Every Town - Unsolved Waterbed Murder of Jaye Mintz - Leland, NC

Episode Date: October 14, 2022

A 23-year-old single mother of two, Beverly Jaye Potter Mintz lived a simple life and worked earnestly for her kids’ future. It’s been 35 years since the heinous killing took place, yet authorities are still in dire need of answers to the questions surrounding the case, and the remaining family members of Jaye are still seeking for justice and peace. Will the day of reckoning ever come?--------------------------------------------💀 Exclusive Video Content & Access https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries 🥇 Watch This Episode on Youtube!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlrnlGlWgnw&ab_channel=ScaryMysteriesSOCIAL👁 Videos not found on Youtube check us out on TikTok @andrewfitzgerald💀 Instagram @andrew.fitzg💥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarymysteriesofficialPODCAST🎧 Scary Mysteries Podcast for more content from ushttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1235579 Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Every town has a dark side. A 23-year-old single mother of two, Beverly Jay Mintz, lived a simple life and worked earnestly for her kid's future. She was well loved by her family and friends and maintained good relationships with the people in her community. But regardless, life can often be unpredictable and unfair. During one ordinary day in February of 1987, an extraordinary crime ended the life of Jay. And it brought tremendous shock to Leland, North Carolina, where she and her children lived. She became another awful statistic of American crime. It was a seamless murder except for one piece of evidence that may have pointed to the killer.

An advertisement about a waterbed on sale that Jay had placed in a weekly newspaper. I'm Ander Fitzgerald, bringing you another cold murder case shrouded in mystery in today's episode of Everytown titled the Unsolved Waterbed Murder of Beverly J. Mintz. It's been 35 years since the heinous killing took place, yet authorities are still in dire need of answers to the question surrounding the case and the remaining family members of Jay are still seeking justice and peace. If you guys like this series, then please subscribe, review us, and tell a friend about your creepy podcast.

And now let's head over to North Carolina. to hear more about Jay Story. The subject of our story is more popularly known as Jay Mintz to her family and friends, but at the age of 19 and three months pregnant, got hitched to her high school sweetheart, Billy. They lived in Leland, the most populous town in Brunswick County in North Carolina, which has become one of the fastest growing towns in the state. Not long after their first-born son named B.J. was born,

the young couple separated. And then Billy joined the army and they reconciled and Jay even followed him to Germany when her husband was assigned there in 1985. Their reconciliation bore fruit and they had another son they named Andrew. But their stormy marriage didn't stand the test of time and by November of 86,

Jay was on her way home on Village Road in Leland. She and her sons settled in a pleasant, gray, Cape Cod cottage that their family had owned since 1923. It was situated on a large, open corner lot, a half mile away from where her parents, grandmother, uncle, and aunt live. Her uncle Roy and aunt Laura Hobbs, who was Jay's mother's twin sister, described their niece as beautiful, real shy, and sweet. She was also a good mother who loved her boys and valued their strong family bond.

Jay wanted a fresh start being a single mom, so she took a job waiting tables at the Hong Kong restaurant in Wilmington. On the side, she was also into selling water beds. She gained financial independence and learned how to manage her money. At that time, Jay was sharing the cottage with her cousin Angela and her young daughter. The separated Miss Mintz was an attractive woman who was like a magnet for suitors. Angela and Jay received unwanted attention from several admirers around this time. There was even a man who would write, I love you, Jay, in the gravel of the driveway of Jay's house.

There was another man who left a single red rose for her at the restaurant where she worked. But Jay, while she wasn't interested, with her quiet demeanor, she was always kind to them. Soon she started dating again, and particularly ex-Mrs. Mintz, dated her boss, David Wong, 15 years her senior and a successful restaurateur. She also went out with men whose ages were much closer to hers. Just as life for Jay Mintz and her sons was beginning to pick up, the unpredictability of life struck her in the most brutal way. February 23, 1987 was supposedly a day of anticipating a celebration

that turned into a day of deep mourning for Jay's family. Her younger son Andrew was celebrating his second birthday the next day, and Jay was busy planning for her son's birthday party and preparing for the visit of her family in Leland. Earlier that week, Jay had taken advantage of a local newspaper's offer for free advertising. She initially placed an ad for the sale of a waterbed using her contact number, but the offer expired after a month. But she continued to use that free ad placement using her mother, Lorraine Potter's number. At around 9.40 a.m. on the 23rd of February, Jay received a call from Lorraine telling her that a man was interested in the waterbed and that he'd be dropping by Jay's house.

But according to Jay, the item had already been sold that morning, but her mother had already given the prospective buyer her house address. Lorraine just told Jay to explain to the man that the waterbed had already been sold and that short telephone conversation became the last time that the mother and daughter ever spoke with one another. At around noon that day, Lorraine had stopped by Jay's house on her way back from town. She noticed that the door was unlocked, which was unusual since her daughter always secured their doors. When nobody answered her knocks,

Lorraine decided to go inside. The first thing the grandmother heard was in. Andrew whimpering in the back bedroom. That day, Jay's elder son, BJ, was with his other grandmother. Lorene walked into the bedroom, and that's where she found Jay, whose body was bound on the waterbed. There was a pillowcase over her head, and when Lorene pulled it, she almost fainted by what she saw. Jay's throat had been violently slashed. Lorraine ran from Jay's blood-splattered bedroom, holding tightly her grandson in her arms to the flower shop next door. Andrew, who thankfully was unharmed, uttered,

Mean man hurt Mommy, Mommy cry as they fled through the rear door. The florist then called 911 and immediately multiple patrol cruisers with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office line the driveway leading up to Jay's home. A forensics team and agents from the State Bureau of Investigation soon joined the officers. According to Lieutenant Israel West with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, Jay had been raped and stabbed repeatedly, and her throat had been cut so deep that her head had nearly been severed off. I can't even explain how bad it's been, Loreen said in 2007. I can't explain how bad it was the day I found her either.

It broke my heart. Two-year-old Andrew didn't know his mom was dead and thought she would be coming back. Brunswick County, which encompasses Leland and extends south to the South Carolina State line, is no stranger to violence. It averages a murder every single month, according to Sheriff Ron Hewitt, who was a 24-year-old rookie patrol officer when Miss Mintz was killed. Detectives have been puzzled from the start of the investigation. Leeland residents were so terrified after Jay's murder that gun sales increased by 300%.

Then Leland Sheriff John Carr Davis was baffled since their team didn't have much evidence from the crime scene. Andrew was too young, so he wasn't really able to offer any helpful information about his mother's murderer. When the grandmother asked the two-year-old toddler, one thing he remembered was hearing a knock at the door. His mom looked out the peephole, but nobody was there. When she opened the door, a white man immediately stepped inside the house. Presumably, that's when the brutal crime happened. In the weeks following Jay's murder, several people, known to Miss Mince, were considered, each examined and then ruled out.

Her husband, Billy, whom she was married to for three years, had a solid alibi. He was enlisted in the army and stationed in Germany at the time Jay was murdered. The owner of the Hong Kong restaurant, who was Jay's boss and one of the men she was dating, also presented an alibi. He was at his house with a plumber on that sad day. Other persons of interest were also checked off the list one by one, because they either didn't know her or had no motive. Tony Cummings, a retired investigator with the State Bureau of Investigations, recalled, It was a very violent, brutal, and chaotic scene. However, Dr. Maurice Godwin, a criminal investigative psychologist, had a different thought about the crime.

The expert said, I believe the individual had been stalking her. The person was comfortable watching the house and going in. He knew there was not an adult male in the home, so he had to be watching. But for Jay's cousin, Renee Brucewell, who saw. spent most of her life in Leland and was inseparable with Jay. It didn't make sense that someone was out there to kill Jay because she didn't have an enemy in the world. Renee lamented. She had a heart of gold. She was always nice to everyone and never said an unkind word. Talk to anyone who knew her, and they all say the same things. She was a sweet, wonderful person.

We don't understand how anybody could ever hurt someone like her. The only real piece of evidence, if it can even be considered that, was a newspaper clipping of the classified ad Jay had placed for the waterbed that was left behind in her room. The listing of the waterbed on sale was circled in red. Retired Detective Cummings believed the criminal deliberately found out information about Jay that morning and that the person who inquired about the waterbed is the suspect. For Dr. Godwin, though, the act could have been the killer's ruse to taunt the investigators. Renee also shared that Jay had started receiving anonymous calls after she placed the waterbed ad

and before she was killed. She said, The calls always came after she got home and the person would then hang up. So that's another reason we are thinking somebody was watching her. Her other cousin Angela, who would live with Jay, shared that the calls would be sexual in nature and the caller would taunt both ladies. While Mr. Cumming and Dr. Godwin disagree on the... the killer's M.O. They were of the same belief that Jay's murderer was an experienced criminal,

who spared harming, or worse, killing his well, her son because the killer was confident that innocent Andrew wouldn't be able to identify him. They also believed that the culprit got in and out of the house situated on a main road in a short amount of time. It was in the middle of the day, yet outcome no one noticed. There was a restaurant less than one-tenth of a mile east in a flower shop next door. It's one of the things that stood out most in the investigation. The killer was prepared, organized, and calm, knocking on the door instead of breaking in, and bringing with him rope, gloves, and the knife. He was discreet, coming and going without being noticed by the roofing crew on the house across the street. He took his knife with him after committing the murder,

knowing well that it could possibly help identify him. Investigators never found a weapon, any fingerprints or motive, although they found DNA evidence. They were hoping the DNA test results would eventually lead to some answers with the help of advancements in DNA technology. In 2000, when Jay's horrible murder was featured in USA Today, hundreds of law enforcement officers called up Brunswick County Sheriff's Office and reported they were dealing with the same type of case. Authorities investigated any possible connection between Jay's murder and these reported cases in which women were murdered in the same manner, but no evidence ever led to the killer. And so it was inevitable for this case to turn cold. 20 years after Jay Mintz's murder,

the investigation has gone through seasons of ebb and flows. Sheriff John Ingram, who took office in 2008, said, we've had several leads that have been followed up on that, unfortunately, didn't yield the results we had hoped. Even Detective Cummings, who had long retired from service, said he remained in contact with the investigators and hoped that despite the many years that have passed after the slaying, it was possible for the case to be solved. He said,

You always hope for someone to come forward or for advancements in forensic science to detect something in the evidence that we couldn't detect in 87. Dr. Godwin is quite hopeful too. This is not a sexual advance turned rejection, turned anger, turned murder, Dr. Godwin said. It's a complex case, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible to solve. As for Jay's family, they try to remain optimistic,

but waiting for decades for the crime to be solved became increasingly unbearable for them with each passing year. Jay's mom kept going as long as long as long as long as. long as she did for her grandchildren. She adopted BJ and Andrew, and would always see Jay and them whenever she looked at or talked to them. For Lorene, they were blessings during a difficult time. Unfortunately, Jill Watts, Jay's sister, who lived in Colorado, announced in 2007 that

Lorene succumbed to a heart attack at 63 years old. Jill added that their mother felt guilty for having given the caller directions to Jay's house that day in 1987, something Loreen lived with for the rest of her life as she worked tirelessly to find out who murdered her daughter. Miss Watt said, she lived with so much pain and guilt for the rest of her life. Her heart was completely broken. But perhaps, Jay's seemingly unexpected death was bound to happen. Jay's cousin Angela recalled that about a week before her cousin's murder, she walked by Jay's room and noticed that she seemed upset. She explained, she was lying on her bed, and I asked if everything was okay.

She told me she had a dream about a strange man trying to kill her. After she was killed, I couldn't shake what she said. It's like she knew something was about to happen. And it became a premonition of the most tragic moment in the life of Jay Potter Mintz and her loved ones. The great consolation is that investigators with the Brunswick County Sheriff's office have been actively working on the case since 1987. For 35 years, it's been Brunswick County's goal to solve the case and get closure for Jay's family. Anyone with information that could help solve Jay's case is asked to call Lieutenant Israel West with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office

at 910-253-277 or 1-800-6-7-2-6-3-6-7-7. So that's it, guys, for this week's episode of Everytown. Remember, you can always watch this episode on our YouTube channel called Scary Mysteries. And if you want more podcasts from us, check out our Scary Mysteries podcast. Tune in next week for another episode filled with Scary Strange and Mysterious Stories, guys. Because who knows? Maybe your town will be next.