Murdered Montana Woman’s Family Still Hopes For Answers In Case

This year marked the 22nd year of not knowing what happened to a mother of two from Livingston, Montana. But the question is still lingering through the community and the state; "What happened to Sheila Jordan?"

Some may not be familiar with the quaint little town of Livingston, but it is a tight-knit Montana community; everyone knows everyone and you wave to the car passing by, regardless of whether or not you know the driver personally. So when something horrific happens, like a murder, it shakes the town and is not soon forgotten.

Sheila Jordan was a mother of two and had been married for 7 years when her marriage came to an end. She was a cashier at the local grocery store which she lived near as well.

One August night, after Sheila finished up her shift, she started her short walk home. That was the last time she was seen alive.

Sheila was found beaten to death with what appeared to have either been a knife or another sharp hand-held tool, and left in the street. This atrocious attack happened just one block from home.

The obvious go-to for investigators was the ex-husband, Kevin Jordan. In many murders, the spouse is interviewed right away. Kevin was cleared of all charges and was cleared as a suspect after he fully cooperated and gave permission to have his home and car searched, along with providing DNA samples. Kevin moved out of the Livingston area where he could start over and not be "mentally questioned" by the community.

Next on the list of people to interview was Sheila's neighbor, John Payne, whom she had started dating after her divorce. He was also cleared of any involvement. The question of who did it still remained at large.

Police did mention that they thought Shelia knew the person who attacked her. A witness had stated that they saw Shelia speaking to a man in the street, on the night of her murder.

The case remained cold for 15 years, but was given another look in 2015. The lead investigator at that time said he was focusing on ONE person. Now who that person was, was never exposed.

After almost 23 years, there has to be someone who knows something. Maybe they were scared to say anything at the time of the murder, but you can still say something now. It's not too late to bring justice to this overdue Montana cold case.

cc: Montana Press, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Livingston Enterprise