Jenna Van Gelderen, a 25-year-old woman, vanished under perplexing circumstances in August 2017 while house-sitting for her parents in their Druid Hills home near Atlanta, Georgia. Her parents were away on a trip to Canada at the time. The last known communication from Jenna was a text message she sent to a friend around 2:00 a.m. on August 19, stating she was going to lie down. After that, her phone was no longer used, and she was never heard from again.
The following morning, her brother went to the house and found it locked, with the lights and television still on. Jenna, her car, her two cell phones, and a large, hand-stitched Egyptian tapestry were missing. Left behind were her makeup, shoes, and phone chargers, items her family said she would not typically leave behind. The family's elderly cat had also not been fed.
The investigation into Jenna's disappearance uncovered a series of puzzling clues. Her dark blue 2010 Mazda 6 was discovered on September 5, weeks after she went missing, parked on a street in northwest Atlanta, about seven miles from her parents' home. The car was nearly out of gas, and the driver's seat was pushed back, suggesting someone taller than the 4'11' Jenna had been driving it. Inside the vehicle were her suitcase, wallet, and glasses, but also a phone charger and shoes that did not belong to her. Her two cell phones remained missing. One of her phones last pinged near Fairburn, Georgia, on the morning of her disappearance, while her car was simultaneously sighted in a different part of Atlanta. This discrepancy added another layer of complexity to the case. Her family noted that Jenna had a nonverbal learning disability and was very trusting of others, which they feared could have made her vulnerable.
Years have passed without any definitive answers as to what happened to Jenna Van Gelderen. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance, including the missing tapestry and the unusual state in which her car was found, have left both her family and investigators searching for leads. Her family expressed concern that she may have been held against her will. In the absence of any resolution and believing she was likely murdered, her family made the difficult decision to have her legally declared deceased and held a memorial service for her. The DeKalb County Police Department's investigation remains open, but with no significant breakthroughs, the case of what happened to Jenna Van Gelderen is a lingering and sorrowful mystery for her loved ones and the community.Last Seen: Aug 19, 2017
