PORTAGE COUNTY (WAOW) –
The last time Marie Jost was heard from was 1982. But every month since, her social security checks have been sent out, and authorities say every one of them has been cashed.
Now, three of her family members are sitting in jail.
“It’s definitely unusual,” Captain Dale O’Kray from the Portage County Sheriff’s Department said.
For two days sheriff’s deputies have been searching Jost’s property for any sign of the 100-year-old woman and her 74-year-old son, Theodore.
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“It’s basically an episode of Hoarders,” Captain O’Kray said. “There’s just a ton of stuff to go through.”
Investigators say their home, located in Amherst Junction, is uninhabitable with trash piled to the ceiling and no running water. They say that makes their search even more difficult.
“We have to start somewhere and we’re starting with the property and collecting as many clues as we can,” Captain O’Kray explained.
Jost and her son have been missing for almost 30 years. Their family never reported them gone.
“That’s the suspicious part,” O’Kray said.
This all started last week when Portage County authorities were contacted by the Social Security Administration asking them to check on Marie. But, when they got to her home, authorities say Marie’s son, Charles, was the only one there.
“He said she (Marie’s) has been on a trip since 1982. That’d be a long trip,” O’Kray said.
Now, cadaver dogs have been searching their home. Authorities say evidence has led them to believe Marie and her son could be buried on their own property.
“We have no indication she’d be somewhere else,” said O’Kray.
After further investigation, authorities arrested Charles Jost and two other family members, Delores and Ronald Disher. They say the group has been cashing Marie’s social security checks and keeping the money for themselves.
“The family is not very cooperative,” O’Kray said. “Their stories keep changing.”
On Thursday, Charles, Ronald, and Delores appeared in Portage County court. But their defense lawyers declined to comment. They told Newsline 9 it was still too early in the case.
All three remain in jail after a judge decided there is enough evidence of a crime, and enough evidence that they were likely responsible. Formal chargers are expected when the three return to court in two weeks. For now, they remain in jail on a $20,000 cash bond.
Authorities ask anyone with information on Marie or Theodore Jost to call the Portage County Sheriff’s Department.
