Jaclyn "Jackie" Rose Elmquist, 24, found in basement of luxury apartment building, Manhattan, 2 Dec 2023

[ChatteringBirds]

Feel incredibly bad for her family and those friends/coworkers that probably thought they'd done the right thing, getting her in the cab

I think her coworkers did the right thing. I can think of many people who could be blamed, if blaming was the goal, but this is what we are all told to do -- call someone a cab. It is just a terrible tragedy.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

I'm not at all familiar with the road system in NYC.

For someone who lived in Brooklyn, as Jackie reportedly did, would it be normal for a cab to drive north from her last known location at 16th St & 9th Ave? Brooklyn is to the south.

Where Jackie was found is only 12 blocks north and 1.5 blocks west of where she got into the cab. So close it seems like she got out again almost immediately, whatever the reason.

 

[whiterhino]

She was in Manhattan the whole time even though she lived in Brooklyn. Could she not tell the driver her address??

If her co-workers put her in the cab, did they give her address or did they just hail a cab and put her in? (not their fault, just wondering why the cab went the wrong way)

 

[sunflowermomma]

I'm not at all familiar with the road system in NYC.

For someone who lived in Brooklyn, as Jackie reportedly did, would it be normal for a cab to drive north from her last known location at 16th St & 9th Ave? Brooklyn is to the south.

Where Jackie was found is only 12 blocks north and 1.5 blocks west of where she got into the cab. So close it seems like she got out again almost immediately, whatever the reason.

I live in NYC - it makes sense that the cab would drive north because it needed to get on the freeway to get back to Brooklyn. Nothing weird about the route. I also highly suspect she was sick/vomiting and that's why she left the cab.

 

[Cryptic]

Libby's friends basically did Jackie's coworkers did; shoved her into a cab after she drank way too much. She made it to her house, didn't make it to her door, wandered around, and was taken advantage or and murdered.

Really, really makes me disgusted for humanity.

I have more faith in humanity.

Travel anywhere in New York takes time and is expensive using anything but the subway. Most People in NYC do not own cars- and a good number do not have driver licenses. It is unlikely that her friends had access to a private car in Manhattan.

Her friends did not leave her to the subway, but apparently called a fully licensed taxi for her (not say, an unlicensed "gypsy" cab). I imagine this is SOP for getting drunk friends back home to distant parts of NYC.

As a side note, the deceased and her friends were apparently in lower Manhattan. Though one can get into trouble anywhere, in any city, I dont think the area is known for being high risk / high crime. But... I"ll defer to @sunflowermomma

 

[Cryptic]

If her co-workers put her in the cab, did they give her address or did they just hail a cab and put her in? (not their fault, just wondering why the cab went the wrong way)

As @sunflowermomma pointed out, it might not have been the wrong way. Brooklyn is yuuuge. Like LA, the most efficient routes in NYC are sometimes not the obvious routes.

 

[Inthedetails]

As @sunflowermomma alluded to, it might not have been the wrong way. Brooklyn is yuuuge and like LA, the most efficient routes in NYC are sometimes not the obvious routes.

To get to Brooklyn from Manhattan, you either cross a bridge or take a tunnel. The East River separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. So the route from Manhattan first has to get you to the right river crossing. We can't assess the best route without knowing where in Brooklyn she lived.

However, we don't know if she told the cabbie to take her to 28th Street instead. Maybe in her inebriated state, she thought it would be a good idea to visit someone. We don't know yet.

jmo

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

I have more faith in humanity.

Travel anywhere in New York takes time and is expensive using anything but the subway. Most People in NYC do not own cars- and a good number do not have driver licenses. It is unlikely that her friends had access to a private car in Manhattan.

Her friends did not leave her to the subway, but apparently called a fully licensed taxi for her (not say, an unlicensed "gypsy" cab). I imagine this is SOP for getting drunk friends back home to distant parts of NYC.

As a side note, the deceased and her friends were apparently in lower Manhattan. Though one can get into trouble anywhere, in any city, I dont think the area is known for being high risk / high crime. But... I"ll defer to @sunflowermomma

There is also the buddy system, that no young female should walk alone, jog alone, etc., esp in a city at night. I’m curious if she hadn’t been drunk, how would she have gotten home? Same method? Called her own taxi? Alone? We can’t always be with another, a buddy, as eventually one of the two would get dropped off at their location, and the second would be left alone to get to hers, but I wonder if they didn’t think she was that inebriated and would be okay. I still can’t wrap my head around her demise. Seems like way more intoxication than just alcohol to me, or foul play.

 

[ifindedout]

Hopefully, her autopsy should be able to tell how much ethanol was in her system (allowing for that produced during the beginning of decomp), together with any other substances, the contents of her stomach, and analysis of any accompanying vomitus if present.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Hopefully, her autopsy should be able to tell how much ethanol was in her system (allowing for that produced during the beginning of decomp), together with any other substances, the contents of her stomach, and analysis of any accompanying vomitus if present.

Yes! Grateful, at least, that she was located soon after. Such a sad story.

 

[scoodyboo]

There is also the buddy system, that no young female should walk alone, jog alone, etc., esp in a city at night. I’m curious if she hadn’t been drunk, how would she have gotten home? Same method? Called her own taxi? Alone? We can’t always be with another, a buddy, as eventually one of the two would get dropped off at their location, and the second would be left alone to get to hers, but I wonder if they didn’t think she was that inebriated and would be okay. I still can’t wrap my head around her demise. Seems like way more intoxication than just alcohol to me, or foul play.

Questions about cab ride (why not Lyft or Uber? Maybe there was surge pricing or some other reason not to go with that option.)

Direction of cab could be to get to highway or bridge or could be as someone said a few pages ago a result of her saying her address but miscommunication about which borough. (To me, it seems like the restaurant was relatively close to the bridges to Brooklyn so makes no sense to go north. But could have been following WAVE directions due to traffic/closures, etc.)

Is the cab driver known to police? Did they kick her out due to her being sick or did she decide to get out for whatever reason?

Why did her phone stop pinging and exactly where? (I've seen reports of the last ping at 11th St and also 11th Ave.) Did her battery die? Did she turn it off and throw it out the window?

Wonder if the friends will speak to media. I am wondering (but obviously have no idea) about their state of intoxication after the party and maybe not thinking as clearly as normal. (Absolutely no judgment towards them, just imagining a scenario.)

This reminds me of poor Imette St. Guillen who stayed out after her friends went home, never imagining such evil lurked. (2006) The video of Jacklyn stumbling along the street made me think of Jordan Taylor who has been missing for almost a year and the video of him walking on the westside (more downtown than Jacklyn, although he was supposedly at Hell's Kitchen area earlier in night.)

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Questions about cab ride (why not Lyft or Uber? Maybe there was surge pricing or some other reason not to go with that option.)

Direction of cab could be to get to highway or bridge or could be as someone said a few pages ago a result of her saying her address but miscommunication about which borough. (To me, it seems like the restaurant was relatively close to the bridges to Brooklyn so makes no sense to go north. But could have been following WAVE directions due to traffic/closures, etc.)

Is the cab driver known to police? Did they kick her out due to her being sick or did she decide to get out for whatever reason?

Why did her phone stop pinging and exactly where? (I've seen reports of the last ping at 11th St and also 11th Ave.) Did her battery die? Did she turn it off and throw it out the window?

Wonder if the friends will speak to media. I am wondering (but obviously have no idea) about their state of intoxication after the party and maybe not thinking as clearly as normal. (Absolutely no judgment towards them, just imagining a scenario.)

This reminds me of poor Imette St. Guillen who stayed out after her friends went home, never imagining such evil lurked. (2006) The video of Jacklyn stumbling along the street made me think of Jordan Taylor who has been missing for almost a year and the video of him walking on the westside (more downtown than Jacklyn, although he was supposedly at Hell's Kitchen area earlier in night.)

I just read about Imette’s case. So awful!

 

[waldojabba]

There is also the buddy system, that no young female should walk alone, jog alone, etc., esp in a city at night. I’m curious if she hadn’t been drunk, how would she have gotten home? Same method? Called her own taxi? Alone? We can’t always be with another, a buddy, as eventually one of the two would get dropped off at their location, and the second would be left alone to get to hers, but I wonder if they didn’t think she was that inebriated and would be okay. I still can’t wrap my head around her demise. Seems like way more intoxication than just alcohol to me, or foul play.

BBM above
I have to agree
I think maybe something got slipped into her drink. Didn’t they say that she went with coworkers to a bar after the work party? Could have happened there or even at the company party.
We know so little. She was with “work”people and I am wondering how long she had been with the company etc. Did she know the people well etc.
I was just remarking to another long time friend how lucky we were to survive our college days and 20’s - lots of stories and lots of room for things to have gone very wrong.
But against the odds most of us do live to tell about “that time” and learn from our foolish days of partying or whatever we were in to.
There is no happy ending for this poor girl and her family. I really hope LE is thorough
This feels like it needs thorough. Get the camera footage talk to the doorman coworkers cab driver find the coat and purse - all of it- it very well could be that random crime of opportunity -maybe she walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. JMO

 

[waldojabba]

Questions about cab ride (why not Lyft or Uber? Maybe there was surge pricing or some other reason not to go with that option.)

Direction of cab could be to get to highway or bridge or could be as someone said a few pages ago a result of her saying her address but miscommunication about which borough. (To me, it seems like the restaurant was relatively close to the bridges to Brooklyn so makes no sense to go north. But could have been following WAVE directions due to traffic/closures, etc.)

Is the cab driver known to police? Did they kick her out due to her being sick or did she decide to get out for whatever reason?

Why did her phone stop pinging and exactly where? (I've seen reports of the last ping at 11th St and also 11th Ave.) Did her battery die? Did she turn it off and throw it out the window?

Wonder if the friends will speak to media. I am wondering (but obviously have no idea) about their state of intoxication after the party and maybe not thinking as clearly as normal. (Absolutely no judgment towards them, just imagining a scenario.)

This reminds me of poor Imette St. Guillen who stayed out after her friends went home, never imagining such evil lurked. (2006) The video of Jacklyn stumbling along the street made me think of Jordan Taylor who has been missing for almost a year and the video of him walking on the westside (more downtown than Jacklyn, although he was supposedly at Hell's Kitchen area earlier in night.)

Your post just reminded me of Hannah Graham in Charlottesville. Out late in town as a student at UVA alone. Love that town, who knew such evil could lurk there too. Her killer happens to see her kind of lost and unsure on her feet out and about late - I think he was a cabbie.they did have video. This too could be the random senseless spur of the moment type crime. JMO

 

[ch_13]

I'm not at all familiar with the road system in NYC.

For someone who lived in Brooklyn, as Jackie reportedly did, would it be normal for a cab to drive north from her last known location at 16th St & 9th Ave? Brooklyn is to the south.

Where Jackie was found is only 12 blocks north and 1.5 blocks west of where she got into the cab. So close it seems like she got out again almost immediately, whatever the reason.

According to the missing poster, Jackie caught a cab in front of Catch Steakhouse which is on 9th Avenue, a one-way road that runs south. And if she was going to Brooklyn, then no matter what bridge/tunnel crossing she was using, the quickest way would usually be via the West Side Highway. So, I don't think the cab ever drove north. I think it went south on 9th Avenue, and then made a right turn to get to the WSH, perhaps at W 14th or W 15th Street.

I believe that at some point, probably before the cab reached the WSH, Jackie got out (or was thrown out) of the cab. It would be no more than a 15-20 minute walk from the corner of 10th & 14th to the residential building where her body was found.

The map below illustrates what I mean (solid blue line for the cab ride, dotted line for on foot).

Edit - Also, there have been some comments about Jackie "calling" a taxi. I doubt she did that. It's likely she just hailed one on the street. On a Friday night in Chelsea there would be plenty of yellow cabs crawling the streets.

 

[iQuill]

I wonder if we will learn about information gathered by LE from the taxi driver. I imagine he/she has been interviewed and LE has confirmed when Jackie got in and out of the cab - where and why. We may hear from her coworkers as well ... in time. Such a sad, sad tragedy. RIP pretty girl. Moo

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Probably should have looked for this sooner, but there is a 28th St in Brooklyn:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[sunflowermomma]

The direction the cab went is really, really NOT alarming to me at all. There are one-ways in Manhattan, streets closed for holiday events/pedestrians only, and the cab went just a couple blocks north. It's not like it was headed up to Harlem.

See how the freeway runs along the left side of Manhattan? The cab would need to find a freeway entrance. Sometimes this means going up a few blocks. Also, if she lived somewhere in north brooklyn like Greenpoint, the cab likely would've gone through Long Island City which could necessitate going even further north to drop down into Brooklyn.

The map below also notes a 42 minute drive - NYC is really big.

 

[sunflowermomma]

The red dot that says 23rd street is a subway entrace to the A, C, and E lines which go to Brooklyn. The smaller red dot is the steak house she was last at with coworkers. 540 West 28th is where she was found. I wonder if she got out of the cab for whatever reason and then was trying to find a subway entrance, and ended up in the utilities part of an apartment building because she potentially thought it was the subway entrance and had drunkenly gone the wrong way?

Some subway entrances in nicer parts of town (Hudson Yards is a very nice and desirable part of town nowadays esp right by The High Line) have fairly ambiguous and clean-looking subway entrances

 

[Inthedetails]

The red dot that says 23rd street is a subway entrace to the A, C, and E lines which go to Brooklyn. The smaller red dot is the steak house she was last at with coworkers. 540 West 28th is where she was found. I wonder if she got out of the cab for whatever reason and then was trying to find a subway entrance, and ended up in the utilities part of an apartment building because she potentially thought it was the subway entrance and had drunkenly gone the wrong way?

Some subway entrances in nicer parts of town (Hudson Yards is a very nice and desirable part of town nowadays esp right by The High Line) have fairly ambiguous and clean-looking subway entrances

View attachment 466027

That makes the most sense to me so far of the cab drop off. And explains why it looks like she is trying to enter buildings - was she looking for the subway entrance? Good thinking.

jmo