10/31/02: Chris Jenkins, 21, Minneapolis, MN

"I wish everyday I could go back to that naive place in the world where life was so simple. Where people were inherently good, where the sun shined just a bit brighter. It's not simple. There are really bad people out there and they do really bad things."

- Sara Jenkins, sister of Chris Jenkins

University of Minnesota student Christopher Jenkins and his friend celebrated Halloween night at a downtown Minneapolis bar. Sometime around midnight, Chris was reportedly kicked out of tha bar without his belongings. He was wearing only his Halloween costume and the temperature was in the upper 20s. He was seen walking northeast in the direction of the Hennepin Avenue bridge. Chris' body was found in the Mississippi River four months later. His family has reason to believe he was abducted in the back of a van, tortured and murdered.


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Details
After a keg party at his home around 6 p.m., Christopher Jenkins headed over to the Lone Tree Bar & Grill at 528 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Chris was with his girlfriend, Ashley, and a few friends. They arrived at the bar about 11:00 pm and parked the car just to the south of the bar. Sometime around midnight, Jenkins was reportedly kicked out of the the bar without his wallet, keys, cell phone, or a coat. He was wearing an American Indian costume consisting of a leather shirt and pants, slip-shoes, and a headband with a red feather. Initial reports indicated that Chris was last seen walking across the Hennepin Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River from downtown toward Nicollet Island/left descending bank area; this is now believed to be incorrect.

According to Jan Jenkins, Chris' mom, "there were two surveillance cameras on the Federal Reserve Bank pointing to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge," says Jan Jenkins, Chris' mom. "This was post 9-11, clearly good equipment. We have written documentation from the supervisor that more than one person viewed the tapes from both cameras late on the 31st and early on Nov.1. Chris was not seen on the tape. We do not believe Chris walked across that bridge. The supervisor told the FBI that it would be almost impossible for a person to sprint across that bridge and not be seen."

Recovery
Almost four months later, Chris’ body was found in the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis near the Horseshoe Dam snagged on some tree branches. The body was on the east side of the river near the spillway of the St. Anthony Falls Hydroelectrical Laboratory at 30 SE 3rd Street. The body could be seen from the 3rd Avenue bridge, floating on its back with its arms in front. Chris was still wearing his Halloween costume with the shirt tucked in, a necklace, a ring on the left index finger, a ring on the right ring finger, and both slip-on shoes.

[Note: it was previously reported in the media that Chris had been wearing oversized slip-on boots. I have confirmed that Chris was actually wearing slip-on shoes. I have made the correction throughout this post.]

Private Investigation
Police initially believed Chris either committed suicide or died accidentally after falling into water and they closed the case. But all those who knew Chris didn't buy it. Furthermore, how Chris was found just didn't fit. The natural reaction when drowning would be to vigorously paddle the feet and arms and swim. Most drowning victims are found face down with their arms out toward their sides, their clothing in disheveled and one or both of their shoes missing. Everything about the way Chris was found was unusual. His family decided to hire private investigator, Chuck Loesch.

Loesch believed Chris was walking to his residence across the river (the opposite direction of the car), but got into trouble along Hennepin Avenue, between 5th and 6th. Witness reported a gang of at least 10 men attacking a man in front of Times Square Pizza (across the street from the bar), in what was thought to be a gang initiation. Although, the time of the incident has not been confirmed--it could have been 10:30 or 11:30 p.m. It was reported that a bloodhound later picked up Chris' scent on the sidewalk in front of the pizza joint and tracked it into the next door parking garage, where blood drops and a red feather, possibly from Chris' Native American costume, were found.

Case Reopened
When a new police chief was hired for the city of Minneapolis, the Jenkins family brought him the leads uncovered by the private investigator. The chief agreed that the case had not been thoroughly investigated, and he reopened the case.

Death reclassified as homicide
An eyewitness to crime (someone in jail and reportedly facing felony charges for another crime) stepped forward to claim he was present when Chris was thrown off the bridge. At a press conference, police would not say which bridge was identified, but it was later reported that the inmate told investigators that after robbing Chris, his acquaintance was angry that Chris had nothing of value and threw him off the Hennepin Avenue bridge. It is not known whether the eyewitness was involved in the crime or only providing information to bargain for leniency. The death was reclassified as a homicide.

Lingering Questions
There was some specuation that Chris had been thrown off a bridge. However, Loesch believes it unlikely. Given the fall and the river's current, Chris' shoes would not have stayed on his feet.



But if a bridge was involved, Loesch believed it was not the Hennepin Avenue bridge, as the physical layout and cables surrounding it would have made it nearly impossible. The killer would have had to a grown man over the high railing and throw him 4- to 5-feet out over the support beam, avoiding the cables in the process. [Note: This bridge is also brightly lit and has heavy traffic, so someone would have seen something. In addition, the Jenkins family now believes that Chris was never on the Hennepin Avene bridge that night.]

According to documents from the case, experts h aving varying opinions about where Chris entered the water. The entry point would be significant--if Chris entered the water further upstream, it would point to a vehicle being involved in the crime.

Update: Chris' family has various reasons to believe that "he was thrown in the back of a van - abducted, tortured, and eventually mur dered. He was not alive when placed in the water."

For photos of some of these bridges, go to: http://www.mrdbridges.com/tourMap.php

Reward Offered
There will be up to a $175,000 reward for anyone who h as information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible in the death of Chris Jenkins.

Facts of Interest in This Case
Name/age: Christopher Jenkins, 21, (originally from Eden Prairie, MN)
College: University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management (marketing and entrepreneurial management)
Physical description: athletic (was goalie and co-captain of lacrosse team)
Last seen: 10/31/02, Lone Tree Bar & Grill, Minneapolis, MN
Recovered: 02/27/03 at 1650 hours in the Mississippi River near the Horseshoe Dam south of the 3rd Ave. Bridge just above St. Anthony Falls. The body was snared on a tree.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Manner of death: reclassified as a homicide
Injuries: no information
Blood Alcohol Content: 0.07 in deep tissue, .12 in heart
Water temperature: 33 F when found
Air temperature: 35 F when found