The Missing Model

Jenna Brunoski was once a model. As a pre-teen and into her middle teen years her startling eyes and baby-like face made her much in demand. Her disappearance, however, has led investigators down a long, unending road filled with twists and turns. Every seemingly promising lead has only turned up more unanswered questions. Her family is still seeking answers about what happened to their loved one.

On that late July morning in 2015 Jenna's boyfriend, LeeRoy Martinez, left for work as usual around 6 am., kissing his sweetheart and Jenna’s 3-year-old baby goodbye. Jenna’s routine consisted of waking at 7 am, taking care of the baby and then leaving at 8 a.m. for the 6-minute walk to the lakefront. In the summer she usually swam for 10-15 minutes before returning home.

A witness later reported that Jenna maintained her daily schedule on that 22nd July 2005. She left the park around 8:30 a.m. to head home. Once there she approached the manager at her apartment complex and asked him about cheaper apartments in the area. This witness told police that she stated she was looking for somewhere to start over. However she was non-committal about when she actually intended to leave. The witness reported that she appeared to have a somewhat glazed look.

LeeRoy arrived home from work around 9 p.m., which was a little later than usual. Jenna was nowhere to be found. The baby was sleeping in her cot. He called her father, Alan Brunoski, and asked what he should do. Alan told LeeRoy to report her as missing, and LeeRoy assured him he would file a report. Alan also promised to have the baby picked up, which he did. However, when Alan didn’t hear news of his daughter by the 26th of July, he reached out to the police department himself.

Investigators there informed him that no report had been filed in Jenna’s case. Once he reported his daughter missing, an extensive search was initiated. Investigators found that Jenna had embarked on a recovery journey after a history of substance abuse. Earlier in July, police had been called to the lakefront after witnesses reportedly saw Jenna jump into the water near a hotel and watched her swim back to the public lake in the park. She was described as acting “erratically”. She had also told doctors and her father that she felt as though she was being followed, and that her life was in danger. A short time after she was reported missing, her purse, wallet, keys and a pair of her shoes were found under a tree at the park. In the early stages of the investigation, surveillance footage from a nearby gas station was uncovered. The footage was captured on July 21st, the day before Jenna vanished. The footage shows her turning in a job application to the gas station. Jenna was in the midst of a custody battle over her young daughter and needed the job to help her in the process. This simple gesture showed that Jenna was serious about getting on the right path, making it more unlikely that she left of her own free will. On July 23rd, while Jenna's sister was searching her apartment, LeeRoy came by to pick up his TV and told her that Jenna “obviously” wasn’t coming back. He refused to elaborate. During that same visit, he provided Jenna's sister with her fully charged cell phone, with no answer as to how he had found it or why he had not shared it with investigators. It’s important to note that, at this time, LeeRoy is not officially considered a suspect. However, the victim's family has expressed distrust of her boyfriend and his actions subsequent to Jenna’s disappearance. On July 29th, search members found a shirt that belonged to Jenna, thrown to the shore near the water. Investigators believe that this piece of evidence was planted due to previous searches of the area failing to uncover it.

On August 20th, the police department provided cadaver dogs to search the park. Strangely, the dogs seemed to follow a scent to Jenna’s mother’s home - just across the street from the park. This raised even more questions, but sadly, ultimately led to a dead end.

The search covered a vast area which and slowly made its way across the country. Countless areas of wilderness and bodies of water have been thoroughly searched, yet there have been no new updates on Jenna Brunoski’s disappearance in 8 years. Her family is still searching for answers and her case remains open and active.