← Somebody Knows Something
Somebody Knows Something
S3E10: Still Waiting
00:22:05
The Detectives look back on this season, and the new information updating a decades long investigation. They are still looking for Wyteria, but now have an updated case to help bring her home. Thank you to all those who have helped in this season....
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is based on information sourced primarily from police and media reports, but certain names and other identifying details may have been changed or altered for privacy and security reasons. While the events and cases discussed are based on real investigations, some aspects may be simplified for time and for narrative purposes. Voice actors have been used to read from statements or documents. All information presented is intended solely to inform and raise awareness. Hosts may discuss theories regarding the cases examined in this podcast, but such discussions are not intended to and should not be considered by the listener to be legal. Conclusions all persons discussed are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion is advised.
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C
This is Chief Anna Lally. Welcome to Somebody Knows Something, a podcast from the Elgin Police Department's Cold Case Unit. In this podcast, we will shed new light on cold cases in the city of Elgin by sharing untold details and by encouraging anyone with information to come forward. You will come along with real cold case detectives as they investigate active cold cases in real time and seek justice for the victims and closure for their families. We believe that the Elgin Police Department and our community can work together to bring closure to cold cases because we know that in these cases, somebody knows something.
- [02:16]
A
Hello and welcome to Somebody Knows Something, the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Podcast. My name is Detective Andrew Houghton.
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D
I'm Detective Chris Hall.
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And I'm Detective Beth Sterriker.
- [02:28]
A
Last episode, Beth, Chris and I traveled to Tennessee to meet with some extended family that we identified through our family tree research. While we were there, we interviewed members of Whiteeria's extended family and most importantly of all, we finally collected not one, but two samples of familial DNA for this case, and that is a huge step for us.
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E
We've notified NAMUS of our updated information and we are awaiting additional steps to begin our search for potential matches for Ryteria's case. But that process could take a significant amount of time, so we are wrapping up season three in this episode by discussing all of our theories and steps taken up to this point. Then we will be waiting for new updates and hopefully some resolution in this case.
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D
Listeners will recall that we began this journey back in March with our bonus episode titled Still Missing. In that episode, we discussed the five long term missing people on our caseload at that time. Those people again are Francisco Loyo, Darren Wood, Maynard Escalante Martinez, Chad Smith, and of course, Witteria Jones. Since March, that number has dropped to 4 because Chad Smith was located living in Chicago shortly after our episode aired and I was able to meet with his mother and reunite her with Chad.
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E
We encourage listeners to visit our website@elgincoldcases.com to review our missing persons cases and we are asking that anyone with information about the whereabouts of Francisco Loya, Darren Wood, Manor, Escalante Martinez or Wyteria Jones please contact us because all four of them are still missing.
- [04:12]
A
Once we dove into our full season with episode one, Wyteria is Missing, we laid out the backstory for her case. Whiteeria was living in Elgin in September of 1982 at the Douglas Hotel, but when that hotel closed on or about October 1st, she disappeared. Chris and I laid out all the theories and options we had for Whiteeria's case in our first episode, so let's revisit them here as we wrap up this season for now in our final episode that we are calling Still Waiting.
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Our first theory for Wytiria's case was that something could have happened to Witeria at the Douglas Hotel. Perhaps she never even moved out. So we reviewed records for the hotel, including information about renovations at that location, and we visited it to see it for ourselves.
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The hotel is just across the street from our current police department, and the City of Elgin actually purchased it and converted it into apartments. We also disclosed to the public that the police did search the hotel in 1983 after Wyteria was reported missing, but that search was several months after her disappearance. Nevertheless, at this point we have no evidence to support that Wyteria was a victim of a crime at the hotel. While it is possible that she never left the actual property, it does seem like one of our more unlikely theories at this point given the fact that the property has been heavily renovated.
- [05:36]
A
Similar to theory one that something happened at the hotel, we also had to consider the possibility that Whiteeria never left the City of Elgin. The problem is we had very little information about her social life and her social circles when we started this investigation. Unfortunately, that hasn't changed much. We still don't have a lot of credible information about who she socialized with or what she was doing in 1982 leading up to her disappearance. We did, however, visit the Elgin Mental Health center and the cemetery there. And we confirmed that she did not re enter the facility or any other mental health facility in Illinois as a patient. We also confirmed that she's not buried at the cemetery on the EMHC grounds.
- [06:14]
D
Also, thanks to Beth, we have learned a lot of new information about Wyteria's time prior to her disappearance in 1982. Originally, we thought that Wyteria had moved to Elgin in that spring of 1982, but we found out that she had actually been living in Elgin since 1975. That was a huge piece of information. We also learned a lot more about her work history, her medical and mental health history, and her family background, some of which we shared in this podcast and some of which we did not due to privacy concerns.
- [06:45]
E
The State of Illinois records that we got were really impactful. They gave us a lot more information about places she lived, places she worked, and family members that she knew. As we mentioned in our third episode, we now know that Whiteeria worked and lived at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Elgin, Fox Valley Nursing Home in South Elgin, and the Oaks Nursing Home in Aurora. And we discovered that for a brief period in 1976, she also lived back in Tennessee.
- [07:12]
A
At this point in the investigation, the three of us agree that we can't write off any of our theories involving Elgin. As Chris said, the likelihood that she is somehow concealed at the Douglas Hotel property seems like our least likely scenario. But we still can't rule out the possibility that she stayed in Elgin or had something happen to her here in town. In fact, statistically speaking, we recently learned from a training course that we attended that if a person is reported missing and was murdered, their body on average, is located within six miles of where they were last seen. In Wyteria's case, that would mean Elgin or the very near surrounding area would be within that range if she was the victim of a violent crime. But Wytiria also had plans, or at least reported plans, to go somewhere else. So we have to consider that she might have gone somewhere else too.
- [07:55]
E
Yes. Again, though, we had a bit of a problem in this case because two different witnesses both told versions of Wyteria's possible plans. One witness, an employee at the hotel, told police in 1983 that Wyteria was at a bus stop and he assumed she was going to Aurora, where she had previously lived. However, another witness, who was one of her counselors, also told police the Wayteria said She was planning to go to the Joliet Motor Lodge. So for her case, we had to include theories for each of those locations.
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A
The logistics of travel to those locations opened up a lot of doors to us as well regarding methods of travel. So, again, we gathered extensive maps and records for regional buses, suburban buses, and trains for this area. And we considered each option as it related to both Joliet and Aurora. In the end, Aurora is the easiest option regarding buses. But because of the delay in this case, and because we learned that she also took cabs and other transportation as far as Tennessee, she certainly could have traveled to Chicago, Joliet or Aurora or any combination of those cities.
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D
That's correct. And as we reviewed her options for Joliet, we discovered that a hotel called the Joliet Motor Lodge never existed. So we had to get creative and work with the Joliet Area Historical Museum to find the correct hotel. And we did. With help from that museum, we identified that the Joliet Motor Hotel and visited that location. We even spoke with a resident who had been living there since before Wyteria's disappearance. Unfortunately, he did not remember her or any other tenants from Elgin. But he also gave us another new potential theory to add to our list.
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Yes, he did. He told us that the family who owned the Joliet Motor Hotel also owned a hotel in Raymondville, Texas, and they even arranged for travel for him and some other Joliet residents to move there. So he had to track down that hotel, too. And we are now considering that she could have potentially traveled there.
- [09:47]
A
It's worth noting that Waitira even had paternal relatives in Texas. And so while we are still looking at that as an option, we haven't been able to track down any records for her in the state, and none of the extended family there have had any information about her up to this point. However, Texas is another option in the mix for this case. At this point. Joliet and now Texas still remain potential options in Wyteria's investigation.
- [10:12]
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Yes, but as we looked into the logistics of travel, going to Joliet was much more cumbersome than going to Aurora. Wyteria could have simply taken a bus from near the Douglas Hotel directly to Lake street in Aurora, just a few blocks from her home. And that would track well with the employee's statement that she was at an area bus stop. However, Wyteria also hadn't lived in Aurora since 1975, so maybe that isn't exactly likely, as we originally thought.
- [10:39]
E
We still traveled there to see her former home and we dove into her relationship with her husband, Waymond Jones, who originally reported her missing in 1983. We also discovered that there was alleged violence in the home when Wyteria did live there. And we uncovered some brand new information about Waymond as well. He was arrested several times in his life, including for a murder in Chicago in 1967. He was arrested several times in his life, including for a murder in Chicago in 1967. So Andrew and Chris traveled to Chicago to consider that location as well.
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A
Yeah, that's right, Beth. Chris and I visited the site of Otis Johnson's murder in 1967, a murder for which Waymond Jones was charged. But we should add, as we did in a previous episode, his case was later dismissed. We also visited Whiteeria's old neighborhood and Union Station, where she could have traveled if she took a bus or train from Elgin. And Chris and I considered the fact that she could have been harmed or had something happen to her en route to that next destination, regardless of where she actually planned to go. We then explained further that in order to get to Joliet, Whiteeria more than likely would have had to go to Chicago. Plus, if she wanted to go to Tennessee, Chicago again would be the most likely candidate for that type of travel.
- [11:56]
D
In the end, we still don't know to this day, we don't know where she planned to go or if she actually made it to her final destination. Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, Chicago, Tennessee, Texas. All these places could be potential locations for her. And because her report was delayed by nearly four months, she could literally have traveled anywhere if she had the money.
- [12:19]
A
And we are still looking at all these locations and considering them as we continue to work on our case. But at this point, our final theory is that waiteria has died and simply never been identified or potentially never been recovered. I have to say we also have some more statistics we want to share that make that final theory possible. Possibly be the most plausible. We recently attended CrimeCon in Las Vegas and one of the speakers that we met was Tad DiBiase, who is a former federal prosecutor from Washington, D.C. in his recent book, Nobody Homicide, A Practical Guide to Investigating, Prosecuting and Winning Cases when the Victim Is Missing, Tad lays out a ton of different statistics and information about Nobody Homicide cases.
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E
Tad discusses that in 2024, for example, of the over 600,000 missing people in the United States, less than 1% of them were never found. In fact, 99.87% of all people who went missing were either recovered or returned. So when we look at Wytiria's case and consider that she has been missing for over 40 years. That is a statistical anomaly.
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A
Yeah, it certainly is. And records also documented that only 12% of all missing people in 2014 were adult females. So again, Wytiria as a 45 year old adult female is a statistical anomaly. Again, when we consider the fact that she disappeared in 1982, has never been seen since, and has never returned, we have to at least consider probably strongly that she may have died.
- [13:46]
D
That does seem like a plausible explanation, Andrew. While we can't say how or when she died, or if she is in fact dead, it does seem like a higher probability at this point. Plus, once we consider that, one of the options, we also have to consider that maybe she's been found, but simply not identified.
- [14:05]
A
And so that's where NAMUS joined this story. We explained that there are literally thousands of unidentified remains around the United States and that since Wyteria had ties or potential plans to go to a number of various places, a regional approach is the most appropriate way for us to work on this case. The problem we had going to that though, was that we had no way to compare unidentified people to her.
- [14:26]
E
Then, after months of building a family tree and searching around the country, we located extended relatives who shared mitochondrial DNA with Wighteria. Last episode, we traveled to Tennessee to collect that DNA. And now we are prepared to take the next steps on this case by working to upload familial DNA into databases like CODIS to begin a new search for Witeria. But the testing we need to do can take a significant amount of time. NAMUS has an extensive backlog, so for now we have to wait and see where this new technology and new information will take us.
- [15:10]
A
Well, as we conclude season three, at least for now, we unfortunately are not ending it like we did season one. We don't have a big reveal, and as with many of our cold cases, we still don't have a final answer in this case. Spending months on a case without a final answer or a solution is something that can be very frustrating, not only for the family, but also to us as investigators on these cases. However, even though we haven't found Wyteria, we have gathered new records about her, we've interviewed new people, we've identified new sites and visited them, and we now have DNA that we can review for her case in the future. We've also remembered Wyteria Jones and told her story to the public to honor her memory and hopefully continue to move her case forward. There are so many cases like Wyteria's that just don't get the media attention that they deserve, and we are working to try to change that.
- [16:04]
D
We've also brought Wyteria's case up to current 2026 standards, and that really is the goal in all of our cold cases. Even if we don't solve the case when we work it, we want to leave it as up to date as possible for the next group of detectives that come along. That way they can start with more solid footing. Witnesses who might be dead and gone in years to come will have been interviewed and recorded and memorialized. Records that could be lost will have been collected and reviewed and organized as well. And physical evidence like DNA will have been collected before it's too late to get a standard. Our ultimate goal is that an officer here in Elgin in 2036 or 2046 won't be looking at a case file from 1976 or 1983 and have to start from scratch there. No, they'll be looking at a 40 or 50 year old case that has been updated to 2026 and beyond. Maybe, just maybe, they can push the ball a few more yards toward the goal line in some of these cases.
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Exactly. We have nearly 50 total homicide and missing person cases still in our caseload, and as we sit here in 2026, it is very likely that we will not solve every single case that we touch. But the whole point of this podcast and this cold case unit is to make that attempt and document it for future investigators and for the families. Because the victims and the families in every single one of these cases truly deserve that. And they are still waiting.
- [17:28]
D
Foreign. We want to thank WRMN 1410 for another successful season of this podcast. Dennis and Matt, thank you for all your technical help and for meeting us with a moment's notice to record and make edits as we went through this season. We truly appreciate all your hard work and help on this project. Our partnership with you guys has been something truly great.
- [17:57]
A
We also want to thank the staff from the Joliet Motor Hotel, the Gail Borden Library, the Elgin History Museum, the Joliet Area History Museum, the Fox Valley Trolley Museum, the Pullman Library, the Illinois Railway Museum and PACE for all the help they provide on this case. When it comes to cold cases, historical societies, museums and libraries are critical partners. So thank you for the emails, the calls and the records you helped us gather. They helped give us a glimpse into the past for Wyteria's case and we plan to continue using those types of resources to gather more records about her case as we wait for DNA results. Wyteria's case is still not over.
- [18:39]
E
We also want to thank our administration, Chief Lally and all of our co workers who helped us in this investigation with this project. I also want to thank Chief Lally for having confidence in me as she moves me into the Cold Case Unit. I'm truly honored to be a part of this unit and the work that we are doing every day. Andrew Criss and I recently attended the International Homicide Investigators Cold Case Conference where we learned that according to National Institute of Justice, only 7% of police agencies nationwide have a dedicated cold case unit. 7 But with Chief Lally's foresight, we are one of those agencies who are working to lead the charge on the issue. We firmly believe that a full time dedicated cold case unit is the best way to review, investigate and solve these cases and we plan to continue our work doing just that. In fact, we're hosting a Cold Case symposium for area law enforcement professionals this fall with the goal of building even better cooperation in our area on cases like wterias.
- [19:47]
D
We would also like to thank all the people we spoke with, the people that met with us, and those who provided tips this season. We truly appreciate the emails, calls and conversations that this podcast has helped generate and a very special thank you goes out to the extended family for Wyteria that we met with during this season. We are forever grateful to those family members who didn't know us and didn't know Wyteria, but they still met with us anyways to provide the DNA that we tried truly needed for this case. Their involvement in this season and in this investigation has been the biggest step we've taken in this case in over 40 years. Truly. Thank you.
- [20:26]
A
Lastly, we want to thank everyone who listens to and shares this podcast. You help us tell these stories and provide us with new information that could one day bring closure to this case or another case. So thank you for taking your time out of your day to listen to and share it. The more people who listen and share, the more people we can reach with these stories and the more tips we can generate in all of our cases.
- [20:47]
E
When we have updates over the summer on any of our cases, including Wyteria's, we will certainly let our listeners know. And just because this season is over doesn't mean that Whiteeria's investigation is. Hopefully we will have more information in the coming months on her case and we are still working several other cases with hosts of new leads and potentially resolutions in those cases as well.
- [21:17]
A
As for Season four. Beth, Chris and I will be combing our case files to select a case or maybe a few cases to bring into the limelight either later this year or in early 2027. We will keep our dedicated listeners up to date on our upcoming season and on any updates we have on any of our activities cases. We continue to believe that this venue provides us with new and innovative ways to tell victim stories. And we know that our listeners will provide us with new tips and information that will help solve another case. Because we know that in all of our cold cases, somebody knows something.
- [21:54]
C
If you or anyone you know has information about this case or any other cold case case in Elgin, please contact the Elgin Police Department Cold case email@coldcasetipslginil.gov or the cold case tip line at 847289. Cold. You can also review cold case information on the Elgin Police Department's Cold case page at www.elgincoldcases.com, where every cold case, homicide and missing persons case is listed with photographs and information about each case.
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