Jason Jolkowski now missing 5 years, Omaha, Nebraska

Article from http://www.ketv.com/newsarchive/9366411/detail.html:

Missing But Not Forgotten
POSTED: 9:58 pm CDT June 13, 2006
UPDATED: 8:46 am CDT June 14, 2006
OMAHA, Neb. -- Someone knows what happened to
Jason Jolkowski. His mother, Kelly Jolkowski has uttered those words for five
years.
Tuesday marked the five-year anniversary of the disappearance of
Jason Jolkowski. The Benson 19-year-old was last seen in the driveway of his
home. He had arranged to walk to Benson High School, seven blocks from home,
where a co-worker planned to pick him up.
Jason never made it to the school.
His bank account was never touched. His cell phone went unused. He took nothing with him.
Five years
later, his family clings to hope that someone knows something about Jason's
disappearance that will help them solve this mystery.
On Tuesday night, his
parents and younger brother joined dozens of family members and friends at St.
James Lake Park, at 48th and Bedford streets. They handed out posters with the
headline reading, "Someone knows what happened to Jason," and they asked those
at the gathering to hang the posters on every block in the neighborhood. Then,
they lit candles to remember the young man who disappeared without a trace.
Jason's parents haven't patiently waited for their son's return. They were
instrumental in passing legislation called Jason's Law in 2005, which created a
missing person's clearinghouse in Nebraska. They've also made it their mission
to help families of the missing, nationwide through a nonprofit group called
Project Jason. Now they only wish those programs would work for them.

Jason's story on The Charley Project (source of the above pictures):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: June 13, 2001 from Omaha, Nebraska
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date of Birth: June 24, 1981
Age: 19 years old
Height and Weight: 6'1, 160 - 165 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, brown eyes. Jolkowski's nickname
is JJ.
Clothing Description: A white Chicago Cubs or Sammy Sosa t-shirt, a
blue or black Chicago Cubs baseball cap, black dress pants, and black dress
shoes.
Medical Conditions: Jolkowski has learning disabilities related to
speech and language. The disabilities may make him appear to be mildly mentally
retarded, but he is actually of above average intelligence.

Details of Disappearance
On June 13, 2001, Jolkowski was called into work early. He
worked at a Fazoli's restaurant on 80th and Cass Streets in his hometown of
Omaha, Nebraska. His car was in the shop for repairs and he initially said he
would walk there, but then called back and made arrangements for a co-worker to
pick him up at Jolkowski's old school, Benson High School, eight blocks from his
home.
Jolkowski carried his red work t-shirt with him at the time of his
disappearance. On the way out the door of his family's residence, he decided to
help his younger brother take trash cans into the garage. A neighbor saw him
carry the cans into the garage at his house in the area of 48th and Bedford
Steets. This was at 10:45 a.m. Between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m., Jolkowski's
co-worker called the house to find out why he hadn't met her at the high school.
This is when his disappearance was discovered.
Jolkowski has never been
heard from again. He left $650 behind in his bank account, which has not been
touched since his disappearance. He has not cashed any of his paychecks, used
his cellular phone or automatic teller machine (ATM) card, or picked up his car
from the auto repair shop since his disappearance. Jolkowski was supposed to
start a new job a week after he vanished, and was excited about it; he never
showed up to begin work there. He had no more than $60 on his person on the day
he disappeared, and no personal items were missing from his room. He did his
household chores as usual up until the time he disappeared.
Jolkowski's
loved ones suspect foul play may have been involved in his disappearance. They
say he is too responsible to have left without warning, and he was not having
any problems at the time of his disappearance. He is described as a shy person
who was not involved with drugs or alcohol and was close to his family at the
time of his disappearance. He has no known enemies.
Jolkowski was born in
Grand Island, Nebraska. His mother founded Project Jason, a non-profit
organization dedicated to assisting the families of missing people and
publicizing missing person cases, after her son vanished. Jolkowski's case
remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Omaha Police Department
402-444-5657

Jason's website: http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/
Guestbook to leave messages for the Jolkowski family: http://pub36.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=3085091876&cpv=1
You can print a poster of Jason at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301135W.

Links to Project Jason's website, forums, and blog can be found under the "Links" section to the right of this post.

Sadly, the National Center for Missing Adults, which provides posters and other assistance for the families of Jason and the other missing adults like him , is being threatened due to financial difficulties. To learn more about the situation and find out how you can help, please visit http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/07/71006-matter-of-urgency.html.