Post by Scumhunter on Jul 28, 2015 6:25:33 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: tctimes.com)
The murder of Jill Ann Weatherwax was featured on the May 8th, 1999 episode of America's Most Wanted, as well as the show "True Hollywood Stories" on the E! network in October of 1999 as "The Murder of Miss Hollywood." Despite the publicity in this case, Weatherwax's murder remains unsolved.
On March 25th, 1998, Weatherwax, an aspiring actress, dancer, and singer was found stabbed to death in a barren lot in Fresno, California. Two witnesses (one man and woman) claim Weatherwax had requested to use the room at the Villa Motel in Fresno to sexually service three Hispanic males. Despite this and police suspicions Weatherwax may have also been a stripper who was arrested for drug-related crimes, it has never been proven Weatherwax was involved in prostitution and her family remains unconvinced as well.
What does seem undisputed is the possibility that she was last seen getting into a car with three Hispanic males at approximately 11 PM on the evening on March 24th, 1998.
Weatherwax is described as leading a jet-setting life, living in London to record two albums before moving back to California. Weatherwax rubbed elbows with the Hollywood elite, hanging out with the late Patrick Swayze and once dating actor and restaurant owner Ciro Orsini. Despite this, the case would grow cold.
Weatherwax's sister Julie Shilts says she maintains contact with the Fresno Police Department.
Although there have been no leads, Shilts said police have told her that DNA testing, which was not available in 1998, is available now, and could lead to a breakthrough.
Around 2012, police began distributing decks of playing cards at prisons and each of the cards tells the story of an unsolved murder. A nine-of-spades card tells Weatherwax’s story and has her photo. Inmates have been known to talk about a ‘cold case” if they believe there is a chance it could help their own case. So far though, nothing has materialized.
Detective Bart Ledbetter with the Fresno Police Department says Weatherwax's homicide is one of his top five unsolved cases. Detective Ledbetter says the case doesn't make sense as it is not known why Weatherwax was even in Fresno before her murder. The two witnesses were a prostitute and a pimp.
In the meantime, the Detective has assured that his Department will "never forget a homicide."
Thoughts? Sadly, I think the only way this case will ever get solved is through DNA evidence. And even then it might be difficult since three men are said to be involved. Would one guy turn the other two in if caught? This is pretty much a case where you have to hope for a miracle breakthrough. But the one thing we've seen throughout our years of watching AMW and other crime shows is sometimes that hope does eventually pay off.
Admin Note #1: Based on crime location, our advice for anyone with information on this case is to contact Fresno Crime Stoppers at the following link: www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=548
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/19991012070500/http://amw.com/
www.tctimes.com/news/beauty-queen-s-brutal-murder-still-unsolved-years-later/article_690dc53e-93b8-11e2-abfd-0019bb2963f4.html
