Jade Colvin is Missing | Post Mortem | Forensic Files

Welcome to Postmortem. I'm your [music] host Anne-Marie Green and today we're discussing the case of 14-year-old Jade
Colvin. She was reported missing in June of 2016 after she ran away from a local
shelter in Iowa for troubled youth. But then her case went unsolved for years until a new team of investigators set
out to find answers following leads all the way to a remote farm in Decorah, Iowa.
So joining me today is 48 Hours correspondent Natalie Morales who reported on Jade's case. And once again,
Natalie, it's always good to have you here. >> Thanks again for having me, Anne-Marie.
Now, I should point out this is a case about the passion and the persistence of so many investigators who really worked
together to try to solve this years-long mystery of what happened to this missing
young girl. >> Absolutely. I want to give everyone the quick reminder as per usual. If you have not
watched or listened to this episode, it's called Jade Colvin is missing. Go check it out and then come back for this
conversation. All right, Natalie, we learned very early on in the hour Jade Colvin's had a
tough tough childhood. Both her mother LaDonna and her father Kevin, they struggled with substance abuse. Jade is
only 13 when she's placed in foster care, but she's in and out of different facilities and she runs away a lot. So
when she ran away in 2016, in a way this was part of a pattern. So I'm wondering
why for Jade's family and for her friends, why they thought this was different. >> Well, I mean she literally just fell off
the map. You know, as you mentioned, she did frequently run away. She ran away from a shelter. She was hiding from the
foster care system. Her mother LaDonna also tried to hide her from the system as well. She didn't want her daughter to
be in foster care. She wanted her daughter to be with her, but as you mentioned Ladonna and Jade's father both
had a history of substance abuse. Kevin, the father, also had lost contact with Jade. She was officially reported
missing in 2016 by the shelter when when she ran away. Her reaching out to friends and family, that all stopped in
March of 2017. And that's when friends and family started to think, "Okay, this is
unusual." But it was when she would have turned 18, she would have aged out of the foster care system and some of her
family and friends, that's when they started to fear something had happened to her.
>> So, I mean, I hate to to say this, but you know, I mean, plenty of young women
go missing. They disappear into the night and often those cases are not followed up on. What encouraged
authorities to keep looking for Jade after so many years? >> Well, the investigation into her
disappearance really picked up in 2020 and it was with the US Marshals. They had this statewide operation called
Operation Homecoming. It was an effort to find missing children. Now, Jade's case was one of 24 young adults that
they were looking into and the incredible thing is they were able to solve and find all but two of them.
Unfortunately, Jade was one of them and another person who is still missing. In 2022, this team of various agencies is
called in as well and I want to give credit to the people involved. Detective Nablo is with the Des Moines PD. She
joined forces with the Deputy US Marshal Justin Wallace, who then called in Detective Chris Webker in Decorah, the
Sheriff's office there and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation brought in Special Agent John Turbett
all in the search of Jade Colvin. Detective Nablo, she was the one who went to Instagram and Facebook and and
she subpoenaed them and and said, I need to get access to Jade Corbin's social media account. And that's when she
discovered that Jade completely stopped communicating with anyone in March of 2017. And as you know, you have
teenagers, I have teenagers. So for them not to have any kind of social media presence, very unusual. So this team,
once they saw that, they said, "Something here is wrong." As Special Agent John Turbett said, "If we can't
find her, we want to get justice for Jade." >> In fact, mentioning Special Agent John Turbett, I
want to play a clip. He explains why Jade's case was so important to his team. >> We have kids, some of us have daughters,
and you see your your own loved ones in some of these situations. Jade's picture was
hung up on my, you know, whiteboard, and I I looked at it every day for a couple
years. And and she was smiling, and that's how I always wanted to remember. I'm like, that's why I'm
you know, trying to find her. >> So you hear that passion right there with the special agent talking about how
this case resonated. It really hit home to him. >> Yeah, you know, I I totally get that.
And when I think about the pictures that were in the hour, I kept on thinking, she looks like any kid, you know, in my
own daughter's high school. So I totally get what what investigators felt. I also thought it was really interesting
that she was still, despite all of this dysfunction, really close to her mother.
And this is something that the detectives kind of pick up as well. Investigators, they find new evidence.
And what they find is that after Jade ran away from the shelter in 2016, they're discussing a plan Ladonna had
hatched for Ladonna to bring Jade to this farm in Decorah, Iowa. It's owned by a man that she's been dating not for
a very long time. His name is James Buckmerski. And this is the plan that Jade would stay there until she's 18. At
that point, she'd be free of the foster care system. Ladonna will continue to live 3 hours away because she's dealing
with some legal issues. It is quite an elaborate plan. >> Yeah, I mean, Ladonna had, as you
mentioned, was dating Buckmerski for all of 4 months. Buckmerski was virtually a
stranger to Jade as well when Jade got dropped off there. But the idea was, you know, Ladonna
really wanted her to be with her eventually. She didn't want her daughter in the
foster care system. She didn't trust the foster care system. And everyone, I should point out, who we spoke to, they
all said that they believe Ladonna did this from a place of love. You know, they she wasn't putting her daughter
there, certainly not to endanger her. She was a mother who thought she was doing her best at the time despite all
of her demons. Unfortunately, Ladonna died 3 years after Jade went missing. So, investigators, as they started their
search, they didn't have the ability to go talk to Ladonna. >> Did anybody in the family call police
when she went missing from the farm? >> Not initially because after she disappeared from Buckmerski's farm, they
believed that Jade was running away again from a situation that she didn't want to be
placed in. So, Ladonna goes back to Buckmerski's farm at one point and she went to investigate. She asked James
Buckmerski, you know, "Where's my daughter? What happened to her?" And he also told her, "Well, I she ran away."
So, you know, then again, going back to the fact that Ladonna really did not trust
the system, she's not going to be the one who who goes to the police and and raises alarm bells.
>> Now, we did hear from Jade's aunt in the hour, her name is Tandra. She clearly
cared very deeply for her niece. >> I wondered about whether or not, you know, family could have intervened
before she ended up in foster care. >> And and Tandra did. She actually took Jade in and her two younger sisters for
for a little over a year. I believe it was when Jade was 9 or 10 years old. According to Jade's aunt in that year
that Jade was there, she really blossomed. And at that time Tandra had her three three own her husband had just
died. She was also putting herself through school. She even apparently moved a couple of times to be in a house
that so that each of the girls could have their own room. She bought them beds. She bought them
new clothes. She even took them to, you know, Build-A-Bear for birthday parties.
It seemed like this was the only time in her life that she had a semblance of normalcy in in all those years growing
up. At one point Tandra told us that Kevin, Jade's father, did get clean. He regained custody. So she would have
liked to have done more for them, but at that time she felt, well, Kevin, her brother, seemed to have gotten his act
together. And to this day, though, Tandra says she regrets she couldn't do more and that she couldn't keep them.
>> Mhm. That is tough. I mean, it sounds like she did an awful lot. All right. So then fast forward to 2022.
The U.S. Marshals reach out to local law enforcement near Bachmayer's farm for help talking to the family. And that is
when Detective Chris Webker from the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office officially joins the team. James
Bachmayer is no longer living there. The house has been gutted. It's been renovated. There are new owners. They
allow law enforcement to look around. Natalie, in reporting for this hour, you also went to Decorah to to see what this
location looked like. Um I thought it was really interesting cuz there's this kind of really wide
drone shot and immediately as I saw that shot, I thought there's no way she ran away. Where's she going to run away to?
It really gave me a sense of how remote at least it felt and goodness knows you looked cold.
>> It was freezing. Yes, we went there in the middle of January, I should point out.
>> And I've done shoots in this type of weather where it is just it's so cold. I
know sometimes it gets so cold you can't I can't even say my own name cuz there's
too many syllables in my name but you can't move your mouth properly and it looked that cold there.
>> Oh, yeah, your eyes are tearing up. You know, it was minus 14°. If it had been I
believe 3° colder, the drone that we used would not have been able to fly. It would have been frozen in the air.
Um, our crew wore speaking of my eyeballs freezing, they were wearing ski goggles and ski gear so that they
wouldn't freeze and you know, I really should highlight the importance of going to these locations and seeing them in
person because when you stand in the middle of nowhere like that in that farm, it is beautiful but you also
know the situation that this young girl was placed in. She was completely isolated on this remote farm. It's kind
of hilly and as you saw by that shot, it was over 200 acres. Um, there's really nowhere to go if you're
running away because the town, downtown Decorah, which is really cute and quaint, it's about 8 miles from the farm
and as we were driving with Detective Webker, he said, "Look where we are. I mean, these are all they're all farms,
farming people here. These are good salt of the earth kind of people and if somebody saw a teenager walking alone on
the side of the road there, they would certainly stop and ask if if she needed help. So,
right away he knew this is not a case of Jade running away." >> Welcome back. Before the investigators
track down James Buckmerski cuz he's moved out of state, they find one of his sons. His name is Brian. He'd been
living in Decorah at the time of Jade's disappearance. According to Detective Webker, Brian confirmed that Jade had
been at the farm and he said that the last time that he heard from her was just a few days after she arrived when
they were texting during his night shift at Walmart and she suddenly stopped responding.
Why didn't Brian report Jade missing back then? >> Well, Brian says he did eventually
follow up with his father about what happened to Jade. Uh Buckmerski at the time gave him a lot of excuses, said
that she might even be a cam girl somewhere. However, there's some evidence as well that Brian didn't
believe his dad. I mean, Buckmerski did have a criminal record. As you see in the hour and 2013, we report that he
spent nearly a year behind bars after being charged with child endangerment against his own children. He pleaded
guilty to the lesser offense of assault, but he did serve some time. >> In the hour, we learn details of this
child endangerment case from uh court documents. Buckmerski used a metal chair hooked to a battery to shock his sons
when they misbehaved. I mean, we saw your facial expression. >> Yeah, I mean, it was pure horror because
if he's able to do that to his own kids, what is he capable of doing to a young girl who's not even his own kid?
>> Absolutely. In 2023, investigators tracked down Buckmerski at his new home in Georgia. He spoke with Special Agent
John Turbett for several hours and he indeed confirmed that he had been in a relationship with La Dawn and Jade had
stayed with him at his farm back in 2017. Now, Buckmerski said that the last time he saw Jade, she was getting ready
to do laundry. He said he ran out to a local store and then when he came back, she had vanished. Different story than
what he told his son, by the way. But then about a year and a half after Jade went missing, he sold that farm,
and he moved to Georgia. >> Right. And it was interesting because according to Special Agent John Turbett,
his decision to relocate and the timing of the move uh not long after Jade disappeared, that all added to their
suspicions. You know, when he moved to Georgia, he also started using an alias. He was going by the name Bob Sage. So,
he, the agents told us, seemed to be like a guy who was trying to hide. Now, he also had some other criminal charges
from Iowa, including a probation violation from 2018. So, there was some indication there was extra heat on him
from law enforcement. Special Agent John Turbett, when he got there, he saw you know, this guy clearly seems to be
like he's hiding out in this new location. >> It certainly seemed like he left uh
Decorah in a hurry. He pretty much abandoned a lot of his belongings at a neighbor's barn. And when the neighbor
lets investigators know, "Hey, I still got all this stuff here," they really strike gold. Uh
they find Buckmister's old cell phone, and there's some shocking new evidence. >> Right. That phone really became the key
to their investigation because on that phone, they found deleted text messages from Jade's family trying to find her,
including from LaDonna, you know, desperately trying to get a hold of her daughter. They also found photos of Jade
at the farm, the last photos of Jade alive, which also suggested to investigators he took a lot of photos of
Jade. So, they thought perhaps this showed some attraction that Buckmister had to Jade. Now, the phone also
contained, as you saw in the hour, these photos, which really became key evidence. One photo shows his very clean
kitchen, which was very unusual out of the norm according to those who knew and saw the condition of that home. And also
a bedroom photo that was taken two days after Jade disappeared. And then contrast that to a photo of the bedroom
taken a couple of months later. The first photo showed a bed with a headboard. The second photo showed there
was no more headboard. It looked like that mattress was new according to investigators. So, it appeared to the
investigators that it looked like if there was a scene there, it might have been cleaned. Now, we should mention
that the cell phone um also helped investigators clear Brian, the son, because they found those text messages
that Jade was was having with Brian as he worked that night shift at Walmart. So, it checked out with his story.
>> Something that I kept on thinking of was, "Okay, if she's been killed, she's got to be somewhere on this farm."
But, it's huge. Were investigators able to search the farm? How do you go about searching a property that large?
>> Well, as Detective Chris Webker from the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office, you
know, said, it was really like looking for a needle in a haystack. They searched the 200-plus acres. They used
cadaver dogs. They didn't find any human bones or DNA, but I will say they did find a pile of bones. They were animal,
I should say, not human. Um the dog did not signal on any human scent there. Um Buck Mersky, though, we should point
out uh according to to Chris Webker, he was a skilled hunter. Um I asked Webker what struck him about
those animal bones since it's not unusual to hunt in Iowa. >> She was an avid outdoorsman that knew
how to handle himself and how to harvest animals and then discard them. >> And being able to handle and kill
animals like that. >> Yeah. >> And you think the same could be said for for humans? And just being able to
discard people? >> He definitely had the knowledge of of where he lived and and how to do
things that way, yes. >> That gives you the creeps just hearing that and and knowing the possibilities
when you see a property of that size, what he might have been able to do. >> Mhm.
>> So, even though investigators have not found Jade's body, they do have some damning new evidence from Buck Mersky's
phone. Special Agent John Turbitt went back down to Georgia to interview Buck Mersky
again, but this time Buck Mersky's demeanor is completely different. He claimed to be drunk and that he couldn't
remember any details, but Special Agent Turbitt pressed him about Jade. I want you to listen to a clip of what Buck
Mersky said to him. >> I'd go to the grave before I tell the truth about this. >> Yes.
>> I'd rather go to the grave than tell what happened here in this case. Yeah, Turbitt said,
uh, this was as close to a confession as you could get because Buck Mersky is saying there is so much here you are
never going to know and I'm never going to tell you. Yeah. Well, clearly investigators and prosecutors believe
they have enough by August of 2024. James Buck Mersky is charged with Jade Colvin's murder. His trial began about a
year later. And I I have to say, it seemed to me like the prosecution had a real challenge. I didn't think this case
was particularly strong, even though there's a lot of evidence. There's no blood, there's no what murder weapon,
there's no body. >> Yeah, and the no body being the big part of that. This case was purely
circumstantial. Um, you know, but Buck Mersky, by his own words, admitting Jade was at his residence under his care
right before she disappears. That cell phone evidence that they had was key. I mean, those deleted messages along with
those photos that seemed to show the before and after Jade disappeared. He replaced that bed. He cleaned that
kitchen. He took pictures of it. Buck Mursky, however, explained he was cleaning and doing all of this because
he was planning to sell the farm which he eventually did. But, most incriminating were those words you just
heard, you know, his own words. I'd go to the grave before I'd tell the truth. >> But, here's the thing. If I was the
defense, I would just say, "Well, you don't even have any proof that she's dead."
>> And that was that was a big part of the defense's argument. They tried to say
there's no evidence she's dead. They said she had a history of running away. You know, in fact, they even hired their
own investigator who said there were unconfirmed sightings of her. It is hard to combat the the fact though that Jade
was at Buck Mursky's residence under his care and then poof, she just disappears.
Nobody ever heard from her again. >> Well, the prosecution did their job. Uh the jury found Buck Mursky guilty of
murder in in the second degree. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. So, he's 67 years old. Uh so, that's
essentially a life sentence for him at the time. In the hour, Jade's aunt Tandra said
that the sentence was a relief. Do we know how the rest of Jade's family felt about this?
>> Well, Tandra and and I think you could see that in the in the interview. She she struggles. I mean, she really wants
to be able to find Jade's body, give her a proper funeral. The whole family hopes
that someone watching the show or listening to this who has any information will come forward. You know,
I think that's what they're all looking for is some sense of closure if there is
such a thing. Yeah. >> All of the investigators that we spoke with those said, "This is still not done
for them. It is still an open missing person's case with the Des Moines PD until they find Jade's body."
>> I totally get that. Still so many loose ends. You really do want to know what
happened to her um before you could really have peace. I can get it. So listen, Natalie, I want
to ask you about something that you had actually mentioned at the top of the podcast.
In addition to Jade, there was another missing child that US Marshals were not able to locate. This is part of this
Operation Homecoming. What do we know about that last case? >> Yeah. Yeah, really important because
again, we use this as an opportunity to call out anybody who may know something.
Uh Frederick Workman is the name of of the young man. Um he was reported missing from Des Moines in August of
2013 when he was about 15 years old. A lot of work has been done on his case. However, that case remained open as
well. So again, if anybody has any information, they can contact the US Marshals office at 515-400-8140
or they can submit a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
>> I know there's going to be all kinds of people as soon as they hear this podcast
they're going to be getting online and looking this case up and hopefully hopefully it'll make a difference.
Um Natalie, once again, another really really fascinating hour and at least you know Jade's family got some closure. It
would be really really nice if they could find out the rest of the story about what happened to this this young
woman who had I mean so much potential, so many possibilities. >> Right. And it's just so tragic that she
really never got to find out who she was in life. >> [music] >> Yeah, so true. Thanks again, Natalie.
>> Thank you, Anne Marie. >> And to all of you out there, if you like this episode, please rate and review on
Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

48 Hours correspondents Anne-Marie Green and Natalie Morales discuss the case of Jade Colvin, a 14-year-old who went missing after running away from the Iowa foster care system.

True crime. Social justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Jade Colvin, missing since 2016, was found linked to James Buckmerski, charged with her murder after years of investigation.

Key points

The Disappearance of Jade Colvin. 14-year-old Jade Colvin went missing in 2016, sparking a years-long investigation.
Operation Homecoming. In 2020, the US Marshals launched an operation to find missing children, including Jade.
New Evidence from Buckmerski's Phone. Investigators found deleted messages and photos on Buckmerski's phone that raised suspicions.
A Chilling Confession. Buckmerski claimed he would go to the grave before revealing the truth about Jade.
Buck Mursky Found Guilty. Buck Mursky was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Jade's Family Seeks Closure. Jade's family hopes for closure and to find her body for a proper funeral.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is a case about the passion and persistence of investigators.

Natalie Morales discusses the dedication of investigators in Jade's case.

0:45WatchApr 25, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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