WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.960 This podcast is based on information sourced primarily from police 2 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:09.599 and media reports, but certain names and other identifying details 3 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:14.439 may have been changed or altered for privacy and security reasons. 4 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:19.760 While the events in cases discussed are based on real investigations, 5 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.960 some aspects may be simplified for time and for narrative purposes. 6 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.920 Voice actors have been used to read from statements or documents. 7 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:36.240 All information presented is intended solely to inform and raise awareness. 8 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:41.079 Hosts may discuss theories regarding the cases examined in this podcast, 9 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:45.960 but such discussions are not intended to and should not 10 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:51.439 be considered by the listener to be legal conclusions. All 11 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:56.880 persons discussed are considered innocent until proven guilty in a 12 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:00.000 court of law. Listener discretion is advised. 13 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.799 This is Chief Anna Lally. Welcome to Somebody Knows Something, 14 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:09.359 a podcast from the Elgin Police Department's Cold Case Unit. 15 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:12.680 In this podcast, we will shed new light on cold 16 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:16.439 cases in the city of Elgin by sharing untold details 17 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:20.519 and by encouraging anyone with information to come forward. You 18 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:23.359 will come along with real cold case detectives as they 19 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:26.840 investigate active cold cases in real time and seek justice 20 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:30.439 for the victims and closure for their families. We believe 21 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.239 that the Elgin Police Department and our community can work 22 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:36.719 together to bring closure to cold cases because we know 23 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:44.760 that in these cases, somebody knows something. 24 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.319 Hello and welcome to season three. If Somebody Knows something 25 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:51.760 the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Podcast. My name is 26 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:53.159 Detective Ander Howton. 27 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:54.200 An Undetective Chris Hall. 28 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:57.400 Last season, while we were actively working on several cold 29 00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:59.920 case homicides, we took our listeners along as we want 30 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.439 talk to nineteen seventies of Elgin. In season two, Andrew 31 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.000 and I discussed those five homicide cases, as well as 32 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.560 a missing person's case that had links to season one, 33 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:11.319 and we appealed to the public for information on those cases. 34 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:13.039 We want to let our listeners know. 35 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.879 That we have received numerous tips related to those nineteen 36 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:19.120 seventies cases, and we are still actively working on several 37 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.280 of them. We appreciate all the comments, questions, and most 38 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.520 of all the tips that the public has provided as 39 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:26.719 we continue to seek justice for our victims in the 40 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:27.639 nineteen seventies. 41 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.159 We started season two with the murder of Guadalupe Alanis 42 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:35.879 in nineteen seventy one. We described that murder in detail 43 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.120 and then walked our listeners through the nineteen seventy five 44 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.319 murder of Maynard Chester Holly, the nineteen seventy six murder 45 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.319 of Lori Jean Bulger, the nineteen seventy six disappearance of 46 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:47.719 Barbara Glucert, the nineteen seventy seven murder of Casey Kyle's, 47 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:50.680 and the nineteen seventy nine murder of Rene Tovar. For 48 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:53.560 our third season, we are returning to our original format 49 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:55.680 and diving into one case over the course of an 50 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:58.759 entire season. And just like season one, where Is Karen, 51 00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:01.520 we chose another missing person case from the nineteen eighties. 52 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.560 We are calling this season Whyteria Is Missing. 53 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:14.000 Before we get into the case, I thought it might 54 00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:16.120 make sense to tell our listeners about our new website 55 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.479 and about our missing Persons kiosk that we installed in 56 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:19.240 our lobby just. 57 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:21.280 A few months ago. Yeah, that's a good idea. 58 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:24.719 While we do still have the Elgin Police Department's Transparency page, 59 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:27.280 we wanted a one stop shop for all things cold 60 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:29.919 case related. That way, the public can see pictures of 61 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:33.560 our victims and missing persons, read about their cases, interact 62 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:37.159 with their cases, and provide tips. So we recently launched 63 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.400 a standalone website that offers just that. You can visit 64 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:42.919 our site on any device and can contact us with 65 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:45.840 those tips using the website, just like our dedicated email 66 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:48.280 and phone line. The new website can be found at 67 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:52.919 www dot Elgincoldcases dot com. 68 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:55.639 Our kiosk in the lobby is similar and it's situated 69 00:03:55.639 --> 00:03:58.400 alongside a display about Karen Scheper's case from season one 70 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:01.479 with some photographs of information. We dedicated that space in 71 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:04.360 September of twenty twenty five. It was Liz's ninety first 72 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.120 birthday and the day before Karen would have turned sixty six, 73 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:09.400 so it was really special. It was great to see 74 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:11.240 Liz and the other family members again and share that 75 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:13.879 space with them. We encourage people to visit our lobby, 76 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:17.040 Karen's display and the kiosk, which includes pictures of all 77 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:19.519 of our victims and missing persons with brief stories about 78 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:22.399 their cases. You can even provide us with tips. We 79 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:24.040 really want people to have as many ways to get 80 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:26.079 in touch with us as they can, and we want 81 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:28.800 to memorialize our victims and missing persons in a respectful 82 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:31.079 way that shows we have not forgotten about them. 83 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:34.079 I agree, and having pictures of the victims and missing 84 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.879 people really helps bring their cases to life, and the 85 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:39.279 Kioska just another way we can connect with the community 86 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:42.480 and attempt to get more tips. Speaking of providing tips 87 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:45.240 and making reports, we also want to start the season 88 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.399 by dispelling a few rumors about making missing person reports 89 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:51.279 here Illinois. People often think that they have to wait 90 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:54.360 twenty four hours to report someone missing, but that's just 91 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:57.920 not true. You can report someone missing anytime. There is 92 00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:58.839 no waiting period. 93 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:01.199 Yeah, and it's always helpful if when you do report 94 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:03.560 someone missing, you provide us with a recent photograph that 95 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:06.160 we can use on social media or other platforms. When 96 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.399 someone goes missing here in Elgin, whether they're a child 97 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.560 or an adult, we often ask for a consent from 98 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.160 the family to put photographs on our social media platforms, 99 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:15.959 So please prepare to provide a photo and consent to 100 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:17.720 do things like that because our tips from the public 101 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.240 really help us track people down on those types of cases. 102 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:21.519 Yes, they certainly do. 103 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:23.560 The last thing we wanted to get into before we 104 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:25.519 start the season is that you can make a missing 105 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:28.439 person report anywhere. If you live in Elgin, for example, 106 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:30.680 but the person is missing from another town, we can 107 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:33.199 take the initial report here and forward it to that agency. 108 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:36.959 Because there's actually Illinois law that addresses missing persons reports. 109 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:41.079 It's called the Missing Person's Identification Act, or MPIA. 110 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:47.279 The MPIA specifically says law enforcement agencies shall accept without delay, 111 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:50.199 any report of a missing person. It also goes on 112 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:53.040 to specify that an agency must take a report in 113 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.560 person in are encouraged to also take them over the phone. 114 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:59.040 Well, Chris, now that we've gotten that out of the way, 115 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:01.800 let's get into our new case for season three. If 116 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:17.920 somebody knows something, Waityria is missing. Just like with Karen 117 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.600 shechepers in season one, Chris and I want to introduce 118 00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:23.279 Waiteria Jones to our listeners before we dive into her case. 119 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:25.639 Her family is aware of this podcast, and we have 120 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:27.600 spoken with some members of the family, but at this 121 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:29.920 point they have chosen not to take part in recording 122 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.639 their voices on the podcast. As we've said in the past, 123 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:35.000 these types of cases are very difficult for families and 124 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:37.480 loved ones, so we want to respect that decision while 125 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:39.839 also balancing our obligation to Waityia. 126 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.120 Waiteriia was a black woman who was five feet eight 127 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.040 inches tall, weighed one hundred and fifty pounds and had shorter, 128 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:49.000 dark black hair and dark brown eyes when she disappeared 129 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.720 in the fall of nineteen eighty two. Unfortunately, we don't 130 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:54.720 have any additional clothing description to provide, but you can 131 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.279 find photographs of her on our website and on places 132 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:01.040 like Solvedthecase, dot org, uncovered dot com, and name us, 133 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.160 and we encourage listeners to visit those sites in conjunction 134 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:13.399 with this podcast. Waiteria Jones was born on Saturday May one, 135 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:17.040 nineteen thirty seven, to John w Orr and Louise Miller 136 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:20.759 in Maury County, Tennessee, which is just southwest of Nashville. 137 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:23.920 When Watyia was born, the population of the county was 138 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:26.639 around forty thousand people. From the records we've been able 139 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:31.319 to gather, Waititia had multiple siblings. Based on ancestry records, 140 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:35.319 newspaper articles, and obituaries, Waityia was one of at least 141 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.480 nine children in her family. Unfortunately, one thing we came 142 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:41.199 across a lot in these old records is misspellings, which 143 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:43.959 is harder to track down specifics for her. Plus, we 144 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:46.240 are talking about records for a black family in the 145 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:48.000 South during the Jim Crow era. 146 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:51.079 What we do know through various records, is that Wayteria 147 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:53.480 came from a larger family whose roots traced back to 148 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.079 at least the eighteen fifties in Tennessee. Because she is 149 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:58.639 a black woman, records for her family prior to the 150 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:01.000 Civil War become very difficult. What we do know for 151 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.279 certain is that her grandfather, Isaac Orsr. Was born in 152 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:07.639 Maury County, Tennessee, in eighteen fifty four, seven years before 153 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:10.800 the American Civil War. His wife, Eliza Watkins, was born 154 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:14.040 in Tennessee in eighteen sixty six, and records suggests that 155 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.279 she had upwards of ten children, including John Walter Orr 156 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:21.120 in eighteen eighty six. John later married Luise Miller, and 157 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:23.240 they had at least nine children of their own, including 158 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:25.120 Wateria in nineteen thirty seven. 159 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:33.919 We also know that the family lived at least in 160 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:37.320 some point in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, just to the southwest 161 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.279 of the county seat Columbia, and we know that the 162 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:42.240 area has a very checkered pass. 163 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:43.679 When it comes to race relations. 164 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:47.919 Even post slavery, the county was and still is majority white, 165 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:51.480 with about seventy five percent of the population identified as white, 166 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.159 and back in nineteen forty six, The county was the 167 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:57.759 site of the first major racial confrontation in America after 168 00:08:57.759 --> 00:08:58.799 the Second World War. 169 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:02.360 On February ry, twenty sixth and twenty seventh, the Columbia 170 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.360 race riot rocked the county seat just miles from Mount Pleasant, 171 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.200 where Whiteyria appears to have lived. Little Whitiria would have 172 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:10.559 just been eight years old when Billy Fleming, the owner 173 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.519 of an electronics store in Columbia, allegedly hit a black 174 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:16.519 woman after she came to the store. She complained because 175 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:18.360 he had sold a radio that he was supposed to 176 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:20.639 repair and get back to her. The woman's son, a 177 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.960 World War Two Navy veteran named James Stevenson, allegedly retaliated 178 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.120 to protect his mother, and police arrested both the mother 179 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.519 and the son, but not Billy Fleming, who was white. 180 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:31.919 Soon after, a crowd gathered and planned to lynch James Stevenson. 181 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:38.399 Members of the black community secured James Stephenson's release and 182 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.840 drove him out of town to avoid a confrontation, but 183 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.159 a large crowd of white men soon met with nearly 184 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.399 one hundred black men near the courthouse square. The powder 185 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.559 keg ignited when four police officers were shot after entering 186 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:53.200 the African American business district called the Mink Slide, and 187 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:56.159 state troopers were called in. After that, two black men 188 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:59.200 were killed, one was wounded, and approximately twenty five were 189 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.759 arrested in charge with rioting and attempted murder. 190 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:09.080 The NAACP sent Thurgood Marshall, who later became America's first 191 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:11.600 black Supreme Court justice, to Columbia to defend them in 192 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.600 a trial. Even with an all white jury, Marshall secured 193 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:16.919 acquittals for all but one defendant, and he got that 194 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:18.519 defendant sentence reduced to bail. 195 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:22.559 So that's where Waityia grew up in a still very 196 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:26.559 segregated South in majority white county just outside Nashville, Tennessee. 197 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:29.720 It was also the place that Waityia met her future husband, 198 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:32.399 a black man named Wayman Jones, who was four years 199 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:35.159 older than her and who was from Davidson County, Tennessee. 200 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:38.279 Like Waitia, records for him are somewhat hard to find, 201 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.039 but as we searched through old records, we came across 202 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:44.279 the list of marriage licenses in November twenty sixth, nineteen 203 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:47.759 sixty edition of the Tennessee and a Nashville area newspaper. 204 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:52.120 The paper listed that Wayityia Orr had married Wayman Jones 205 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:58.519 sometime that week, but it spelled Wyman as Waymn instead 206 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.879 of the correct spelling of Waymo N. 207 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:05.159 As you said before, Chris, these types of misspellings are 208 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.240 something we came across in a lot of these old cases. 209 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:10.200 We've even seen Wayman spelled with a D at the end, 210 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.519 or spelled Raymond completely wrong. It's just another wrinkle in 211 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:16.320 these old cases and old records. And like we also said, 212 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:19.840 Wayitiia's name was often misspelled in records too. Oftentimes with 213 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:22.519 our cold cases, our old records are handwritten as well, 214 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:25.480 and when since this takers came around back then, many 215 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:27.679 times they wrote down names as they sounded, rather than 216 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:30.559 asking for the spellings on names or places, or they 217 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:34.279 just misread recent handwritten versions. We have similar challenges in 218 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:35.679 our old handwritten reports too. 219 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:36.720 Yes, we certainly do. 220 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:39.799 In addition to the newspaper article from November twenty sixth, 221 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:42.399 we reached out to the Tennessee State Library and Archives 222 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.000 to track down more records for Wateria in Wayman. They 223 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.600 provided us with a copy of Wayteria In Wayman's actual 224 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.480 marriage license, which was really helpful. Based on the records, 225 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.639 the couple got married in Davidson County, Tennessee, on November 226 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:57.360 twenty second, nineteen sixty, exactly three years before President John F. 227 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:58.679 Kennedy was assassinated. 228 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:01.240 We also want to thank Lindsay from the Tennessee State 229 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:03.960 Library in Archives from helping us track down the records 230 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:04.679 we were looking for. 231 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:08.720 According to the marriage license, Waitiia was twenty three years 232 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:11.000 old when she married Wayman, and she was working as 233 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.799 a houseworker in a private home. Wyman, who was twenty 234 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:16.440 seven years old, was working as an insurance salesman at 235 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:16.840 the time. 236 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.320 We also know from family and from records, that the 237 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:22.519 couple's first child, a daughter, was born in nineteen fifty six, 238 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:25.360 four years before they were officially married. It is likely 239 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:27.919 that she was born in Tennessee, but at some point 240 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:30.559 the couple left the segregated south and moved north, just 241 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:33.840 like Casey Kyle's, to Illinois, settling in the West Garfield 242 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:37.440 Park neighborhood of Chicago along the way. Waityia had four 243 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.480 more children, another daughter in nineteen sixty one, a son 244 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:43.639 in nineteen sixty two, a third daughter in nineteen sixty four, 245 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:46.960 and then a fourth daughter in nineteen seventy two. However, 246 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.360 there were eight years between their fourth and fifth child, 247 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:52.320 and so with four children all ready to feed and clothe, 248 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:55.200 Weyman and Waityia made the decision to put their youngest 249 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.320 child up for adoption. 250 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.960 The couple later left Chicago and moved to Aurora, Illinois, 251 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:02.240 where several of their children attended high school. 252 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:08.720 That spring, Wateryia left Aurora and traveled to Elgin to 253 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:12.000 seek treatment at the Elgin Mental Health Center. When she 254 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:15.200 arrived in Elgin, Wayteria moved into the Douglas Hotel all 255 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:19.919 receiving treatment. Our listeners from season two should recognize that location. 256 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.679 The Douglas Hotel is just across the parking lot from 257 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.759 our police department, and we both visited the alley behind 258 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:28.639 it last season because Casey Kyle's was stabbed to death 259 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:33.159 there in nineteen seventy seven. As it turns out, Casey's 260 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:35.600 case is not the only cold case that is linked 261 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:39.320 to the hotel. When the Douglas Hotel closed in October 262 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:43.000 of nineteen eighty two, Wateryia reffortedly moved out and then 263 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:44.759 she simply disappeared. 264 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:49.240 Based on the original reports, Watia was reportedly last seen 265 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:52.240 in either late September or early October of nineteen eighty two, 266 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.879 and the hotel closed on or about October first. 267 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:57.039 But the first problem we. 268 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.720 Have with this case is Waitiia's disappearance was not reported 269 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:03.480 in Saideetember or October. She wasn't even reported missing in 270 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:07.200 nineteen eighty two. Records show that Waityia's husband came to 271 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.240 the Elgin Police Department on January twenty ninth, nineteen eighty three, 272 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:13.679 nearly four months after she was last reportedly seen. Weyman 273 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.080 reported that he'd received some of Waitia's mail back of 274 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:18.000 their house in Aurora and that he had not seen 275 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:28.440 her in months. Okay, Chris, So there's a pretty big 276 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.279 delay in this case, and I'm sure our listeners are thinking, well, 277 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:33.879 isn't it odd that her disappearance was delayed so long? 278 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:36.200 But there was at least a fairly reasonable explanation at 279 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:38.960 the time. Waityria had been receiving care at the Elgin 280 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:41.240 Mental Health Center and through Fox Valley Mental Health here 281 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:43.840 in Elgin in nineteen eighty two. As we said, while 282 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:46.159 she was living in town, she was receiving her treatment 283 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.399 and staying at the Douglas Hotel, which is located at 284 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.919 one fifty six Division Street in downtown Elgin. Weyman, however, 285 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:54.519 was still living in Aurora, and by all accounts, the 286 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:56.840 couple seemed to be somewhat estrange at that time. 287 00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:59.639 He will talk more about the Douglas Hotel and visit 288 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:02.720 the site in a future episode. That being said, the 289 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:05.200 huge gap in time between the last reported sighting of 290 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:08.960 Wayteria and the day she wasted missing definitely creates a 291 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:10.080 ton of challenges for us. 292 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:11.600 Yeah, it certainly does. 293 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.960 In Karen Sheeper's case from season one, for example, Matt 294 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:16.759 and I had about forty eight hours of time to 295 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:19.279 account for. That still came with a lot of challenges. 296 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:23.799 For Whyteria. We're talking about approximately four months, so she 297 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:26.200 theoretically could have traveled anywhere in the country over the 298 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:26.960 course of that time. 299 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:29.399 Yes, And in addition to the delay in reporting, we 300 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.759 don't even know which day she actually went missing. 301 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:35.279 Yeah, that's true. We can't say with any real certainty 302 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:37.519 that she was seen at this specific location or this 303 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.519 other specific location on a specific date or time. We 304 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:42.240 kind of have more of a time range in this case, 305 00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:43.840 which makes it that much more challenging. 306 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:46.960 We also have another new challenge for this case. The 307 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:50.200 reports from nineteen eighty three for Wayitia's case are not 308 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:54.200 like Karen Sheeper's case file. Karen's case was multiple boxes 309 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:56.960 of case files that spanned from nineteen eighty three to 310 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:00.679 the mid two thousands. Wayteria's is only a handful of pages, 311 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:03.799 and they are pretty lacking in detail. For example, there 312 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.960 is no formal written or record statement for Wyman in 313 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:10.279 nineteen eighty three or any time after that, and we 314 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:13.440 don't have any polygraphs or long written statements from witnesses 315 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:16.000 like we had in Karen's case. We simply have the 316 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:19.080 general case report from that day that Wyman Jones reported 317 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:22.600 his wife missing, and just a few other related reports. 318 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:25.720 The following is an excerpt from the actual original missing 319 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:29.559 person's report dated January twenty ninth, nineteen eighty three. 320 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:33.679 Mister Jones came to EPD to report that his wife, 321 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.720 why Tiria, has been missing since about September or whenever 322 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:41.960 the Douglas Hotel closed. Jones discovered this when his family's 323 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:45.360 mail was returned to him. Mister Jones came to EPD 324 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.480 in November or December to make a report at that time, 325 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:52.000 but an EPD officer would not take his report. 326 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:55.320 Andrew I noticed at least one similarity to Karen's case. 327 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.159 Police didn't really seem to take the disappearance all that 328 00:16:58.279 --> 00:16:59.440 seriously at the time. 329 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.120 Act Police allegedly. 330 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:04.720 Didn't even take the report when Wyman reportedly came to 331 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:08.480 the police department in November or December, at least according 332 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:09.079 to him. 333 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.599 Yeah, it was a different time. A missing person who 334 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:13.720 had been seeking mental health treatment was not treated the 335 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:15.960 same way it would be treated today. But it is 336 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:18.559 interesting that Wyman couldn't actually pinpoint a date or even 337 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.480 an exact month that he came in to report her 338 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:23.440 missing prior to January twenty ninth. The report also doesn't 339 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:26.359 note who he allegedly spoke with either. If he did 340 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:29.079 come to the police station before January, which is possible, 341 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:31.279 there's no record of that. In fact, there's no notes 342 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:33.400 or other documents to show that he came here or 343 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:36.519 to Aurora in November or December of nineteen eighty two. 344 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:39.200 It's entirely possible that he did contact police and got 345 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.920 brushed off, but it's also possible that January twenty ninth, 346 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.359 nineteen eighty three, is the first day that police became 347 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:46.799 aware that way Tira was missing. The problem we often 348 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:48.559 run into in these old cases is there's just no 349 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:50.640 record to tell us which one and Wyman died in 350 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:53.359 twenty thirteen, so we can't ask him for any more details. 351 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:54.480 This is true. 352 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:56.599 I now at the end of the episode, we're going 353 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:59.039 to talk about some of our theories going into the season, 354 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:02.359 but similar Karen's case, I know that one theory certainly 355 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:05.799 has to be that Wyman has some involvement in Myteria's disappearance. 356 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:09.480 We are not saying he was involved, but we certainly 357 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:13.440 can't just ignore that is one of the several different options. 358 00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:15.680 Yeah, for sure, we have to leave every option on 359 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:18.400 the table. Another thing that makes this case more difficult 360 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.920 is we don't have a clothing description of Waitia either. 361 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.799 In fact, we don't have specific jewelry or clothing, or 362 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:25.599 even a description of the luggage or the bag she 363 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:27.720 had when she left the hotel. We don't even know 364 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:29.960 what room she was living in, if she had a roommate, 365 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.279 or if she lived with anybody else. One big reason 366 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:35.799 we're using this platform to discuss her case this season 367 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.279 is because we need that information. We need people who 368 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:41.000 knew Whyteria when she lived in Elgin, or people that 369 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:43.240 lived at the hotel to come forward and provide us 370 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:47.400 information about the background of Whyteria, the Douglas Hotel and 371 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:50.039 other things from the nineteen eighties here in Elgin, because 372 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:52.240 quite frankly, that information is not in the case file 373 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:52.519 that we. 374 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:55.640 Have, yes, and with these old cases we always need 375 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:57.480 help from the public. We don't know if she had 376 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:59.920 problems with any other tenants, if she was dating someone 377 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:02.640 while she was living in town, or anything about her 378 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.640 social life. Did she attend a church in town, did 379 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.880 she have other friends she visited, did she socialized with 380 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:11.720 other people in town. We just don't know, and victimology 381 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:13.079 is a big piece of what we try to look 382 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:15.680 at in these cases. Quite frankly, we have a lot 383 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:17.559 of blanks that we need people to help us fill 384 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:19.960 in before we can get a true picture about risk 385 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:21.759 factors for Wateria. 386 00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:25.319 Yeah, Chris, well, I know we've spent time talking about 387 00:19:25.319 --> 00:19:27.440 the unknowns, so why don't we focus on a couple 388 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:29.279 of things that we do know before we get into 389 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:30.480 our theories for this season. 390 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:36.920 For one, we know that Waitiia was entered into LEADS, 391 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:39.799 which is a database that police use to notify people 392 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:43.680 in other jurisdictions if a person is wanted or missing. Basically, 393 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:47.559 if police run a person's name, date of birth, driver's license, 394 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:51.000 or other identifying information with a dispatch center, they can 395 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:53.839 check leads to see if that person is wanted or missing. 396 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:57.359 The problem is Wateria was entered into that system on 397 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:01.720 April fifth, nineteen eighty three, so again there is an 398 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:03.079 enormous time delay. 399 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.119 Yeah, and there's also a notation in the case report 400 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:10.079 that says that original leads validation in April had an issue, 401 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:12.640