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Christine Jurek case


Lucas North-justiceseeker

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Christine Jurek lived in Phoenix but her body was discovered by a fisherman west of the city in the Gila River on June 27 2010 at 12:45pm near the intersection of El Mirage Road and Indian Springs in Avondale, Arizona near the Phoenix International Raceway. This case has remained unsolved. Jurek's body was identified through fingerprints and a "sun-moon" tattoo on one of her feet. Her family is from Wisconsin and she had lived in Phoenix for 15 years working in the "adult entertainment" industry. None of Jurek's co-workers provided any useful information and police have said they suspect her death is an unsolved homicide.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/07/05/20110705avondale-southwest-valley-cold-cases-prog.html

http://prev.dailyherald.com/story/?id=394822

post-130616-0-23856900-1422050603_thumb.

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This is the Timewarrior speaking. . .I too am puzzled by this lack of response. . .perhaps it is because of her profession? Surely not. . .

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One thing that interests me is how much I am reminded of Tia Payne. Her belongings were found sort of on the Gila Res side of town near Wickenberg, but her body was found near Flagstaff. Both victims worked in the sex industry. They died somewhat around the same time (Christine a month and half before Tia). I'm not suggesting that they are victims of a serial killer, but maybe knew each other through the industry and perhaps their killer was involved in the industry as well - which could connect them. I have to read more before I make any more connections/comparisons.

Edited by WildFlower30
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One thing that interests me is how much I am reminded of Tia Payne. Her belongings were found sort of on the Gila Res side of town near Wickenberg, but her body was found near Flagstaff. Both victims worked in the sex industry. They died somewhat around the same time (Christine a month and half before Tia). I'm not suggesting that they are victims of a serial killer, but maybe knew each other through the industry and perhaps their killer was involved in the industry as well - which could connect them. I have to read more before I make any more connections/comparisons.

Here is an article I found on that case there isn't much to go on though..

"After two years of wondering, authorities now know the identity of a young woman found murdered off the Young Road.

Her name is Tia Payne, a 19-year-old model from the Valley and a member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation.

Who killed her and why remains a mystery.

Gila County Sheriff’s Detective George Ratliff is unraveling how Payne ended up in the forest 2.5 miles off Highway 260, miles from home and unreported for months.

Ratliff believes someone dumped her body in the forest, just 80 feet off Forest Road 512, near several young saplings, sometime after Sept. 30, 2009. He figures her body couldn’t have been there before that date because a forest fire in the area would have damaged the body.

A hunter found the body in late July of 2010 while out walking his dog.

No one reported Payne missing for months after deputies found the body and no one made the connection to the missing person’s report at the time.

“Sometime after we found her she was reported missing,” he said.

http://www.paysonrou...murder-mystery/

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Thank you for posting the info on Tia !! :) I wish there was more info on Christine as well. Websleuths has a huge thread on Tia, but the thread for Christine is no joke 4 posts long.

I actually spoke to Tia's mother years ago and helped IGIS the location her daughter's body was found so she could visit it. Her mother is an amazing and strong woman who wants to know what happened to her daughter, but last I spoke with her she was losing hope a bit. It comes in waves I'm sure.

Tia's passing is still very mysterious. There was a girl she worked with that might know something, but she might be intimidated to not talk. I've wondered if Tia knew something about what happened to Christine and got killed because of it or that both women were killed by the same person. The likelihood is minimal that there is a connection, but two adult entertainment workers from PHX murdered one after the other should be noted at least.

Christine died before Tia.

Tia most likely went missing/was killed July 14th 2010 when she had a photoshoot scheduled. At least that's what her friend said. She was not reported missing for months.

Edited by WildFlower30
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Thank you for posting the info on Tia !! :) I wish there was more info on Christine as well. Websleuths has a huge thread on Tia, but the thread for Christine is no joke 4 posts long.

I actually spoke to Tia's mother years ago and helped IGIS the location her daughter's body was found so she could visit it. Her mother is an amazing and strong woman who wants to know what happened to her daughter, but last I spoke with her she was losing hope a bit. It comes in waves I'm sure.

Tia's passing is still very mysterious. There was a girl she worked with that might know something, but she might be intimidated to not talk. I've wondered if Tia knew something about what happened to Christine and got killed because of it or that both women were killed by the same person. The likelihood is minimal that there is a connection, but two adult entertainment workers from PHX murdered one after the other should be noted at least.

Christine died before Tia.

Tia most likely went missing/was killed July 14th 2010 when she had a photoshoot scheduled. At least that's what her friend said. She was not reported missing for months.

Did she have an ex boyfriend or stalker?

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Did she have an ex boyfriend or stalker?

It is not known. No one in her circle of friends (wernt really friends if you know what I mean) would give any information to point toward an ex boyfriend or stalker. However, Tia's friend (who claimed Tia did a photoshoot the day she disappeared but never bothered to report Tia missing... May be due to intimidation bc she was in sex work) left this on Tia's MySpace:

"2010-10-30 23:48:15

**WHERE R U BABE** I MISS U SO MUCH IM SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING IM SO WORRIED BOUT U R U OK ATLEAST CALL N LET SOMEONE KNOW PLZ IM SO SO SORRY IDK WHAT TO DO WITH OUT U I CRY EVERYNIGHT IS SHE OK I DREAM BOUT U I WISH U WERE HERE W ME RIGHT NOW. I WISH I DIDN DO WHAT I DD TO U OVR SOME PIECE OF ***** IM SORRY.. BU I WISH U WUDN OF GONE ON CRAIGSLIST I BELIEVE U WUD STILL B HERE I LOVE U I HOPE UR OK N U ATLEAST READ THIS <3 UR GIRLFRIEND ALWAYS N FOREVA"

If this friend truly did not know what happened to Tia and last she knew Tia answered an ad for craigslist, then so be it. There is a mention of letting a guy come between her and Tia... So it may signal that there was animosity between them before Tia was murdered (which might explain why Tia's friend didn't care initially about Tia's welfare when she went missing).

Edited by WildFlower30
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just read over a few things on this case - and maybe that's the problem - there are only a few articles about it.

What struck me, however, was that when I first looked at this thread as it refers to the "adult entertainment" profession, my mind just went to prostitution. I don't mean by that the murder of a prostitute is worth less investigation or consideration, I mean that would seem to be a pop section that it might really be hard to establish leads on who they might have been in contact with or where they might have been taken. But when I read a little closer, Christine, doesn't seem to have the background of a street person. It sounds to me as if the fact that she was in the adult film industry should have provided them some solid leads. Also, she doesn't seem to have floated around or have been new in the area. I believe she had been at that particular residence for a couple of years but she had lived in Phoenix for over ten ! To be in the area for that amount of time, she had to have had some solid friendships ! That makes it mega strange to me no one knew nothing.

The same thing for Tia, she was not new to the area either and she was also in the film industry. I believe her last known appt. related to that industry and to modeling.

So we have two pretty girls about the same age working for years in the same profession which is one that is often very close knit. It seems to me so obviously possible and more like probable that these two girls knew each other. I'd really like to know more about the manner in which they were murdered and if there was anything that had the hallmark of a serial killer. Because, if not, what might have been going on in that "film" industry that someone wanted to silence them both.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just read over a few things on this case - and maybe that's the problem - there are only a few articles about it.

What struck me, however, was that when I first looked at this thread as it refers to the "adult entertainment" profession, my mind just went to prostitution. I don't mean by that the murder of a prostitute is worth less investigation or consideration, I mean that would seem to be a pop section that it might really be hard to establish leads on who they might have been in contact with or where they might have been taken. But when I read a little closer, Christine, doesn't seem to have the background of a street person. It sounds to me as if the fact that she was in the adult film industry should have provided them some solid leads. Also, she doesn't seem to have floated around or have been new in the area. I believe she had been at that particular residence for a couple of years but she had lived in Phoenix for over ten ! To be in the area for that amount of time, she had to have had some solid friendships ! That makes it mega strange to me no one knew nothing.

The same thing for Tia, she was not new to the area either and she was also in the film industry. I believe her last known appt. related to that industry and to modeling.

So we have two pretty girls about the same age working for years in the same profession which is one that is often very close knit. It seems to me so obviously possible and more like probable that these two girls knew each other. I'd really like to know more about the manner in which they were murdered and if there was anything that had the hallmark of a serial killer. Because, if not, what might have been going on in that "film" industry that someone wanted to silence them both.

Around this time there were also women who went missing in CO with similar circumstances. They were on model mayhem like Tia. Not sure if Christine was on model mayhem. Maybe someone can track down and see if she had a profile there!! Something of interest from the linked article:

"Bart highlighted the case of professional model Jillian Mourning, 25, who was sexually assaulted by a "manager" she met on Model Mayhem during a photo shoot in Arizona when she was 19.

"He came into my room with three guys, and they (all) proceeded to rape me," Mourning told KRDO.com. "They took pictures of it, and would even show me pictures of things that I was doing, and videotaped the whole thing."

Mourning, who now heads an advocacy group against trafficking called All We Want is Love, said she was forced to engage in sexual activities with men for about six months until her "manager" went to jail for a separate, unidentified crime.

"God was definitely on my side and looking out for me," Mourning said. "Because I really don't know how else it would have ended."

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/modeling-networking-site-common-denominator-disappearance-colorado-women-reports-article-1.1278375#bmb=1

Edited by WildFlower30
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  • 1 month later...

It's good to see that Christine's story hasn't gone away. We still need answers and hope the police haven't given up either. To clarify her profession, she was a dancer.

Edited by Wiidsthart
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It is not known. No one in her circle of friends (wernt really friends if you know what I mean) would give any information to point toward an ex boyfriend or stalker. However, Tia's friend (who claimed Tia did a photoshoot the day she disappeared but never bothered to report Tia missing... May be due to intimidation bc she was in sex work) left this on Tia's MySpace:

"2010-10-30 23:48:15

**WHERE R U BABE** I MISS U SO MUCH IM SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING IM SO WORRIED BOUT U R U OK ATLEAST CALL N LET SOMEONE KNOW PLZ IM SO SO SORRY IDK WHAT TO DO WITH OUT U I CRY EVERYNIGHT IS SHE OK I DREAM BOUT U I WISH U WERE HERE W ME RIGHT NOW. I WISH I DIDN DO WHAT I DD TO U OVR SOME PIECE OF ***** IM SORRY.. BU I WISH U WUDN OF GONE ON CRAIGSLIST I BELIEVE U WUD STILL B HERE I LOVE U I HOPE UR OK N U ATLEAST READ THIS <3 UR GIRLFRIEND ALWAYS N FOREVA"

If this friend truly did not know what happened to Tia and last she knew Tia answered an ad for craigslist, then so be it. There is a mention of letting a guy come between her and Tia... So it may signal that there was animosity between them before Tia was murdered (which might explain why Tia's friend didn't care initially about Tia's welfare when she went missing).

which girl's friends are you referring to?

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It would be really nice to know the name of Christine's boyfriend at the time. Does he have criminal history?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I knew Christine back in the late 90's into early 2000. I always got along well with her and was upset to learn of her death. I hope what I am about to write is not taken the wrong way, I am not trying to trash her, I only want to add some insight to her case. I want to make it clear that I have not seen or talked to Christine in several years so she could have become a different person, but this is what I knew of her.

She was on several "mood stabilizers" and "antidepressants". She drank heavily back when I knew her, to the point of blacking out. She was dating a friend of mine and their relationship was a crazy one. She would freak out and threaten to kill herself, even making several attempts; however, they were not serious enough to require medical attention. We wrote them off as her way to to get attention. Her mother was also an alcoholic. She did some drugs, but not on a regular basis (that could have changed) She was a very sweet girl when she was sober and fun to go out with. She was caring and once helped me collect money for the bathroom attendant at the bar we worked at because he had cancer. She was very pretty; however, she had an extremely low self esteem. The fact that she was still in the adult business makes me think that things had not changed much in her life.

I hope this can help in some way, if anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them; however, like I mentioned above, I have not had any contact with her in years.

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  • 1 month later...

I knew Christine back in the late 90's into early 2000. I always got along well with her and was upset to learn of her death. I hope what I am about to write is not taken the wrong way, I am not trying to trash her, I only want to add some insight to her case. I want to make it clear that I have not seen or talked to Christine in several years so she could have become a different person, but this is what I knew of her.

She was on several "mood stabilizers" and "antidepressants". She drank heavily back when I knew her, to the point of blacking out. She was dating a friend of mine and their relationship was a crazy one. She would freak out and threaten to kill herself, even making several attempts; however, they were not serious enough to require medical attention. We wrote them off as her way to to get attention. Her mother was also an alcoholic. She did some drugs, but not on a regular basis (that could have changed) She was a very sweet girl when she was sober and fun to go out with. She was caring and once helped me collect money for the bathroom attendant at the bar we worked at because he had cancer. She was very pretty; however, she had an extremely low self esteem. The fact that she was still in the adult business makes me think that things had not changed much in her life.

I hope this can help in some way, if anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them; however, like I mentioned above, I have not had any contact with her in years.

What was the name of her boyfriend? What kind of companies did she work for or deal with? What areas of Phoenix did she hang out in?

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  • 6 months later...

I just wanted to bump this thread because I feel it deserves more attention. Bryan Patrick Miller and his accomplices could have been involved.

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Wild.. That posting of a note on her MySpace page if accurate.. Seems to me to be indicative that whatever so called gf absolutely knows what happened to her.. Or is even personally involved.. The note reads like an attempt to cover their tracks ..very suspicious.. And almost seems as though a man wrote it.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...
On 6/28/2015 at 3:59 PM, Lucas North-justiceseeker said:

What was the name of her boyfriend? What kind of companies did she work for or deal with? What areas of Phoenix did she hang out in?

I just saw this, I'm so sorry I did not answer sooner, I worked with her at a "Gentlemen's Club" (a topless bar) by the name of Tiffany's Cabaret. The name of the club changed to Christy's Cabaret, not sure when? It is located in Phoenix on Washington and 32ND Street. I do not know where she worked at the time of her death. We would go out to clubs in Scottsdale, most of them have closed (The Cat Eye, 92ND Street Cafe, Acme bar and grill, Anderson's 5th Estate) actually, I think all of those are now closed... ? I do not know the name of her boyfriend (or if she had one) at the time of her death. 

I just think it is so weird that she was found so far from her home (I don't think she owned a car) so how did she get to where she was? And why didn't anyone report her missing? I would think she had at least one friend who would have been looking for her? Does anyone know if they were able to detect any drugs in her system? 

Someone out there was with her prior to her death? Why would they not have contacted the police unless they have something to hide? 

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  • 1 month later...
On 8/3/2016 at 4:11 AM, DeniseWhosoever said:

I just saw this, I'm so sorry I did not answer sooner, I worked with her at a "Gentlemen's Club" (a topless bar) by the name of Tiffany's Cabaret. The name of the club changed to Christy's Cabaret, not sure when? It is located in Phoenix on Washington and 32ND Street. I do not know where she worked at the time of her death. We would go out to clubs in Scottsdale, most of them have closed (The Cat Eye, 92ND Street Cafe, Acme bar and grill, Anderson's 5th Estate) actually, I think all of those are now closed... ? I do not know the name of her boyfriend (or if she had one) at the time of her death. 

I just think it is so weird that she was found so far from her home (I don't think she owned a car) so how did she get to where she was? And why didn't anyone report her missing? I would think she had at least one friend who would have been looking for her? Does anyone know if they were able to detect any drugs in her system? 

Someone out there was with her prior to her death? Why would they not have contacted the police unless they have something to hide? 

If you know any of her friends please tell them of this forum they could have info. 

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  • 8 months later...

This is terribly tragic. Breaks my heart very much to read all this. I knew Christine and dated her for a few years back starting in 2001. She was such a wonderful person with a huge heart. Tho our relationship faded over those few years I tried to keep in contact with her. I think it was 2004 when we last saw or spoke. She was back into dancing at a place called Hi Liter on 12st in Phx down the street from Camelback Cove apartments where I helped move her into. She freaquented the bar up the road which is now a car lot. Not sure what else to say accept I'm heart broken and glad I was blessed with having had known her and shared amazing times. 

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  • 2 years later...
On 8/3/2016 at 4:11 AM, DeniseWhosoever said:

I just saw this, I'm so sorry I did not answer sooner, I worked with her at a "Gentlemen's Club" (a topless bar) by the name of Tiffany's Cabaret. The name of the club changed to Christy's Cabaret, not sure when? It is located in Phoenix on Washington and 32ND Street. I do not know where she worked at the time of her death. We would go out to clubs in Scottsdale, most of them have closed (The Cat Eye, 92ND Street Cafe, Acme bar and grill, Anderson's 5th Estate) actually, I think all of those are now closed... ? I do not know the name of her boyfriend (or if she had one) at the time of her death. 

I just think it is so weird that she was found so far from her home (I don't think she owned a car) so how did she get to where she was? And why didn't anyone report her missing? I would think she had at least one friend who would have been looking for her? Does anyone know if they were able to detect any drugs in her system? 

Someone out there was with her prior to her death? Why would they not have contacted the police unless they have something to hide? 

I knew her very well She was a very good friend. Here are a few for the records I feel I must speak about:
- She was NOT a call girl or prostitute - She NEVER would have had ANY reason to post on Craigslist. Whoever is responsible posted that on her social media.

- She was a drinker, and a drinker only. She did not do any illicit drugs. THIS I KNOW FOR A FACT !

- She worked exclusively at The HiLiter then CHEETAH's / AMAZONS from 1997-2001

- She was the sweetest most compassionate woman I knew then. 

- If they aren't looking at MIKE TERASKA or HOMER MOORE for her murder then they aren't looking in the right place.

 

Oh, and @DeniseWhosoever I BET WE KNOW ONE ANOTHER

I worked for TOMMY & MONTE from 1997-2001

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