Donna Jou would have celebrated her 21st birthday on October 19th, instead she is still missing, has been missing since June 23, 2007.
I meant to write this post on her actual birthday, but it slipped my mind and now I feel totally guilty.
Most people are pretty confident about their ability to "read" people, what they don't understand is that there are people out there who are pros at fooling you into believing they are normal and good and all they have to do is make you drop your guard slightly and you take a chance and then it is your last.
In early June, Donna had placed an add on craigslist to advertise her tutoring abilities and hopefully get some extra cash, at the same time a convicted sex offender by the name of John Steven Burgess was also on craigslist under a phony name Sinjin Stevens, he was advertising rooms for rent. For what ever strange reason he began exchanging emails with Juo and gained her trust, he even went so far as to talk to her over the telephone several times.
On June 23rd, he invited her to a party at his home. She gave him her address and the last time her mother saw her she was hopping on the back of his motorcycle waving goodbye.
She was 19 and how can you stop a 19 year-old from going to a party with a friend?
Jou arrives at the party and John Stevens Burgess' roommate says she was there hanging out. A friend of Jou's speaks to her on the telephone while she is at the party and there was no threat or concern during that conversation.
Later that night Jou's mother receives the following text: "Battery's dying. I'm in San Diego. Be home soon. I love you Mommy"
The above tore at my heart. I have a 15 year old son who always ends his texts to me with "I love you mommy".
Jou never makes it home or to work the next day. Her family wastes little time reporting her missing.
John Stevens Burgess a convicted sex offender had not registered as such and therefore was not listed anywhere as a potential danger to the area.
On June 28th Burgess turns 35. Jou is still missing.
On July 5th Burgess' roommate sees him packing his car with lots of brown paper boxes, he never sees Burgess again.
On July 8 a man finds a tool box stuffed under vines about a mile from Burgess' home. Inside the box are license plates "SINJIN 1" from Burgess' truck, a black motorcycle helmet, rubber dishwashing gloves, rope and a scrub brush.
Burgess is found with crack cocaine and is arrested and sent to prison, he posts a $250,000 bond and is released, he is then again arrested for having a fake social security number and identity.
Burgess is still in jail on unrelated charges.
Burgess has said he has information about Jou's disappearance but refuses to tell what that information is unless the sex crimes registration charges are dropped, according to Gloria Allred who is representing Jou's family.
Burgess is set to be released next March from the state prison at Wasco near Bakersfield.
Where is Jou? Why hasn't he been charged with anything. I don't understand. Are they building a case against him?
How can this animal get away with this?
I feel for her family - two years later and still no answers.
The Internet is a prime place for predators.
I meant to write this post on her actual birthday, but it slipped my mind and now I feel totally guilty.
Most people are pretty confident about their ability to "read" people, what they don't understand is that there are people out there who are pros at fooling you into believing they are normal and good and all they have to do is make you drop your guard slightly and you take a chance and then it is your last.
In early June, Donna had placed an add on craigslist to advertise her tutoring abilities and hopefully get some extra cash, at the same time a convicted sex offender by the name of John Steven Burgess was also on craigslist under a phony name Sinjin Stevens, he was advertising rooms for rent. For what ever strange reason he began exchanging emails with Juo and gained her trust, he even went so far as to talk to her over the telephone several times.
On June 23rd, he invited her to a party at his home. She gave him her address and the last time her mother saw her she was hopping on the back of his motorcycle waving goodbye.
She was 19 and how can you stop a 19 year-old from going to a party with a friend?
Jou arrives at the party and John Stevens Burgess' roommate says she was there hanging out. A friend of Jou's speaks to her on the telephone while she is at the party and there was no threat or concern during that conversation.
Later that night Jou's mother receives the following text: "Battery's dying. I'm in San Diego. Be home soon. I love you Mommy"
The above tore at my heart. I have a 15 year old son who always ends his texts to me with "I love you mommy".
Jou never makes it home or to work the next day. Her family wastes little time reporting her missing.
John Stevens Burgess a convicted sex offender had not registered as such and therefore was not listed anywhere as a potential danger to the area.
On June 28th Burgess turns 35. Jou is still missing.
On July 5th Burgess' roommate sees him packing his car with lots of brown paper boxes, he never sees Burgess again.
On July 8 a man finds a tool box stuffed under vines about a mile from Burgess' home. Inside the box are license plates "SINJIN 1" from Burgess' truck, a black motorcycle helmet, rubber dishwashing gloves, rope and a scrub brush.
Burgess is found with crack cocaine and is arrested and sent to prison, he posts a $250,000 bond and is released, he is then again arrested for having a fake social security number and identity.
Burgess is still in jail on unrelated charges.
Burgess has said he has information about Jou's disappearance but refuses to tell what that information is unless the sex crimes registration charges are dropped, according to Gloria Allred who is representing Jou's family.
Burgess is set to be released next March from the state prison at Wasco near Bakersfield.
Where is Jou? Why hasn't he been charged with anything. I don't understand. Are they building a case against him?
How can this animal get away with this?
I feel for her family - two years later and still no answers.
The Internet is a prime place for predators.
2 comments:
Donna Jou was such beautiful, vibrant young lady and her parents miss her terribly. Both Nili and Reza are members at my site Peace4 the Missing as well as many other family members of missing persons. Stop by sometime and take a look.
Our mission is to have an interactive site for families of the missing as well as addressing domestic violence and several other issues. Somehow they all seem to go hand in hand. Don't you think that if we could curtail domestic violence we would have a lot less missing women?
http://peace4missing.ning.com
Thank you Delilah. I will check it out.
Another woman is missing from NY. It seems everyday there is a new story.
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