WEBVTT 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.789 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:13.710 Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All 00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:16.129 parties mentioned are considered innocent until 00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:18.969 proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing 00:00:18.969 --> 00:00:22.410 also contains adult themes and languages. Listener 00:00:22.410 --> 00:00:26.230 discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.010 -Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski. 00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:31.289 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover 00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:35.350 cold cases and missing person cases. Hello, everyone, 00:00:35.369 --> 00:00:37.490 and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your 00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:40.770 host, Ali. And I'm your co -host, Eli. Welcome 00:00:40.770 --> 00:00:44.469 back, everyone. We are back at it. Apologies 00:00:44.469 --> 00:00:47.210 for taking some time off last week. I was very 00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:52.490 busy with work, life, groceries, chores. A lot 00:00:52.490 --> 00:00:54.469 of stuff was going on last week, so we did not 00:00:54.469 --> 00:00:56.990 have the time to sit down together and record, 00:00:57.229 --> 00:01:01.409 but we are back at it this week. So thank you 00:01:01.409 --> 00:01:04.409 to those of you who have been longtime listeners. 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:08.079 To all of our listeners, but for being understanding 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.219 because we are people just like you navigating 00:01:11.219 --> 00:01:15.260 life things just like you guys. So thank you 00:01:15.260 --> 00:01:18.340 again for being here and for always being understanding 00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:23.060 listeners. Totally. Cold and missing is unfortunately 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:27.040 not our full -time job. So occasionally other 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:29.700 things just dominate the week. But we're here. 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:34.090 We're back. We're on episode 155. And we are 00:01:34.090 --> 00:01:36.689 on a missing person case. All right, let's get 00:01:36.689 --> 00:01:40.909 into it. Let's do it. So just as a bit of a content 00:01:40.909 --> 00:01:43.430 warning at the top, this case does involve a 00:01:43.430 --> 00:01:46.829 young person. Today, we are talking about the 00:01:46.829 --> 00:01:50.370 missing person case of Jie Zhao Li. And this takes 00:01:50.370 --> 00:01:55.030 place in Honolulu, Hawaii, in February of 1988. 00:01:56.109 --> 00:01:59.930 But first, a little bit about Jie Zhao. Jie Zhao 00:01:59.930 --> 00:02:02.290 Li was only 12 years old when our timeline picks 00:02:02.290 --> 00:02:07.239 up. She was born on April 10, 1975, and in the 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:10.840 spring of 1988, Jie Zhao was just weeks away from 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:15.099 turning 13. She was small for her age, only around 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:18.539 70 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair and 00:02:18.539 --> 00:02:21.479 a very fair complexion. When our timeline begins, 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:24.099 her teeth are slightly crooked, giving her this 00:02:24.099 --> 00:02:29.340 unmistakable, youthful smile. Jie Zhao was a fourth 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:32.259 grader at Royal Elementary School. Even though 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:35.000 she was 12, she was placed below her age level 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.300 because she was still learning English. Her and 00:02:38.300 --> 00:02:40.900 her family had immigrated from Canton, China, 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:44.620 just about a year earlier. They didn't speak 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:47.539 much English at all. But Jizhao was learning 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:50.719 quickly. She understood far more than she could 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:53.180 comfortably speak, and teachers said she worked 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:56.500 hard to keep up. The Li's family life in Honolulu 00:02:56.500 --> 00:03:00.340 was not easy. There were five of them. Jizhao, 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:04.039 her parents, an older sister who was around 15, 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:08.340 and a younger sister who was around 5. They were 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:10.960 all living in what was essentially a converted 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:15.180 garage. The two -bedroom apartment was cramped 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:19.560 and deteriorating. There was no hot water. Laundry 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:22.639 was done by hand, with water boiled on the stove. 00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:26.580 The kitchen still had an icebox instead of a 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:31.229 refrigerator. This was better than the circumstances 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:35.569 they had come from. In China at this time, Jizhao 00:03:35.569 --> 00:03:38.210 had to be kept hidden away due to the country's 00:03:38.210 --> 00:03:40.669 laws around daughters and multiple children. 00:03:41.689 --> 00:03:44.289 When the family had a third daughter, they knew 00:03:44.289 --> 00:03:46.530 that they needed to move, so they quickly got 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:50.409 to Hawaii. Jizhao was taken to life in Hawaii 00:03:50.409 --> 00:03:53.909 and helped wherever she could. Neighbors and 00:03:53.909 --> 00:03:57.110 teachers described her as a conscientious, sensitive, 00:03:57.229 --> 00:04:01.560 and kind child. She followed rules. She listened. 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:06.180 She didn't cause any trouble. Her teachers remembered 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:09.139 her generosity, how she would bring candy to 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:11.400 school and shared it freely with the other kids. 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:15.439 She loved hopscotch at recess. She was always 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:19.139 dressed very neatly at school, always in long 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:23.800 pants or dresses. She was especially protective 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.759 of her little sister, once becoming so upset. 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:29.449 when her sister was being bullied, that she cried 00:04:29.449 --> 00:04:31.310 while trying to explain what had happened to 00:04:31.310 --> 00:04:35.730 a teacher. A neighbor says, quote, she's a tiny, 00:04:35.769 --> 00:04:38.769 skinny little girl, a really nice, sweet little 00:04:38.769 --> 00:04:44.689 girl. And now a timeline of events. Thursday, 00:04:44.910 --> 00:04:49.750 February 11th, 1988. That Thursday began like 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:53.149 any other normal school day. At Royal Elementary, 00:04:53.610 --> 00:04:56.029 students at this time were in the final days 00:04:56.029 --> 00:04:59.269 of selling tickets for a school fundraiser, a 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:01.769 Zippy's Chili Dinner meant to raise money for 00:05:01.769 --> 00:05:05.470 a three -day class trip to the Big Island. The 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:09.629 goal was to sell 50 tickets, totaling $125 to 00:05:09.629 --> 00:05:13.689 help pay for the trip. There was even a prize 00:05:13.689 --> 00:05:17.529 for students who sold all of their tickets. At 00:05:17.529 --> 00:05:20.970 first, Jie Zhao didn't want to participate. She 00:05:20.970 --> 00:05:24.189 wasn't sure about going on the trip. But when 00:05:24.189 --> 00:05:26.089 she learned that one of her friends was going, 00:05:26.310 --> 00:05:29.990 she changed her mind. Her homeroom teacher, Sherry 00:05:29.990 --> 00:05:32.910 Kim, later said that within just a few days, 00:05:33.170 --> 00:05:36.610 Jie Zhao had already sold 18 tickets, bringing 00:05:36.610 --> 00:05:41.750 back $45. She was very determined. That afternoon 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:44.870 of Thursday, February 11th, Jie Zhao asked her 00:05:44.870 --> 00:05:47.329 mother if she could go out and sell tickets after 00:05:47.329 --> 00:05:52.019 school. Mrs. Li hesitated. She had recently seen 00:05:52.019 --> 00:05:54.120 a television commercial about missing children 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:56.240 and didn't like the idea of her daughter being 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:01.079 out alone. But Jizhao begged. She promised she 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:04.079 would only go out for one hour. She promised 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:07.079 that she wouldn't go far. She said that this 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:09.920 was her last chance. She was in the final days 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:12.300 and whatever tickets she didn't sell, she would 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:15.680 have to turn in. She even borrowed her sister's 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:17.779 watch so that way she could keep track of time. 00:06:18.919 --> 00:06:22.060 Eventually, her mother agreed. A little more 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:24.519 than an hour. She was supposed to be home by 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:29.160 5 p .m. So right around 3 .30, Jisoo leaves her 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:32.300 home. She was carrying the red chili tickets 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:35.620 and wearing white shorts with three small hearts 00:06:35.620 --> 00:06:39.620 on them, a light yellow or beige shirt with a 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:42.540 long stemmed flower across the chest, and blue 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:45.779 shoes with a dark blue purse worn on a strap. 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:49.959 Her shoes are described as slippers, blue slippers. 00:06:51.079 --> 00:06:53.939 Her first stop appears to have been to a neighbor's 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:57.000 house, where she asked another young girl if 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:59.939 she wanted to sell tickets together. The girl 00:06:59.939 --> 00:07:03.560 couldn't go. She had plans with a relative. So 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.100 Jisoo said goodbye and continued on her own. 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:09.699 Shortly after leaving the friend's house, Jisoo 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:14.420 entered a Radio Shack store nearby. An employee 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:17.240 later told police that he bought a ticket from 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:20.860 her around 3 .30 p .m. The store wasn't that 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:24.519 busy. He remembered her clearly. Says, quote, 00:07:24.740 --> 00:07:39.079 Another Radio Shack employee did notice one other 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:42.160 detail. She appeared to be looking around and 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:45.680 the employee, interpreted it as she was looking 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:49.139 for someone. They got the impression that there 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:51.800 was an adult waiting just outside. They assumed 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:53.939 her parent, but that's what it looked like when 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:57.579 she left the Radio Shack. At around 4 p .m., 00:07:57.579 --> 00:08:00.540 Jie Zhao approached another neighbor to sell tickets. 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:04.079 He remembered her being persistent, determined. 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:07.560 He told her that he'd already bought several 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:11.660 tickets. After that, police believe she headed 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:16.240 towards a familiar place, the 7 -Eleven. Jie Zhao 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.399 and her sisters were known at the 7 -Eleven near 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:23.600 Nuanu Avenue and South Kuakini Street. They often 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.100 stopped there for soda or to watch other kids 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:30.199 play video games. Police confirm, and when they 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:33.919 talk about the case today, they do believe that 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:37.539 the last verified sighting of Jie Zhao is at the 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:42.440 7 -Eleven. The time is pretty broad, between 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.779 4 and 4 .45. However, when police talk about 00:08:45.779 --> 00:08:49.360 the case today, the time is closer to 4 .45 that 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:53.779 they believe that she was last seen. So 5 o 'clock 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:56.559 rolls around and Jie Zhao was expected to be home. 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:01.879 But she doesn't walk through the door. So her 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:05.399 family waits for a little bit, but increasingly 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:10.370 they begin to worry. Her parents began searching 00:09:10.370 --> 00:09:13.269 the neighborhood. As the minutes stretched on, 00:09:13.610 --> 00:09:18.929 the fear started to take hold. At 8 .47 p .m., 00:09:18.929 --> 00:09:24.009 Jie Zhao was officially reported as missing. Initially, 00:09:24.149 --> 00:09:26.769 police classified the case as a runaway that 00:09:26.769 --> 00:09:30.049 evening. No official search was launched that 00:09:30.049 --> 00:09:36.399 night. The next day, Friday, February 12th, In 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.840 the morning, investigators reviewing the overnight 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:41.419 cases quickly realized something didn't quite 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:45.159 fit here. Jie Zhao had never gone farther than 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:48.639 School Street. She was very obedient, responsible. 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:54.320 She had promised to be home. Police quickly began 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.460 to believe in the morning that this is not a 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:59.740 runaway at all. The case is escalated and police 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:02.100 head out to talk to the family and begin the 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:07.320 investigation. Saturday, February 13th, police 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:11.179 canvassed the Nuanu area, knocking on doors and 00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:14.940 visiting businesses. Because of the language 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:17.820 barrier with Jizhao's parents, early descriptions 00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:21.019 of her clothing were uncertain. Later, police 00:10:21.019 --> 00:10:22.779 are able to confirm what she had been wearing, 00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:24.519 which is the description that I gave earlier. 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.639 Despite hours of searching, no solid leads emerged. 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.360 Police said openly that they feared she had been 00:10:32.360 --> 00:10:36.700 abducted. There was no sign of her purse, chili 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:41.539 tickets, and nobody had seen anything. On Valentine's 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:45.320 Day that year, February 14th, through translators, 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:48.500 Jie Zhao's parents spoke to the media from their 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:51.679 small apartment. Her mother cried as she described 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:53.860 waiting all night for her daughter to come home. 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:58.179 Members of the Honolulu Chinese Alliance Church 00:10:58.179 --> 00:11:01.039 joined the search, going door to door to ask 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:03.889 people if they knew anything. Still, nothing 00:11:03.889 --> 00:11:08.230 turned up. In the days that followed, from February 00:11:08.230 --> 00:11:12.730 15th through the 18th, police chased tips, dozens 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:15.809 of them. They widened the search beyond the Nuwanu 00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:20.570 area. Police set up roadblocks near the 7 -Eleven. 00:11:21.049 --> 00:11:23.669 Police stopped every single car that was driving 00:11:23.669 --> 00:11:26.230 through the area at around the time that they 00:11:26.230 --> 00:11:29.549 believed Jizhao had been abducted, which would 00:11:29.549 --> 00:11:34.990 be around 4 .45 to 5 p .m. Police officers boarded 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:37.570 school buses to ask children if they had seen 00:11:37.570 --> 00:11:40.990 or heard about anything. One thing that did start 00:11:40.990 --> 00:11:44.389 to happen is that conflicting sightings started 00:11:44.389 --> 00:11:48.029 to complicate things. So where Jizhao was last 00:11:48.029 --> 00:11:50.860 seen? There's a 7 -Eleven on one corner, and 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:53.879 then a block away, there's another 7 -Eleven. 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:57.220 And today, if you look up this area, there's 00:11:57.220 --> 00:11:59.240 still the two 7 -Elevens just a block apart. 00:11:59.700 --> 00:12:04.799 So some witnesses placed Jie Zhao at the Kuanekini 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:09.700 Street 7 -Eleven as late as 4 .45 p .m. However, 00:12:09.899 --> 00:12:12.820 other people said they saw her at the 7 -Eleven 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:17.090 just one block away on School Street. at that 00:12:17.090 --> 00:12:19.610 very same time, around 4 .45 in the afternoon. 00:12:19.950 --> 00:12:22.909 When police talk about the case today, again, 00:12:22.990 --> 00:12:26.289 they believe she was last seen at the Kuanakini 00:12:26.289 --> 00:12:30.990 Street, 7 -11. Two Mormon missionaries later 00:12:30.990 --> 00:12:33.509 came forward saying that they watched Jisau for 00:12:33.509 --> 00:12:36.830 around 15 to 20 minutes as she tried to sell 00:12:36.830 --> 00:12:39.889 her chili tickets. They didn't speak to her, 00:12:39.950 --> 00:12:41.529 they just kind of watched her while they drank 00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:46.049 a soda, and they left before she did. Police 00:12:46.049 --> 00:12:48.590 also begin investigating reports that she had 00:12:48.590 --> 00:12:52.490 been seen speaking with a man. They even create 00:12:52.490 --> 00:12:54.929 a composite sketch, but they don't immediately 00:12:54.929 --> 00:12:58.889 release the composite sketch to the public. By 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:02.590 February 19th, the case was handed over to the 00:13:02.590 --> 00:13:05.690 homicide unit. They also release the sketches 00:13:05.690 --> 00:13:08.289 of the man believed to have spoken to Jie Zhao. 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:11.559 for at least 10 minutes outside of the school 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:14.740 street 7 -11. So this would be the 7 -11 that 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:17.580 is the block away from where she is believed 00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:21.100 to have last been seen. They believe that she 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:23.919 talked to him for about 10 minutes between 4 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:28.799 .30 and 4 .45. He was described as white, in 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:32.179 his 30s, tall and slender and neatly dressed. 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:37.000 At the same time, police revealed another troubling 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:40.519 lead that they had gotten. Multiple witnesses 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:43.799 reported seeing a girl resembling Jie Zhao days 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:47.179 after her disappearance on Valentine's Day, February 00:13:47.179 --> 00:13:51.080 14th, sitting in the backseat of a yellow vintage 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:55.399 Chevrolet at a service station. The car was last 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:59.159 seen again without the girl that same day, which 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:05.259 was Valentine's Day. Dark hair pulled into a 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:10.019 ponytail that had been dyed orange. He had a 00:14:10.019 --> 00:14:12.940 dark complexion and appeared to be in his 30s. 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:17.679 From March through April of 1988, hundreds of 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:21.320 volunteers searched throughout Honolulu, covering 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.899 rugged terrain, neighborhoods, coastlines, for... 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:28.639 Over a month, these searches happened on every 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:31.259 single Saturday, and it was organized by volunteers. 00:14:31.259 --> 00:14:34.320 It was not the police. However, these searches 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:39.720 did not turn up a single sign of Jie Zhao. On 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:43.740 April 21st of 1988, so this would have been just 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:46.200 over two months since Jie Zhao was last seen, 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:50.899 Jie Zhao's mother reported a failed kidnapping 00:14:50.899 --> 00:14:53.820 attempt, or what seemed to be a failed kidnapping 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:57.600 attempt. She reported that while she was walking 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:01.440 to work before dawn around 5 .30 a .m., a man 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:04.860 pulled up near her and rolled down the window 00:15:04.860 --> 00:15:07.100 and started talking to her. She didn't fully 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:09.580 understand what he was trying to say, but it 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:11.960 scared her so much that she took off running. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:16.639 This was eventually reported to the police. Police 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.799 investigate this to see if there's any connection 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:21.940 to Jisoo, but it doesn't appear that they're 00:15:21.940 --> 00:15:26.059 ever able to really get far in. tracking down 00:15:26.059 --> 00:15:28.919 who did this to Jisal's mother, let alone where 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:35.379 Jisal was. So by the end of April, searches slowed 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:39.720 and Leigh's really dried up. Immediately, the 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:44.340 case seems to go cold. In the months that follow, 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:47.399 the Leigh family do end up getting a house that's 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:50.259 donated to them by the Habitat for Humanity. 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:53.860 But in the years that follow, There's really 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:58.820 no new updates in the case. Jie Zhao's face appeared 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:01.740 in newspapers over the years in like missing 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:05.240 person ads and like other children missing. Her 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:08.200 age progressed photos were mailed out on national 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.399 mailers. However, the mailers were only sent 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:14.240 out in the continental United States. None of 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:17.419 them were sent out in Hawaii. So some leads did 00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:20.639 generate from that. But again, none of them led 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:24.740 to Jie Zhao. Her father walked the street where 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:27.539 she was last seen, night after night for years 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:32.480 looking for her. The last real update that I 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.220 could find came in 2014, and again, there was 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:37.740 really no new news. It was just retelling of 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:41.039 her story. But what we did get is an age -progressed 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:43.320 photo, which does appear to be the most recent 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.779 one, which was done in 2014, which was over 30 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:50.610 years since she was last seen. So with that, 00:16:50.610 --> 00:16:53.029 if you know anything about the disappearance 00:16:53.029 --> 00:16:57.429 of Jizao Li or her whereabouts today, please 00:16:57.429 --> 00:17:02.149 call the Honolulu Police Department at 808 -529 00:17:02.149 --> 00:17:08.230 -3111. So that is the missing person case of 00:17:08.230 --> 00:17:11.730 Jizao Li. Before we get into her timeline, as 00:17:11.730 --> 00:17:14.289 always, I just wanted to speak a little bit about 00:17:14.289 --> 00:17:19.539 Jizao and her personality. And honestly, what 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:24.160 her circumstances were for her very young life. 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:29.700 And just off the bat, she and her family assimilating 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:36.339 over from China because of this rule is, for 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:38.759 the most part, it's kind of unimaginable for 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:43.839 me. But I can at least understand that it's probably 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.960 a very stressful adjustment, not just for her. 00:17:47.549 --> 00:17:52.089 but for her entire family, and an emotional adjustment. 00:17:52.809 --> 00:17:56.809 Just circling back to what was happening in China 00:17:56.809 --> 00:18:02.190 for her before she and her family got to the 00:18:02.190 --> 00:18:05.130 U .S., being a child and being hidden by her 00:18:05.130 --> 00:18:08.769 parents because they fear their government's 00:18:08.769 --> 00:18:15.309 law so deeply is... I would imagine something 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:17.690 very difficult to understand when you are young. 00:18:18.230 --> 00:18:23.049 This young person, these people, had already 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:28.730 gone through so much, and what happened to them 00:18:28.730 --> 00:18:35.049 after getting to the U .S. is horrifying. Just 00:18:35.049 --> 00:18:39.170 absolute worst -case scenario, I think, for someone 00:18:39.170 --> 00:18:42.950 who is trying to find a better life. For themselves. 00:18:44.730 --> 00:18:49.390 I understand why her personality was the way 00:18:49.390 --> 00:18:50.849 that it was and the way that you spoke about 00:18:50.849 --> 00:18:56.450 it, that she was very well behaved and safe and 00:18:56.450 --> 00:18:59.009 protective of her sister. I think that some of 00:18:59.009 --> 00:19:02.269 those personality traits or even behaviors are 00:19:02.269 --> 00:19:06.470 probably born from the life that that she had. 00:19:07.269 --> 00:19:11.470 What the Li family like had to go through, you 00:19:11.470 --> 00:19:17.619 know. In China and then getting to Hawaii. And 00:19:17.619 --> 00:19:21.680 then, you know, they say, like, a year later, 00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:23.720 essentially, that they got to Hawaii. Jie Zhao 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:30.200 was abducted. So I can't imagine the pain and 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.759 just what that family has gone through. So, like, 00:19:33.859 --> 00:19:38.160 I really just, like, feel for this family more 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:41.920 than anything. is, you know, her sisters, her 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:45.539 parents. This must have been very difficult to 00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:51.259 lose somebody like Jie Zhao, who was so dependent 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:55.480 on, or not dependent, but independent rather. 00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:57.420 Like she, you know, really helped out around 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:59.240 the house. Like her mom spoke about, she would 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:01.579 just help do laundry. If she just saw the laundry, 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:06.339 she'd just go do it. So I know her loss is huge 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:10.009 in this family's life. I just really see this, 00:20:10.009 --> 00:20:13.650 like, determined little sales girl just trying 00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:16.250 to sell these tickets and, like, go on this trip 00:20:16.250 --> 00:20:21.829 with her friend. And what a normal part of childhood. 00:20:22.009 --> 00:20:24.509 Like, that was in the 80s and 90s at least. That 00:20:24.509 --> 00:20:30.349 was so normal. And it's just a devastating case. 00:20:31.970 --> 00:20:35.230 Yeah, you bringing that up takes us right into... 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:39.579 The timeline, speaking about, again, just her 00:20:39.579 --> 00:20:43.859 personality and the type of kid she was and being 00:20:43.859 --> 00:20:47.480 responsible, as the timeline begins, we do learn 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:51.099 that she takes her sister's watch to keep track 00:20:51.099 --> 00:20:53.779 of time. And obviously no cell phones at that 00:20:53.779 --> 00:20:57.319 time, so a watch would be the only thing available. 00:20:57.539 --> 00:21:00.119 And the fact that she was the one who suggested 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:03.980 it, like, I'll borrow my sister's watch, again, 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:09.890 I think says a lot about, So quickly after that, 00:21:10.009 --> 00:21:16.509 everything ramps up. I know that you mentioned 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:20.869 her possibly being seen at the local 7 -Eleven 00:21:20.869 --> 00:21:23.910 that she and her sisters were known for being 00:21:23.910 --> 00:21:31.480 there, watching kids play video games. I'm a 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:34.640 little bit younger than Giselle, but my siblings 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:38.259 and I hung out at our local 7 -Eleven. And it 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:41.920 was about 10 years later, like in the mid -90s. 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:45.059 It was pretty regular for us to do that. We would 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:49.259 walk through our neighborhood to go there. So 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:55.160 her doing that, socializing in that way, seemed 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:58.359 very normal. Yeah, the 7 -Eleven, I'm sure, felt 00:21:58.359 --> 00:22:01.599 very safe to Jisoo. And I think it was a smart 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.339 place for her to like kind of think to go to 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:06.519 sell these tickets like where people are going. 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:09.200 They probably have some cash on them. It does 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:12.359 sound like in the reports that she had been there 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:14.779 in the days beforehand trying to sell tickets. 00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:17.859 So maybe she had seen some success there. So 00:22:17.859 --> 00:22:20.119 that's kind of naturally where she was headed. 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:25.059 But yeah, it's. And it seemed very busy. That's 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:28.500 the thing. Jie Zhao was seen, you know, at the 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:33.539 7 -Eleven, it seems, till 4 .45. And then likely 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:36.099 she would have started moving home to get home 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:40.500 by 5 p .m. But really that 15 minutes seems to 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:43.579 be the window. Police believe the abduction happened 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:48.380 around 5 p .m. So I would be curious to know 00:22:48.380 --> 00:22:53.059 if police have... had witnesses outside of the 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:55.500 7 -Eleven at all. Because it really does seem 00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:58.779 like that was truly where she banished from. 00:22:59.160 --> 00:23:04.920 So that 15 -minute window happens. And, you know, 00:23:04.940 --> 00:23:08.440 I am not a parent, but I think my reaction would 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:12.640 be very similar to what her parents was. And, 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:19.059 you know, I'm sure within minutes. of of it surpassing 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:23.900 15 minutes they knew something was wrong from 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:26.740 my understanding and just knowing parents having 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:29.039 parents as siblings like you usually know in 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:31.220 your gut when something is off with your kid 00:23:31.220 --> 00:23:35.480 and it sounds like to me that that was true for 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:39.440 her parents yeah her parents were out there searching 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:43.279 um it seems like within an hour and a half uh 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:47.460 they were out searching but um Within, it seems, 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:50.140 about four hours of when Jisoo was last seen, 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:53.019 the police are called. So pretty quickly, like, 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.779 the parents decide that it is serious enough 00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:59.079 and that this is enough out of Jisoo's character 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:02.279 that they need to call the police, which I'm 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:05.059 sure was very scary for them. I'm sure they've 00:24:05.059 --> 00:24:07.480 never had to call 911 before. So that must have 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:11.799 been really scary and a daunting mountain to 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:15.069 climb. Yeah, not to mention, you know, this family 00:24:15.069 --> 00:24:18.789 is still actively assimilating. And there's always 00:24:18.789 --> 00:24:22.509 that possibility that law enforcement's response, 00:24:22.789 --> 00:24:28.410 especially to someone who is not speaking English 00:24:28.410 --> 00:24:31.190 as their first language in America, might not 00:24:31.190 --> 00:24:35.109 be a great one. And I was happily surprised that 00:24:35.109 --> 00:24:37.049 in this case, it seemed like law enforcement 00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:43.900 was doing their job. happily surprised to know 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:48.099 that, you know, they were doing the search and 00:24:48.099 --> 00:24:52.660 then continued to widen it. In a lot of cases, 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:56.039 especially ones we've covered, we are often let 00:24:56.039 --> 00:25:01.000 down. Often, like, if I'm being completely honest, 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:04.079 sick to my stomach in the way that law enforcement 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:08.339 has responded in other cases outside of Juzau. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:13.799 So I... I'm glad that they responded in the way 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:16.619 that they did. And I do think that because they 00:25:16.619 --> 00:25:23.339 did, there is room for answers now. Because people 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:26.460 did their job back then, there's a possibility 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:29.200 that there's room for this case to be solved. 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:32.200 Yeah, you know, in the morning, they decided 00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:35.880 to take Giselle's case seriously, but we did 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:39.529 lose that first night. Nobody was out. searching 00:25:39.529 --> 00:25:42.630 officially from the police. Yeah. But to your 00:25:42.630 --> 00:25:46.190 point, like once they, you know, really sat down 00:25:46.190 --> 00:25:49.049 and saw what they had, they started to take it 00:25:49.049 --> 00:25:52.549 seriously. And then community response by continuing 00:25:52.549 --> 00:25:57.220 the search and widening it like the. The community 00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:59.319 search, they were like, we are searching this 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:02.140 entire island looking for her. And it seems like 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:04.759 for the most part, they did cover most of the 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:08.220 island. They just never found any sign of her. 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:10.759 They never found the watch, no tickets, the purse, 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:14.220 clothing, nothing that was on Jisal was ever 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:17.819 recovered as far as we know. Now, for this portion, 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:21.519 I know we can speculate endlessly about who the 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:24.799 guy was that was speaking to her. And then I 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:27.359 believe, and maybe you can offer up some clarification 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:32.220 here, there's another man with the orange hair. 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:36.599 Yeah, two men. So one of the men, there's a white 00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:41.220 man in his mid -30s that several witnesses said 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:44.970 was talking to Jie Zhao. at the 7 -11 that was 00:26:44.970 --> 00:26:48.170 like a block away from the one that she was officially 00:26:48.170 --> 00:26:51.890 last seen at so that sketch is released we're 00:26:51.890 --> 00:26:54.549 going to put that on our instagram and then the 00:26:54.549 --> 00:26:58.839 second man was the man that was seen driving 00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:01.920 the yellow Chevrolet. And the yellow Chevrolet 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:04.200 had primer spots on it. There were like three 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:08.680 distinct primer spots. But this was like a 1950s, 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:11.279 like a late 1950s Chevrolet. So very distinct 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:16.359 yellow in color. And that man had the dark hair 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:19.359 that was like tied into a ponytail. And the ends 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:24.079 of the ponytail were like dyed orange. Thank 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:27.559 you for that clarification. what I thought that 00:27:27.559 --> 00:27:31.240 it was, but it's helpful just to know that there 00:27:31.240 --> 00:27:36.180 was a difference. Again, especially because there 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:38.660 are fresh eyes on this, I think that the fact 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:42.059 that there were multiple sightings of her and 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:47.400 sightings of the one, the white guy, and then 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:51.740 the guy with the orange hair, I think it's great 00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:56.690 that there are some vivid descriptions of you 00:27:56.690 --> 00:27:59.529 know, possible, possible perps, or at least maybe 00:27:59.529 --> 00:28:02.450 people with information at the time. And again, 00:28:02.569 --> 00:28:06.869 I know this was in the late 80s, but that is 00:28:06.869 --> 00:28:10.779 not that long ago. No. And, you know, we don't 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:13.859 have a sketch of the man driving the car, but 00:28:13.859 --> 00:28:16.960 it is a very distinct car. And according to police, 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:19.480 they went through records. You know, there's 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:22.660 only so many cars on an island, but it doesn't 00:28:22.660 --> 00:28:24.440 appear that they were ever able to track this 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:27.539 particular car down. But it's distinct enough. 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:32.500 Late 1950s Chevrolet, yellow in color in Hawaii. 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:36.200 that somebody should recognize that. And then 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:39.099 this sketch as well of the man seen talking to 00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:42.920 her at 7 -Eleven. While we are reaching kind 00:28:42.920 --> 00:28:45.880 of the end of the timeline, just to quickly pivot 00:28:45.880 --> 00:28:49.940 to what happened with her mother, I wanted to 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:53.559 take a moment to talk about just what I kind 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:56.960 of think was happening or what it looks like 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:00.299 to me. And it seems like there was someone who... 00:29:01.230 --> 00:29:05.750 Was obviously, you know, in the area acting on 00:29:05.750 --> 00:29:08.829 and displaying predatory behavior or stalking 00:29:08.829 --> 00:29:15.650 behavior or just violent behavior. So I. To me, 00:29:15.670 --> 00:29:19.390 that's what I think was possibly happening. I 00:29:19.390 --> 00:29:23.289 would be very curious to know, you know, if police 00:29:23.289 --> 00:29:27.490 were ever able to connect it ultimately to your 00:29:27.490 --> 00:29:30.309 point. You know, I think it speaks to like maybe 00:29:30.309 --> 00:29:32.730 what was happening in the neighborhood or who 00:29:32.730 --> 00:29:37.309 somebody was in the neighborhood that was, you 00:29:37.309 --> 00:29:41.529 know, acting this way, acting out. But ultimately, 00:29:41.769 --> 00:29:43.869 you know, the case just goes cold so quickly. 00:29:43.950 --> 00:29:47.210 And I'm so hopeful that somebody will either 00:29:47.210 --> 00:29:49.589 recognize the sketch, like recognize the car, 00:29:49.789 --> 00:29:52.029 and we'll just be able to come forward with some 00:29:52.029 --> 00:29:55.670 information that will ultimately be able to give 00:29:55.670 --> 00:29:59.099 the Li family answers. Ultimately, they would 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:02.059 like to have them in this case. So again, if 00:30:02.059 --> 00:30:04.700 you know anything about the disappearance of 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:08.799 Jisao Li in February of 1988 or her whereabouts 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:11.940 today, please call the Honolulu Police Department 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:18.420 at 808 -529 -3111. And like I mentioned during 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:22.299 the timeline, We will have pictures of Jie Zhao 00:30:22.299 --> 00:30:25.500 on our Instagram as well as age progress photos 00:30:25.500 --> 00:30:29.240 and the sketch of the suspect. So you can find 00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:31.640 that at Cold and Missing. Eli does the graphics 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:33.799 every week. Please share them if you have the 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:36.420 chance to just to get the case out there. This 00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:38.839 is a very well -known case in Hawaii, but not 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:41.859 as well -known outside of the island. So please 00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:44.460 share it, share the sketch. Let's get energy 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:46.359 behind the case and maybe somebody out there 00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:50.640 knows something. If you or someone you love is 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:52.660 hard of hearing and needs transcripts to follow 00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:55.279 along with our podcast, you can do that at www 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:57.440 .coldandmissing .com. That's where the official 00:30:57.440 --> 00:30:59.759 transcripts are, as well as all of our other 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:02.099 episodes. So please head there if that's what 00:31:02.099 --> 00:31:04.319 you're looking for. And if you have some time 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:07.200 today, if you could leave us a review, it's really 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:09.839 helpful in getting the podcast to other people 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:12.279 and folks to listen to it and take a chance on 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:16.650 this and ultimately sharing it five stars. That 00:31:16.650 --> 00:31:18.750 gets the case out there. That gets people listening. 00:31:18.849 --> 00:31:21.509 So if you could help the case out and leave five 00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:24.130 stars, that would be so incredible. But that 00:31:24.130 --> 00:31:26.349 is all I have for you this week. I'm your host, 00:31:26.430 --> 00:31:29.309 Ali . And I'm your co -host, Eli. Have a good 00:31:29.309 --> 00:31:31.490 week and stay safe, y 'all. Stay safe, y 'all.