Haunted to Confess the Murder

Thirteen-year-old Carrie Ann Jopek went missing on March 16, 1982.

For months, the young teenager was believed to have run away from home after getting suspended from school to attend a party at her best friend, Robin Mandt’s place.

The cold case would have remained unsolved until the perpetrator voluntarily confessed everything 3 decades later, saying,

“Your daughter’s haunting me,’ and I believe she was.”

Before the Confession

Carrie’s mother, Carolyn, began to worry when the day turned dark, and her daughter had yet to return home. Her school was just down the road, and she should have been back by now. She started calling Carrie’s friends, including Robin, knowing that her daughter was close to her. It was then she realized that Carrie had attended her party that afternoon.

Carolyn reported to the police, but a small part of her thought Carrie could be somewhere else with a friend. Carrie was still a rebellious young teen.

But she never came back home.

Carrie remained missing for the next 17 months until Robin’s mother decided to renovate her home’s deck and discovered a body. A body with the same clothes as Carrie wore when she was last seen. Four days later, dental records confirmed that it was Carrie. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was neck injuries, and there was internal bleeding found in her skull.

Despite collective efforts over the case, there was little evidence to make any arrests.

Haunted to Confess

Three decades later, someone stepped up to confess. In the span of one day, he confessed to three separate people.

A crisis hotline counselor received a disturbing call from a man named Jose, who told her everything about how he had murdered Carrie Ann and what he had done to her after she died. In that call, Jose was considering whether he should “go out in a blaze of glory or in silence.”

Earlier that day, Jose had also spilled everything to his wife, who was frightened and immediately reached out to the West Milwaukee Police station. Later in the afternoon, Jose made his decision as he spoke to the Milwaukee news station WISN 12, sharing the same information he had told the crisis hotline counselor. Two days later, Jose Ferreira was arrested and he shared in detail what happened with the police.

According to Jose Ferreira, 17 years old back then, he had already been drinking, even though it was only mid-day. He spotted Carrie along with other kids who had skipped school and offered her marijuana, which she accepted. He then invited her over to the basement.

Midway, Carrie starts to have doubts, but Jose will not have it. He pushed her down the stairs. In her state of unconsciousness, he groped her. What he hadn’t realized was that she had broken her neck from the fall until he tried to pick her up. Jose then took her body out to the porch through a cellar entrance and buried her in a 2-foot grave where she lay for 3 decades.

After the Confession

Assistant District Attorney Karl Hayes stated that Jose’s confession was likely due to his surroundings crumbling around him. He was drinking heavily, suffering from mental illness, and his wife was in the process of divorcing him.

Despite his confession to the detective, he initially pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He ultimately took a plea deal as he wanted “this over and done with it” and pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree sexual assault and false imprisonment. Jose Ferreira was sentenced to a maximum of seven years in prison.

While he could have faced up to 20 years in prison, he might have gotten away with nothing, as little physical evidence linked him to the case. Carrie Ann’s stepfather said,

“It’s better than taking a gamble and suffering a complete loss.”

Jose Ferreira apologized to Carrie’s family, saying,

“I can’t take back how it happened… Sorry, from the deepest pain in my heart, sorry.”

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