Into Thin Air

A Mother Disappears Leaving Behind A Mystery That Would Take Her Daughter 30 Years To Solve

(CBS)  In November 2004, more than 28 years after Jean disappeared, Peggy decided there was something she had to do for her friend. So she contacted the Madison Police Department to see if they had a Cold Case Squad.

They didn't, but the case landed on the desk of Det. Marianne Flynn Statz. Asked what she thought when she read the case, Statz says, "I immediately was struck that more could probably be done with the case.

The detective didn't believe Jean had simply run away, as her husband had claimed for the last 28 years. Statz contacted every agency she could think of inquiring about Jean: had she used her Social Security number or tried to renew her pilot's license or get a passport? They even tried Interpol.

After a fairly exhaustive search, Statz concluded Jean was most likely dead.

The detective started talking with anyone involved with the case back in 1976. She found Linda, the only one of the Zapata children still living in Madison, working as a nurse at a local clinic.

"And we went into another room. And I explained who I was and that the investigation into her mother’s disappearance was reopened," Statz remembers.

"And my gut dropped out. And I thought, 'Oh my god. Did you find her? I mean is she downtown right now? Is she out in the car?' You know, I thought they found her. They said no, but we're just going to reopen the case. The next question was…'Did my dad have anything to do with it?'" Linda remembers. "It just came out. And I said 'I don't know why I asked that.'"

Statz knew when she started investigating Jean's disappearance that Linda might have to face a horrifying possibility. "What's worse? My father killed my mother? Or my mother abandoned me," Statz asks.

Ever since Jean vanished when Linda was just 11, she not only believed she had been abandoned by her mother, she also believed she was to blame. "I overheard my brother and sister saying it was my fault she left because I was a brat. And I'm sure I was, 10, 11-years-old," she remembers.

Some 30 years later, Statz was convinced that Jean had been killed, but there was no body and no hard evidence. "It's one thing to believe something. It's another thing to solve something. And it's a completely different thing to charge it and be able to prove it in a court of law."

Early on in her investigation Statz went to the house where the Zapatas lived. There, she discovered a crawl space in the basement. It had not been mentioned in the original police reports in 1976. So Statz enlisted the help of some specially trained colleagues who can detect even the faintest scent of human remains.

Madison Police Officer Carren Corcoran has trained and handled cadaver dogs for the last ten years.

"It's hard to imagine that a dog can detect something from 30 years in a basement. How is that possible?" Schlesinger asks.

"I think that an entire body decomposing, possibly early on and in a space like the crawlspace, which was really [a] primo environment to contain scent. There's no wind. There's no rain. The temperature stays about the same all the time," Corcoran explains.

On Jan. 6, 2005, Statz, Corcoran and Cleo the cadaver dog went to work in the crawlspace. "Right away she started really working and working, and working the area of both outside the crawlspace, and into the crawlspace. And then she eventually provided a formal indication, which is a bark for Cleo," Corcoran remembers.

Then, a second dog reacted the same way. Police started excavating the crawlspace.

"We found some hairs. We collected bug carcasses and a Burger King cup. We found things. But we did not find anything that we could tie to Jeanette Zapata," Statz says.

Even though the search didn't turn up any useful evidence, Linda was pretty sure they were on the right track and looking at the right suspect: her own father. "I was hoping, hoping dearly that my dad would turn out to be innocent," she says.

Linda's brother and sister believe he didn't do it. But as painful as it might be, Linda was now determined to help the detectives find out whether that was true or not.

[MiMiParis16]

Please connect with me, Linda. I recently realized that my father may have murdered my mother and then later abandoned me in a local park at the age of 11 months. After years in foster care, he and his "new wife" and my "new mother" retrieved me, only to abuse me for years. Please read my blog, http://parismusings.blogspot.com. My whole life has been a lie, and I want the truth. MiMi

[virgosal]

This story is so sad. The father did not kill only the mother but he killed his other daughter and son too because those two are dead inside, dead to the truth of what happened. Only Linda is alive and free because she faced the truth and it indeed set her free, unlike her two siblings who go about their ways like zombies. Their anger is misplaced and I feel sorry for them. The father is in a prison of his own and is not really free either and the wife deserves him.

[burnhim]

What a story! Linda, you did what is right. You owed this to your mother. Now she can actually rest in peace. If your family doesn't speak to you, it's their loss. God bless you!

[yukongirl03]

Linda, It''s too bad your family won''t talk to you anymore. Parents sometimes abuse their power with mental pressure etc and so your siblings have closed their minds to what really happened. I hope you have great friends that will give you lots of support. Keep your courage up!

[rona53]

I reaction of step mother and her siblings amaze me. This man admitted killing another human being, and they''re upset with his daughter... How could they possibly be. I''m very proud of her for having the courage to follow her convictions, even if the outcome proved her father guilty.Congratulations

[anne11925]

I can''t believe that poor-excuse-for-a-human being man only received 5 years (& actually 3) for killing his wife and hiding it from his children!

This is more example of how our society has let the criminal get off easy. The poor victim hasn''t been able to live her life the past 30 years while her killer has been free to live his. Is this justice?!!!

[cliffps]

The wheels of justic turn far too slowly. So glad though that the slimey monster is behind bars finally and he wouldn''t be except for the dollar expense of a having to retain an attorney, so typical of those kind. Linda, Peggy, you have my deepest and most sincere condolences and I hope you can now have SOME closure. May Jean''s memory live on forever in our hearts, I know she will in mine.

[hamp04]

people say justice long delayed is justice denied...but justice is done in GOD''S time not ours in the end he will make every thing right

[linfinster]

It''s amazing that her family could treat her like that, but we don''t know everything either. Perhaps she burned some bridges with the siblings while trying to get the answers she needed .. but then again, the article does say they don''t believe her ... so twisted. Best of luck to you Linda!

[spain71]

I cannot believe that Linda''s siblings do not speak with her. Especially, in view of the fact that their father admitted to the murder of their mother. It sounds to me like Linda is the only sane (and moral) person, with a conscience, in that family. Bless her heart. You did the right thing and you can live in Peace.

[stickybeak]

Wow, what a story. I am glad that Linda
finally has the answer to her Mothers disappearance.
It sounds like the siblings and his current wife
want to keep their heads in the sand.
It would be really hard to find out your father had murdered your Mother. I cant even imagine how horrible that would be. I hope they all can find peace now.