What happened to Jennifer Pandos? Details explored ahead of HBO’s Burden of Proof
Cynthia Hill is all set to return to the true crime scene with her new four-part documentary Burden of Proof, which follows the disappearance of Williamsburg-area teenager Jennifer Lynn Pandos. The docu-series will focus on Stephen Pandos, a Charlotte man, whose sister went missing 36 years ago and has since then not been found.
Burden of Proof will premiere on June 6, 2023, on Max.
The Durham-based filmmaker reportedly reached out to Stephen Pandos on LinkedIn and was captivated by his story. Speaking about Burden of Proof, the director said:
"We wanted to make a story that was character-based, so not wanting to let the whodunit take over the narrative was really important for us...Obviously that's something that is intriguing … and we would sit up late at night talking about how crazy this story is from the beginning...But we also want the journey to be a part of it. We really wanted the audience to get a sense of this family and the journey that Stephen has been on."
Jennifer Pandos' disappearance is one of the many cold cases that never saw the light of day, leaving her family stranded. Despite the frequent attempts by her family, and especially her brother Stephen, the case remains unsolved to this day.
Burden of Proof: Who was Jennifer Pandos and what happened to her?
The subject of Burden of Proof, Jennifer Lynn Pandos, was a 15-year-old teenager from Williamsburg, Virginia. According to her parents, she was friendly and outgoing. In 1987, Jennifer Pandos went missing from her home on an ordinary February morning.
She was a high-school sophomore at the time and would routinely get up at six in the morning to get ready. The first shadow of doubt was created when Jennifer's mother did not hear her in the morning. Furthermore, Jennifer's bedroom door was locked that morning, something that was unusual for the teenager.
After her parents unlocked the door, they found that their daughter was missing and so was her purse. According to sources, authorities later revealed that they had found a note on the teenager's pillow, which said:
"Your daughter's with me. She's fine...She's having some problems and needs time away."
The note reportedly continued in first person with the same handwriting, saying:
"I'm fine, I just need time to think. Both of you please go to work tomorrow ‘cause I will try to call you. I won't call you at home, only at one of y'all's work...Do not call the police...I can easily find out if you do. I may never come back home. Don't tell my friends about this. Just tell them that I'm sick."
The parents initially waited and followed the note, but after three days, they decided to head to the authorities.
As her case was termed as a 'runaway,' it became cold quite soon. The community, however, did put some effort into trying to locate the young girl. A childhood friend, Woods Woolwine, told Dateline:
"Everyone was just trying to figure out what happened and how she went missing...The adults were nervous in the neighborhood, because there was a lot of uncertainty over what happened. There wasn’t really much information out there, to be honest."
Despite some resurgence in interest, there have been no solutions so far.
Burden of Proof will further examine this mysterious disappearance when it airs on June 6, 2023, on HBO Max.
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Upasya Bhowal