Hey guys,

I desperately need help remembering this case. I watched it like three years back and cannot recall which case this is. My memory is spotty so bear with me.

There was this widowed elderly mother who was also getting Alzheimers. She remarried this guy and shortly thereafter disappeared. None of her family members could find her. The consensus was that she and the gentleman she married moved away without telling anybody and she didn't have the mental capacity to get in touch with anybody. If I recall, there may have been an update? I'm not sure.

Does anybody recall this case?

Loretta Myers. She was found alive and well.

I always was scared of the part when the officer looked into the car in the middle of the night and possibly the middle of nowhere, and the car looked lived in, i even think it was covered with trees and shrubs could be wrong and then he phoned it in then the car sped off, even though I seen this one many times, I still get scared of that part, LOL

Thank you. Very intriguing case if I recall. Man, what I wouldn't give to have those old re-runs on TV again...maybe even in HD, lol.

I always was scared of the part when the officer looked into the car in the middle of the night and possibly the middle of nowhere, and the car looked lived in, i even think it was covered with trees and shrubs could be wrong and then he phoned it in then the car sped off, even though I seen this one many times, I still get scared of that part, LOL

That was creepy!

I always was scared of the part when the officer looked into the car in the middle of the night and possibly the middle of nowhere, and the car looked lived in, i even think it was covered with trees and shrubs could be wrong and then he phoned it in then the car sped off, even though I seen this one many times, I still get scared of that part, LOL

That part has always been horribly creepy to me, especially when I was a kid!

That part has always been horribly creepy to me, especially when I was a kid!

OMg watched this case for the first time tonight.

When i saw that part it scared the crap out of me, i envisaged that the guy had left her in the car to die, her dementia was too bad that she couldn't figure out how to get out and therefore died and starved to death. Thankfully she is okay, although maybe died of old age.

-Ben

I know. I too am thankful that Loretta Myers was found alive and well, and returned to her family. What happened to her "husband?" was he ever charged?
Also, does anyone know if Ms. Myers is still alive?

I know. I too am thankful that Loretta Myers was found alive and well, and returned to her family. What happened to her "husband?" was he ever charged?
Also, does anyone know if Ms. Myers is still alive?

Since it was mentioned that Loretta Myers had Alzheimer's in 1991, she is probably now deceased.

As for the "husband," I recall hearing that the marriage was anulled. But as far as I remember, no mention was made as to whether the man was charged with anything. I'm guessing that he was never charged (possibly due to insufficient evidence).

The segment originally aired in early 1995, a few months after Ronald Reagan publicly revealed that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And since Robert Stack and Reagan were friends, it's a good bet that Stack was personally affected by the Loretta Myers case.

Who drove off in the car in the woods? :confused:

The oddest thing about this case is that they never provided a name or composite sketch for the husband even though he was on the run with Loretta. You'd think Loretta's son would have least gotten a first name from him and though I doubt any photographs of him existed, you'd think a composite sketch or physical description would have at least been provided.

I know for legal reasons, UM sometimes doesn't provide information about a suspect until they've been formally charged, but this guy was technically a missing person at the time and had the potential to cause harm to elderly woman.

I know. I too am thankful that Loretta Myers was found alive and well, and returned to her family. What happened to her "husband?" was he ever charged?
Also, does anyone know if Ms. Myers is still alive?


Loretta passed away in 2001 at the age of 79.

The oddest thing about this case is that they never provided a name or composite sketch for the husband even though he was on the run with Loretta. You'd think Loretta's son would have least gotten a first name from him and though I doubt any photographs of him existed, you'd think a composite sketch or physical description would have at least been provided.

I know for legal reasons, UM sometimes doesn't provide information about a suspect until they've been formally charged, but this guy was technically a missing person at the time and had the potential to cause harm to elderly woman.

The husband's name was Jerome Johnson. This was mentioned in the the short update that was tacked on to the original story.

The husband's name was Jerome Johnson. This was mentioned in the the short update that was tacked on to the original story.

Yeah the video I saw of that mentioned an update but cut out before it could mention anything.

I never got exactly why he went to the trouble of marrying her, taking her from her home, telling her children they'd never see her again and then keep her as a captive. Did he take advantage of her Alzheimer's to bilk her out of her monies? If so, why did he go to all that extra trouble. Of course, if I recall correctly, I don't understand why the authorities didn't charge him with elder abuse/endangerment, fraud,etc.:mad:

I never got exactly why he went to the trouble of marrying her, taking her from her home, telling her children they'd never see her again and then keep her as a captive. Did he take advantage of her Alzheimer's to bilk her out of her monies? If so, why did he go to all that extra trouble. Of course, if I recall correctly, I don't understand why the authorities didn't charge him with elder abuse/endangerment, fraud,etc.:mad:

Just guessing, but he probably married her because it was the quickest and easiest way to get to the top of her "heirs" list. It was also probably the easiest way for him to get his name put on her bank accounts, credit cards, deeds to the real estate, and other assets.

He probably assumed she was going to drop dead pretty soon (or maybe was even working on a way to hasten her death). Isolating her from her loved ones nearly guarantees that they won't be able to get to her in time to convince her that he's up to no good. Being her legal spouse prevents the rest of her family from meddling in his plan, as it makes him the next of kin for all kinds of matters involving her health care, finances, and day to day life.

I never got exactly why he went to the trouble of marrying her, taking her from her home, telling her children they'd never see her again and then keep her as a captive. Did he take advantage of her Alzheimer's to bilk her out of her monies? If so, why did he go to all that extra trouble. Of course, if I recall correctly, I don't understand why the authorities didn't charge him with elder abuse/endangerment, fraud,etc.:mad:

He was her spouse and, as such, unless he physically harmed her, there was little the police could do. I am surprised that her children didn't immediately contact an attorney after hearing about the marriage and try to get it annulled. Which is , I understand, what they did after she returned anyway.

He seems to have been a guy w/ mental and/or emotional problems that found a vulnerable woman that would take care of him so he didn't have to live at the Y anymore. I think that if the kids had offered him a few bucks to go away, he probably would have.

I always was scared of the part when the officer looked into the car in the middle of the night and possibly the middle of nowhere, and the car looked lived in, i even think it was covered with trees and shrubs could be wrong and then he phoned it in then the car sped off, even though I seen this one many times, I still get scared of that part, LOL

That part was creepy as hell! I still get scared, too. Actually just watched it today again. :lol:

It's to bad that nobody has the full update of this. I remember it very well. Loretta's family was thrilled due to having their mother back. Her young granddaughter Ashley was interviewed and very emotional. It sowed Loretta at a pool with her daughter Kathy and granddaughter Ashley. I'm sure they cherish that footage since Loretta's passing.

I wonder who drove the car out of the brush?

Someone said she was found alive and "well". How so? She had Alzheimers. Not well if she can be taken by a guy , married and run off all over the country.

Creepy segment as usual especially her walking outside at 3 in the morning, barricading the bathroom, UM sure knew how to give you goosebumps...

As for the "husband," I recall hearing that the marriage was anulled. But as far as I remember, no mention was made as to whether the man was charged with anything. I'm guessing that he was never charged (possibly due to insufficient evidence).
that and he hasnt been located. i doubt they will do anything to him if they did find him.

I wonder if after she was found, the kids decided just to have the marriage annulled and not pursue any further action against the husband to spare Loretta and the family from any more grief. Sometimes families will just live and let go to move on with their lives.

I do have a feeling Jerome Johnson has done this before and has probably continued to do it after Loretta was found.

I wonder if after she was found, the kids decided just to have the marriage annulled and not pursue any further action against the husband to spare Loretta and the family from any more grief. Sometimes families will just live and let go to move on with their lives.

I do have a feeling Jerome Johnson has done this before and has probably continued to do it after Loretta was found.
well i read that when she was found, he wasnt around, but maybe the kids had it annulled.

I was thinking about this case not long ago. I couldn't fathom why he was insistent on keeping Loretta away from family and on the road with him. If they were living in her car in the woods, what kind of life was that? If he'd drained her bank account, what did he have to gain living like with her like that? I suppose he might have cared about her, but he was presented as a con-man/leach; not a devoted husband. The scene with the car in the woods creeped me out too. I recall in the original segment update, when he and Loretta were found, it stated he was held in police custody for a few hours and released without charges.

I wonder who drove the car out of the brush?

Apparently Loretta and Jerome were hiding in the woods and drove off in the car. According to UM WIki,

Apparently Loretta and Jerome were hiding in the woods and drove off in the car. According to UM WIki,

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Loretta_Myers

Yeah, the reenactment of that still kind of freaks me out. I'm sure the fact that it was nighttime makes it 10x scarier. It's a bummer the guy wasn't charged, but I'm glad Loretta got to reunite with her family and spend her remaining years with them. It's really sad watching her children's interviews (pre-update) of them terrified they wouldn't be able to find her.

Is this segment available anywhere?

Is this segment available anywhere?

I believe so. Go to Youtube. Search for "pennsylvania robber 1993" and the first result should be from a channel with the name "Miss Terri". It's one of the videos on that channel.

I believe so. Go to Youtube. Search for "pennsylvania robber 1993" and the first result should be from a channel with the name "Miss Terri". It's one of the videos on that channel.

Thank you! :)

It's fascinating at how little was known about Jerome Johnson. I can't find anything about this guy online.

I believe so. Go to Youtube. Search for "pennsylvania robber 1993" and the first result should be from a channel with the name "Miss Terri". It's one of the videos on that channel.

Wow, thanks for that. There are an absolute ton of segments I've never seen. I thought I had all the grainy bootlegs already.

It's easy to see why most of these were never included in the FilmRise re-releases. The vast majority are snooze fests, with maybe 15-20% making the jump into my occasional viewing. I had completely forgotten how many non-custodial parental abduction cases were featured on the show! These rank just above UFO/paranormal crap for my least favorite type of segment. Minus the odd individual difference, I find there's a cookie cutter element to a lot of these cases; you've seen one, you've seen them all. The children were usually safe even while on the run with the other parent. That, and nearly all were solved. Just not terribly interesting.

I just watched this case for the first time. I’m glad that Ms. Myers was found safe and was able to reunite with her family. In the update footage, she seemed surprisingly lucid given her diagnosis and her ordeal. Her obituary is paywalled, but the quick glance I had revealed that she was highly educated for a woman of her generation (bachelor’s in nursing and master’s in health administration).

Segments involving missing loved ones (especially custody battles) might not make the most interesting rerun viewing, but I can only imagine how valuable they were as a public service in the pre-internet era.