Missing Since: 1980-01-21 Location: Marienville, Pennsylvania
Jennings was last seen putting gas in his car in Marienville, Pennsylvania at 3:00 p.m. on January 21, 1980. After his disappearance, his car was found in the garage at his home on Route 899. The keys were in the house and change was scattered in the driveway. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of him. Earlier in life , Jennings sang for United Service Organizations, which provides entertainment for American troops overseas. He married Sandra, a former television hostess, and they lived in New Jersey and had one son, Emerson. Emerson is now a singer and songwriter for the alternative rock band Tonic. He wrote about his father in his solo debut album, Cigarettes and Gasoline, which was released in 2007. Emerson stated his father was a loving parent but had violent outbursts throughout his life and once threatened the family’s pet cockatoo with a gun after it nipped him. Jennings was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1975 and prescribed medication, but he resisted treatment and often refused to take his medicine. Sandra filed for divorce in 1977 and Jennings moved to rural Pennsylvania. He visited Emerson, but would periodically threaten to kidnap him. Then he disappeared. Authorities learned that that time of his disappearance, Jennings was dating several women at once and some of them were married. They believe he was a homicide victim and speculated it was a revenge crime related to his tangled romantic relationships. His case remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Pennsylvania State Police 814-755-3565 Source Information NamUs Pennsylvania Missing Persons People Magazine Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated September 5, 2010; casefile added.