20 Years Ago, This Young Journalist Was Found Assaulted And Strangled In Her Apartment Just 6 Months After Launching Her Career
Jennifer Servo was a Montana native who, from an early age, was recognized for both her free-spirited nature and dedication to leadership.
She was fanatical about The Simpsons, specifically Lisa Simpson, because they both played the saxophone. Jennifer also loved making unconventional crafts and sculptures, such as snow mice, and playing dress-up as a child.
Then, she was nominated for the United States Achievement Academy’s national award in history and government during her time in high school. But Jennifer’s true calling was always writing.
She pursued this passion and studied journalism at the University of Montana, where she grew her portfolio and solidified her future as a reporter.
And following graduation, Jennifer was a top candidate amongst numerous news outlets. Only one was lucky enough to snag the up-and-coming journalist, though– KRBC.
KRBC is a small news station located in Abilene, Texas that wanted to get Jennifer in front of the camera as soon as possible. So, at twenty-two years old, she packed up and moved into a new apartment not far from the station.
To say she was a welcomed addition to the office would be a grave understatement. Jennifer’s coworkers loved her vibrant energy and looked forward to working alongside her every single day.
But, only six months after she began her journalism career, Jennifer’s life was tragically taken from her.
Facebook; pictured above is Jennifer
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On the evening of September 15, 2002, she left the newsroom late with a man named Brian – a friend and weatherman at the outlet. They first went to the grocery store around 10:00 p.m. in Jennifer’s car before she dropped him off and went back home.
And once there, she phoned her ex-boyfriend, Dave. The pair spoke pretty routinely, so there was seemingly no cause for alarm. Dave also confirmed that he was still hours away in his Montana home. Then, Jennifer and Dave hung up at about 1:30 a.m.
The young journalist had the next few days off of work, so her appearance at the office the following morning was not initially expected. However, due to a staff shortage in the newsroom, Jennifer’s boss decided to reach out.
He called her to ask if she would be willing to go in and take a shift. But, when Jennifer never answered or even tried to call him back, he became concerned.
Jennifer’s mother, Sherry, also grew worried. Sherry had tried to contact her a few times as well, but she never picked up the phone.
This was very uncharacteristic of Jennifer, so a few KRBC employees decided to head over to her apartment and check-in. And one of the first red flags they noticed was that Jennifer’s blinds had been left closed. This was unusual since she always left them open for her cat, Mr. Binx, to gaze out the window.
So, after they could not get through to Jennifer in person, her boss finally contacted the police for a wellness check. And the officers’ discovery was devastating.
Jennifer had been assaulted, strangled, and left dead in her apartment. In addition, authorities found evidence of blunt force trauma to her head. The journalist’s purse and phone were also missing.
But, no murder weapon had been left on the scene, and there were no signs of forced entry into her apartment. This, coupled with testimonials from Jennifer’s coworkers about how she was a stickler for safety, led investigators to believe that she had known her perpetrator personally.
Unfortunately, though, Jennifer’s case has not progressed much further than these preliminary findings. Investigators have named two main suspects– Brian and another man named Ralph– but no charges have ever been filed.
Authorities first looked at Brian since he was the last person to have been with Jennifer. He also reportedly hoped to forge a romantic relationship with her, but Jennifer apparently told friends she was not interested.
During questioning, though, Brian maintained his story. He and Jennifer had traveled to the grocery store in her car, and she later dropped him off at home before going back to her own apartment.
And since Brian and Jennifer were friends, his DNA being in her apartment was not out of the ordinary. So, without any other evidence, investigators had no grounds to persecute.
The second suspect, Ralph, was another one of Jennifer’s ex-boyfriends. They had met prior to college when she was in the army reserves and remained in contact until shortly before her death.
In fact, Ralph had even moved to Abilene, Texas, with Jennifer once she landed her KRBC job.
They both shared her new apartment for a few weeks until she found out some heartbreaking news. Ralph had a fiancé and a child that Jennifer had known nothing about.
Once learning the truth, she kicked Ralph out and assumed he would go back to his family in Montana.
However, investigators learned that Ralph had never moved out of the state. Instead, he remained close by in a new apartment that was not far from Jennifer’s.
And even though the pair had no record of contact leading up to her death, investigators still found other facts about Ralph to be alarming.
For example, Jennifer’s family reportedly never liked Ralph. They believed he acted jealous and obsessive.
Moreover, Jennifer had also shared with friends that he was rough while intimate and had a preference for choking– something that made her extremely uncomfortable.
So, all of this put Ralph high up on the authorities’ list of suspects. But, investigators did not have enough non-circumstantial evidence to move forward with this lead.
In turn, Jennifer’s case has sadly remained cold for twenty years now. Her coworkers at KRBC have continued to honor her legacy and raise awareness about her case.
And Jennifer’s family has also created a Facebook group entitled Remembering Jennifer Olson. There, over four hundred members have shared memories with Jennifer and any new press on her case.
September 23, 2022, would have been Jennifer’s forty-third birthday– and her family and friends have all continued to hold onto hope that her killer will one day be brought to justice.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Abilene Crime Stoppers at (325) 676-8477.
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