Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780
The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.
2
00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400
All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
3
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160
Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.
4
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560
Listener discretion is advised.
5
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280
I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.
6
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680
And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.
7
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,360
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases.
8
00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,760
Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing.
9
00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,200
I'm your host, Ali.
10
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,000
And I am your co-host, Eli.
11
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,920
We're back together for this week.
12
00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,400
Yeah, we're always together.
13
00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:50,920
I got a new job on top of all my other little jobs.
14
00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:57,440
One that I'm very happy at, but it was an adjustment.
15
00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:05,320
Going back to just a different schedule, but yeah, I'm trying to be as consistent as possible
16
00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:09,000
in my co-host place here.
17
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,360
But we are together always.
18
00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,440
Yes, we have not broken up.
19
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,720
We are together always.
20
00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,000
I don't know where we're at.
21
00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,920
Episode 60 something.
22
00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:23,600
I think it's episode 67.
23
00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:24,600
All right.
24
00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:30,520
Is this a cold or missing person's case?
25
00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:31,800
This is a cold case.
26
00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,680
All right, let's jump into it.
27
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,240
Today we are talking about the cold case of Jenny Lin.
28
00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:44,040
And this takes place in May of 1994 in Castro Valley, California.
29
00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,280
But first a little bit about Jenny.
30
00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,580
Jenny was 14 years old in 1994.
31
00:01:49,580 --> 00:01:54,120
She had just celebrated her 14th birthday two days before her murder.
32
00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,760
She would be 43 years old today.
33
00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,200
Jenny was just weeks away from her middle school graduation where she was an exceptional
34
00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:02,200
student.
35
00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,480
She was slated to be the valedictorian and was an accomplished musician playing both
36
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,840
the viola and piano.
37
00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,520
Jenny was well liked and had a lot of friends at Canyon Middle School.
38
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,600
Jenny lived with her mother and father in an upscale neighborhood with a very low crime
39
00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:17,600
rate.
40
00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,080
Her older sister was at Stanford University.
41
00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,180
Jenny had a usual routine after school.
42
00:02:23,180 --> 00:02:27,900
She would usually get off the bus between 2.30 and 2.45, walk the block from the bus
43
00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:34,080
stop to her home, play with the family dog, watch TV, and then start on her homework.
44
00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,920
She would usually fit in a little music practice and chatting on the phone in there as well.
45
00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:41,640
And now a timeline of events.
46
00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:48,720
On Friday, May 27th, 1994, Jenny had a normal day at school and got home at her usual time
47
00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,520
between 2.30 and 2.45.
48
00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:56,760
Jenny's mother, May Leanne, calls the house that afternoon but Jenny doesn't pick up.
49
00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:01,160
However, we do know that Jenny talked with two friends on the phone that evening and
50
00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:02,600
she sounded fine.
51
00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,840
Her last phone call was around 5.15 p.m.
52
00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:10,000
Now I'm not sure if that's when she hung up or when she started the call.
53
00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,160
But this would be the last time anyone spoke with Jenny.
54
00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:18,600
When her father arrives home at 6.45 p.m., he notices that a sliding glass door that
55
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,780
led into the backyard was open.
56
00:03:20,780 --> 00:03:25,880
When he goes upstairs into the master bathroom, he stumbles into a horrible scene.
57
00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,040
Jenny is found in a pool of blood.
58
00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,840
She had multiple stab wounds in her abdomen and her clothes had been forcibly removed
59
00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:34,520
according to police.
60
00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,320
She was bound with duct tape.
61
00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,120
There were no signs of a struggle.
62
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,200
The home had not been ransacked and nothing was missing or stolen.
63
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,080
There was very little blood elsewhere in the home outside of the bathroom.
64
00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:52,280
John immediately calls the police who are baffled by the gruesome crime scene in the quiet neighborhood.
65
00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:56,800
Police begin processing the scene and despite her clothes being removed, Jenny did not appear
66
00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,960
to be sexually assaulted, but police will wait for the autopsy results before this is
67
00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:02,760
ruled out as a motive.
68
00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:08,320
Lieutenant Ted Nelson says, quote, There aren't even signs of any intent to rob the home.
69
00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,080
The whole thing appears very controlled, end quote.
70
00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:16,920
Jenny's body is removed from the home in the early hours of Saturday, May 28th and
71
00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:21,600
despite the odd hour, neighbors are outside just waiting to say goodbye to the sweet girl
72
00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,760
they all knew who always had a smile on her face.
73
00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:28,840
The neighborhood is shocked by the gruesome murder of Jenny and the overall safety that
74
00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:31,480
the neighbors had felt had been shattered.
75
00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,120
People used to leave their doors open before the murder of Jenny.
76
00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,640
But after that is no longer the case.
77
00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:44,240
A neighbor Sophia Limanos says, quote, I moved here because it's safe, but not now.
78
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:45,920
She was a friendly, nice girl.
79
00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,720
We are all so upset, end quote.
80
00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,120
Police reach out to the FBI to try to get help in their investigation, specifically a
81
00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,680
profiler to help give shape to the suspect.
82
00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,840
Police spend Saturday processing the crime scene and searching the wooded hilly area
83
00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:05,480
behind the Lin home to see if there's any evidence out there as investigators believe
84
00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,560
that the killer could have slipped out through the back and not been seen by anyone.
85
00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:15,400
On Sunday, May 29th, just two days after Jenny's murder, her autopsy is conducted, but it sheds
86
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,200
no light on the motive.
87
00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:21,880
The autopsy confirms what police thought that she had not been sexually assaulted.
88
00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,600
She had been stabbed several times in the stomach.
89
00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,600
Police have very little to go off of.
90
00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:30,820
They wonder if the killer was a drifter who just happened to find an open door or if the
91
00:05:30,820 --> 00:05:34,560
intent was to rob the home, but Jenny's presence interrupted them.
92
00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:40,040
Lieutenant Ted Nelson says, quote, it appears that the motive was to kill her, but why?
93
00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:44,880
She's just a cute little sweetheart of a girl, just a nice kid, end quote.
94
00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,440
Police are stumped as to why the murderer would take off her clothes if she was not
95
00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:49,440
assaulted.
96
00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:54,160
Again, Lieutenant Ted Nelson says, quote, we'd sure like to know why he did that.
97
00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:56,720
It's one of the big issues, end quote.
98
00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:01,920
Police pretty quickly believe that a man committed the murder due to how quickly Jenny was overpowered
99
00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,760
and police believe that Jenny did not know him.
100
00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:09,120
Police continue to search the woods behind her home and question neighbors.
101
00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:13,520
Her family and friends set up the Jenny Lin Trust Fund to start to collect donations for
102
00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,100
a reward for information leading to the arrest of her killer.
103
00:06:17,100 --> 00:06:22,480
On Tuesday, May 31st, 1994, police hold a press conference to plead to the public for
104
00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,840
information about Jenny's killer.
105
00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:29,720
Her father, John, speaks at the press conference and he recalls a strange interaction that
106
00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:31,980
happened two weeks before the murder.
107
00:06:31,980 --> 00:06:36,760
He tells the police and the public that a man had approached him in the Bayfair BART
108
00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:38,800
station parking lot.
109
00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:43,720
So BART stands for the Bay Area Rapid Transit, so a train parking lot.
110
00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,880
John was headed home after working in San Francisco when a disheveled man approaches
111
00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:52,720
John's car and says something along the lines of, quote, I have a proposition for
112
00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:53,720
you.
113
00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,000
I got your daughter, end quote.
114
00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,320
John dismisses the man as a kook.
115
00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,760
He knows that Jenny is at her viola lesson and when he gets home, he calls his daughter
116
00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,320
at Stanford and she is fine and well.
117
00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:10,040
John doesn't report this encounter to police or even think about it again until after Jenny's
118
00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:11,040
murder.
119
00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,940
Police have never been able to ID the man who approached John at the station, but police
120
00:07:15,940 --> 00:07:18,780
believe the events are not connected.
121
00:07:18,780 --> 00:07:22,680
John had never seen the man before and can only give police a vague description of what
122
00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,160
he looked like.
123
00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,680
Police share that they believe the killer entered the home either through the sliding
124
00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:32,560
glass door or through a window that was broken and that the only intent of the person was
125
00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:37,320
to kill Jenny or someone else in the family since nothing else happened at the home.
126
00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:42,520
John tells the media, quote, we are a very simple, hardworking family with outstanding
127
00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,000
children, living a straightforward American lifestyle.
128
00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,280
We never did anything to hurt anyone.
129
00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:53,280
We cannot imagine how Jenny could be the target of such a murder, end quote.
130
00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:59,160
On Thursday, June 2nd, just six days after Jenny's murder, over 1200 people gathered
131
00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,200
to celebrate her life at her memorial service.
132
00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:07,600
Her casket is lined with stuffed animals, troll dolls, and she is buried with her viola.
133
00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,540
Her mother accepts all of her school awards she would have gotten at her graduation that
134
00:08:11,540 --> 00:08:14,320
are awarded to her at her memorial service.
135
00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:19,440
On June 8th, 12 days after the murder, Jenny's family, friends, and community have raised
136
00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:22,520
$50,000 for the reward fund.
137
00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:27,000
Now at this point in the timeline, Jenny's case takes a little bit of a sideline in the
138
00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,520
press because on June 12th, the Nicole Brown Simpson murder takes place and that dominates
139
00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:34,240
the headlines.
140
00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:40,560
But on Tuesday, June 14th, 18 days after the murder, police begin to walk back their statement
141
00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:44,160
that sexual assault was not a motive in this case.
142
00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:47,620
They believe that the murderer could have been a serial rapist.
143
00:08:47,620 --> 00:08:52,320
In talking about the crime scene, Lieutenant Ted Nelson says, quote, it indicates that
144
00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,860
this may have been some type of sexual assault that was interrupted.
145
00:08:56,860 --> 00:09:00,480
This is all a theory at this point, but we can't rule anything out.
146
00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,100
We can't afford to put our blinders on.
147
00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:07,500
This was a cold and calculated killing and the fact that the crime scene was limited
148
00:09:07,500 --> 00:09:12,100
to just the upstairs bathroom where the girl was killed indicates that the suspect took
149
00:09:12,100 --> 00:09:15,000
pains to keep evidence to a minimum.
150
00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,400
We think that the killer took her clothes off, which supports sexual assault as a possible
151
00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:20,560
motive.
152
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:24,200
And if the suspect did this once, he could have done it before, which leads us to the
153
00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,040
possible serial aspect of this case.
154
00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:28,240
End quote.
155
00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:33,400
Police are slowly working their way through the 125 tips they have received and FBI profilers
156
00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,600
are assisting on the case in creating a profile of the suspect.
157
00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:42,560
Over the next week, police are able to track down and eliminate three motorcyclists that
158
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:46,080
were seen in the neighborhood that day that Jenny was murdered.
159
00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,200
With these leads eliminated, police return to the hills behind the Lin home, hoping
160
00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:51,960
to find more evidence.
161
00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,260
Lieutenant Ted Nelson says, quote, We've already gone over the area with dogs and
162
00:09:56,260 --> 00:09:58,420
on foot for physical evidence.
163
00:09:58,420 --> 00:10:03,080
What we want to have another look at is the layout of the landscape and tactical possibilities
164
00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:08,120
like routes of egress or staging areas that could have been used by the killer.
165
00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,060
If we are going to find anything, it will probably be over that ridge.
166
00:10:12,060 --> 00:10:15,040
That would be the most likely way for someone to go.
167
00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,120
But we'll go over the whole area just in case.
168
00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:19,120
End quote.
169
00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:23,320
The ridge that Lieutenant Nelson is talking about was a grove of trees to the left of
170
00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,440
the Lin home on Wednesday, June 29th.
171
00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,540
So it's been over a month since Jenny's murder.
172
00:10:29,540 --> 00:10:34,760
Police announced to the public that they are looking for two vehicles in 1960s, two door
173
00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,480
Chevy two and a newer pickup.
174
00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,120
So this would be an early 90s pickup truck that is red in color.
175
00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:46,520
Lieutenant Ted Nelson says, quote, These vehicles were in the Palomari Hills area at the time
176
00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,280
of the killing and they remain unaccounted for.
177
00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,240
We'd like very much to know who was in them and what they were doing there.
178
00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:54,240
End quote.
179
00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:58,500
It's unclear if police ever tracked down the drivers of these vehicles.
180
00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:01,620
And if they do, they never talk about it publicly.
181
00:11:01,620 --> 00:11:06,680
On Thursday, August 11th, it's now been over two months since Jenny's murder.
182
00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:11,120
John Lin commissions an artist to draw a composite sketch of the man who approached
183
00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,000
him at the BART station.
184
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,560
The police did have their own sketch artists create a sketch closer to Jenny's murder,
185
00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:20,700
but the police believe the encounter is unrelated to the murder.
186
00:11:20,700 --> 00:11:22,880
So they never released the sketch to the public.
187
00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:26,920
But John Lin believes that they are connected.
188
00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:31,640
Police say that they do not consider this man a suspect, but would like to ID him.
189
00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:36,960
Ultimately, John Lin releases the sketch on his own without the police officially releasing
190
00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,000
their composite sketch.
191
00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:43,760
On Thursday, September 1st, so it's now been over three months since the murder of Jenny
192
00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:48,720
Lin, the family has set up the Jenny Lin Foundation with their own tip line to try
193
00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:50,960
to solve the case.
194
00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:54,960
Police reveal that they believe the killer did break in through the small downstairs
195
00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:56,320
window.
196
00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:00,280
They believe the killer acted alone and was familiar with the neighborhood and the schedule
197
00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,180
of the Lin family.
198
00:12:02,180 --> 00:12:06,320
Police also mentioned that they are interested in IDing a man that was seen on the day of
199
00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,960
the murder walking away from the Lin home carrying a small canvas bag.
200
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,800
He was headed towards an athletic field in the neighborhood, but there were no official
201
00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,040
activities on the field that night.
202
00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,760
And after this, the case drops out of the media for a while.
203
00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:26,480
Again, the case was happening alongside the Nicole Brown Simpson murder and ultimately
204
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,240
the OJ Simpson murder trial.
205
00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,260
The next update comes at the one year mark of Jenny's murder.
206
00:12:33,260 --> 00:12:38,280
Police believe that the murder was a carefully planned and prepared for act.
207
00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:43,440
Police have been working with the FBI profiling team to create a profile of the suspect.
208
00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:49,040
They believe that the killer is a man with well developed social skills and is educated.
209
00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,860
He would not normally show aggressive or abhorrent behavior.
210
00:12:52,860 --> 00:12:56,360
That the killer would have had legitimate reasons to be in the neighborhood, either
211
00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:01,480
professionally or socially and would not seem out of place at all in the neighborhood.
212
00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:05,480
The killer probably took time to learn the Lin family routine and they wouldn't be
213
00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:11,480
surprised if he had a past criminal history of exhibitionism, burglary, and or was a peeping
214
00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:13,000
tom.
215
00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:18,480
By the way that Jenny was bound with duct tape, he may also have a history of bondage.
216
00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:24,120
Mary Ellen O'Toole from the FBI Behavioral Science Unit says, quote, most people assume
217
00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:29,040
in a crime as egregious as this that no one they know could do such a thing.
218
00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,920
The person who did this will appear to others as normal and well adjusted.
219
00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:36,520
He will not seem bizarre or like a loner.
220
00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,200
He has compartmentalized this part of his life.
221
00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:44,600
Right after the event, his anxiety was high because of paranoia about what clues he left
222
00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:45,600
behind.
223
00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:46,600
End quote.
224
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:51,760
Again, while Jenny was not sexually assaulted, they do believe that the crime could be sexually
225
00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:52,760
motivated.
226
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,960
Agent O'Toole says, quote, offenders can enjoy the planning or the interaction with
227
00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,840
the victim before the crime takes place.
228
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:05,600
There are pre and post crime encounters with the victim that might be pleasant to him.
229
00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:09,800
A year later, he would recall this almost in a dreamlike fashion.
230
00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,440
He would think back and relive the fantasy.
231
00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:13,440
End quote.
232
00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:18,160
The FBI is reviewing all the evidence collected at the scene and the Jenny in Foundation
233
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:23,640
has now raised $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
234
00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:24,980
killer.
235
00:14:24,980 --> 00:14:31,120
At the three-year mark in 1997, and what should have been Jenny's 17th birthday, the police
236
00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:34,960
and FBI still believe the killer is in the area.
237
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:40,120
The FBI profiler team add that the killer likely went through behavioral or mood changes
238
00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,140
in the days leading up to Jenny's murder.
239
00:14:43,140 --> 00:14:47,760
Some stressor in his life, such as losing a job or a relationship.
240
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,960
After Jenny's murder, he would have been withdrawn.
241
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:53,920
Police are worried that the killer will strike again.
242
00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:58,580
Over the next two decades, police will name and eliminate several suspects in the murder
243
00:14:58,580 --> 00:15:00,040
of Jenny Lin.
244
00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:05,040
For one time, the prime suspect in the case was a man named Sebastian Shaw, but police
245
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,440
were ultimately able to eliminate him.
246
00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:14,160
The last update on the case that I could find actually comes from 2022, when police and
247
00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:20,060
FBI re-examine the evidence from the crime scene with new, more sensitive technology.
248
00:15:20,060 --> 00:15:24,720
Through this re-examination, police are able to develop new leads in the case.
249
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:29,520
Sheriff A. Hearn says, quote, we have a couple of possibilities that we are holding close
250
00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:30,520
to our vest.
251
00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:37,280
We want to make sure we don't disclose too much to a potential suspect, end quote.
252
00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:42,520
And that is the last update that I could find that was really adding information to the
253
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,440
Jenny Lin murder.
254
00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:51,520
So if you know anything about the murder of Jenny Lin in May of 1994, please call the
255
00:15:51,520 --> 00:16:06,400
Alameda County Sheriff's Office at 510-667-3622 or the FBI San Francisco office at 415-553-7400.
256
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:13,080
And the sources for the timeline today come from ABC7, the FBI, the San Francisco Examiner,
257
00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:18,640
the Desert Sun, the Press Democrat, Camarillo Star, North County Times, Oakland Tribune,
258
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:24,960
the Napa Valley Register, the Sacramento Bee, the Modesto Bee, and the Tribune.
259
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,440
So that is the case of Jenny Lin
260
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:35,840
My first reaction is just really sad for her parents.
261
00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:43,120
You gave us gratefully a lot of information, or not a lot, definitely not enough because
262
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:49,320
still the ultimate question has yet to be answered.
263
00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:59,620
But in learning quite a bit about her parents in particular, it's just like it's so beautiful
264
00:16:59,620 --> 00:17:05,320
that they've dedicated their lives to finding the answer, you know?
265
00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:13,960
And it's also heartbreaking that it's like what their lives turned into, you know?
266
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:21,120
My heart just really goes out to them and you can tell that just every part of their
267
00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:29,920
existence seems to have gone into figuring out like who took their beautiful child from
268
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:30,920
them.
269
00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,400
Yeah, and I didn't get a chance to mention this during the timeline, but her parents
270
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:42,160
are very active in, you know, victim advocacy and trying to get answers and legislation
271
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:46,680
passed, you know, for victims' rights, for families of victims.
272
00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:54,440
So what you said sums it up perfectly that their life has really been dedicated to not
273
00:17:54,440 --> 00:18:00,300
only helping solve Jenny's murder, but also helping other families that unfortunately
274
00:18:00,300 --> 00:18:02,240
go through things like this.
275
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:14,400
Yeah, just to add to that, yes, they're looking to solve their daughter's murder, but also
276
00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:19,880
that they are doing it for the community too, you know?
277
00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:28,960
Not immediate community, but like, I don't know, I just think it's beautiful work for
278
00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:39,320
what it is, you know, to do that from that kind of losses, it's incredible.
279
00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:45,640
You know, I think it just takes an incredible amount of strength to do something like that.
280
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:50,240
I don't know if I have a ton of questions.
281
00:18:50,240 --> 00:19:00,360
Yeah, I guess I want to know more about what you think about the possibilities around finding
282
00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:01,360
an answer.
283
00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:08,520
Yeah, I think this is one of those cases where there's a really good chance that it could
284
00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:10,520
be solved in the next few years.
285
00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:16,780
I was really encouraged by the update from 2022, where police and FBI were retesting
286
00:19:16,780 --> 00:19:20,160
the evidence and they seem to get new leads from this.
287
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:27,480
So I'm guessing that that is some kind of DNA profile that they were able to generate
288
00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:30,780
from evidence at the crime scene.
289
00:19:30,780 --> 00:19:37,880
And whether that has led them to, you know, a pool of suspects, or maybe they're going,
290
00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:44,240
you know, kind of through the genealogy of, you know, open DNA databases.
291
00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:45,240
I'm not sure.
292
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:46,240
I would love to know.
293
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,000
I would be very curious about what they're doing with that information that was generated.
294
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:57,200
But it does feel like this is a case that has remained pretty active and has been revisited
295
00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,400
again and again as technology advances.
296
00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:03,920
So I think we could really see a resolution in this case in the next few years.
297
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:10,240
And hopefully the person is still alive and can be held accountable for the crimes that
298
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,680
they did.
299
00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:18,600
One thing that kind of kept sticking in my mind as I was researching this case and going
300
00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:26,500
through the old newspaper articles, I just, I know that the police believe that it was
301
00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:32,680
a man because of how quickly Jenny was overpowered.
302
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,120
And I do think that's correct.
303
00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:42,000
But I also just kept coming back to like, could this have been a woman who removed the
304
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:47,120
clothes as almost like a distraction to like point towards a man?
305
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:50,840
Like that's just one thing that I kept kind of coming back and back to again that just
306
00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,080
kind of started eating at my brain a little bit was, could this have been a woman that
307
00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:56,560
did this?
308
00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,400
Because somebody snuck in through a pretty small downstairs window.
309
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:05,360
So I just am curious about that.
310
00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,660
But again, that's just me kind of speculating.
311
00:21:08,660 --> 00:21:12,680
But it's a thought that I kept having cross my mind again and again.
312
00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:17,520
So you know, if I got to sit down and look at the police file and just review everything
313
00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:23,040
and talk with investigators, that's one thing that I would just want to ask them about in
314
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:24,320
a little bit more detail.
315
00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,160
Like could a woman have done this?
316
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:33,040
You know, Lieutenant Ted Nelson talks about putting blinders on that the police couldn't
317
00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:36,480
afford to do this because it was very cold and calculated.
318
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:44,800
So to me, I just I want to consider everything in this case because it is so egregious that
319
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:49,760
it's like everything has to be considered until it can absolutely be eliminated.
320
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,680
And you know, it is possible to do that through DNA.
321
00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:57,200
So maybe the DNA they have developed does show something like that to where they are
322
00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,280
able to eliminate a little bit.
323
00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:06,120
It's very strange to think about this suspect that is well educated, would not seem out
324
00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:11,260
of place in the neighborhood, could easily kind of slip in and out that like neighbors,
325
00:22:11,260 --> 00:22:15,680
even after the murder wouldn't be like, oh, this person, this person was in the neighborhood,
326
00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:19,260
they would just like write them off very quickly and not even think about it.
327
00:22:19,260 --> 00:22:26,560
So yeah, it's just a horrible case and a calculated case.
328
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:31,720
And it makes me wonder, has this person done anything like this since then?
329
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:32,960
I don't know.
330
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:38,960
But it just seems like one of those murders where you probably wouldn't stop at one.
331
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:44,200
And even the police think that at one point that they're nervous that the suspect will
332
00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,200
strike again.
333
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:53,480
I echo you that like it really could until we know just even just a few more details,
334
00:22:53,480 --> 00:23:04,160
it could be a multitude of horrifying storylines, you know, or events.
335
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:10,560
You know, in this case, the FBI and the police, they created this profile with like very specific
336
00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:15,160
points on who the suspect could be, you know, what happened to him in the days leading up
337
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:22,240
to the murder, how he was acting afterwards, his mindset, his education level, all of that
338
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,680
is out there.
339
00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:28,800
Kind of like making this like shadow of a suspect.
340
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,960
And it's hard not to like want to fill it in yourself.
341
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:40,960
But with all this specificity, I almost wonder if police kind of have a suspect in mind,
342
00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:46,240
and they're kind of loosely describing him hoping that more people will call in with
343
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:52,560
this person's name, or maybe this person will like trip up somehow and talk to somebody
344
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:59,520
or, you know, kind of revisit the crime scene, drive by it, you know, kind of catch him in
345
00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:01,040
that way.
346
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:05,560
So I do wonder if the police do have somebody in mind.
347
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,560
And we know over the years they have named other suspects.
348
00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:13,560
But I wonder if there's somebody that they haven't named yet that's kind of sitting
349
00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:17,400
in their file, just kind of waiting for those pieces to fall into place.
350
00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:23,120
And hopefully with this 2022 update, they do have more DNA, they are able to put those
351
00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:28,680
pieces into place and really finally find the person who did this because they do believe
352
00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:33,320
it was one person that that part they seem pretty sure of.
353
00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:39,200
But again, if you know anything about the murder of Jenny Lin, please call the Alameda
354
00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:51,920
County Sheriff's Office at 510-667-3622 or the FBI San Francisco office at 415-553-7400.
355
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:57,160
And I just want to give a quick shout out we had a new written Apple podcast review,
356
00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,240
which was so kind, so thoughtful.
357
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,760
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to do that.
358
00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:07,600
And if you maybe have a couple extra minutes today before you move on to your next podcast
359
00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,640
or your next task, if you could just leave us a written review if you're an Apple or
360
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:16,600
a five star thumbs up whatever the metric is in your favorite podcast player, it would
361
00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:22,080
be so helpful in others finding these cold cases and missing people cases and just getting
362
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:23,760
their names out there.
363
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:30,840
You can also visit our website www.coldandmissing.com where we have transcripts of all of our podcast
364
00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:35,400
episodes so if you or someone you love is hard of hearing, they can follow along and
365
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,320
learn about these cases through our transcripts of each episode.
366
00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,160
We also have our YouTube videos up on there.
367
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:46,280
You can subscribe to our YouTube channel if that's maybe where you like to intake your
368
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:47,280
media.
369
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:51,100
There's lots of conversations happening in the comments so you can join us over there
370
00:25:51,100 --> 00:25:54,520
to kind of chat in real time if that's what you're into.
371
00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:59,800
And of course, we will be posting pictures of Jenny on our Instagram this week as well
372
00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:06,200
as the suspect sketch that her father John Lin had commissioned about the man who approached
373
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:10,360
him talking about his daughter two weeks before Jenny's murder.
374
00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:15,320
We'll also be posting that this week so if you're not following us yet, please find us
375
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:18,560
on Instagram at cold and missing will pop right up.
376
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:23,520
Our logo is the same as it is in your podcast player so we should be pretty easy to find.
377
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:28,000
And we also post throughout the week on our stories of active missing person cases that
378
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:34,440
are happening or developments in other cases around the country that fall into cold and
379
00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:35,440
missing.
380
00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:40,260
So please follow us there if you like just taking in true crime and kind of being part
381
00:26:40,260 --> 00:26:48,520
of the advocacy work of cold cases and missing people and specifically cases that need a
382
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,760
little bit more attention that haven't gotten the media coverage.
383
00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,200
But that is all I have.
384
00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,000
Thanks for listening to cold and missing.
385
00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:02,640
I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin, so Kowski and I'm your co host Eli so Kowski.
386
00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:04,440
Have a great week and stay safe y'all.
387
00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:31,440
Stay safe y'all.
