Identified! TX - Pecos, WhtFem, 17-20, UP13480, in motel swimming pool Jul'66 - Jolaine Hemmy

[Triss]

Oh, me too! After so long, it really is a miracle!

It truly is! DNA is a blessing.

 

[Eddie99]

Anyone know approximately what time of day it was when this occurred?

 

[wary]

Anyone know approximately what time of day it was when this occurred?

In the first post on this thread it says: “about 5:30 pm.”

 

[Quoththeraven]

She disappeared from the drive in diner she worked at about July 1, 1966. She was 17. Age 16 is the age of consent in Kansas. The man with her was an adult using an assumed false name. Four days and 750+ miles later she was heard screaming for help in what appears to be an enclosed pool at Roper's Motel in Pecos, TX. The route appeared to head directly to Mexico. A bruise was found on her temple. The motel was up for sale the following year.

What I'd like to know is did she know how to swim?

 

[wary]

She disappeared from the drive in diner she worked at about July 1, 1966. She was 17. Age 16 is the age of consent in Kansas. The man with her was an adult using an assumed false name. Four days and 750+ miles later she was heard screaming for help in what appears to be an enclosed pool at Roper's Motel in Pecos, TX. The route appeared to head directly to Mexico. A bruise was found on her temple. The motel was up for sale the following year.

What I'd like to know is did she know how to swim?

I’d also like to know her swimming skills.

Haven’t other people posted here saying that she was under the age of consent at the time?

 

[Susikatze]

Back then it was 18. It was lowered to 16 later

 

[Susikatze]

Route looks indeed headed to Mexico, but I guess also to any place in the Southwest. Cali, even Las Vegas (maybe he promised marriage to her?) are possible, too.
Mexico would have been even more vile as Jolaine would have been much harder to track by family.

 

[othram]

An updated post also linking to a great NCMEC video that summarizes the case: Unknown Girl Drowned

 

[MadMcGoo]

I’m so glad she’s been identified! A small part of me would like to know the answers to some of the other questions.

https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2021/we-never-stop-looking-not-even-55-years-later

Now, the police chief has opened an investigation into Joaline’s death that occurred just four days after she went missing and more than 760 miles from her Kansas home. Was it an accident or foul play? Who was the male she was with and why didn’t he stick around when she was found unresponsive in the pool?

Tarango said Jolaine’s siblings don’t recall their shy sister having any boyfriends and can’t think of anyone she would have run away with. But they did share something that may be useful in the investigation.

Jolaine did not know how to swim.

 

[Quoththeraven]

Tarango said Jolaine’s siblings don’t recall their shy sister having any boyfriends and can’t think of anyone she would have run away with. But they did share something that may be useful in the investigation.

Jolaine did not know how to swim.

That makes it suspicious. I believe I read that the owner's 15 year old granddaughter was the only clerk on duty. She could have been easily fooled by somebody staging an accidental drowning. Plus the girl screamed and it was the granddaughter who pulled her out. Did the clerk hear her scream or did somebody tell her they heard a scream and then she went looking? What was the time frame between the scream and being pulled out? Why would she be by the pool close enough to fall in by herself? Then the older guy, who was allegedly taking a nap, takes off with the registration form under false pretenses. Very odd.

I wonder how close the pool was to their motel room?

Identified! - TX - Pecos, WhtFem, 17-20, UP13480, found dead in motel swimming pool Jul 66 - Jolaine Hemmy

 

[Susikatze]

Yes that is a crucial detail. She would not have gotten in the pool if she didnt know how to swim.

Her lovely sisters actually are convinced, Jolaine was taken against her will and that she was murdered.

If Jolaine was "shy", in my opinion it would have even been easier for some predator to gain her trust and attention and silence her so that she would not share anything about the relationship with her family.

 

[madamx]

If "Russell Battoun" was a fictitious name, why would he go back for the registration card?

I suppose there could be some fictitious and some true info, like perhaps he'd given the correct make and model of his car?

I was thinking the same thing. If that was a fake name. What was the dire need to get the card. Maybe his real license plate was on it. I never read anywhere any mention of a car or a plate number or state.
I wonder how much they looked into the real Russell.

Also I wonder if the girl was on something .. I don’t know how to swim I would not go into any deep end of any pool knowing I can’t swim. It just seems so odd.

 

[Susikatze]

Also if I were to pick some fake name, I would use something generic like "John Smith" or so. Battoun is a really rare last name.

 

[madamx]

Also if I were to pick some fake name, I would use something generic like "John Smith" or so. Battoun is a really rare last name.

Exactly! He had to have known the guy. Perhaps he was stationed with him. I wonder if any of the guys from his troupe had been reported AWOL. Or the guy could of been from the same home town as Baytown. That is too of a specific name to just make up to rent a room.

 

[Quoththeraven]

Exactly! He had to have known the guy. Perhaps he was stationed with him. I wonder if any of the guys from his troupe had been reported AWOL. Or the guy could of been from the same home town as Baytown. That is too of a specific name to just make up to rent a room.

Four days and 750+ miles tells me they more than likely stopped elsewhere else along the way. Too bad they didn't check any other motels in the state to see if a Mr. & Mrs. Russell Battoun had stopped at any of those motels. I also wonder if they checked the girl to see if she maybe had been raped. Him taking off is a sign of guilt, IMO.

 

[carbuff]

So glad to see she's been identified. What a sad ending.

I used to go into pools all the time back when I couldn't swim. I'd just be careful to stay in the shallow end, or near the side. That said, I don't think that's what happened here. Sounds for sure like kidnapping and murder.

 

[Kiranerys]

So glad to see she's been identified. What a sad ending.

I used to go into pools all the time back when I couldn't swim. I'd just be careful to stay in the shallow end, or near the side. That said, I don't think that's what happened here. Sounds for sure like kidnapping and murder.

I can see someone who can't swim still going to the pool with friends to join in and do as you did by staying in the shallow end, but would you have gone by yourself and got into the pool if you were completely alone?.
I agree with you, something is off with this one

 

[MarziPanda]

I still don't think this was murder, personally.

It was July, in Texas. It was probably very hot. I can see her getting in the pool to cool off, being unbearably hot - she probably wasn't used to that sort of heat. If he wanted to murder her, he had countless opportunities to do so during their 750+ mile journey. Why would he not have murdered her sooner? On the long stretches of lonely road, where he could dump her in the middle of nowhere and she may never even have been found? That would make so much more sense. He could have killed her and gotten away with it easily.

In comparison, murdering someone in a motel pool is extremely risky. As I've said before, it's likely that at least some of the rooms faced the pool, there was no way of knowing nobody was watching. And since they were together, he would be the immediate suspect and would be heavily questioned were she to die in the motel. The reports of screams are not consistent, with some reports saying there were screams and other reports saying there were not. I doubt there was enough time to hold her under the water until she died, go back to the motel room with nobody seeing, change clothes (as they would be wet) and get into bed - all before she was discovered in the pool. It's just so very unlikely.

That he immediately took off isn't a sign that he killed her, I don't think. He was grooming a vulnerable teen. He had no way of knowing if he was wanted for kidnapping, so it makes sense that he would take off rather than getting arrested for kidnapping or whatever else he knew he'd done.

 

[madamx]

I still don't think this was murder, personally.

It was July, in Texas. It was probably very hot. I can see her getting in the pool to cool off, being unbearably hot - she probably wasn't used to that sort of heat. If he wanted to murder her, he had countless opportunities to do so during their 750+ mile journey. Why would he not have murdered her sooner? On the long stretches of lonely road, where he could dump her in the middle of nowhere and she may never even have been found? That would make so much more sense. He could have killed her and gotten away with it easily.

In comparison, murdering someone in a motel pool is extremely risky. As I've said before, it's likely that at least some of the rooms faced the pool, there was no way of knowing nobody was watching. And since they were together, he would be the immediate suspect and would be heavily questioned were she to die in the motel. The reports of screams are not consistent, with some reports saying there were screams and other reports saying there were not. I doubt there was enough time to hold her under the water until she died, go back to the motel room with nobody seeing, change clothes (as they would be wet) and get into bed - all before she was discovered in the pool. It's just so very unlikely.

That he immediately took off isn't a sign that he killed her, I don't think. He was grooming a vulnerable teen. He had no way of knowing if he was wanted for kidnapping, so it makes sense that he would take off rather than getting arrested for kidnapping or whatever else he knew he'd done.

You know.. MarziPanda...I think you have a good point there. Why would he just try and drown her in the pool in public...when he had all the chances to do so elsewhere.

He prob was just hanging in the room and had no idea and panicked and ran out of there because he prob knew he was with a girl that just left home ran away, was prob being looked for and was younger.

Makes me wonder was she on some type of drug or something or drinking. I wonder if they ever tested that. Something that made her not think clearly. Because again. I don’t swim I would Not be going into a pool Alone past my waist.. ever ever.

Also was it ever checked out or mentioned if there was anyone else with her by the pool??. Like maybe someone that worked at the motel that tried to do something to her or get funny with her in the pool ( but the Motel never said anything to cover up for the worker and the reputation of the motel) that is just a thought I had right now .

Oh and last thought. What if she just went out to the pool and drowned herself to kill herself.. because leaving home with this guy was not what she planned and she felt she could not go back?? (And that is why the guy was not with her sleeping)

The screams mentioned are also unclear.. could it have been the granddaughter when she realized the girl was dead in the pool that started screaming? And it was confused with girl screaming??

So many scenarios and so many Questions.. and still.. who is the guy??

 

[madamx]

Salina teenager identified as 1966 Texas Jane Doe


Theman asked for the motel registration card and told employees he was going to the hospital, but never showed up. It appears he took his belongings from the motel, left and wasn't seen again.





Unsolved Mysteries and Scary Stuff: Bizarre Tales of the Missing and Murdered Vol. 10

************************
this article has a news paper clipping with the mans description
says the man was short blonde with a white tshirt black trousers and loafers
************************
I read somewhere ( I believe on this thread but I can’t find it) he had shorter hair on top and longer on the sides which makes me wonder if his hair was thinning. Also read he was around 5’7.

Meanwhile her male counterpart went to the front desk and asked for the couple’s registration card back, in order to use at the hospital as identification. He then climbed into a late model Sedan and drove away. He never went to the hospital and was never seen again.


Article also mentions a late model sedan but no color or plate. ( I find it odd that there is no color mentioned) especially in the 1960s, cars had all these bright colors unlike today mostly black white or silver which they all pretty much look the same. A late model would of been a newer car from that year.