Jacquelyn Lorraine “Jackie” Markham, age 51, was last seen in Callahan, Florida on December 14, 2000. She had visited the Eckerd pharmacy just before 7:00 p.m. to pick up her high‑blood pressure medication, at a location close to her home in Spring Lake Estates, a subdivision in Nassau County. Following that errand, she was scheduled to meet her boyfriend, Archie Carroll, for an evening date.
According to Carroll, just before he left to pick her up, Markham phoned him from home, stating that a male acquaintance named Richard had unexpectedly visited the residence while intoxicated. She reportedly asked him not to come over, but Carroll did anyway. When he arrived, both Jackie and the man were gone. Markham’s car remained in the garage with the prescription still on the passenger seat and all of her personal items, including her dog and pet fish, were undisturbed inside the home.
When she failed to show up for work the next day at Cheetah Transportation in Jacksonville, her family reported her missing. She had intended to travel to Tampa on December 16 to visit her children and grandchildren for a planned birthday celebration, but she never arrived. Investigation at her home revealed no signs of forced entry or struggle. Her purse was later discovered in a ditch along Evergreen Avenue in Jacksonville, about fifteen miles from her home; the purse still held her credit cards and identification.
A registered sex offender, Ross Lane Emerson from Fort Worth, Texas, who was living in a boxcar near the spot where her purse was found, became a person of interest. He was later arrested in connection with other murders in Florida and Georgia. Emerson denied involvement in Markham’s disappearance and died by suicide in his Nassau County jail cell in October 2001. In a note, he claimed innocence in this case. Detectives and the family appear to view his involvement as unlikely.
Nearly two decades later, in late 2022, investigators released surveillance video from local businesses in Callahan. The footage shows a red‑haired man wearing a black jacket, jeans, and burgundy scarf who approached clerks at a convenience store and a cell phone store. He held a missing‑person flyer of Jackie Markham and suggested that law enforcement search the woods behind her home. Authorities emphasized that he is not necessarily a suspect, but might hold valuable information.
Over time, detectives have considered a range of leads: acquaintances, potential serial offenders in the area, and those close to Markham. No arrests have been made, no body has been recovered, and her disappearance remains unresolved. Investigators believe foul play is the most likely scenario, given her established routines, reliable character, and absence of communication after December 14. Her case remains open under the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and the family has offered a reward for information—though it has yet to yield resolution.
Markham was described as a Caucasian female, about 5′6″ tall and 150 lb, with light‑brown hair, brown eyes, pierced ears, eyeglasses, and a brown sunspot on her left arm. She was last seen wearing an orange short‑sleeved shirt, denim overalls, sneakers, a pear‑shaped diamond ring, an opal ring, bracelets, and a watch. She was in good spirits leading up to the disappearance and known for being dependable in both her personal and professional life.
Decades after the event, family members continue to mourn without closure. They have circulated flyers, publicized the case in local media, and expressed the pain of having no burial site or physical place to honor Jackie’s memory. Law enforcement continues to maintain an active missing person investigation, hoping that someone may yet come forward with information to solve the case.Last Seen: Dec 14, 2000
