Jacqueline Levitz

**Mary Jacqueline Levitz,** better known by her middle name, was a woman who vanished from Mississippi in 1995. There were signs of a struggle in her home.

## Background

Jacqueline was born in Louisiana on February 11, 1933. She married three times, her final marriage being to Ralph Levitz, the co-founder of Levitz Furniture. When Ralph died in March, 1995 she inherited his estate, which is estimated to have been between five and fifteen million dollars.

In October, 1995 Jacqueline moved from Palm Beach, Florida to Vicksburg, Mississippi so she could be closer to her family. While her new house was undergoing remodeling at the time of her disappearance Jacqueline was still living in it. At the time there was very little furniture in the house as a result; only a mattress, some plastic garden chairs and a refrigerator.

## Case

Jacqueline was last seen by a sales clerk on November 18, 1995 at a local business in Vicksburg, Mississippi. She bought wallpaper for her home, which was undergoing extensive remodeling at the time, then left. She has not been heard from since.

Two days later, on the morning of November 20, 1995, Jacqueline's brother-in-law, James Earl Shivers discovered that she was missing. He went to Jacqueline's house to see why she hadn't been answering the phone since the day before. He discovered that her vehicle, a cream Jaguar, was parked out front and that the door was unlocked. Inside the home there were signs of a "violent struggle". It was at this point it became apparent that  Jacqueline was missing.

There were torn fingernails or fingernail tips scattered across the floor. Her bedroom carpet and mattress were both soaked in blood, although someone had turned the mattress over to conceal the stains. Testing revealed that the blood was Jacqueline's type.

Strangely, the only things that were missing were two bags. One was described as a small purse which Jacqueline kept her wallet it and the other was a larger makeup bag which contained hairspray and other small items. However, expensive fur coats were left in Jacqueline's closet, a pair of diamond earrings were left out on the windowsill and there was more jewelry left in a safe. A glass of water was left beside the earrings which was out of character for Jacqueline.

Jacqueline's case may be linked to that of Irene Silverman, a rich elderly woman who vanished from Manhattan, New York in 1998. In May, 2000, Sante Kimes and her son, Kenneth Kimes, Jr. were charged with Irene's murder but her body has never been found. Due to similarities between the two cases the Kimeses are considered to also be possible suspects in Jacqueline's disappearance. However, neither of them has ever been charged in relation to Jacqueline's case.

On November 18, 2000 Jacqueline was declared legally dead. Both her family and police believe that she met with foul play. Her lawyer believes that she may have been the victim of a botched abduction at the hands of someone who was not local to the area. Police believe that Jacqueline is deceased and that her body may have been disposed of in the Mississippi River, which runs close to her house. Her case remains unsolved.

## Characteristics

* Greying blonde hair.
* Hazel eyes.
* Pierced ears.

## Sources

* Jacqueline Levitz at the *Charley Project*
* Jacqueline Levitz at *NamUs*
* Jacqueline Levitz at the *Doe Network*