Going West: True Crime – Episode 555

The Disappearance of Jackie Levitz

Released: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Going West duo, Daphne and Heath, unravel the baffling southern gothic mystery of Jackie Levitz, a furniture heiress who vanished in 1995 from her new Mississippi home. The case winds through Jackie's dramatic life journey, her rise in high society, and ends in a scene of apparent violence, spawning 30 years of speculation, theories, and cold trails.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jackie's Early Life and Ambitions

• Background: Born Mary Jacqueline Broadway (1933) in Oak Grove, Louisiana, Jackie was one of nine siblings on a cotton and cattle farm.
• Ambition Early On: "She was not a Southern belle. It was a working farm, and she worked." (Jackie's brother-in-law, James Earl Shivers) [04:43]
• Jackie's magnetism and sophistication stood out even in youth, making her seem destined for more.

2. Marriages and Social Mobility

• First Husband: Walter Bolton (married 1956, divorced early 1960s). Walter praised her scrappy, hardworking nature.
• Second Husband: Banks L. Smith ("Smitty"), Maryland restaurateur.
  • Stepdaughter Anne Pellegrino harbored deep resentment:
    "She is a black widow, a horrible person. We always considered her a Marilyn Monroe wannabe." (Anne Pellegrino) [10:52]
  • Legal battles over Banks' estate followed his death, with lingering animosity.
• Third Husband: Ralph Levitz, furniture magnate.
  • Settled in Palm Beach, FL; they were staples of the social scene.
  • After Ralph's death in 1995, Jackie inherited a sizable fortune and moved back to her Louisiana-Mississippi roots.

3. Life After Loss & Move to Mississippi

• Return to Roots: After losing Ralph, Jackie intended to slow down and focus on family. She moved to Vicksburg, MS, purchased a modest home, and began extensive renovations.
• On her downsizing:
  "I don't ever plan to put on another one anyway." (Jackie, referring to her gowns after her husband's death) [19:06]
• Despite her wealth, Jackie's life in Mississippi was humble, though she remained very hands-on with her renovation team.

4. The Disappearance (November 1995)

• Last Known Activity: Jackie was seen at a home goods store buying wallpaper on Nov. 18, 1995. She didn't answer any calls for two days, raising alarms among family. [25:38]
• Discovery of The Scene:
  • Her sister's friend Nancy Witten found Jackie's home unlocked, TV on, her car in the driveway, and a pool of blood in her bedroom.
  • Evidence included stripped sheets, a rolled comforter, broken closet frame, and Jackie's acrylic nails scattered on the floor.
  • "She put up a fight." (Sheriff Paul Barrett) [30:22]

Forensic Observations

• Large blood stains on mattress and floor (suggestive of fatal wounding)
• Mattress apparently flipped to conceal blood
• No valuables (earrings, furs) missing; only her purse and makeup bag were gone
• No evidence of sexual assault or robbery
• Tire tracks found up to the doorstep [37:30]

5. Investigation & Theories

Suspect Pool:

• Initial suspicion on construction workers evaporated (witnesses saw Jackie with an unidentified man in a black Rolls Royce).
• No evidence connected workers to the crime; FBI joined due to Jackie's vast social/professional contacts. [40:13]

Notable Leads/Events:

• Intensive Mississippi River searches returned no body; only a 50% chance a disposed body would surface. [41:36]
• House burglarized two weeks later; burglars quickly apprehended but found unrelated.
• Despite a $200,000 reward, no credible tips ever emerged.

Suspicion Towards Family:

• A male family member had a scratch on his face during questioning, raising eyebrows due to the struggle.
  • "That seems like perfect timing to have a scratch on your face." (Heath) [48:18]
• Family dynamics, inheritance disputes, and past animosities were discussed, but no arrests or persons of interest announced.

Other Persons of Interest:

• Fires employees of Ralph Levitz; one, Marie Hearn, expressed deep bitterness years after being dismissed, suggesting investigators "begin there." [51:43]
• Jackie's sister Jerry mentioned Jackie seemed nervous before her disappearance and made ominous comments:
  "If something should happen to me, I want you girls to do so and so." (Jerry, quoting Jackie) [53:11]

Unconfirmed Reports:

• In 1996, a gas station clerk reported seeing a Jackie lookalike a year after the disappearance, but investigation cleared these as false leads.

6. The Lingering Mystery

• Despite extensive local and federal investigation, no suspects have been named and Jackie's remains were never found.
• In 2001, Jackie was declared legally dead; her sizable estate split among survivors, including son Walter (who passed in 2006, never knowing her fate).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "She was a butterfly. She was very well liked. Men admired her. Women envied her." (Friend, Barbara Norcross) [16:10]
• "It was way too much blood for anybody to survive." (Sheriff Paul Barrett to Tikki) [33:01]
• "People are evil here the way they are the whole world over." (Brother-in-law, James Earl Shivers) [55:18]
• "I know in my heart that this was her." (Gas station clerk on a 1996 sighting, later disproven) [59:05]
• "There has been tremendous cooperation between law enforcement agencies on this case from the start. It's just one of those cases that are terribly frustrating, but it's not because of lack of effort." (Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace) [61:05]

Important Timestamps

• 04:08: Introduction to Jackie Levitz's story and her background
• 10:52: Stepdaughter Anne Pellegrino's negative view of Jackie
• 19:06: Post-widowhood Jackie reflected in her comment about gowns
• 25:38: Timeline leading up to Jackie's disappearance
• 30:22: Discovery and assessment of the crime scene
• 33:01: Law enforcement’s conclusion regarding the blood loss
• 41:36: Details about the Mississippi River search and chances
• 48:18: Discussion about a family member with a facial scratch
• 51:43: Ex-staff’s bitterness and suggestion for investigation
• 53:11: Jackie's sister recounts Jackie's foreboding remarks
• 55:18: Musings on possible random vs. targeted crime

Theories Considered

• Familial involvement due to inheritance disputes or personal bitterness
• Revenge by disgruntled ex-employees or business associates
• Random act triggered by her wealth and new location
• Possible secret romantic involvement with the mystery man in the black Rolls Royce

Closing Thoughts

Jackie Levitz’s disappearance remains one of the South’s most haunting cold cases, tangled with family drama, inheritance disputes, and unexplained violence. The hosts repeatedly return to the bizarre blend of high society glamour and tragic vulnerability that surrounded Jackie’s life and death, drawing a captivating portrait of a woman whose fate remains, to this day, frustratingly out of reach.

Tip Line: If you have any information about the disappearance of Jackie Levitz, please call Crime Stoppers of Central Mississippi at 601-355-8477.

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