maximum limit of the money he had with him.

 

[rkendmar]

For the sake of argument, let's pretend that Jason went to Holy Name Church to speak to ? and tell them he could not participate in 'continuous prayer' on that day because he had to go into work early.

1) The average walking rate of a 20 - 29 year male is 3.04 mph (walking fast would result in higher mph).
2) From Jason's house to Holy Name Church would take him less than 10 minutes.
3) From Holy Name Church to the Benson HS parking lot on Maple St would take him ~12 minutes.

IIRC, Jason was receiving quite a bit of pressure to enter the priesthood but Jason appeared to want to work in communications/radio.
IMO, Jason went to Holy Name Church and cancelling his participation that day in 'continuous prayer' was not well received. An argument may have ensued and an unfortunate accident occurred.
A search for Jason did not get underway for ~9 days which allowed plenty of time to dispose of the body.
I just can't see Jason, a 6 ft tall, fit, strong male being abducted or tricked into getting into a car and then overpowered in the middle of the day, no less. He was not in any high risk group.
I welcome commenters who believe this scenario does not 'work' to add a comment.
^..^

 

[MatthewTyler]

For the sake of argument, let's pretend that Jason went to Holy Name Church to speak to ? and tell them he could not participate in 'continuous prayer' on that day because he had to go into work early.

What even is continuous prayer? From the way they've described it, it sounds like he "fills in" for others when they can't go. What does that even mean!? I was raised Catholic and had communion/confirmation but have never heard of such a thing. Around here church is something that you go to on Sunday (I do not) and there is no "filling in" for people if they can't go.

 

[rkendmar]

What even is continuous prayer? From the way they've described it, it sounds like he "fills in" for others when they can't go. What does that even mean!? I was raised Catholic and had communion/confirmation but have never heard of such a thing. Around here church is something that you go to on Sunday (I do not) and there is no "filling in" for people if they can't go.

I had never heard of this before either.
Earlier in the threads I read that Jason's church had a 'continuous prayer' ministry in which someone from their church was praying continuously for a specific number of days (weeks, etc.?) I also read that Jason was often asked, by the priest I assume, to fill in for other 'praying volunteers' when they had to cancel.

I'm assuming that the 'continuous prayers' was similar to this:
"Forty Hours' Devotion, in Italian called Quarant'ore or written in one word Quarantore, is a Roman Catholic exercise of devotion in which continuous prayer is made for forty hours before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition. It often occurs in a succession of churches, with one finishing prayers at the same time as the next takes it up.

Forty Hours' Devotion - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Vital Forces]

For the sake of argument, let's pretend that Jason went to Holy Name Church to speak to ? and tell them he could not participate in 'continuous prayer' on that day because he had to go into work early.

1) The average walking rate of a 20 - 29 year male is 3.04 mph (walking fast would result in higher mph).
2) From Jason's house to Holy Name Church would take him less than 10 minutes.
3) From Holy Name Church to the Benson HS parking lot on Maple St would take him ~12 minutes.

IIRC, Jason was receiving quite a bit of pressure to enter the priesthood but Jason appeared to want to work in communications/radio.
IMO, Jason went to Holy Name Church and cancelling his participation that day in 'continuous prayer' was not well received. An argument may have ensued and an unfortunate accident occurred.
A search for Jason did not get underway for ~9 days which allowed plenty of time to dispose of the body.
I just can't see Jason, a 6 ft tall, fit, strong male being abducted or tricked into getting into a car and then overpowered in the middle of the day, no less. He was not in any high risk group.
I welcome commenters who believe this scenario does not 'work' to add a comment.
^..^

By "unfortunate accident" do you mean a fight broke out?

 

[rkendmar]

By "unfortunate accident" do you mean a fight broke out?

Obviously, I don't know and am speculating.
However, if Jason had a 'normal' accident there would have been nothing to hide.
IMO, the dynamics of Jason being strongly encouraged to join the priesthood (by his dad) and possible expectations of his home church could create hard feelings when it became clear that Jason was not interested in following that path.
I believe it is likely that there was an argument which turned physical, precipitated by Jason choosing to cancel his 'prayer obligations' in favor of going in to work at the restaurant.
The intended inference of "unfortunate accident" was that it was not premeditated.
I can't think of any other scenario which fits the time frame and makes sense.
JMO.

 

[Andreee]

What even is continuous prayer? From the way they've described it, it sounds like he "fills in" for others when they can't go. What does that even mean!? I was raised Catholic and had communion/confirmation but have never heard of such a thing. Around here church is something that you go to on Sunday (I do not) and there is no "filling in" for people if they can't go.

I had never heard of this either, or even that JJ was going to the church that day. Nor have I heard his mother or anyone else mention that. Jason was seen by the neighbour heading in the direction of the school along a street (forget name of it) and I do not think he was making any kind of stops or detours along the way on his own accord.He didn't have time for that.

 

[Andreee]

Obviously, I don't know and am speculating.
However, if Jason had a 'normal' accident there would have been nothing to hide.
IMO, the dynamics of Jason being strongly encouraged to join the priesthood (by his dad) and possible expectations of his home church could create hard feelings when it became clear that Jason was not interested in following that path.
I believe it is likely that there was an argument which turned physical, precipitated by Jason choosing to cancel his 'prayer obligations' in favor of going in to work at the restaurant.
The intended inference of "unfortunate accident" was that it was not premeditated.
I can't think of any other scenario which fits the time frame and makes sense.
JMO.

I had only heard that JJ thought about entering the priesthood, not that his dad had pressured him to do so. IMO that whole scenario of an argument (with who?!) that turned physical doesn't make sense and is not a possibility.

 

[Valiant]

Continuous Prayer is when someone is always present praying in a room at the church. It’s a rabbit hole that should be ignored.
1) Obviously Jason was not on the schedule for that day or we’d have heard about it.
2) If he was backup, they’d call him. If he didn’t want to do it, he could either not answer the phone or refuse. It’s nothing to kill someone over.
3) If something did happen at the church, unlikely already due to the tight walking scheme, there is little time to clean up and cover up. Continuous Prayer is likely 1/2 to 1 hour shifts which means people are coming to and going from the church on a regular basis.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

1) The average walking rate of a 20 - 29 year male is 3.04 mph (walking fast would result in higher mph).
2) From Jason's house to Holy Name Church would take him less than 10 minutes.
3) From Holy Name Church to the Benson HS parking lot on Maple St would take him ~12 minutes.

Thanks for the break-down re: the timing here. IMHO, this clarification re: the timing makes it less likely that JJ stopped off at the church before going to the H.S. I.e., if took him roughly 8-9 minutes to walk to the church from his house & an additional 12 minutes to walk to the H.S. - that's a total of 20-21 minutes. Also, if he had stopped off at the church - he would probably have needed to have been there for at least 3-5 minutes to talk to someone (especially if he couldn't find anyone right away) - thereby taking up even more time.

Due to the co-worker's obvious emphasis that "he better be there", I don't see JJ taking this valuable time to stop by the church & tell them he couldn't be there for something that wasn't extremely important to begin with. And, if he didn't have a cell phone & couldn't call the church to cancel while walking to the H.S. - he could easily have called them from home before he left. Or, he could have waited until he got to work, and called from there (unless the restaurant had a strict policy on making personal calls).

I.e., this is the type of cancellation that is typically made via a phone call, not in-person.

Just my .02

 

[MatthewTyler]

Just to clairfy with the topic of Jason being pressured by his dad to joining a seminary:

This was a comment originally made by @studebkr , but only that it was a rumor and not proven fact. His family knew their family, so that carries more weight coming from him. The article I posted here a couple years ago did mention Jason was in fact considering joining one, as he was in communication with a group in St. Louis. Although it doesn't mention obviously whether it's his choice or not, I have a hard time believing that a 19 year old would decide to dedicate the rest of his life to God, celibacy, and a strict lifestyle. It's a little confusing because on the one hand we hear that Jason's dad wanted him to join a seminary, but then on the other we hear that he was getting a job to help pay for his way back into the radio program at school. So what was the end result going to be? Were his parents just humoring his radio dreams? We don't know. I also don't believe that someone at the church attacked Jason over the denial of joining a seminary; that seems way too out-there. If anything, it'd be more likely that him being forced into this would lead more to a suicide or running away.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

A lot of 19-year olds have no idea what they want to do with the rest of their lives - I know I didn't @ that age. Typically, most people of post-H.S. age are either working and/or in college. I know JJ had gone to college, but was taking some time off & was working, etc. It's very possible he didn't know what he really wanted to do re: a career, etc.

I also don't believe that someone at the church attacked Jason over the denial of joining a seminary; that seems way too out-there. If anything, it'd be more likely that him being forced into this would lead more to a suicide or running away.

I know you're not suggesting that this is probably what happened here, but just to address this (since it's been brought up before, possibly on a previous thread): I've been following this case since I first heard about it last summer. And, I never thought that JJ "ran away" due to pressure from his family. If he had, I'm convinced he wouldn't have done it under the circumstances that occurred. I.e.:

1) Vanishing on the way to work when he was called in unexpectedly - while a co-worker (who was doing him a favor) went out of her way to pick him up. I.e., the whole situation re: his going into work early was unplanned.

2) Plus, he was walking on foot - while his car was in the shop.

3) Also, as has been said - there was 0 activity on his financial/bank accounts after he vanished.

So, he left town without his car, on foot - and without touching the money (admittedly not much) in his bank account. Then, he never contacted his family in the 21 1/2 years since he vanished - to at least let them know he was OK, etc. I find this extremely unlikely.

And, if he had decided to end things himself (which I don't believe either), I don't see why the body wouldn't have been found by now.