Into Thin Air

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

(CBS)  Helping the police would put Linda in an almost impossible position. In April 2005, word got back to her father, Eugene, that the case had been reopened. He was living with his second wife in Nevada, but he showed up suddenly and unexpectedly in Madison. Linda immediately called Detective Statz.

Statz says she was concerned Eugene might tamper with evidence, namely, Jean's remains.

Eugene managed to avoid the detective and flew back to Nevada. Two months later, Statz paid a surprise visit to his house, but it was clear that Eugene was not going to admit to anything.

The detective returned home without a confession, but not without hope: she had begun reconstructing his movements during that April visit to Wisconsin by pulling his cell phone and financial records. And that's how she found out he had rented a storage locker just outside Madison. She also discovered he had visited a landfill about 80 miles from that locker, but not before he had gone on a shopping trip to Wal-Mart.

"I call the Wal-Mart and I get faxed the receipt. And at that point, it became so very clear to me, you know, what he was actually doing," Statz says.

Here's what Eugene bought: two gallons of water, an odor absorbing mask, a few large containers, a tarp, two cans of Lysol, some Pledge wipes, scissors, recycling bags and paper towels.

Statz says it looked to her like supplies he would need if he was disposing of a body.

Statz looked into the history of the storage locker. Eugene rented it in 2001, just before he moved to Nevada, and had moved everything out of it on his last trip to Wisconsin in April 2005.

Statz says nobody had rented it since he had vacated it on April 14.

Officer Corcoran and the cadaver dogs were brought in again. This time they smelled something at the storage locker and in the car Zapata had rented. "I strongly believed that Jean's remains had been in the storage locker since 2001 when he rented it. And that on April 14th, when he moved out, that he took her to the landfill in the trunk of the car," Statz says.

Finding Jean's remains in the large landfill would be next to impossible. But the police were close enough to cracking this case that they thought maybe Eugene would finally confess, if not to them, then maybe to his daughter. They needed Linda's help again. And this time she'd have to make the most difficult decision of her life.

"A hundred times a day torn back and forth. How can I betray one or not betray the other? How could I do that to my dad? What kind of daughter am I? You know? But then my mom, she has no one else to speak for her," Linda explains.

Nine long months after the case was re-opened, there was still no sign of Jean, and still no evidence to tie her ex-husband Eugene to any crime.

It would take some new piece of evidence, something big, to make this case. And Det. Statz had an idea that would be, to say the least, one tough sell. "I asked Linda if she would place a phone call to her father and talk to him about her mother's disappearance," the detective says.

"I mean what kind of daughter is gonna betray their father? How could I do that? But then a second later it's like, how could I not do that for my mom?" Linda recalls.

In August 2005, almost 30 years after her mother went missing, Linda agreed to make two calls to her father, and let the police tape everything. In the recorded call to her father Linda asks, "Just between you and me, can you at least tell me if - do you think she’s alive?"

"Well, first of all. I didn’t have anything to do with her disappearance or anything - but after all these years, you gotta think that no, she’s not," Eugene replied.

It took a while, but Linda worked herself up to making an awkward, and painful accusation. "I don’t know. I guess my gut is that you did it. Which…," she said.

"Wow, that’s pretty powerful," her father replied.

"I know it is, but I still love you and nothing’s changed between me and you," Linda said.

The phone calls helped, but Statz needed more. So she went back to Nevada, where Eugene was living, this time armed with a search warrant, which led to a safety deposit box and a discovery that would change everything.

[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.