After She Went Missing, Her Car Was Found Abandoned And A Strange Woman Used Her ATM Card: 24 Years Later We Still Don’t Know What Happened To Her Or Where She Is
Petaluma, California. It was April 28th, 1997, and 38-year-old Janie June Coe left her home in Petaluma to bring her three young children over to see their dad.
Janie’s children were going to spend the night with their dad at his house in Marin County before coming home the next day to be with Janie.
The following morning, Janie headed to a job interview for a cosmetic company. Janie had recently lost her job at a local retirement home, and she was really experiencing a rough patch in her life after that.
It seemed things were turning around for her though with this promise of a new job.
Janie completed her interview, which involved two hours of training, and then she arrived back home at her house that sat on Penrod Drive.
One of Janie’s Friends saw Janie arrive home after her interview, and this friend also later told the authorities that Janie had been in a wonderful mood.
State of California Department of Justice; pictured above is Janie
Later that day Janie’s children came home to an empty house. Janie was nowhere to be seen, and none of her friends or family members had heard from her.
Janie’s cat who she had for 16 years was in her house, as were all of her belongings. She also had not taken her glasses with her, or one of her contacts, and she was unable to drive without them.
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Janie was reported missing, and the Petaluma Police Department began investigating her disappearance.
Oddly enough, the police discovered that a strange woman had gone to the West America Bank and withdrew $20 from Janie’s account, using her ATM card.
“At that time Petaluma Police Department Investigators obtained bank surveillance video of an unidentified female using her ATM card,” the Petaluma Police Department said in a statement.
“The video footage showed the unidentified female driving a 1978-1982 Ford Mustang. Due to the poor quality of the video footage, investigators were unable to determine the vehicle’s license plate.”
That was one of the only clues police really had to go off of, and it wasn’t a promising one at all.
About a week after Janie went missing on May 5th, her 1989 Ford Aerostar van was located, and it had been abandoned in Napa.
Petaluma Police Department; pictured above is Janie’s car
Janie’s van was parked in a residential section of Napa, nearby a field. This neighborhood wasn’t close at all from the airport or train lines, so it’s unlikely Janie would have driven it there and then used alternative means of transportation.
Another thing about Janie that made the discovery of her van suspicious?
Janie was a complete homebody who really didn’t enjoy being far from where she lived on Penrod Drive.
Petaluma Police Department; pictured above is another photo of Janie’s car
For 24 long years, Janie’s loved ones have been left to wonder about what happened to her and where she went.
4 days ago, the Petaluma Police Department announced that they have a lead in Janie’s case.
“Recently, new DNA evidence was discovered in some of the evidence that had been collected during the initial investigation,” the Petaluma Police Department revealed in their statement.
“This has led to new witness contacts and investigative leads as detectives continue to follow-up on this active investigation.”
Janie is 5’4″ and 130 pounds. She has green eyes and brown hair. She would be 63-years-old right now.
If you have any idea where Janie is, or if you have any information related to her case, please contact Detective Corie Joerger at 707-778-4456.
You could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,500, which is being covered by the Sonoma County Alliance Community Engagement and Safety Rewards Fund.
Petaluma Police Department; pictured above is a flyer for Janie, including an age-progressed photo of her
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