S3E6: Chicago

Summary

Somebody Knows Something: The Elgin Police Cold Case Podcast

Season 3, Episode 6 – "Chicago"
Release Date: June 1, 2026
Hosts: Detective Andrew Houghton, Detective Chris Hall
Special participation: Chief Anna Lally, Field Investigator/Guest

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Episode Overview

This episode explores potential connections between the disappearance of Wyteria Jones in 1982 and the city of Chicago. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall investigate Wyteria's past in Chicago, examine her husband Waymond Jones's 1967 arrest for murder, and discuss the challenges and resources available for solving such old cases. They also look into the viability of Chicago as a destination or transit point for Wyteria, explore missing persons cases from Chicago in the 1980s for parallels, and spotlight community resources to encourage public involvement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Revisiting Waymond Jones’s Murder Arrest (Chicago, 1967)

[03:24 – 13:02]

• Background:
  • Wyteria and Waymond moved from Tennessee to Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood in the mid-1960s.
  • Waymond worked in the Chicago public school system.
• 1967 Incident:
  • On November 11, 1967, Otis Johnson was shot and killed outside the Shadow Mar Lounge, near where Waymond lived.
  • Waymond Jones was identified as a suspect, surrendered on November 24, and was charged and indicted for murder.
• Case Details:
  • A witness described the assailant as a black male, 30-35 years old, 6ft tall, matching Waymond’s description.
  • From recreated police radio traffic and reports, it was revealed police arrived quickly, but the assailant vanished into the dense urban neighborhood ("Looking around, I mean, you could disappear into the neighborhood pretty quickly." – Field Investigator, 09:34).
• Outcome:
  • Charges against Waymond were ultimately dismissed in 1968 for reasons unclear to present-day investigators.

"He was charged pretty quickly in that case. But unfortunately … the records we received were, unfortunately, extremely limited."
— Detective Chris Hall [10:55]

Relevance:
Detectives assess that, although the case may not directly relate to Wyteria’s later disappearance, Waymond's capacity for violence is a relevant investigative consideration.

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2. Exploring Domestic Violence & Family Dynamics

[07:34 – 08:00]

• Findings:
  • Both a family member and Wyteria herself disclosed incidents of domestic violence at home.
  • Waymond also had a 1980 arrest for simple battery.
• Insight:
  • These factors underscore the need to scrutinize Waymond’s actions and background for potential relevance to Wyteria's fate.

"We now have a family member and Wyteria herself disclosing violence within the home."
— Detective Chris Hall [07:34]

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3. Walking the Scene: Chicago Neighborhood & Union Station

[08:17 – 19:46]

• On Location – West Garfield Park:
  • Detectives and a field investigator walk the neighborhood, noting its density and numerous alleyways ("...once you get down an alleyway, you could cut through these different gangways [...] and kind of be gone." — Field Investigator, 10:16).
• Union Station Visit:
  • They visit Union Station, underscoring its role as a major rail hub in 1982 and today.
  • From Elgin, Wyteria could have traveled directly to Union Station and then onward to Joliet, Aurora, Tennessee, Texas, or other destinations.
  • Discuss practicality for Wyteria: Union Station was likely her transfer point if traveling from Elgin ("If she was leaving Elgin to go to Joliet, she would almost certainly have come through this location." — Field Investigator, 19:17).

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4. Crime & Missing Persons in Chicago, 1980s

[20:33 – 24:13]

• Crime Stats (1982):
  • 668 murders, 17,294 missing persons reports; high clearance rate on murders (87.7%).
• Review of Similar Cases:
  • Detectives outline missing black female cases from 1980-1990 with similarities in geography or circumstance:
    • Kelly Juanita Staples (6, 1980)
    • Sheila Renee Quinn (4, 1980)
    • Christine Daniels (37, 1980)
    • Vignette Teague (18 months, 1983)
    • Sylvia Renee McElroy (27, 1987)
    • Valena McGee (13, 1989)

"Both young girls are still missing."
— Detective Andrew Houghton [21:59]

5. Updates on Wyteria’s Timeline & Theories

[27:19 – 29:45]

• Travel Pathways:
  • Connecting Elgin, Chicago, Joliet, Tennessee, and Texas as possible destinations or transit points.
  • No direct evidence places Wyteria in Chicago, Aurora, or these destinations post-1982, but it remains plausible.
• Challenges:
  • Records newly obtained suggest Wyteria was rooted in Elgin by 1975, raising questions about her contact with Waymond and repeat travel to Aurora.
  • No evidence for concealment at Waymond’s Aurora property.

6. Community Involvement & Cold Case Resources

[24:32 – 25:16, 30:50 – 31:24]

• Community Appeals:
  • Listeners urged to contact Elgin or Chicago PD, or visit resources like NamUs for potential tips.
  • Other agencies (FBI, Illinois State Police, Crime Stoppers) and tools (media, web series) discussed as vital in modern cold case resolution.
• Chicago’s Model:
  • Described as resource-rich, with recent drops in homicide rates and innovative outreach (YouTube web series on cold cases).

"Oftentimes it is the public who can help us or other agencies with media attention and tips..."
— Detective Andrew Houghton [15:26]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Importance of Reviewing Old Cases:
  "Understanding a person's potential for violence is something that is crucial in all criminal investigations."
  — Detective Andrew Houghton [07:20]

• On the Urban Landscape:
  "It's easy to blend in down here."
  — Detective Chris Hall [10:29]

• On Ways Forward in Wyteria’s Case:
  "So now, moving forward, we have to consider the fact that Whiteria could be deceased, regardless of which potential theory is actually correct."
  — Detective Andrew Houghton [30:16]

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Important Timestamps

• [03:24] — Introduction to Chicago investigation and historical context.
• [05:05] — Re-enactment of 1967 murder scene and police report.
• [07:34] — Domestic violence revelations.
• [08:17] — Walkthrough of Chicago neighborhood.
• [16:19] — Union Station contextualized as travel gateway for Wyteria.
• [21:35] — Review of comparable Chicago missing persons cases.
• [24:32] — Callouts to NamUs and victim resources.
• [26:46] — Appeal for public feedback on Waymond and Wyteria’s history.
• [29:19] — Implications for Aurora vs. Elgin as Wyteria’s base.
• [30:16] — Episode wrap-up; preview of next episode on NamUs and DNA.

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Next Episode Preview

• The upcoming episode will center on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), plans to update Wyteria’s case with familial DNA, and more case studies of missing women in the area.

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Community Call to Action

If you have any information about Wyteria Jones, Waymond Jones, Otis Johnson's 1967 murder, or any cold case in Elgin or Chicago:

• Email: [e-mail]
• Phone (Elgin): 847-289-COLD
• Chicago Tipline: 833-408-0069
• Anonymous tip (Chicago): CPDTip.com
• Resource: www.ElginColdCases.com

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“Somebody knows something.”
— Chief Anna Lally [01:32]

Transcript

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[Detective Chris Hall]

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play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details. This podcast 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 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 to be legal. Conclusions all persons discussed are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion is advised.

[Chief Anna Lally]

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.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Hello and welcome to Somebody Knows Something, the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Podcast. My name is Detective Andrew Houghton and

[Detective Chris Hall]

I'm Detective Chris Hall. On our last episode we visited Aurora, Illinois and discussed Wyteria Jones and her husband Wayman. We discovered that a bus from downtown Elgin could have theoretically dropped off Whiteeria off just a few blocks from her house, and we made that walk along with Beth as we reviewed the theory that Wyteria could have traveled here in 1982. We also discussed Waymond Jones's 1980 arrest for battery as we considered his background for this investigation. Then we ended our episode by disclosing that Waymond Jones was arrested one other time, all the way back in 1967.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

In this episode, we are traveling outside of Elgin once again to the City of Chicago to see the neighborhood where the Jones family lived in the late 1960s before moving to Aurora and it's the same neighborhood that Waymond Jones lived in in November of 1967 when he was arrested for murder.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Wyteria and Wayman originally grew up in Tennessee, but in the mid-1960s, they traded the still segregated south for the northern city of Chicago, Illinois. When they arrived in Illinois, the couple moved into an apartment in the West Garfield park neighborhood. In the early 20th century, the area surrounding Garfield park was the home of a large immigrant population. In fact, the founder and later longtime coach of the Chicago Bears, George Stanley Halas, whose family was from Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, grew up in the neighborhood back in the early 1900s.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Then between 1960 and 1970, the neighborhood began to change and Whiteeria and Wayman were part of that transformation as the neighborhood shifted away from the mainly immigrant population. After graduating from college in Tennessee, Wayman moved north to work the Chicago public school system and shortly after that, Wyteria followed him. It was there, in the West Garfield park neighborhood that their family continued to grow.

[Detective Chris Hall]

By 1967, however, Wyteria was spending some time in Elgin while Wayman remained at Chicago working and raising the couple's four children in the 4000 block of West Gladys Avenue. Then, in the early morning hours of November 11, 1967, Waymond Jones was allegedly about a block from his house at the Shadow Mar lounge, located at 409 South Pulaski Road in Chicago, when there was an incident outside the bar. The following is a recreation of the radio traffic from the Chicago Police records for this case from 1:30am on November

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

11, 196781108 to Van Buren and Pulaski Road.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Police quickly arrived into the area and discovered that a 23 year old black man named Otis Johnson had been shot in the chest outside the bar. Otis lived nearby as well in the 3800 block of West Gladys, and he died at the scene. Here's a portion of the actual Chicago Police Department report for Otis Johnson's murder. Portions are edited and redacted for clarity and to protect the identity of witnesses.

[Chicago Police Officer (Reading Report)]

Upon our arrival, we were directed by beat115o, who were at the scene to a man lying in the street victim of a shooting and was about to be taken to Garfield Park Hospital by beat 1170. Victim was pronounced dead by Dr. McNeese at 0140 this date. We interviewed the owner of the Shadowmar Lounge who stated that he knew the victim as Popeye and that the victim was in his establishment and left. Soon afterward, the witness heard a shot but did not see the assailant it was learned from another witness that she observed a black male standing in front of the tavern at the above address with what appeared to be a blue steel snub nose pistol in his hand just as she was entering the tavern. At this time, the victim was coming out of the tavern and she was entering same. This witness heard a shot behind her and she ran further into the tavern. That is all she knows. She described the offender as male, black, 30 to 35 years old, approximately 6ft tall and 165 pounds, with a medium build, medium brown complexion and wearing a dark hat, dark checkered short cloth coat and dark trousers, and carrying a gun. Unknown make a flash message was sent to other units.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

As it turned out, Waymond Jones was 34 years old, 6ft 1 inches tall and weighed approximately 180 pounds. And he lived about a block from the shooting that day. November 11th was a Saturday. And soon after the shooting, the Chicago Police Department identified Waymond Jones as a suspect in the case and they issued an arrest warrant for him for the charge of murder.

[Detective Chris Hall]

On November 24, the day after Thanksgiving, Waymond Jones formally surrendered himself to the Chicago Police Department for that murder warrant and he was officially charged with the murder of Otis Johnson.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

At first glance, the Chicago case might not seem relevant because we know that Wyteria was actually living in Elgin in November of 1967. But as we said last episode, understanding a person's potential for violence is something that is crucial in all criminal investigations.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Last episode we told listeners that at least one family member alleged that there was domestic violence in the home when Myteria lived in Aurora. But we didn't reveal is that the records that Beth recently got us revealed that Whiteeria herself also mentioned domestic violence in the home. So we now have a family member and Wyteria herself disclosing violence within the home. Plus we know that Wayman was arrested for a simple battery in 1980.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Even though the murder case in Chicago isn't directly related to Witeria, we decided that it would be useful for us to see the place where Otis's murder happened and to see the apartment neighborhood where Whiteeria lived in the 1960s before she moved to Aurora. So Chris and I drove down to the city of Chicago to do just that.

[Detective Chris Hall]

All right, now we are on Van Buren and Pulaski.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Pulaski, yeah.

[Detective Chris Hall]

This would have been the local neighborhood where Arteria and Wayman lived back in 67.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Seven early 60s or mid-60s to 67. We know Witteria was out in Elgin at this time. Time that the murder happened. But we're standing here at Pulaski and Van Buren. Sorry, a lot of traffic noise here. The Shadow Mar lounge would have been

[Detective Chris Hall]

right here at the corner.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

So when the shooting happened, it was evening. Even looking around here, there's not a

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

lot of street lights.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

It was probably pretty dark.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Yeah. Back then, especially.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

And going south to north, you have Van Buren. The next street north of here is Gladys, which is the street they lived on. And they were about four or five houses, I think. Five buildings in from Pulaski to the west.

[Detective Chris Hall]

That's got to be, what, like 200ft, give or take.

[SpinQuest Legal Disclaimer / LegalShield Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

There's an alleyway between here and GLATTUS that's maybe 200ft away. That would get you into the alleyway behind their house. And so it's maybe 500ft from here to the back door of the property.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Yeah.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

I mean, if a shooting happens and if he was involved, we're not saying he was, although he was charged in this case, it was dismissed. Looking around, I mean, you could disappear into the neighborhood pretty quickly.

[Detective Chris Hall]

It's pretty eerily similar to Casey Kyle's case.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Yeah. I mean, by the time somebody gets outside, that person's gone. Person's gone. I mean, there's alleyways on both sides going east to west. Gladys Avenue is a block from here. But the apartment where he lived in 90s in 1967 is, like we said, 500ft away, maybe.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Yeah.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

So it's. It's pretty dense down here. Once you get off of Pulaski, it's

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

a very,

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

very urban area with alleyways, a lot of row homes kind of on top of each other back in here. So I think once you get down an alleyway, you could cut through these different gangways between different apartments and kind of be gone.

[Detective Chris Hall]

But it's easy to blend in down here.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Yeah. Chicago felt enough to at least charge him in the case, even though it was dismissed. But if you're standing here on the corner where the entrance was to the building, it's very, very, very close to where he was living at the time, so.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Well, as we said when we visited the neighborhood, it certainly is a close walk or a run from Wayman's address to the site of the homicide. And he was charged pretty quickly in that case. But unfortunately, one problem with a case like this is that it's very difficult to get a hold of extensive records for the a case this old. The Chicago Police Department identification section has been very helpful in getting us copies of the original incident report and warrant Arrest for this case. But Chicago has thousands of old murder files. Plus, this one is from almost 60 years ago. The records we received were, unfortunately, extremely limited. Initially, when we began looking into this, we were concerned that the homicide could be somehow related to Whiteeria. But thanks to the records that Beth got us recently, we now know that she was not living in Chicago at the time of that homicide.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

In reviewing the case files and the court case, we learned that Waymond Jones was indicted for murder by the Cook county grand jury on January 23rd of 1968. Even today, when someone is charged with a felony in Cook county, the state's attorney's office is the agency that actually approves criminal charges or a warrant for them. Process is called felony review, and we follow that same procedure today for felony cases in both Cook county and Kane County.

[Detective Chris Hall]

The defendant in this case was Wayman, and he was arrested on the murder warrant that was authorized by the Cook county state's attorney's office. And then he was booked and processed in Chicago for that murder. And after that, he was held in the jail. Today, once a defendant is charged in a case, the Cook county state's attorney's office has a few options moving forward with the criminal case. One, they can have a hearing before a judge or in panel, a grand jury to hear facts of the case. And typically, at least in my experience, and I know, and Andrews as well, that the Cook county state's attorney's office often seeks a bill of indictment before a grand jury for felony cases. Then they move forward with a criminal case if an indictment is obtained. It appears that the same process was used even back in 1967 when Wayman was arrested and then he was charged, and then he was indicted for the murder of Otis Johnson.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

That's true. But he was not convicted on this case, right?

[Detective Chris Hall]

That's correct. And Waymond Jones's murder arrest was dismissed in 1968. And as far as we can tell, no one else has ever been charged in Otis Johnson's murder. At this point, we haven't been able to determine the reason that the case was dismissed. But Wayman Jones was arrested, charged, and indicted for Otis murder prior to that dismissal. Otis Johnson's murder is just one murder in Chicago for which there isn't a conviction. Chicago is the third largest city in America behind New York and Los Angeles. So the volume of criminal cases in general, including homicide, is large, just like any other major urban city with massive populations. According to Uncovered.com, there have been more than 14,000 murders in Chicago since 1980 with over 8,000 solved. Unfortunately, just like with our cases, sometimes those cases still go cold.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Chicago has worked hard to add resources to address their cold cases. They partner with other agencies like the Illinois State Police and the FBI to work on cold cases, and they've also used civilian groups like Crime Stoppers as well. CPD also has worked with victim groups, nonprofits, and they have dedicated cold case detectives in each of the five areas of the city, all in an effort to solve homicide cases and to continue to lower their overall homicide rate. Chicago has experienced success with this model. According to the Council for Criminal justice, Chicago experienced 416 total homicides in 2025. That number is a 29% decrease from the 587 recorded in 2024, and those 2025 numbers are the lowest number of homicides in the City of Chicago since 1965.

[Detective Chris Hall]

One innovative way that the Chicago Police Department has tried to create interest and leads in their cold cases is by launching a web series on the department's YouTube page. The department first launched this program in 2022, and currently you can find videos on the department's YouTube page that discuss the cold case murders of Elizabeth Dunlap in 1976, Lizzie Malcolm and Lucretia Lee in 1981, Brenda Graham in 1999, Kevin Kluer in 2004, Veronica Williams in 2007, Kiera Coles in 2018, and Angie Monroe and Elisa Vargas in 2019.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

I know that we have used this podcast to garner community interest and media and attention for our cases, and we will continue to do so. But we also encourage our listeners to seek out information on cold cases in your own area so you can help drive community interest on other cases as well. Oftentimes it is the public who can help us or other agencies with media attention and tips, so please consider reviewing sites like Chicago Police Department's web series that we just mentioned and others to see if you can help bring closure to another area cold case. One other angle that we wanted to address with our Chicago connection is that, as we said in a prior episode, a trip to Chicago on either a bus or a train might make sense for Whiteeria in 1982. We know she could have made her way directly to Aurora from downtown Elgin, but it appears to get to Joliet or some other place, she would have more than likely had to go to Chicago.

[Detective Chris Hall]

If you have never been to Union Station in Chicago, it is a massive complex that covers nearly 10 city blocks with much of the station underground. The station houses commuter trains and nationwide railways and it connects Chicago to over 500 different cities. Located just west of the Chicago river and adjacent to the Chicago Loop, Union Station today is the fourth busiest train station in America, and it handles on average, 140,000 passengers a week.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Union Station first opened in 1925, and it was actually the third station to be located on that site. By 1870, Illinois had the most extensive railway system in the United States, and Chicago was the main Midwestern hub for trains from across the country. So Union Station was constructed by a union of four major railway companies to accommodate the growing demand for passenger trains in the city. When it opened, the Chicago Tribune wrote this about the grand new station.

[Chief Anna Lally]

In respect to both architecture and utility,

[Detective Chris Hall]

the new station is one of the most impressive in the world. By 1982, the commuter line from Elgin, the Milwaukee Road, or Mr. Line, ran from Elgin to Union Station, passing through 18 stops on its way downtown. And there was a Greyhound bus that left Elgin and went to Chicago as well. So considering those options, Wyteria certainly could have traveled to Union Station as a launch pad to Joliet or Aurora, or even Tennessee, where she had family, or even Texas, where the Zimas owned another hotel. Really, if she did go to Union Station, Wyteria could have traveled to literally hundreds of other cities.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Since Chris and I were already in Chicago, we decided to head over to Union Station since it is another location that we need to consider along Whiteeria's possible path in 1982.

[Detective Chris Hall]

All right, we are here at just outside Union Station down in the city. As expected on a warm Tuesday afternoon. It's busy as ever. Probably a likely spot that Criteria would have ended up at. If she was in between traveling from. If she was potentially traveling out of state, this is probably the best spot to go.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Yeah, the train from Elgin would have taken her here. Union Station, she could have got to Joliet from here. She could have got to Aurora from here.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

She could have gone to Texas from here.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

She could have gone to really anywhere.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Tennessee.

[Detective Chris Hall]

It's a pretty major hub for a lot of areas.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

The Greyhound buses would have come down here to downtown as well nearby. So we know that she could have come down to this area. We didn't really get into the logistics of getting to Joliet from the train. So you could do that from here, from Union Station. There's also another option which is La Salle Street. So we're going to drive over there here in a minute and just kind of see how far that is from here. But I know it's about a half A mile away.

[Detective Chris Hall]

It's a pretty far walk for her. If she tried to do that with luggage or a suitcase or anything substantial. As far as her personal property.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Yeah. This doesn't make a lot of sense to do that. If you can do it from Union Station. Like, why take a train down here to go to Joliet and then walk

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

to another train to get out there?

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Yeah. So this would be a pretty likely location. If she was leaving Elgin to go to Joliet, she would almost certainly have come through this location. But like we said, she could have

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

gone to Tennessee from here or really anywhere in the country. Because you have the option to take

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Amtrak from down here.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Yep.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

Metro trains to other cities, the buses downtown.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

The CTA is close by.

[Field Investigator / Podcast Guest]

So if she came into Chicago, I mean, the options are kind of limitless for her.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Yeah. Even in 1983, so. Well, as we said, if Whiteeria did come to Chicago, she certainly could have gone back to Tennessee or to a bunch of other locations. And if she wanted to get to Joliet, she could have taken a train from the Union Station or La Salle Street. We didn't get very specific about downtown Joliet and our Joliet episode, But the trains from Chicago terminate in downtown Joliet on the east side of the river. The Joliet Motor Hotel is about a mile walk from the downtown station, so it's definitely feasible. Plus, there are bus stops along Western Avenue, with some as close as a block from the Joliet Motor Hotel. It is entirely plausible that Wyteria could have gone to Chicago and then taken the train to Joliet and then either walked to take a short bus ride over to the hotel if that was her ultimate destination.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

While an Elgin to Chicago to Joliet connection is entirely possible, we now know that she could go to Tennessee or Texas as well, because we have connections to those areas. So we will continue to consider those destinations. But one of our other theories is that something could have happened while she was en route to her next destination, regardless of where that destination was. So let's talk a little bit about that theory here in this episode. To get an idea of Chicago crime and missing persons in 1982, we turn to the Chicago Police Department's 1982 annual report. That report documents crime for the calendar year of 1982, and it listed that there were 668 murders in Chicago that year. Chicago's clearance rate on those murders was actually 87.7%, which is a really high number. The report also listed that there were 17,294 missing person cases reported in Chicago in 1982. Although the overwhelming majority of those cases were either unfounded or cleared, Andrew and

[Detective Chris Hall]

I decided that we also wanted to take a look at NAMUS and review any cold case missing persons cases specifically for black females like Witteria in the Chicago area between 1980 and 1990 to see if we had anything similar to her case. While we have not come across any that appear linked to Witeria, we do want to briefly mention some here as we continue to try to shine a light but and other missing persons in the area.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

There are a number of cases in Chicago dating back to 1980 for missing black women. They include six year old Kelly Juanita Staples who disappeared walking to School on January 8th of 1980 and four year old Sheila Renee Quinn who reportedly disappeared from her apartment a month later on February 27th of 1980. She lived in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Kelly was last seen wearing a brown and white striped cap, a brown scarf, a red plaid coat and blue jeans with blue rubber boots and little Sheila was last seen wearing a white T shirt with white socks and gold pajama bottoms. She might have also had on a dark winter coat. Both young girls are still missing.

[Detective Chris Hall]

37 year old Christine Daniels was also reported missing in 1980 by her sister on May 30th. Christine lived in the 300 block of South Spaulding, remains missing to this day. Similar to Whiteeria, she would be in her 80s if she is alive today and her whereabouts are currently unknown.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Jumping forward in time to 1983, Vignette Teague disappeared on June 25th of 1983 from the 5000 block of South Federal Street. Vignette was an 18 month old baby. She was described as 32 inches tall and 27 pounds with black hair and brown eyes and she was last seen playing in the hallway of her apartment before she disappeared. Little Vignette Teague's case remains a cold case to this day.

[Detective Chris Hall]

The last two cases that we wanted to mention from the 1980s involved the disappearance of a 27 year old woman and 13 year old girl. First case involving a 27 year old Sylvia Renee McElroy occurred on November 10, 1987. Sylvia is described as having brown eyes and black hair with a burgundy tint to it and she was wearing a long beige trench coat, a blue white T shirt and navy pants when she entered a brown four door late 1970s model Buick near 63rd and King Drive on the south side of Chicago. Never to be seen again.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

And 13 year old Valena McGee, who was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and black checkered shorts, disappeared on June 28, 1989 as she walked to class. Just like Kelly Staples in 1980, she never made it to school. Velina disappeared and her case remains cold. She was described as 5 foot 3, 120 pounds, with curly black hair and brown eyes. And she, like all the young women and girls we just mentioned, remains missing to this day.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Now, we're going to talk a little bit more about NAMUS in our next episode, but we really encourage people to visit NAMUS in conjunction with this podcast. It is really an invaluable resource and you might be able to make a difference if you have information in any of the cases listed on that site, whether they are an Elgin case or not.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Yeah. And if you have information about Chicago cold cases or active homicide cases for that matter, you can reach their anonymous tip line at 833-408-0069 or email the Chicago Police [e-mail] you can also contact us and we can help you get in touch with the right area detectives for your case, if that helps you. Our goal with this podcast is to shine a light on as many cold cases as we can, even if they're not our cases. And we hope that by doing so we can create more community interest around these tragic cases and generate tips that might help close a case, even if it's not ours.

[Detective Chris Hall]

At this point, we haven't found any links between Otis Johnson's murder and Wyteria Jones's disappearance, and we have yet to locate any similar case that Whiteeria could have been linked to. As we have said, based on some records we've obtained over the last few months, we now know that Whiteeria was living in Elgin at the time of Otis Johnson's murder. But as we also said, arrests for violent offenses certainly at least pique our interest in a case like this. Because the Cook County State's Attorney's Office dropped these charges against Wayman for the case, we cannot say if he was guilty of that offense or not. All we can say is that he was a suspect in that case, and if he was involved in Otis's murder, it certainly shows that he was potentially capable of committing a violent offense. Plus, we have his prior battery arrest from 1980 as well.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Chris and I looked to see if we could find any of the original detectives for Otis's case. Maybe they would know why the case was dropped, or maybe they'd have some other information that wasn't included in the Reports that we've gotten up to this point, unfortunately, we have not located any of them. And this case is nearly 60 years old. So when you think about it, a detective who was Maybe in his 30s back then would be in his 90s today.

[Detective Chris Hall]

And we are still seeking additional information about Otis Johnson's murder because we want to have as much information about Waymond Jones as we continue investigating Wytiria's disappearance. So if you or someone you know did know Waymond Jones prior to his death or have information about Otis Johnson's case specifically, please contact us. We would like to know more information about that homicide and about Waymond Jones more broadly.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

We also want to hear from anyone who knew Wayman and Wyteria during their time in Chicago or Aurora or really anywhere else. Additional firsthand information about their relationship and their lives together is crucial to this case. And information about Wayman's life after Whiteeria disappeared could also be relevant as well. So if you have information to share, please reach out to us via email or phone or send us an anonymous tip. No tip is too small.

[Detective Chris Hall]

In this episode, we have explored the option that Wyteria traveled to Chicago and potentially could have gone somewhere else like Joliet or even out of the state. But we have no tangible evidence to tie her to the city other than that her best route to Joliet ran through Chicago. We also know that she lived in Tennessee briefly in 1976 and had family there as well. Plus, we know that some tenants from the Joliet Motor Hotel even went to Texas. So it is quite possible that she could have traveled to one of those locations from Chicago as well. In the end, some connection to Chicago remains a possibility, but we still don't know if she went there or or something happened to her in the city or even on her way to and from the city.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

As for Wayman's murder arrest in Chicago, at this point, Otis Johnson's case doesn't appear to be directly related to Wyteria, but it did get us thinking about one other aspect of this case involving Aurora. We began to think about Wayman and Witeria's home and the property that it sits upon. Similar to our thoughts on the Douglas Hotel, we began to wonder if it was possible that she could be concealed at that location if she did in fact return there in 1982 or 1983. So Beth reached out to Aurora to see if there was any permits issued for a new patio or a structure or something like that that might point to some activity that could conceal human remains. We determined that there are no records to suggest that any permits or major renovations or changes have happened to that property since 1982. So at this point, there's nothing to suggest concealment on the property in Aurora.

[Detective Chris Hall]

I also have to say that based on the newer records that Beth obtained, we also know now that Wyteria was living in Elgin in 1975 and again from 1976 to 1982, minus a brief stay in Tennessee might actually make it more reasonable that Wayman didn't report her missing for several months. He legitimately might not have known that she was missing or that the hotel in Elgin was even closed. While she did have family in Aurora, we have to at least consider that she may not have gone back there at all. We just don't really know how much contact Waymond and waiteria had with one another once she was living in Elgin by 1975.

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

Yeah, I agree, Chris. It's certainly possible that she didn't go back to Aurora. Wayman's background with a homicide arrest and a battery is important to review. And as we said, at least one family member and Wyteria herself disclosed some sort of physical violence in the home. But we can't physically place her in aurora after about 1975. While that location might make the most logistical sense with a direct bus and family in the city, by 1975, Belgium was really her home more than Aurora was.

[Detective Chris Hall]

While we do feel like we still can't write off the fact that Whiteeria went back to Aurora or Chicago, Aurora might be less likely now that we have our new records, but her connection to Aurora still remains a viable option, as do potential connections to Chicago and Joliet. But unfortunately, we still haven't unearthed any new sightings of her or evidence that puts her in one of those cities. But we do have more information about possible locations, including new ones. Since we began this investigation

[Detective Andrew Houghton]

in this season, we've traveled to Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, and now Chicago. We've gathered new records for Witeria, and they've been pretty valuable for us. We've also spoken to some new people and some past witnesses, and we're continuing to seek additional new witnesses and records in this case. We also discussed all of our original theories for this case up to this point in this podcast. So now, moving forward, we have to consider the fact that Whiteria could be deceased, regardless of which potential theory is actually correct.

[Detective Chris Hall]

Next episode, Andrew and I will discuss the National Missing and Unidentified person system, or NamUs, and our goal is to update Witeria's case with familial DNA and we work to modernize W's case. We will also discuss several area cases of missing women included in NAMUS as we continue our search for Whiteeria Jones here on Somebody Knows Something.

[Chief Anna Lally]

If you or anyone you know has information about about this case or any other cold case in Elgin, please contact the Elgin Police Department Cold case [e-mail] 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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