PA PA - Michelle Jolene Lakey, 11, Scranton, 26 Aug 1986

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Bumping for Jolene. Today marks the first day of her 34th year missing. I hope and pray there are some answers this year.
 
Cold Case Clue? Anonymous Letter Prompts Investigation

A woman sent a chilling letter to the Scranton Times-Tribune newspaper and now Scranton police are asking that woman to come forward.

The woman believes she heard a murder in the late 1980s.

More than 30 years ago, a woman was driving on part of I-81 north when she claims to have heard a horrific female scream. She then saw a fire, and the screams got louder and sounded full of pain and terror.

When the screaming stopped, the woman smelled fuel and burning rubber. Other witnesses, including her husband, brushed it off as teens partying in the woods.

There are eerie similarities to what the woman who wrote the anonymous letter heard and saw and the murders tied to Osellanie.

Osellanie is still locked up for the 1989 rape and murder of 9-year-old Renee Waddle. Her body was found burning along a wooded private road in Roaring Brook Township.

But Osellanie was also the chief suspect in three other cases: the murder of 19-year-old Laureen Finn, and the disappearances of 22-year-old Joanne Williams and 11-year-old Michele Jolene Lakey.

The bodies of Williams and Lakey were never found.
 
Michelle Jolene Lakey
  • michelle_jolene_lakey_1.jpg
  • michelle_jolene_lakey_2.jpg
  • michelle_jolene_lakey_3.jpg
  • lakey_michelle_ap.jpg
Michelle, circa 1986; Age-progression to age 43 (circa 2017)

  • Missing Since 08/26/1986
  • Missing From Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • Classification Non-Family Abduction
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 10/21/1974 (45)
  • Age 11 years old
  • Height and Weight 4'9 - 5'0, 80 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A white shirt with purple trim and a tie front, dark blue sweatpants, and brown sandals with straps.
  • Medical Conditions Jolene has a long history of illnesses, particularly pneumonia, and may still be susceptible.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown to blonde hair, brown eyes. Michelle goes by her middle name, Jolene; some agencies refer to her as Jolene Michelle Lakey or spell her name "Michele." She had long fingernails at the time of her 1986 disappearance. Her nicknames are Boozer and Boo. Jolene had a small, slight build at the time of her disappearance and looked much younger than her age. She wore children's size 14 clothes and size 8 shoes in 1986. Her female family members are all short, and she may be also.
Details of Disappearance
Jolene visited her mother at Mercy Hospital in their hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania on August 26, 1986. She was last seen walking on north Washington Avenue towards her home, which was in the 1300 block of that street. She was planning on spending the night at a female friend's house on Myrtle Street.

Jolene may have entered an unidentified light yellow car approximately one block from her family's residence. She has never been seen again. Authorities believe she was abducted by a non-family member.

Frank Osellanie is considered a possible suspect in Jolene's case. He was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering a nine-year-old Scranton girl in 1990 and has been in prison ever since. He is considered a person of interest in several other cases, including the 1978 disappearance of Joanne Williams.

Osellanie admitted to knowing Jolene and said she sometimes visited his auto shop and he gave her rides home. He maintains his innocence in her disappearance, however, and investigators are not sure whether he was involved.

Jolene's parents are divorced; she had not seen her father for three years prior to her disappearance and he was not notified of her abduction for seven months afterwards. Her mother moved away from Scranton shortly after her disappearance and now lives in Oxford, New York. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
  • Pennsylvania State Police 570-963-3156
Source Information
 
I've been researching and reading about Jolene's case for several weeks. I am originally from Scranton, PA. I was wondering if the police had investigated Frank Osellanie back in 1986 when Jolene first went missing? I've read some old articles where it is mentioned she never would have gotten into a vehicle unless she knew the person, so the family suspected it was someone she knew. I just have wondered if Osellanie's name ever was brought up before he was arrested for the murder of Renee Waddle?

I hope Jolene's family can get answers one day soon.
 
MissLaura said:
I've been researching and reading about Jolene's case for several weeks. I am originally from Scranton, PA. I was wondering if the police had investigated Frank Osellanie back in 1986 when Jolene first went missing? I've read some old articles where it is mentioned she never would have gotten into a vehicle unless she knew the person, so the family suspected it was someone she knew. I just have wondered if Osellanie's name ever was brought up before he was arrested for the murder of Renee Waddle?

I hope Jolene's family can get answers one day soon.
Click to expand...

Ossellanie is mentioned several times earlier in this thread. Some of the old links are dead but scroll down to post #9.
PA - PA - Michelle Jolene Lakey, 11, Scranton, 26 Aug 1986
 
It’s a real life mystery, 11-year-old Jolene Lakey from Scranton vanishes without a trace. Despite the passage of nearly 35 years, the search for answers continues in this cold case.

Lead I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick speaks with Lakey’s sister and community leaders about the case and their efforts to solve the mystery. The story tonight on Eyewitness News at 6 p.m.
Where Is Jolene Lakey? | Eyewitness News
 
Thank you for posting this! I'm looking forward to what they say. I've listened to Jolene's sister on a couple of podcasts, and what she and her siblings went through is heartbreaking and infuriating.
 
Very interested in this case as well as she and I were close in age and I grew up across town in West Scranton. MissLaura, can you post any links to the podcasts? I'd really love to listen to them.
 
Jolene went missing 35 years ago today on August 26, 1986.


The Pennsylvania State Police, Troop R, Dunmore, continues their search for Michele Jolene Lakey.

August 26, 2021 marks the 35th Anniversary when Jolene was walking home from Mercy Hospital in Scranton, after visiting her mother on August 26, 1986.

She was walking with a friend. They stopped on the sidewalk by her friend's house on Myrtle Street in Scranton. Jolene then continued alone, and her friend watched her turn onto North Washington Avenue towards her home.

Witnesses in the area stated that they saw a person matching Jolene's description enter an unidentified light-yellow car, approximately one block from her family's residence on North Washington Avenue.

Jolene has not been seen since.

She was last seen wearing a white blouse with purple trim, blue sweatpants, and sandals.

Jolene's last known address was the 1300 block of North Washington Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.

Michele Jolene Lakey, AKA: Jolene, DOB: 10/21/1974, Missing at age 11, Current age: 39, White/Female When Michele Jolene Lakey went missing she was 5'0", 80lbs., Eyes: Brown, Hair: Brown/Shoulder Length

Any persons with information regarding this incident are asked to anonymously contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online at Tip Form

All callers to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and could be eligible for a CASH REWARD for information that leads to an arrest, the solving of a crime/cold case or the location of a wanted person/fugitive or missing person. All information is accurate as of Release Date and is subject to change or updated.
Click to expand...

Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: CASE: COLD CASE - 35 YEARS AGO - MISSING - MICHELE JOLENE LAKEY - SCRANTON - LACKAWANNA
 
From the article:
When questioned about the photo, the family explained that they thought police would not look hard enough for Jolene if her current picture was provided
Click to expand...
What does this mean? Why wouldn't police look hard enough for Jolene if they had a current picture? This doesn't make sense to me, unless I'm missing something.
 
Alleykins said:
From the article:

What does this mean? Why wouldn't police look hard enough for Jolene if they had a current picture? This doesn't make sense to me, unless I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

From my understanding, she looked more mature in the recent photos and the fear was that they would think she was a runaway. They did consider the possibility that she ran away initially, even though she was only 11.
 
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