TADP Season 3 Episode 4 The unsolved murder of Pamela Webb

The armchair detective podcast

It was the summer of 1989 in a small New England town. It had rained the previous 3 straight days. Pamela Webb, a 32 year old woman from Winthrop Maine was getting herself prepared to make the trip up to Mason NH to visit her boyfriend, Josh Cloud.

Pamela had been working at Digital Equipment Corp out of Augusta Maine. Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American computer company from the 50s to the 90s. The company was later bought out by Compaq and then later purchased by HP.

She had met Josh Cloud while working for Digital Equipment Corp. Pamela was a well liked young woman and was known by her family and friends as being family oriented and also known for having a very strong faith and someone close to God.

Pamela packed up her blue 1981 C-10 Chevrolet pickup truck. She brought several items including her handbag, a Bible and her pet beagle. Today actually marks the 30^th anniversary of the discovery of her truck at mile 30.4, southbound on the Maine turnpike near Biddeford ME. Unfortunately Pamela never made it to see her boyfriend Josh Cloud.

According to Pamela’s turnpike ticket, she entered the roadway in Augusta at 9:52 pm on July 1 1989. What happened after this is uncertain. What’s known is that her blue 1981 C-10 Chevrolet pick up truck was located, and she was no where to be found.

The disappearance of Pamela Webb from Winthrop ME had all the earmarks of foul play. There were two large blood stains found near the disabled pick up truck beside the southbound lane of the turnpike. There was also signs of unspecified struggle. The lead investigator in the case, Steven McCausland said the following “We are very concerned about her well being”.

Police also gathered clues from the scene and analyzed them at the Main State Police crime Lab in Augusta Maine. They also began soliciting potential witnesses to come forward. One of the samples analyzed at the crime lab was the blood stains that were found near the vehicle. Police wanted to be able to determine if the blood was that of Pamela Webb.

The subsequent searches for Pamela Webb were intensive. State police, game wardens and special search teams from the Brunswick Air Naval station were all involved in the searches as were several K-9 units. The searches spanned both sides of the Maine Turnpike and went all the way from mile 7 to mile 30 searching for clues in Pamela’s disappearance. Pamela had left on July 1^st which was a Saturday and her vehicle was located at approximately 2am the following day.

Law enforcement theorized early on that something happened to Pamela while she was changing her tire on the side of the road. During the searches there were 43 people from Brunswick, at least a dozen police state troopers, a dozen game wardens and three canine teams.

An all points bulletin was issued for Pamela Webb. She was described as slightly built, 5 feet 1 inches tall, with brown eyes and brown hair done in a french braid. She was also wearing a blue denim mini skirt, new white sneakers with pink decorations on them and a sweater like shirt of unknown color.

The search itself spanned a total of 23 miles. A total of 75 people told law enforcement that they spotted Pamela’s vehicle in the breakdown late the night she disappeared. Others even called to report suspicious activities that happened to them. Unfortunately, the searches were unsuccessful. It was only 16 days after Pamela Webb disappeared that her body was finally recovered.

One such incident of suspicious activities was the ordeal a Cornish NH woman had suffered not long after Pamela disappeared. During this suspicious event, a Cornish woman was forced to stop her car on a quiet New Hampshire road. It was believed that this incident may be related to Pamela Webb’s disappearance. Now remember, Pamela’s vehicle had a flat rear tire.

In this incident, a man in a pick up truck pulled up alongside the Cornish woman. He told the woman that she had a bad tire and was signaling her too pull over and stop. After he told her to pull over, he literally forced her off the road. The woman locked herself in her vehicle and refused to get out. The man meanwhile tugged at the driver’s side door trying to get in. The man finally left when a second motorist came by and asked him to move because he was blocking the road. He also added there was nothing wrong with the woman’s tire.

When I heard about this incident, it brought back memories of another unsolved attack, which I believe may be related. It is very similar in nature to the attack on Jane Boroski. On August 6, 1988 (just a year prior to Pamela Webb’s disappearance and unsolved murder) Jane Boroski who was 22 and pregnant at the time, was returning home from a county fair in Keene, New Hampshire. Now to keep this into perspective, Keene is approximately 49 miles or 59 minutes from Cornish NH. What’s interesting is that they are both off the I-91 and near the Connecticut River. The attack on Boroski took place in West Swanzey, but it’s still about the same distance.

Boroski was walking back to her vehicle after purchasing a soda from the vending machine. When she arrived to her vehicle, she noticed a Jeep Wagoneer parked next to her. Boroski then saw the driver of the Jeep walk around the back of her vehicle. The the man approached her open window and asked her if the payphone was working at which point he immediately grabbed her and pulled her from the vehicle. Boroski struggled, and the man accused her of beating up his girlfriend and asked if she had Massachusetts plates on her car. Boroski then told the man she had New Hampshire plates which didn’t deter the man who proceeded to stab her 27 times before leaving her for dead and driving away.

Boroski survived the attack, but suffered a severe jugular vein cut, two collapsed lungs, a kidney laceration, several severed tendons in her knees and thump. Her daughter also survived but was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

There are a few things I find interesting in the attack. One is how the attacker knew exactly where to cut the victim! By cutting the tendons in her knees, he literally rendered his victim motionless. He also lacerated her jugular vein! This is someone who was trained on how to kill, which leads me to believe it was most likely a war veteran and based on the time, it was most likely a Vietnam war veteran!

There were never any ties made between the attack on Jane Boroski, however it’s clear to me that there should have been one. While there’s a huge distance between West Swanzey and where Pamela Webb’s vehicle was located (a total of 144 miles) what’s interesting is that there are really only two major roads between the two, the I-95 N and the NH – 9 E.

Another thing I found interesting is the fact that he asked if she had Massachusetts plates. Obviously, I find this interesting since Maura Murray disappeared off I-91 and of course she had Massachusetts plates. Also, the red pick up truck had Massachusetts plates… but I digress, back to Pamela Webb…

Webb’s body was finally recovered in a densely wooded area off route 3 in Franconia NH. Her body was badly decomposed and she was only identified via dental records. Due to the decomposition, the medical examiner was unable to determine the cause of death, however did make the determination that Pamela died a violent death. Her body was found just a few miles north of the Old Man of the Mountain. Construction workers, one of which is John Smith’s brother (John Smith of course is the so called private investigator tied to the Maura Murray disappearance). Apparently these construction workers stopped to have a drink along the road when they noticed a strong odor and located the body. Where her body was located is part of the White Mountains and only has a few homes, very similarly to where Maura Murray’s vehicle was located.

The men notified state police, who sent the body to Concord for an autopsy by Chief Medical Examiner Roger Fossum. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t New Hampshire state police who contacted McCausland, but rather a reporter for the newspaper the Union Leader who called them to report that the woman found bore a resemblance to Pamela Webb.

After Webb’s body was discovered in New Hampshire, law enforcement immediately began searching to see if Pamela had any ties to Franconia NH. They were unable to come up with any ties to Franconia.

One person of interest that jumped out at police was a man by the name of Randolph Jakobetz, 29. Now who is Jakobetz you ask? Well he’s got quite the criminal record. When he was only 17 years old, he was already behind bars for burglary to escape, grand larceny and probation violations.

Actually, at the time, the FBI was examining the unsolved killings of nine women in the Connecticut River Valley for a link to a truck driver charged with kidnapping and raping a Burlington woman. They also wanted to question Randolph Jakobetz, 29 of Schuyler Falls NY in connection with the murder of 32 year old Pamela Webb of Winthrop Maine. But police said that Jakobetz is not a suspect in the case that began on July 2^nd when Webb’s pick up was found on the Main turnpike in Biddeford.

Roger Clancy, agent in charge of the Albany, NY FBI office said he is working with police in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to see if there is a commonality among the crimes. Charges were pending on Jackobetz for the kidnapping and rape of a Burlington woman. During the initial hearing, a prosecutor said the woman was raped in the back of the tractor-trailer truck as evidence. She was subsequently abandoned in Bronx NY.

Since 1981, bodies or remains of the bodies of 9 women have been found along the New Hampshire Vermont border, some near rest areas. Jim Murray, FBI agent in Rutland VT said the FBI is gathering intelligence whether Mr. Jakobetz may have been in those places where disappearance occurred. During Jakobetz’s hearing in front of a US District Judge, it was revealed that the victim saw enough through a pillowcase thrown over her head to pick out Jakobetz in a photo lineup.

Jakobetz is also a suspect in a May 12 rape in Maine and Caruso told the courts about a gold chain found around Jakobet’s neck when he was arrested. The necklace matched the one seen by the woman who was raped along a Maine roadside.

Jakobets was a driver for Wildcat Refrigerated Transport in St. Albans VT. He was arrested in Sharon on interstate 89 after being tracked by sate and federal authorities from Maine across New Hampshire into Vermont. McCausland said two Main state troopers followed Jakobetz from Biddeford Maine to White River Junction in a small plane keeping in touch with FBI agents trailing Jakobetz by car.

The 23 year old Burlington woman was kidnapped the night of June 13 at an Interstate 91 rest stop in Westminster. Now, what’s interesting is that Westminster VT is off I-91 near the Connecticut River. Barbara Agnew’s body was discovered two year prior to the unsolved murder of Pamela Webb, and her remains were located in Hartland VT, only 36 miles or a 40 minute drive from where the Burlington woman was kidnapped. Also, Barbara Agnew was abducted in White River Junction, the same place they tracked Jakobetz to. According to the 23 year old victim, she was done using the phone ans using the rest rooms when she was thrown to the ground, handcuffed and a pillowcase was thrown over her head. He said she was raped and sodomized before being left on the side of the highway in the Bronx, at 3:30 am the next day.

The victim left hair samples in the back of his truck and also scratched the floor to get evidence under her fingernails. The victim also said she saw enough through the pillowcase to see the assailant’s hair, height and weight.

He said Jakobetz was also picked out of a photo lineup on September 26 1986 by a New York rape victim. Law enforcement found handcuffs in Jakobetz’s home and a knife and a handcuff key in the truck.

It was later determined that authorities in three states and the FBI have virtually ruled out the alleged rapist from New York as Pamela J. Webb’s killer, but he may have raped a woman on the Maine Turnpike near the Kennebunk-Biddeford line. According to authorities, Jakobetz, a truck driver from Schuyler Falls, NY, who often makes meat deliveries in Maine, apparently cannot be placed in Biddeford on July 1^st or 2^nd. Evidence suggests that Jakobetz was traveling in New Jersey, New York and Canada when Webb was abducted.

Jakobetz had a NJ Turnpike toll receipt and a receipt for a truck repair in Champlain, NY. Also, he has a U.S – Canada customs slip indicating he re-entered New York at 6:30 pm July 1^st from Quebec, where he had unloaded meat products.

So clearly, Jakobetz although a terrible person, wasn’t Pamela Webb’s killer based on facts that place him elsewhere the day she disappeared.

After the Jakobetz saga, there was a fresh lead that came into police. The police questioned a man whose connection to the Pamela Webb murder case was already known to them. He was referred to police by a Portalnd TV station with which he had been in contact with for several weeks.

The nature of the information, the man’s identity, his motives for coming forward and his relationship with Webb or her assailant, were withheld by both Maine State Police and Portland station WCSH which he had telephoned.

WCSH news director, Michael Carque said the station had not heard some of the information before. When the station contacted police, the police were extremely interested. The information was the first fresh lead in several months. McCausland believed that the tip would either be a big break in the case or a dead end. Seeing as the case is still unsolved today, my guess is the tip was a dead end.

There was some fallout as a result of Pamela Webb’s disappearance and subsequent murder. For example, Webb’s death lead to changes at AAA. While Pamela was not an AAA member, there were still changes made as a result of her disappearance and unsolved murder. One of the changes was to have AAA dispatch reporting any stranded motorists. Another initiative taken by AAA after the death of Webb was to advise their customers to do the following when stranded:

1. Raise the hood of the car and stay inside with the doors locked and wsindows up and wait for help to arrive. Do not leave the car to go with anyone unless the person has proper identification.
2. Sound the horn in a potentially dangerous situation
3. Drive slowly in the breakdown lane if you have a flat tire until you reach a safe stopping place. A ruined tire or ruined rim is a small price to pay for safety.
4. Do not open the door for anyone claiming to be a police officer in plain clothes and flashing what appears to be a badge. Ask the person to send for help.

Another fallout from Webb’s unsolved murder was a probe into an ex-trooper. Maine state trooper Jeffrey Haas. He was fired following Webb’s murder for having falsified a report. Haas had reportedtly told his supervisor that he had noticed Pamela Webb’s tuck on the side of the road at around 11:30 PM that night, but didn’t stop to check it until three hours later. Haas was fired as a result of being untruthful and for falsifying a state police record in connection with his patrol duties. The case went to arbitration and the arbitrator upheld the decision.

Unfortunately, to this day, Pamela Webb’s case remains unsolved. I know many will look at Jakobetz and think he could be the Connecticut River Valley killer, but I assure you that the similarities between Pamela Webb’s killer and Jakobetz are obvious. For starters, Jakobetz’s crimes against women are sexually motivated. Those against Pamela Webb, Barbara Agnew, Jane Boroski and many more. What separates the two are that the serial killer responsible for the attacks took pleasure on inflicting physical pain and taking their victim’s lives where as, Jakobetz simply had dark sexual fantasies and abducted women to live out his fantasies.

I want to make sure and outline some strange coincidences between Maura’s case and Pamela’s case. First, both vehicles were found stranded without the driver in sight. Next you have Pamela having a beagle as a pet dog, and we know that Alden Howes Olson aka 112dirtbag used the online moniker on topix beagle. Then you have the fact that John Smith’s brother discovered Pamela Webb’s body and John Smith is involved in Maura Muray’s case. Another is the fact that AAA was involved in both cases. Hossein Baghdadi’s nickname was Haas, and in Pamela’s case there was also a Haas, officer Haas who was fired as a result of Pamela’s disappearance. There’s also the fact that Pamela’s father passed away on February 9^th 2004, the exact same day Maura disappeared. The I95 that Pamela was on runs all the way down to…. Hanson MA! Also, there are exactly 14 years, 7months and 8 days between the two cases. Almost 15 years and we know how long Maura has been missing. I could keep going, but you get the point. I’m not sure if these cases are related.

I do however believe the blood marks left on the ground were as a result of stab wounds. I believe she was attacked in a frenzied attack, like on Barbara Agnew and Jane Boroski. I believe either her throat or knee ligaments were cut in an attempt to weaken the victim with the ultimate goal of abducting her.