The Diappearance of Jackie Markham

The strange disappearance of a trucking company boss has baffled her family and Police since 14th December 2000.  It was initially believed that she was the victim of suspected serial killer Ross Lane Emerson, but he committed suicide in his prison cell.  Jackie Markham, a 51 year old trucking company boss, had just arrived home from picking items up from her local drugstore, in the town of Callahan.  But her boyfriend, Archie Carroll, says he received a phonecall saying that a man called Richard had turned up at her home, and he was drunk.  He said that he would come over straight away.  But when he showed up, she was nowhere to be seen.  Her car was still in the garage.  Her children and the Police were informed and a search began, with her family putting flyers out all over the state of Florida.

    Police were initially suspicious of Carroll, and so carried out a thorough investigation into him but eventually cleared him.  Other people of interest were looked at but cleared.  Months later, her purse was found by a small town nearly forty miles away, which baffled detectives as it looked like it had been put in a place to be found.  Over time, two bodies were found, both women, but they were not Jackie.  These two were soon believed to have been the work of a man living close to where the purse was found; Ross Lane Emerson.  He had drifted and done odd jobs all over the area, including near Callahan.  He admitted that the two deceased women were down to him, but denied anything to do with the disappearance of Jackie Markham.  Over time, he sent letters to the Chief of Police stating again that he had nothing to do with her disappearance.  Not long afterwards, he committed suicide in jail.  Both the Chief and the family believe that Emerson did not have any connection to the case.

    Thirteen years on, nothing has emerged to give the family closure.  She was not the sort to just vanish and abandon her children and grandchildren.  There was no signs of violence or a struggle in her home, her car was still there.  It is still a truly baffling mystery.  Maybe one day her family will receive the closure they need.