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in: Illinois, 1991, Murder, Unsolved

Jamie Santos

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Jamie santos1

Jamie Santos

Real Name: Jamie Lynn Santos
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Wheeling, Illinois
Date: October 28, 1991

Case[]

Details: At around 11:30AM on October 28, 1991, a Wheeling, Illinois emergency operator received a call from an unidentified man, speaking from a pay phone. He gave the address of a woman whom he claimed was not breathing or responding. When the operator asked him why he was at the home, he hung up. Paramedics soon discovered that the caller was correct. Twenty-seven-year-old Jamie Santos was found not breathing in her home at 1765 Stonehedge Court. She had been smothered by a pillow and died soon after paramedics arrived. She was an exotic dancer in Wheeling and lived just down the road from her parents.
At her job, Jamie would dance for private parties in Wheeling and Chicago. When her parents first learned about her work, they were concerned for her safety. However, their fears were put to ease when they learned that she would have a driver with her at all times, protecting her from any potentially dangerous customers. She also said that she would leave a party any time she felt that something wasn't right about the situation.
The night before she was murdered, Jamie became ill; she called and canceled several appointments for the next day. She rented a few videotapes and talked with a friend. After that, she was never heard from again. When police found her body the next day, they discovered that there were no signs of forced entry. They also found signs of a struggle, but she was not raped. Interestingly, her head had been propped on a pillow. They have almost no evidence or leads, except for the unknown caller and a few fingerprints. No one in her family could identify the caller. Investigators have been unable to determine if he was her killer, or if he was just someone passing by who found her. He has never been identified and the case remains unsolved.
Suspects: Investigators determined that the call came from a pay phone outside of a liquor store in a strip mall a half block from Jamie's home. After the call was initially released, several people came forward, claiming to recognize the caller's voice. However, these leads never panned out and the anonymous caller has yet to be identified. Police have been unable to determine if he was the killer or a passerby. The caller is believed to be from the area, as he corrected the operator about Jamie's address. This also suggests that he knew her.
Shortly after the murder, investigators reviewed surveillance video from the liquor store where the call was placed. The video showed a man making a purchase in the store around the time that the 911 call was made. However, after the video was shown to the public, he was identified and determined not to be the caller. He was also cleared of any involvement in Jamie's death.
Police believe that Jamie's killer may have been someone she met while working as an exotic dancer. According to her family and friends, she made a rule that she would not date any customers. Investigators believe that her killer may have been one of her customers that would not take "no" for an answer, or even one of her drivers that may have had a secret obsession for her. They theorize that he may have gone to her house that day to have sex with her. When she refused, he mortally wounded her. After realizing he hurt her, he may have felt remorse and decided to call the police.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the January 10, 1997 episode.
The actual 911 call can be heard here.
Results: Unsolved. Wheeling police received at least twenty calls as a result of the broadcast. It is not known if any information was uncovered as a result of these calls. In 2011, investigators have submitted Jamie's clothing and other evidence from the crime scene to a forensics lab, hoping to find DNA or other evidence belonging to the killer.
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