Jael Hamblen, 20, was last seen on October 11, 2014, in the Trailside Loop area of southern Anchorage, Alaska. At 3:00 a.m., she texted a friend and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Background
Jael Tiara Hamblen was born on July 28, 1994 in Washington state. She spent the first 14 months of her life in foster care. Jael was raised primarily in Wasilla, Alaska, but spent time with her father in Washington after her parents divorced.
Jael suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which resulted in developmental delays. According to her mother, Jael began rebelling in her teens, eventually leading to her dropping out of high school and running away for the first time at the age of 17.
Jael had an infant son at the time of her disappearance, which her family claims gave her purpose in life and led to her turning her life around. They don’t think she’d abandon him. After Hamblen went missing, Jael’s mother was granted custody of the boy.
She may go by the name Sasha or her birth name, Tiara, as her middle name.
Disappearance
Jael Hamblen and her roommate, Kendra Estrada, went out to TGI Friday’s for dinner on October 11, 2014, and returned home shortly before 10:00 p.m. Kendra’s mother was caring for Kendra’s children as well as Jael’s infant son at the time.
Jael considered going back out, but Kendra had gone to bed. That night, Jael was reportedly upset because a man she was interested in had rejected her.
Jael texted a male friend at 1:40 a.m., saying she was crying and wanted to meet up with him. Soon after 3 a.m., she texted another man. This is the last time anyone has heard from Jael.
When her roommate awoke at 10:30 a.m. the next morning, she texted Jael about going to the movies together, but she received no response. She knocked on Jael’s bedroom door at noon, but she didn’t get an answer. When she entered the room, she discovered Jael missing and her bed unmade.
Her roommate assumed Jael had left and stayed out all night, but she became concerned when she couldn’t reach her. Jael’s phone started going straight to voicemail after she sent a few more texts that afternoon.
Jael was reported missing to the Anchorage Police Department by her mother on October 14, 2014.
Investigation
Jael vanished with her cell phone and purse, but her car, a 1998 Ford Expedition with the Alaska license plate GFB641, remained parked in the driveway.
An examination of Jael’s phone reveals that none of her roommate’s texts on October 12 were delivered, implying that her phone was either turned off or the battery had died.
Hikers in Chugiak, Alaska, called the police after discovering Jael’s purse buried in the snow along a trail in March 2015. Her social security card and phone were discovered in her purse.
Police do not believe Jael placed the purse there herself, as she wasn’t a fan of hiking and the temperatures were below freezing on the night she disappeared.
Whereabouts
Jael Hamblen’s whereabouts, as well as the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, are unknown. Police are looking into her death as a homicide.
Jael’s case is still classified as endangered missing and unsolved.