TX TX - Jennifer Day, 14, Dallas, 25 June 1985

[olllllo]

I was a sophomore in high school when this case happened. I remember meeting a new friend and going over to his house some months later, and seeing a large picture of a girl framed on a living room end table. When I asked who she was, he told me that it was his sister and that she was the victim of this then-well-publicized case. That awkward and painful moment has stuck with throughout the years, and for some reason I googled it tonight. I found that it is still unsolved, and I can't find any real quantitative info on it. I looked here and don't believe she has ever been brought up on this board. I know that this forum has worked wonders over the years, so I thought I would bring her up to shed some light on what appears to be a cold case. Here is the story from http://missing87975.yuku.com/topic/3076/UNSOLVED-CHILD-MURDER-JENNIFER-DAY :

Dallas, TX -- June 25, 1985 -- A 14-year-old North Dallas girl disappeared from her job at a Preston Road doughnut shop early Sunday morning, and Dallas police said Monday that they feared the teen-ager might have been abducted.

Jennifer Day, daughter of Patsy and Don Day, was last heard from about 5:30 a.m. Sunday after reporting for work at Preston Road Donuts, 11810 Preston Road, police said. Manager Joe Hight told investigators he talked to Jennifer shortly after she opened the store.

June 27, 1985 -- In a field 10 miles north of the doughnut shop where 14-year-old Jennifer Day was last seen Sunday morning, a construction worker in north Plano discovered her body early Wednesday morning. Jennifer's body was in 2-foot-tall grass near Preston Road and State Highway 121 and was seen by the construction worker from the cab of his bulldozer.

An autopsy showed that she had been stabbed several times in the throat, but doctors were unable to determine if she had been sexually assaulted.

July 3, 1985 -- The stabbing death of 14-year-old Jennifer Day last week has elicited "more emotion from investigators than I've ever seen on any case,' Dallas police homicide Lt. Ron Waldrop said Tuesday. And though police have no suspects or leads, Waldrop said the investigators are determined to find the killer.

"They really want to solve it bad,' he said. "They'll do everything that's humanly possible to try.'

No arrests have been made.

 

[Stella]

I can't find out much at all about this case. One thing has me curious; are you sure she was only 14 years old? Texas law at the time (probably before and still) requires anyone applying for a job, even part-time MUST be 16 years old. If she was only 14, some questions need to be asked of her parents and her employer; right there, they were breaking federal child labor laws. ETA: Wonder if they looked at the suspect from the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders form 1991? (he died in 2010.)

 

[alwaysonmymind]

I can't find out much at all about this case. One thing has me curious; are you sure she was only 14 years old? Texas law at the time (probably before and still) requires anyone applying for a job, even part-time MUST be 16 years old. If she was only 14, some questions need to be asked of her parents and her employer; right there, they were breaking federal child labor laws. ETA: Wonder if they looked at the suspect from the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders form 1991? (he died in 2010.)

Actually, a 14 year old can legally work in Texas.

The purpose of the Texas Child Labor Law is to ensure that a child is not employed in an occupation or manner that is detrimental to the child's safety, health, or well-being.

Except as specifically authorized by the statute, it is illegal to employ a child under 14 years of age.

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/lablaw/cllsum.html

IMO, David Penton is good for this.

 

[Stella]

That is strange. My daughter went after school job hunting at 15 (in 1986, in Dallas!) in order to help pay for her braces and was told at every place that she had to be 16; the last place she tried told her it was against the law to hire under 16.

 

[alwaysonmymind]

That is strange. My daughter went after school job hunting at 15 (in 1986, in Dallas!) in order to help pay for her braces and was told at every place that she had to be 16; the last place she tried told her it was against the law to hire under 16.

I know some of it is company policy, but it also has to do with type of employment. Example- a 14 year can work in a fast food lacation, but can't cook on the grill.

I was 14 when I had my first job working with livestock. I was so proud to get my paycheck each week. :twocents:

 

[Stella]

Thank you for letting me know! I still have 2 kids at home that will be thrilled to learn they won't have to wait as long as I thought.

 

[BOESP]

Bumping for this young lady's family.

 

[S.S.]

I learned of this case over this summer and it has haunted me ever since. I'm baffled why this case hasn't been solved, especially using the new technology in dna. So many people have no idea that this 14 year old was abducted, brutally murdered and dumped in a field that is now a very developed area between Plano and Frisco, Texas. Sadly, her mother died in May of 2015 never seeing the killer(s) of her daughter brought to justice. There is a killer amongst us...……..

 

[Jcaruth2018]

I learned of this case over this summer and it has haunted me ever since. I'm baffled why this case hasn't been solved, especially using the new technology in dna. So many people have no idea that this 14 year old was abducted, brutally murdered and dumped in a field that is now a very developed area between Plano and Frisco, Texas. Sadly, her mother died in May of 2015 never seeing the killer(s) of her daughter brought to justice. There is a killer amongst us...……..

Her brother and I worked together during this time and became friends. He never really talked about this much and I didn’t ask what happen. I found out most of the story from news. As we got older we had less contact and at this time we have no contact. Such a sad story, can’t believe nobody has been caught. I didn’t know his mom died, sad

 

[RuthSleuth]

oops wrong person.,

 

[waunakeegan]

Here is a clip from news coverage on Jennifer's murder

[News Clip: Day body]

Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

texashistory.unt.edu

 

[Ssschu]

A Texas teen was found dead in the summer of 1985 and now authorities are taking a renewed look at the case to try to find her killer.

In 2024 or so, Jeff Day reached out to the Plano police chief to see if there was anything that could be done to help find his sister’s killer and bring the murderer to justice, CBS News Texas reported.

Soon after, he received a call from Detective Aaron Benzick, who he said was interested in taking a renewed look at the case as part of an initiative with the department and because of the nonprofit he started in 2023 called Solve the Case.

SolvetheCase.org provides free tools and services to help unsolved cases of murder, missing persons and serial offenses, according to the website. The public — nationwide — is invited to add a case to the website’s database for free and to solve a case to help families and law enforcement bring justice to victims.

The site features a page full of forums where users can talk to one another about various cases.

"Specifically in recent years, new abilities to process items of evidence for DNA is a focus we use to look at helping unsolved cases," Benzick says. "In combination with any new DNA techniques, we also want to promote our cold cases publicly to solicit tips and identify witnesses that would be willing to come forward and help provide information that they know on these cases."

"The family is appreciative of helping keep her story alive," he adds.

A Texas Teen Vanished During a Donut Shop's Morning Shift. 3 Days Later She Was Found Dead — So Who Killed Her?

Police in Plano, Texas are still trying to find whoever abducted and fatally stabbed Jennifer Day in 1985

people.com