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

[Andreee]

Longtime lurker of WebSleuths and this is my very first post.

I've been following this case for a very long time now along with numerous others, but this one has always stood out to me and has disturbed me in a disturbing way that other cases haven't. How can this young man just vanish without (quite literally) a trace in broad daylight in the manner that he did? This is one of those cases I always google his name every month or so in hope that something comes up or there's new information or quite literally ANYTHING NEW.

I have been reading through this whole thread, going back to thread #1 and reading each and every post. I'm currently almost done with thread #3 and am going to start at post 1 on thread #4 as soon as I finish the third one.

But one thing that has always bothered me, and something I haven't seen anyone on WebSleuths bring up, atleast in what i've read of the first three threads so far is, Jason had a cell phone. Why didn't he attempt to call either his brother at home, his parents at work, or 911 on his cell phone? Now we know his mom & dad were at work we but don't know if he had his parents work numbers in his phone and/or if Jason knew how to get a hold of them at work. But it's pretty likely and a safe bet he had his house phone number memorized and/or saved in his phone. And of course 911 everyone knows. And this, the lack of calling anyone, also throws so many wrenches into many of the ideas, theories, and possibilities people have conjured up.

It bothers me so much. If he would've been able to call 911, even if he just made the call and hung up as soon as the 911 dispatcher picked up, or if he wasn't able to talk/speak for whatever reason, this whole thing could have gone so very differently. There very well may have not been a 10 day wait to begin searching & canvassing their neighborhood. They could have maybe gotten some sort of general location ping on his phone. Something. Police are required by law to tend to every 911 call, they can't ignore them even if they're 99.9% certain it's a prank call.

If only, even something so small as attempting to call 911, if that would've happened, it could've possibly of made a huge difference and been the difference between solving this and still not knowing in 2025, 24 years later.

What kind of heinous tragedy happened to this poor, young man? Did he not know he was experiencing and/or about to experience foul play? Did the person(s) responsible for his disappearance take his phone? Did Jason not feel comfortable making a phone call because they might and/or were threatening to enact a heinous act against him if he did so? With whatever happened, did it happen so quick he couldn't of possibly of ever made a phone call? I just don't know. It seems so farfetched and so very unlikely for him to wind up in a situation like that on a short, 15 minute walk from his house to the school on a summer morning/early afternoon where someone would take his phone and/or threaten him violently if he attempted to make a phone call. Sounds like some ridiculously scene straight out of a movie or TV show. But I'm grasping at straws here and I digress.

But obviously, something happened. Jason is missing. Has been for almost 24 years. But unfortunately, we have pretty much no evidence, no clues, no nothing to go off of. No information, no leads, no suspects. Nothing has come up in the past 24 years. Nothing. Nada, zilch! It's all just so very, very sad. And it disturbs me greatly. I can't even imagine the pain & suffering the family have went through and what they must feel.

Welcome to the thread, and I am glad you posted! Re. the cellphone, I suspect it was a simple flip phone without all the 'bells and whistles.' Nevertheless, perhaps Jason had it in his pocket rather than nowadays where we all seem to have our phones in our hands and they are easier to use. I also think Jason did not have any opportunity to use his phone, having from the get-go been threatened with a weapon or hit over the head and rendered unconscious, or maybe drugged. You're right, nothing to go on whatsover! I'm starting to wonder if those recent night walks Jason had started taking had something to do with this, as it was a change in his regular activities. At any rate, none of it makes sense. IMO.

 

[hannah246]

Welcome to the thread, and I am glad you posted! Re. the cellphone, I suspect it was a simple flip phone without all the 'bells and whistles.' Nevertheless, perhaps Jason had it in his pocket rather than nowadays where we all seem to have our phones in our hands and they are easier to use. I also think Jason did not have any opportunity to use his phone, having from the get-go been threatened with a weapon or hit over the head and rendered unconscious, or maybe drugged. You're right, nothing to go on whatsover! I'm starting to wonder if those recent night walks Jason had started taking had something to do with this, as it was a change in his regular activities. At any rate, none of it makes sense. IMO.

<modsnip - calling out another member> my post do you think the police could have traced a dead fone at that time?

 

[Alleykins]

In a semi-recent podcast, Jason's mother stated that Jason had a cell phone and they called it multiple times and it would go straight to voice mail. I assume that means Jason had it on him the day he went missing, but by the time his parents got home the phone was shut off or dead.

"A Mother's Agony: The Unsolved Disappearance of Jason Jolkowski" Jason was LAST seen pulling the garbage cans into the garage of his home in Omaha, Nebraska on June 13th, 2001. An in-depth conversation with his loving mom, Kelly.

Podcast Episode · Can I Help Find Your Missing Loved One? · 2024-06-27 · 1h 2m

podcasts.apple.com

Here is the link and the time stamp on the cell phone comment is 19:38.

Thank you, I'll give it a listen.

 

[crescentmoon13]

<modsnip - calling out another member> do you think the police could have traced a dead fone at that time?

<modsnip - quoted post was snipped> I am not educated in the realm of cell phone tracking but I could guess that maybe they tried to ping the tower where his phone was last used. I highly doubt that tracking cell phones was a skillful task in law enforcement in 2001. I mean whoever shut the phone off knew what they were doing and probably disposed of the cell phone immediately. Jason was a responsible kid so I highly doubt he would have left the house with an empty battery on his phone. I assume that the phone got manually shut off and didn't just die.

 

[MatthewTyler]

Still kind of surprised Jason even had a cell phone. Being that he was a shy and not very social person, why would he even need one? Did he go out regularly enough to justify needing to get in immediate touch with his parents? The family was struggling financially, so you'd think if he didn't need one he wouldn't have one. I'd like to think Omaha PD checked his phone records to see what calls he was making/getting in the time before his disappearance. But like the computer, we never actually heard about the results.

 

[Alleykins]

Still kind of surprised Jason even had a cell phone. Being that he was a shy and not very social person, why would he even need one? Did he go out regularly enough to justify needing to get in immediate touch with his parents? The family was struggling financially, so you'd think if he didn't need one he wouldn't have one. I'd like to think Omaha PD checked his phone records to see what calls he was making/getting in the time before his disappearance. But like the computer, we never actually heard about the results.

You bring up a good point. Cell phones and cell phone usage were expensive back then as you paid for extra minutes. I can't remember when text messaging came about. I had a bag phone I left in the car for roadside emergencies until 2003, and I'm fairly certain I didn't start texting well after that because there were charges for texting, too, back then. Because my ex stuck me with a $600+ cell phone bill, calling his new girlfriend in the midst of our break up, I was very leery of cell phones for a long time. So I clearly recall how expensive a cell phone could be during that time.

 

[mrsselig]

Longtime lurker of WebSleuths and this is my very first post.

I've been following this case for a very long time now along with numerous others, but this one has always stood out to me and has disturbed me in a disturbing way that other cases haven't. How can this young man just vanish without (quite literally) a trace in broad daylight in the manner that he did? This is one of those cases I always google his name every month or so in hope that something comes up or there's new information or quite literally ANYTHING NEW.

I have been reading through this whole thread, going back to thread #1 and reading each and every post. I'm currently almost done with thread #3 and am going to start at post 1 on thread #4 as soon as I finish the third one.

But one thing that has always bothered me, and something I haven't seen anyone on WebSleuths bring up, atleast in what i've read of the first three threads so far is, Jason had a cell phone. Why didn't he attempt to call either his brother at home, his parents at work, or 911 on his cell phone? Now we know his mom & dad were at work we but don't know if he had his parents work numbers in his phone and/or if Jason knew how to get a hold of them at work. But it's pretty likely and a safe bet he had his house phone number memorized and/or saved in his phone. And of course 911 everyone knows. And this, the lack of calling anyone, also throws so many wrenches into many of the ideas, theories, and possibilities people have conjured up.

It bothers me so much. If he would've been able to call 911, even if he just made the call and hung up as soon as the 911 dispatcher picked up, or if he wasn't able to talk/speak for whatever reason, this whole thing could have gone so very differently. There very well may have not been a 10 day wait to begin searching & canvassing their neighborhood. They could have maybe gotten some sort of general location ping on his phone. Something. Police are required by law to tend to every 911 call, they can't ignore them even if they're 99.9% certain it's a prank call.

If only, even something so small as attempting to call 911, if that would've happened, it could've possibly of made a huge difference and been the difference between solving this and still not knowing in 2025, 24 years later.

What kind of heinous tragedy happened to this poor, young man? Did he not know he was experiencing and/or about to experience foul play? Did the person(s) responsible for his disappearance take his phone? Did Jason not feel comfortable making a phone call because they might and/or were threatening to enact a heinous act against him if he did so? With whatever happened, did it happen so quick he couldn't of possibly of ever made a phone call? I just don't know. It seems so farfetched and so very unlikely for him to wind up in a situation like that on a short, 15 minute walk from his house to the school on a summer morning/early afternoon where someone would take his phone and/or threaten him violently if he attempted to make a phone call. Sounds like some ridiculously scene straight out of a movie or TV show. But I'm grasping at straws here and I digress.

But obviously, something happened. Jason is missing. Has been for almost 24 years. But unfortunately, we have pretty much no evidence, no clues, no nothing to go off of. No information, no leads, no suspects. Nothing has come up in the past 24 years. Nothing. Nada, zilch! It's all just so very, very sad. And it disturbs me greatly. I can't even imagine the pain & suffering the family have went through and what they must feel.

Thanks for your post!!! Very well thought-out! I had somehow overlooked or forgotten that Jason had a cellphone. I am also curious if a cellphone could have been traced at that time. I also wonder if any phone records exist from that time (not sure if they just purge or 'go away' after a certain amount of time?) so it could be shown who called him and who he called - in the weeks and days leading up to his disappearance? Just to see if there was anything out of the ordinary?

Thanks to the poster who linked to the podcast - that mentioned his cellphone - getting ready to listen to that right now.

Also - I'm in agreement with the other poster who is wondering if the recent walks Jason had been taking had something to do with this. That is something that's been bothering me. Humans tend to be creatures of habit, and when our patterns change, often there is a reason for it. In my humble opinion, he didn't seem to be the type (mostly because of his age) to be walking suddenly, for fitness purposes.

 

[Andreee]

since @crescentmoon13 decided to iignore my post do you think the police could have traced a dead fone at that time?

I really don't think so, but I'm not completely sure.

 

[Andreee]

Thank you, I'll give it a listen.

Oh really! I hadn't heard that tidbit of info before! Interesting, I should listen to that podcast as well.

 

[studebkr]

My gosh. A sudden flurry of activity here. Just some comments on the whole group of new posts.

Cell phone technology was not great in 2001. I think they could get records of pings from towers that the phone might have used, but that was about it. Phones were still analog, and did not have GPS. I wouldn't own one then unless work paid for it, and I would generally call you back on the landline if I could.

We had a case here, about 2006ish where a couple got stranded in a snow storm South of town, and 911 could not triangulate their position and they froze to death.

Jason's brother was at the house the day he went missing. He was still there when Fazoli's called back looking for him because he answered the phone. It's not likely it was he that saw Jason by the gas station. I still don't believe Jason was at the station. It would have put him a couple blocks away from where he was supposed to meet his ride. There was also a supposed sighting of him by Mahoney Park, but that got ruled out later. (It might have been his cousin that looks a lot like him that was going to UNL at the time)

 

[Gilderoy Lockhart Jr]

Thanks for the refresher, dotr.
You learn something everyday. I hadn't noticed before that dentals are listed as not available. This surprises me, as I'm thinking he had dental care in his lifetime, and his dentist could still be around, at least in the beginning of his disappearance, in order to obtain them. So I wonder if the "not available" is incorrect.

On Kelly's old Project Jason site, she wrote once how LE asked her for identifying things for Jason because in CA, an unidentified, deceased young man was found that investigators thought might be him. Of course it ended up not being Jason. So LE has those sorts of things.

 

[Gilderoy Lockhart Jr]

My gosh. A sudden flurry of activity here. Just some comments on the whole group of new posts.

Cell phone technology was not great in 2001. I think they could get records of pings from towers that the phone might have used, but that was about it. Phones were still analog, and did not have GPS. I wouldn't own one then unless work paid for it, and I would generally call you back on the landline if I could.

We had a case here, about 2006ish where a couple got stranded in a snow storm South of town, and 911 could not triangulate their position and they froze to death.

Jason's brother was at the house the day he went missing. He was still there when Fazoli's called back looking for him because he answered the phone. It's not likely it was he that saw Jason by the gas station. I still don't believe Jason was at the station. It would have put him a couple blocks away from where he was supposed to meet his ride. There was also a supposed sighting of him by Mahoney Park, but that got ruled out later. (It might have been his cousin that looks a lot like him that was going to UNL at the time)

Two blocks? Isn't the gas station directly across from the street from the school/parking lot?

The comment by Kelly on the recent podcast that Jason's phone went straight to voice mail when they began calling him after finding out his whereabouts were unknown is the biggest news we've had in years. I will operate on the assumption that the phone didn't die to the battery dying since it was daytime (although possible). It was likely intentionally shut off or in an area without service (e.g. a sewer).

I wish the host would have asked if the co-worker's calls went straight to voice mail? I presume she called JJ once or twice to ask where he was. That would be a much shorter timeline, within 10-15 minutes, while it would have been at least a few hours once Jason's parents started trying to figure out what was going on.

btw in the early 2000s it was NOT unusual for young adults to have cell phones by that point. We had the little Nokia ones, which were primitive by today's standards. But by 2001, I'd say it was pretty common to have one. But if you had a cell phone circa 1998, that was a lot more rare. I'm about the same age as Jason. I recall text messaging being fairly rare in 2001, however.

 

[Valiant]

Two blocks? Isn't the gas station directly across from the street from the school/parking lot?

The comment by Kelly on the recent podcast that Jason's phone went straight to voice mail when they began calling him after finding out his whereabouts were unknown is the biggest news we've had in years. I will operate on the assumption that the phone didn't die to the battery dying since it was daytime (although possible). It was likely intentionally shut off or in an area without service (e.g. a sewer).

I wish the host would have asked if the co-worker's calls went straight to voice mail? I presume she called JJ once or twice to ask where he was. That would be a much shorter timeline, within 10-15 minutes, while it would have been at least a few hours once Jason's parents started trying to figure out what was going on.

btw in the early 2000s it was NOT unusual for young adults to have cell phones by that point. We had the little Nokia ones, which were primitive by today's standards. But by 2001, I'd say it was pretty common to have one. But if you had a cell phone circa 1998, that was a lot more rare. I'm about the same age as Jason. I recall text messaging being fairly rare in 2001, however.

I think it’s been mentioned the coworker did not have a cell phone at times in this thread.
I think she called the store, not J from a pay phone.

 

[Gilderoy Lockhart Jr]

oh yeah how could I have forgotten. The co-worker, in fact, went to the gas station in question to call the Fizoli's manager.

btw, Jason's mom reiterating his alone time taking walks or shooting hoops at the local court. I don't recall anyone previous discussions about Jason spending time at the basketball court. So that's new. Strong likelihood a predator nearby encountered him on more than one occasion.

 

[dulcinea]

I am not throwing shade at LE in any way. I cannot shake the feeling that something was overlooked or a lead was dismissed that held some answers. I am absolutely stunned by the lack of any evidence. It's obviously there; I don't believe in a perfect crime or disappearance. Any idea how many fresh eyes have taken a look over the years? I go back-and-forth between a crime and an accident. I don't believe he intentionally vanished.

 

[Andreee]

I am not throwing shade at LE in any way. I cannot shake the feeling that something was overlooked or a lead was dismissed that held some answers. I am absolutely stunned by the lack of any evidence. It's obviously there; I don't believe in a perfect crime or disappearance. Any idea how many fresh eyes have taken a look over the years? I go back-and-forth between a crime and an accident. I don't believe he intentionally vanished.

There has been at least one cold case investigator for this case in the past that I know of. And of course with the police not starting to look at the case until about ten days after Jason went missing, there was that lag time.

 

[dulcinea]

There has been at least one cold case investigator for this case in the past that I know of. And of course with the police not starting to look at the case until about ten days after Jason went missing, there was that lag time.

I don't think I knew that they didn't look at the case for 10 days. Do we know why?

 

[studebkr]

When I say that the gas station was 2-blocks from Benson's parking lot, it's because I'm referring to the student parking on the Northside of the building between Benson HS, and the Junior High. The South side was primarily teacher parking, and yes, they might have agreed to meet there. One video I watched assumed that the South lot was used. Still, that is a wide intersection, hence the tunnel at that time, and take a look at Google Maps as to how far the entrance is from that gas station. If he was over there, she would not likely have seen him.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I don't think I knew that they didn't look at the case for 10 days. Do we know why?

Because since he was an adult, particularly an adult male, his case was not taken seriously at the start. LE assumed he left willingly and said that he had every right to do so. Even to this day adult male disappearances are not taken seriously. There is a case local to me where a man named Robert Mayer vanished in 2013 and still hasn't been found. Every time the news runs a story on him, a handful of comments say that he's probably shacking up with a mistress somewhere.

 

[Gilderoy Lockhart Jr]

When I say that the gas station was 2-blocks from Benson's parking lot, it's because I'm referring to the student parking on the Northside of the building between Benson HS, and the Junior High. The South side was primarily teacher parking, and yes, they might have agreed to meet there. One video I watched assumed that the South lot was used. Still, that is a wide intersection, hence the tunnel at that time, and take a look at Google Maps as to how far the entrance is from that gas station. If he was over there, she would not likely have seen him.

Thanks for the clarification, Studebkr.