Investigators struggling to find leads in women’s disappearance
By Scott Bellile
A Dale man whose wife and adult daughter disappeared believes they were abducted, saying it would be “way out of character” for them to take off for days voluntarily.
Kelly Rousseau spoke at a news conference outside his family’s Menasha business, Oasis Wellness Center, on Wednesday, June 19.
There he asked the public to call law enforcement with information on the disappearances, or for his missing family members to come home if they left by choice.
The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday, June 18, that 55-year-old Jill Rousseau and 21-year-old Jordan Rousseau were last seen two days earlier on Sunday, June 16.
Kelly told news reporters his last interaction with Jill was by phone around 1 p.m. Sunday when he was driving home to Dale from a solo trip to a cousin’s funeral in Minnesota.
He said Jill told him she planned to stop by Oasis Wellness Center in Menasha that day to pick up papers in preparation for a conference in Maryland that the two were planning to leave for on June 26.
Kelly said he called Jill again that evening after dinnertime and did not get an answer.
He said he arrived home around 8:15 p.m. and noticed Jill and Jordan were gone, but the family’s chickens were wandering around the yard. To him, that indicated the women had planned to come home shortly because otherwise they would have put the chickens away.
An hour passed, and Kelly did not hear from them. He said he called both their cellphones, which each rang inside the house because Jill and Jordan evidently did not take them along.
Kelly said the next morning he drove to Oasis Wellness Center on Century Oaks Drive to check the security footage.
Photo courtesy of Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office
He said the footage showed the family’s maroon 2011 Ford Expedition King Ranch backing into the parking lot at 3:45 p.m.
The angle and quality of the footage was not great, Kelly said. But it was apparent to him from the way the driver’s seat was positioned inside the SUV that Jordan was driving, and the passenger wearing a blue and white blouse was Jill.
The vehicle drove off 15 minutes later, Kelly said.
Kelly said of their disappearance: “My opinion – this has nothing to do with the sheriff’s department (investigation) – is that they were abducted because nothing else makes sense.”
He said he has no idea who would have abducted them or why.
“At this point I just want to know they’re alive because it’s like the rug’s pulled out from under you, and the first thing that hits is your head,” Kelly said.
Like Kelly, Jordan’s friend, Johanna Kopecky,, does not believe Jordan and Jill would have run away.
“I don’t think that’s the case, but if it is, I’d ask (Jordan) to please come back because we all really miss both of them and love both of them,” Kopecky said with tears. “And I don’t know why they’d leave without telling anybody, but if they did, just please come back, and then it will all be OK again.”
She added Jordan never talked about wanting to leave the area, telling saying the past she wanted to one day live in Appleton.
Kelly is not considered a suspect. He has cooperated with the investigation, according to the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office.
“We’re really struggling to find leads as to where they may have gone,” Outagamie County Sheriff’s Sgt. Nate Borman told reporters Wednesday. “We have no indication that they were leaving for a trip. We have no indication that they were leaving unexpectedly or that they were choosing to do this from obvious signs, obvious indicators that might be out there.”
Borman added investigators have received tips from other states, but not information that has led to finding the women or their vehicle.
Jill is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 165 pounds with light brown hair and blue eyes.
Jordan is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 110 pounds with sandy blond hair and blue eyes.
Tips can be reported to the sheriff’s office by calling 920-832-5279 or 920-832-5000.
A prayer vigil will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Cavalry Bible Church, 1450 Oakridge Road, Neenah.