Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Jane Ellen Wakefield



Jane, date, approximate 1975
Date Missing 09/06/1975
Missing From
Iowa City, Iowa
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 11/19/1948 (73)
Age 26 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 112 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, green eyes. Jane wears gold wire-rimmed eyeglasses. One of her teeth is missing. Her maiden name is Hallberg. Her hair was cut short at the time of her disappearance.
Details of Disappearance Jane was last seen at her mobile home at the Bon-Aire Mobile Home Lodge in Iowa City, Iowa at 2:30 p.m. on September 6, 1975. She has never been heard from again.
Initially it was thought that she had left with a religious cult which was active in the area, but her family did not believe she would have joined a cult. When investigators searched the cult's camp they found no sign of Jane, and the theory was thus discredited.
Jane was separated from her husband, John in 1975; she had filed for divorce about six months before she vanished and was seeing another man. Their friends stated Jane wanted to have children but John did not, and they believe this was a cause of the couple's marital problems.
The day of her disappearance, Jane went on a bicycle ride with friends. A neighbor spoke to her after she returned to her home, and said she was behaving normally. Late that evening, one of Jane's neighbors heard someone yelling or screaming, but did not investigate the noises. Jane was discovered missing the next day.
Jane's Fiat was found parked in its assigned space and her bicycle was locked to a yard lamp. Inside her residence everything seemed to be in order. Investigators believe she had been taking a shower when she disappeared. They administered many lie detector tests to eliminate suspects in her , but one person of interest refused to take one.
Shortly after Jane vanished, an informant told police a friend of his had confessed to her murder. Jane's body was supposedly cremated and scattered along Interstate 80. The informant passed a lie detector test, but his information was never confirmed.
Authorities searched several locations, including two businesses owned by John. They removed bone fragments, a piece of metal believed to be a tooth filling, and five vacuum cleaners from his property. Laboratory testing could not connect the items to Jane, however. John maintains his innocence in her disappearance. He advertised a cash reward for her safe return.
Authorities have identified a suspect in Jane's disappearance, but the individual has never been publicly named.
Jane was employed as a math and reading teacher at at Penn Elementary School in North Liberty, Iowa in 1975; her disappearance was reported by the school principal when she did not show up for work.
She grew up in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area and attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa for a year before she met John. Jane married him in 1967 and continued her studies at the University of Iowa. She graduated in 1970. She is considered missing under suspicious circumstances and her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Iowa City Police Department
319-356-5275
Other
Iowa Missing Person Information Clearinghouse
The Cedar Rapids Gazette
The Doe Network
Iowa Cold s
The Iowa City Press-Citizen

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos