Member-only story
The Stranger Beside Her: The Horrifying Murder of Jessie Blodgett
The Final Curtain
On the evening of Sunday, July 14, 2013, nineteen-year-old aspiring actress, singer and musician Jessie Blodgett took center stage in a production of Fiddler on the Roof to the delight of a packed house in Hartford, Wisconsin. It was clear to everyone in attendance that she loved the spotlight, and the spotlight loved her.
After taking their final bows, the cast and crew had gathered together for a pool party to celebrate their successful adaptation of the popular musical. While the outgoing and popular young woman had thoroughly enjoyed herself early on, the disturbing behavior of two of her fellow actors had cast a pall over her evening.
Later that night, Jessie had taken to her journal to vent her frustrations. She lamented the fact that she was “being corrupted” by some of the men in her life, whom she felt were mistaking her friendly nature for something more. She had concluded the entry with the optimistic declaration, “I am not helpless…I will recognize problems and confront them without fear. God be with me.”
Before retiring to bed, she told her mother Joy that two men at the party, who were both well into their forties, had made passes at her. She had elaborated by sharing that one of them had been so aggressive that he had pulled her onto his lap against her will. She wondered aloud why it seemed impossible for members of the opposite sex to simply be friends and nothing more. Her words would prove particularly ominous in light of what was to come.
At eight o’clock the next morning, Joy had looked in on her only child to make sure that everything was alright. Seeing that she was fast asleep, she had headed off to work. Her husband, Buck, had left earlier, leaving Jessie to hold down the fort.
When noontime rolled around, Joy returned home for lunch, as was her usual routine. Upon entering the house, she noticed that Jessie hadn’t stirred yet. Since she knew that one of her daughter’s piano students would be showing up at any minute for the scheduled lesson, her mother had gone upstairs to rouse her. When she cracked open the bedroom door and called her name, Jessie had failed to respond.
