Mae Lee Leonard

Featured Case

Mae Lee Leonard

ImageAge: 24
ImageGender: F
ImageEthnicity: Black/African American
ImageDate of Incident: March 26, 1980
ImageType of Crime: Missing Persons

Summary of Case

Venice, IL (October 2026) - More than forty-six years after Mae Lee “Jane” Leonard vanished following a violent domestic attack, her family’s pursuit of truth and accountability remains as determined as ever. In hopes of bringing renewed attention to the long-unsolved disappearance and uncovering critical new leads, a dedicated billboard campaign has been launched in the area to seek information in Jane's case.  On March 26, 1980, three days before her twenty-fifth birthday, the mother of two was seen for the last time. A domestic disturbance broke out, and numerous witnesses saw Jane being brutally beaten and dragged by her hair down West Jefferson Street in Venice, Illinois, by her husband. Though injured and screaming, Jane managed to break free and reach her cousin Calvin’s home nearby, only to be followed and taken away again. Responding officers were unable to locate her, and early investigative files vanished from department records. Decades later, her case remains officially unsolved, leaving her surviving children and siblings searching for closure, judicial resolution, and the chance to finally bring her home. Read Mae Lee's full story at Project Cold Case, here. The newly installed billboard, sponsored by Season of Justice, is strategically located along I-70 on the north side of the Stan Musial Veterans Bridge and will run from October 5, 2026, through November 29, 2026. The initiative represents a focused effort to place Jane’s disappearance back in the spotlight and support her family, who have carried the trauma and grief of her loss for nearly half a century while continuing to advocate for answers. We urge anyone who may have information regarding the 1980 disappearance of Mae “Jane” Leonard to contact the Venice Police Department at (618) 877-2114, or to remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Crime Stoppers USA at (800) 222-8477. No detail is too small, and even the smallest piece of information could provide the breakthrough investigators need.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gastonia Police Department or CrimeStoppers of Gaston Co.
at (704) 861-8000.

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