Racine County Family Can’t Accept Police Theory On Son’s Death
An unsolved mystery continues to haunt a Wisconsin family. Minneapolis police are convinced Chris Jenkins’ drowning death was an accident or suicide, but his family refuses to buy it. They cling to the fact that the medical examiner listed the cause of death “undetermined.”
Jenkins, who disappeared on Halloween night last year, was one of several college-age men who vanished without a trace at about the same time. All but one were found dead under similar circumstances. Could the deaths be connected or are they simply coincidence?
The Jenkinses hired their own investigator, followed their own leads and even found a man who they said should have at least been questioned.
“Appalled doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel in knowing that at this point in time not one of these tests was done for Chris,” Chris’ mother, Jan Jenkins, said.
The Jenkinses said if they have to, they’ll have the evidence tested themselves. They’re stepping up their investigation and offering a $175,000 reward for answers.
“We are doing this because there’s enough significant evidence pointing to foul play, pointing to murder, and if the MPD is not helping us,” Chris’ father, Steve Jenkins, said.
So the Jenkinses hired private investigator Chuck Loesch. He’s been on the case since Jenkins disappeared. Loesch said two different sets of bloodhounds made a remarkable discovery — both traced Chris’ scent from the Lone Tree bar where he was last seen to a deserted underground garage nearby.
“The dog took us into the parking area,” Loesch said. “The dog took us down to these stalls here,” Both dogs did. One was within five days of Chris missing, six days. The second was about three to four weeks later,” Loesch said.
“Two totally different dogs took you to the same parking space?” 12 News investigative reporter Colleen Henry asked.
“Right,” Loesch said.
Minneapolis police believe Jenkins jumped or fell off a bridge over the Mississippi as he walked home, but the bloodhound indicated Jenkins got into a car, which headed west on Interstate 94.
“I think Chris was either abducted or walked into a position where he was murdered,” Loesch said.
Loesch’s investigation expanded when two other college students disappeared in the next nine days. Three days after Jenkins, 80 miles east on I-94, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire senior Michael Noll disappeared after leaving a college bar.
Six days after that, 50 miles northwest of Minneapolis, St. John’s University junior Josh Guimond vanished after leaving a card party on campus.
In the next two months, from South Bend to Sheboygan, three other college-aged men disappeared under similar circumstances. All eventually turned up in nearby lakes or rivers, all but Guimond, who’s still missing a year later.
In each case, police ruled out foul play. They called the deaths accidents or suicide.
“My feeling is that Josh Guimond is the key to understanding things. If we could find his body, we could unravel things,” Loesch said.
Loesch has been unable to convince police there’s a sinister force at work. He’s even offered police evidence of a self-proclaimed serial killer living in Minneapolis around the time of the disappearances, but police have never questioned him.
The man is now in jail in Missouri. He was arrested after leading police on a 50-mile chase when they tried to arrest him on charges he threatened to kill his boss.
WISN 12 News contacted Missouri police who were so concerned by the man’s threats, followed by the disappearances, they contacted Minneapolis police.
That department declined to interview the man. It said, “They had no crime to investigate.” So 12 News traveled to Missouri to ask him some questions. WISN 12 News didn’t identify him because he is not a suspect in the disappearances.
“I scare a lot of people. It’s just the things I happen to say,” the man said.
WISN 12 News obtained police reports indicating that six weeks before Jenkins disappeared, Minneapolis police arrested the man after he dialed 911 and demanded police send the FBI to his home to profile him or he’d go on a killing spree.
Police said the man told them, “His fantasy was to go across the country picking up males between the ages of 16 and 30 and befriending them.”
“He stated that he would then kill them by suffocating them, drowning or burning them,” Henry read from the police report.
“Those are my three favorites,” the man said.
“So you have a thing for college aged guys?” Henry asked.
“I was arrested for prostitution prior to all this, back in 1988, so I’ve been around like 200 or 300 men doing massages and that sort of thing. But yeah,” the man said.
“Do you know that six weeks after you told police that, a bunch of college-aged guys started disappearing?” Henry asked.
“Oh, well, I don’t know what you want me to say. Did they catch the person that did it or what was it?” the man said.
“Did you ever hear of a kid named Chris Jenkins? He was wearing an Indian costume.” Henry asked.
“Yeah,” the man answered.
“Yeah, what?” Henry asked.
“Yeah, I swear I’ve never heard that name or had anything to do with that person. I haven’t,” the man said.
The man said he fantasizes about abducting straight young men, suffocating them with Saran Wrap and then killing them. He identifies with Jeffrey Dahmer.
“Well, like, when Dahmer got arrested then I, like, 99 percent of the people were boobooboo — hang the man or whatever, and I was like, ‘Oh, gee, I can really relate to what that guy’s going through.’ I mean, the whole situation was too bad, but I understood where he was coming from. He was coming from a sexual desire that got carried away,” the man said. “I’m not into the brain boiling or anything like that. I don’t plan on going that far. I’ve never killed anybody, and it’s going to stay that way.”
“Why have you told people that you have?” Henry asked.
“Well, I have mentioned serial killer. Maybe I said I am one but, I’ve never done it,” the man said.
Police said he arrived in Missouri in early March. The man said he left Minneapolis weeks before Jenkins went missing, and headed out on a long road trip.
“That’s a pretty good alibi, I would say. Plus, my car was packed. There was no room to put anybody in it,” the man said.
“So did you kill those people?” Henry asked.
“No, I hate to make your trip unworthwhile, but I didn’t,” the man said.
Still, the man is surprised Minneapolis police have not questioned him.
“Like it’s better to be safe than sorry. I mean, if it’s going to give the woman any peace and have the police come, oh well,” the man said.
“Minneapolis police wouldn’t talk on camera but said there is not a shred of credible evidence Chris Jenkins was murdered — no need for dogs, DNA or debriefing wannabe serial killers. The detective in charge of the case told 12 News the Jenkins need to come back to reality,” Henry said.
“I can’t imagine in my wildest dream that he’s not a suspect. He talks about Saran Wrap and duct tape, well certainly Saran Wrap is not something that would leave marks that you’d ever pick up in an autopsy,” Jan Jenkins said.
“Our entire life has been consumed to find answers, and every time, any direction that we went, we had law enforcement in the way trying to stop us from finding answers,” Steve Jenkins said.
Henry wants to emphasize that the man she talked to is not a suspect. Minneapolis police contend there is no crime, so they won’t do further investigation.
The man in Missouri told 12 News that he was on a road trip at the time Jenkins and the others disappeared. The only way to confirm that would be with, possibly, credit card or phone records and only police have the authority to subpoena those records — fueling the family’s frustration.
Racine County Family Can’t Accept Police Theory On Son’s Death
6 College-Age Men Disappear About Same Time, 5 In Similar Way
POSTED: 2:14 pm CST November 5, 2003
UPDATED: 5:23 pm CST November 6, 2003