Jessica Payne was 16 when her body was found under a mattress behind an abandoned house in Milwaukee on August 30, 1995. She had run away from home on August 26 after a fight and, after spending time at a house known for prostitution and drugs, left with four men; a 13-year-old friend last saw her when she was dropped off at a street corner. Jessica had been sexually assaulted and her throat was slashed.

The investigation focused on three men: Chaunte D. Ott, Sam Hadaway, and Richard Gwin. A jailhouse informant and police pressure produced false statements from Gwin and a coerced confession from Hadaway, who had cerebral palsy and cognitive disabilities. Based primarily on those testimonies, Ott was convicted of first-degree murder and given life; Hadaway pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and served five years.

DNA testing petitioned by the Wisconsin Innocence Project in 2002 excluded Ott, Gwin, and Hadaway. In 2007 the DNA matched Walter Ellis, the so-called Milwaukee North Side Strangler. Ott’s conviction was later reversed and he was released after serving over 12 years; he received a $6.5 million settlement from the City of Milwaukee. Hadaway’s conviction was also overturned and dismissed in 2019.

Does anyone have information about Jessica’s last movements on August 26–30, 1995, or about the four men she left with?