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An 11-year-old leaves Mercy Hospital in Scranton with a stuffed animal for her mom and starts the short walk home—broad daylight, one block to go. Witnesses see a girl matching Michelle “Jolene” Lakey get into a light yellow car near North Washington Ave. She is never seen again.

This episode of CRIMERY traces the chilling threads that still haunt Northeast PA: the three-day ransom call that named Nay Aug Park, the unexplained purse found on Jolene’s dresser, and years of scrutiny around a familiar adult she called “Uncle Frank”—later convicted in a separate child-murder case. We follow renewed leads sparked by a 2020 anonymous letter about screams and fire along I-81, and the annual August 26th walk that retraces Jolene’s final route, feather and purple ribbon in hand.

You’ll hear:

• Timeline: Mercy Hospital → Myrtle St. → North Washington Ave. → the light yellow car
• Why the “purse on the dresser” detail fractures the case narrative
• Known persons of interest and what’s confirmed vs. unresolved
• How modern re-checks (letters, searches, community memory) keep the case alive

Content warning: missing child, potential child homicide.

Know something? Tips can be anonymous.
Scranton Police: 570-348-4139 • PA State Police: 570-963-3156 • NCMEC: 1-800-THE-LOST
Reward: $5,000

Host: Jennifer Novotney • Show: CRIMERY – True Crime Uncovered

CRIMERY is reported, written, and hosted by Jennifer Novotney. Produced by Timothy Novotney.

Tip line & inquiries: crimerypod@gmail.com

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Legal: Everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Content may include descriptions of violence. Listener discretion advised.

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