In 1975, This Iowa Elementary School Teacher Mysteriously Vanished While Going Through A Divorce With Her Husband
In 1975, Jane Ellen Wakefield was a beloved reading and math teacher at Penn Elementary School in North Liberty, Iowa.
As a child, she was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before furthering her education at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
It was one year after Jane began her studies that she met her soon-to-be husband, John. The pair tied the knot in 1967, and Jane continued her education at the University of Iowa before graduating in 1970.
By 1975, though, Jane and John’s marriage had seemingly gone sideways. That year, Jane filed for divorce and was separated from her husband. At the time, she lived in a mobile home in the Bon-Aire Mobile Home Lodge of Iowa City, pending her divorce; meanwhile, John continued living in the apartment they once shared in town.
According to friends of the couple, Jane had wanted children, but John was not on board. They suggested that this disagreement was one cause of the couple’s problems.
Regardless, six months after Jane initially filed for divorce, she mysteriously vanished.
It all began on September 6, 1975, when Jane embarked on a cross-country bike ride with her friends. By the afternoon, though, she opted to return to her mobile home at 2:30 p.m.– claiming she had an appointment.
Upon arriving back at her new home, Jane did speak with a neighbor. And the neighbor claimed she had not been acting out of character. Nonetheless, this was the last time Jane was ever seen.
Later that same evening, another neighbor reportedly heard screaming or yelling coming from the area of Jane’s home. The neighbor apparently wasn’t sure where the noise was coming from, though, and ultimately dismissed their concerns.
Iowa Department Of Public Safety – pictured above is Jane
So, it was not until the following morning that Jane was discovered missing. Her vehicle, a Fiat, was still parked in its assigned parking space. Jane’s bike was also locked to a nearby yard lamp.
And upon the investigation of her home, authorities found everything seemingly in order. Nonetheless, they suspected that Jane might have been taking a shower at the time of her disappearance.
Investigators subsequently spoke with many people of interest– administering lie detector tests to eliminate the suspects. However, one person reportedly refused to take the exam– although this person’s identity remains unknown.
Then, not long after Jane disappeared, an informant contacted the police and revealed how a friend had actually confessed to Jane’s murder. According to the informant, her body was reportedly cremated and later scattered along Interstate 80.
While the informant later passed his lie detector test, though, police were never able to confirm his information.
So, authorities continued searching various locations and also turned their attention to Jane’s husband, John. Investigators searched two businesses owned by him and uncovered a piece of metal deemed to be a tooth filling, bone fragments, and five different vacuum cleaners.
At the time, though, laboratory testing was unable to link the items to Jane. John also maintained that he had no involvement in his wife’s disappearance and offered a cash reward for her return. In the end, John was never charged or convicted in relation to Jane’s disappearance. He is also not considered a suspect in her case. But, investigators reportedly have identified one suspect– although they have never been publicly named.
At the time of her disappearance, Jane was 26-years-old, five foot two, and weighed 112 pounds. She had blonde hair– which was cut short when she went missing– and green eyes. Jane’s maiden name is Hallberg, and she would be 74 years old today.
If you have any information regarding her disappearance or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Iowa City Police Department at (319) 356-5275.
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