WHEELING, W.Va. — The Wheeling Police Department and the Ohio County Prosecutor’s Office are seeking additional information and the public’s help with a 2018 murder case involving a Wheeling man and his pregnant girlfriend.
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger, Detective Rob Safreed and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Shawn R. Turak held a joint press conference Friday morning from Wheeling City Council Chambers in regards to the murder investigation of Trevor Vossen, 27 and Lauren ‘Lulu’ Jenkins, 28, who was five months pregnant.
Gerald Wayne Jako, Jr. is being considered as a person of interest in the triple homicide by Wheeling PD. Jako has since been convicted of an unrelated crime and was sentenced to 100 years in prison in 2019. Jako’s conviction and sentencing were upheld by the West Virginia State Supreme Court on June 2, according to Turak.
Authorities believe that with Jako’s affirmed conviction, people in the public with information may be more willing to come forward.
“We believe that fear of the person of interest may have contributed to a lack of cooperation. We believe with his incarceration, things may now change,” Schwertfeger said.
Wheeling Police began their investigation on Aug. 3, 2018, when Vossen and Jenkins were reported missing.
On Aug. 15, 2018, dismembered and burned human remains were found along Sullivan Road, a rural area in Raleigh County. The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office investigated, and later that month, the West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the burned remains, identified via dental records, were Vossen and Jenkins, a Wheeling PD release said.
The remains were later sent to the Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology in Washington, D.C. for forensic analysis.
Based on the investigation, Schwertfeger said Friday that detectives believe that Vossen and Jenkins were lured to a house in Wheeling, murdered, their bodies dismembered and then transported to Raleigh County to be destroyed by fire.
Police are also seeking information on the whereabouts of Vossen’s 2002 two-door White Honda Accord SE, which has been missing since the crime took place. The car had a West Virginia license plate number of 73K986.
“Our work on this case will continue. Detectives are still looking for any tip that may offer more details or provide insight on what happened. We urge anyone who knows more to call us,” Sgt. Rob Safreed, Investigations Commander for the Wheeling PD said in a release.
Schwertfeger called the case ‘very complex and requires a lot of knowledge.’ In the end, he said he wants to provide a solid case for the victims’ families so the person(s) who committed the crime can be held accountable.
“It’s all about doing the right thing. Someone out there knows something, has information and has not discussed that with investigators. Now is the time to do so. Do the right thing,” Schwertfeger said.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Wheeling Police Department at 304-234-3664, the Raleigh County, W.Va. Sheriff’s Office at 304-255-9300 or the Crime Stoppers Upper Ohio Valley tip line at 877-TIPS-4-US.