Crime Solvers Central
Crime Solvers Central
302 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.

Case Description

Any updates on this case? Let us know!
Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP43420) and 7 other sources
In the spring of 1990, the life of Donna Lynn Jenson, a 30-year-old woman from Collinsville, Illinois, took a mysterious and troubling turn. Her family had left for a short trip to Missouri, leaving Donna at home. The quiet expectation of returning to normalcy was shattered when Donna's family received a phone call from her coworker in Granite City. The colleague was concerned because Donna had uncharacteristically failed to show up for work and had not called in. Rushing home, her family was met with an unsettling scene: Donna was gone. The state of the house suggested she had left in a great hurry, leaving behind more questions than answers and sparking immediate concern for her safety. Just a month prior, Donna had moved into her parents' home after ending a six-year marriage.

The investigation into Donna's disappearance began, and troubling details soon emerged. Her car, a gray 1981 Buick Skylark, was discovered on May 10, 1990, in East St. Louis at the Samuel Gompers Apartments public housing projects, an area known for high crime rates. Inside the abandoned vehicle, investigators found a basket of clothing and a hospital gown, items that only deepened the mystery of her whereabouts. According to some reports, friends of Donna's told investigators they had seen her a few days after her family had last seen her. These friends claimed that Donna told them she was heading to East St. Louis to purchase drugs. This information, coupled with the location of her car, led authorities to suspect foul play was involved in her case.

Decades have passed since Donna Jenson vanished, yet her case remains unsolved, leaving a painful void for her loved ones. At the time she went missing, Donna was described as a white female, standing between 5'4' and 5'6' tall and weighing between 140 and 160 pounds. She had short, straight brown hair and brown eyes. Her distinctive features included pierced ears, a butterfly tattoo on her lower left hip, and a red birthmark on her back near her right shoulder. The overview of this case is one of sudden and perplexing circumstances. A young woman disappears from her home under conditions suggesting a hurried departure, her car is later found in a dangerous area with peculiar items inside, and reported sightings place her in a vulnerable situation. Despite the passage of time and the efforts of the Collinsville and Fairview Heights Police Departments, the ultimate fate of Donna Lynn Jenson and the precise circumstances of what happened to her after she was last seen remain unknown.

Last Seen: Apr 22, 1990

Possible Unidentified Matches (2)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

79%Possible
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, Illinois - unidentified case UP12167
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, Illinois
UP12167 • Found Jan 21, 2006
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 18–30 vs 30 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 100%11 mi away, same state
TimingFound 16 years after last seen
Height 100%5'3" vs 5'4"–5'6"
78%Possible
Jane Doe — Illinois
UP15441 • Found Mar 16, 2016
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 38–52 vs 30 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 75%102 mi away, same state
TimingFound 26 years after last seen
Height 100%5'4" vs 5'4"–5'6"
Weight 100%125 lb vs 140–160 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.