Jessyca Mullenberg was kidnapped by a teaching assistant, Steve Oliver, from her father’s home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on September 16, 1995. Jessyca was only 13 years old. Oliver told her he was taking her on a trip to Madison, Wisconsin, where Random House publishing was going to take a look at her writings and publish her work. Jessica fell asleep during the drive and when she woke up she was tied up. Oliver told her, "You are no longer Jessyca. Your name is Cindy Johnson. My name is David Johnson. I'm your father. If anyone asks why you look so sad, it's because your mother and twin brother recently died in a car accident."
Steve Oliver was Jessyca’s assistant teacher at school, and he lived next door to her father with his son. Oliver convinced her father he could make Jessica a successful writer. After Oliver’s own divorce, Oliver was granted custody of his son (which gave him some credibility). Jessyca was particularly vulnerable, as she had been sexually abused beginning at age 5 by her dad’s girlfriend’s father (who babysat her) and by a man her father allowed to live in his home.
Steve Oliver thoroughly planned out the abduction. His ex-wife moved back into his home as Steve told her he had to take a job in Detroit and was going to be gone for months. Oliver avoided the closer airports in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and instead drove Jessyca to an airport in Kansas City, and then flew with her to Houston under the names David and Cindy Johnson.
The difference between 1995 and 2021:
Once kidnapped, Oliver was physically abusive to her in order to get her to comply. Oliver struck her in the face so many times, Jessyca needed multiple surgeries (10 in one year), after she was rescued. He would force oral sex or sexual intercourse on her sometimes twice a day. Jessyca was punched and struck with a broom. He insulted her telling her she was ugly and no one would ever date her. Oliver told her no one was looking for her. She was only allowed to use her new name. He threatened her family and stabbed her with a knife in the stomach when she attempted to resist.
Jessyca Mullenberg as a teen and as an adult.
Jessyca’s kidnapping was profiled on America’s Most Wanted, and a woman at the motel in Houston where Jessyca was being held called the FBI. Oliver had cut and died Jessyca’s hair, so the caller didn’t recognize her, but she recognized him from the show.
When the trial took place in June 1996, Jessyca was on the stand for hours. Oliver and his lawyers argued that she'd willingly run away. The jury didn't believe them, and Steve Oliver received a 40-year prison sentence without parole. Jessyca also told the FBI and police about the two other men who had molested her as a little girl, and both were arrested and convicted. In 2013, two prison guards were arrested for looking the other way while two inmates assaulted Steve Oliver.
Jessyca with her mother after being rescued.
People make the mistake of suggesting to former victims, “I would have done this…” Jessyca survived 104 days of torture. She was 13 years old. 100 pounds. She survived an ordeal few survive. Whatever she did—was right. It was first believed she would not be able to have children because of the ordeal. However, she is now happily married and a proud mother. Jessyca graduated from college with honors and speaks in schools on sexual abuse. She keeps herself busy, as many trauma victims do. She is an amazing person and someone who is making our world better!
Join Frank on January 4, 2021 from noon to 1:00 for a Virtual Book Event on Lying Close. To access, simply go to Friends of the Brainerd Public Library Facebook page.
I want to thank everyone for their kind support during a rough 2020. My complaints are minor, compared to what others have gone through. Just to give you some Jon Frederick numbers, 1 in every 900 Minnesotans died from the Coronavirus in 2020. (25% of the deaths were in Hennepin county).
2020 Glitches in my efforts to promote books:
The good news for 2021 is:
Thank you once again, for all the kind words and reviews of Lying Close!
Thanks for listening, Frank
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AuthorFrank F. Weber is a forensic psychologist specializing in homicide and sexual and physical assault cases. He uses his unique understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma, actual court cases, and passion for writing true crime thrillers. His Award Winning books include "Murder Book" (2017) "The I-94 Murders" (2018) "Last Call" (2019) and "Lying Close" (September 2020). Archives
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