Disappearance of Jason Jolkowski

Jason Anthony Jolkowski
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Born	Jason Anthony Jolkowski (1981-06-24) June 24, 1981 Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S.
Disappeared	June 13, 2001(2001-06-13) (aged 19) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Status	Missing for 24 years, 10 months and 3 days
Known for	Missing person
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Parents	Jim Jolkowski (father) Kelly Murphy (mother)
Relatives	Michael Jolkowski (brother)

Jason Anthony Jolkowski (born June 24, 1981; disappeared June 13, 2001) is an American man from Omaha, Nebraska, who went missing while walking to his former high school to meet a co-worker for a ride to work. In the aftermath of his disappearance, Jolkowski's parents successfully campaigned for "Jason's Law", a statewide database for missing people in Nebraska. As of 2025, Jolkowski's whereabouts remain unknown.

Background

Jason Jolkowski was born on June 24, 1981, in Grand Island, Nebraska. At the time he disappeared, Jolkowski was living in his parents' home on 48th and Pinkney Street in the Benson neighborhood of Omaha. He was a part-time student in the radio broadcasting program at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and worked at a local Fazoli's restaurant at 80th and Cass Street in Omaha. It was reported that he planned to eventually become a radio DJ for KIWR. Jolkowski's mother described him as "shy" and "a quiet boy" with only "a small handful of friends".

Disappearance

On Wednesday, June 13, 2001, Jolkowski was called into work early. Due to his car being at a repair shop, he initially planned to walk to his job, which was located over four miles (6.4 km) away, but eventually made arrangements for a co-worker to give him a ride. Since Jolkowski had trouble giving directions, he arranged for them to meet at Benson High School, which he and his co-worker had previously attended. The school was eight blocks (half a mile) from his home. Jolkowski was wearing a white Chicago Cubs t-shirt (possibly featuring Sammy Sosa), black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a blue Cubs cap. He was also carrying his red Fazoli's work t-shirt.

At 10:45 a.m., Jolkowski was last seen by a neighbor, who saw him help his younger brother pull trash cans from the curb back to the house. Less than an hour later, between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m., his co-worker called his house stating that he had failed to turn up at Benson High for the ride to work. Jolkowski has not been seen or heard from since then. Shortly after his disappearance, the school's security cameras were checked, but none of them showed Jolkowski arriving at the school.

A police officer investigating his disappearance deemed it "the most baffling case" he had seen in thirty years. As of 2025, the Omaha Police Department continues to investigate the case.

Impact

Following the disappearance, Jolkowski's mother and father created Project Jason to help families through a loved one's disappearance. In 2005, after lobbying by his parents, "Jason's Law" was passed by Nebraska Legislature, providing for a statewide database on missing persons. Kelly Jolkowski, Jason's mother, later received a Volunteer for Victims award from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in 2010 and the Nebraska Governor's Points of Light Award in 2014 in recognition of her work to support families of missing people.

See also

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously: 1990–present

External links

• Project Jason site archive at the Internet Archive
• Jason Jolkowski at the Charley Project
• Jason Jolkowski at the Doe Network