Over two weeks this March, Eastern Massachusetts witnessed the heartbreaking conclusion of three separate missing persons cases.
Three families that languished for months. Each case carried its own mystery.
The first break came when an unnamed individual contacted police in Nashua, New Hampshire with information about a murder confession. That tip set off a chain of events that led homicide detectives to a modest home in the quiet town of Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. Inside the garage, beneath epoxy and concrete, they found human remains. Thankfully, this person came forward or the fate of 47‑year‑old Jill Kloppenburg would remain unknown. She was vulnerable, she was missed. Now she has finally been found.
Within hours of that discovery, another alert came in. This time from Wakefield. A body had been recovered from Lake Quannapowitt, the same area that had been the focus of searches for 45-year-old Jason Thomas, missing since December 13, 2025. Jason was last seen on surveillance footage crossing a street, heading toward the train station. His family explored every possibility, but this cold and snowy winter made searching the lake impossible. With the spring thaw came a sad end to his family's search.
And then, just one week later, came the third case. Leonard Mercury, a 57‑year‑old man who had vanished on October 31, 2025, after leaving a hospital where he was receiving mental health treatment. He walked out in the early morning hours wearing only hospital scrubs and nothing more - no shoes, no wallet, no identification, no phone. His family feared he was distressed, vulnerable, and in danger. For months, they remained hopeful that Leonard found safety somewhere. A drone helped locate the presence of a person in Crystal Lake and Leonard was recovered after missing for five months.
Jill Kloppenburg's services are Sat, April 4 in Tewksbury, Mass.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/jill-kloppenburg-obituary?id=61131491
Crime of the Truest Kind
Hosted by Anngelle Wood
Massachusetts and New England crime stories, hometown history
crimeofthetruestkind.com/jill-kloppenburg updating show notes
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