A man is found dead near Sweeney Pond In the autumn of 1985, the quiet woods near Sweeney Pond in Glover, Vermont, held a grim secret. On November 2nd, a group of hunters stumbled upon a shallow grave, unearthing the remains of a young Caucasian/White male. For years, his identity would remain a mystery, a silent testament to a life cut short. The cause of death was determined to be a blunt impact to the head, a clear case of homicide.
With no identification found, the unknown man was laid to rest in a pauper's grave, his headstone marked only with "No. 9."
For nearly two decades, the case of the unidentified man grew cold. Meanwhile, in Clay, Kentucky, the family of Roger Gene Jeffreys, a 22-year-old husband and father of twins, held onto a sliver of hope. Roger, a man described as a free spirit, had left home in September of 1984 after telling his family he was heading to Canada with a man he had met while hitchhiking. He made one phone call to his mother a few days later and was never heard from again. His family, though accustomed to his spontaneous trips, eventually had to face the painful reality that he was likely gone forever.
The break in the case finally came in 2002. A tip led Vermont State Police to consider a possible link between their John Doe and the missing man from Kentucky. Investigators began to piece together the puzzle, comparing medical and dental records. Distinguishing features, including a tattoo of the initials "RGJ" on the shoulder and evidence of a childhood arm fracture, matched those of Roger Jeffreys. In January 2003, after 18 years of uncertainty, the remains found in the Vermont woods were officially identified as those of Roger Gene Jeffreys.
The identification brought a painful closure to Roger's family, turning their lingering hope into a somber reality. While they could finally bring him home for a proper burial, the investigation into his murder was far from over. The Vermont State Police re-energized their efforts, now with a name and a backstory for their victim. They learned that at the time of his disappearance, there was an arrest warrant for Jeffreys, which may have been the reason he left Kentucky. Despite this renewed focus, the individual or individuals responsible for his death have never been brought to justice. The case of Roger Gene Jeffreys remains an open and unsolved homicide, a lingering question in the Green Mountains.
