Name: Jeanette Maria Corpuz
Age: 27 years old
Last Seen: January 13, 2003
Location: Reno, Nevada
Status: Still missing
Case Information
27 year old Jeanette Corpuz was last seen in Reno, Nevada on January 13, 2003. She was last seen by a real estate agent at her home, where she informed them of her plans to move and get a divorce.
Background
Jeanette Corpuz was born on January 27, 1975. She has a son with her previous husband, who lived in California at the time of her disappearance. She has two other children from a previous marriage who live with their father.
Jeanette married Lyle Marsh Montgomery in 2002, and sometimes went by her maiden name Acord, as well as the last name Snyder.
At the time of her disappearance she worked with Montgomery at a Super Kmart in Reno where he was the pharmacy manager.
Disappearance
Jeanette Corpuz was last seen by a real estate agent at her home in Reno, Nevada on January 13, 2003. She told the realtor she was getting a divorce and was planning to move to Redding, California with her son.
On January 21, 2003, she had a phone conversation with her ex-husband which whom she shares a child with. Jeanette hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Her ex-husband stated that nothing seemed out of the ordinary the last time he spoke with her.
Investigation
On January 25, 2003, Jeanette’s 3 year old son was found abandoned at a Shopko in Salt Lake City, Utah, about 520 miles away from home. Surveillance footage from the store shows the child being abandoned by Jeanette’s current husband and the child’s stepfather, Lyle Marsh Montgomery.
Montgomery fled the Shopko after abandoning the child, and was apprehended a few days later. He was subsequently charged with misdemeanor child abuse. The child was sent to live with his biological father in California.
During their investigation into the abandoned child, investigators realized Jeanette was also missing.
When investigators went to question Montgomery in February of 2003, they found he had overdosed on sleeping pills and alcohol. He was subsequently treated at a psychiatric hospital before being released on February 27.
During a search of Jeanette and Lyle’s home, investigators found substantial amounts of blood evidence in the bedroom, as well as trace amounts in the bathroom, hallway, and entryway. The bed and dresser were also missing from the master bedroom.
DNA testing of the blood found in the home matched Jeanette, which turned her case into a homicide investigation. Investigators also searched a storage unit owned by Montgomery, but were unable to find Jeanette’s body.
According to the search warrant affidavit, Jeanette’s son told police that his stepfather missed his mother when he fired a gun at her, and instead hit a dresser in their home.
In March 2003, Montgomery was ordered to stand trial in Washoe District Court on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment. Those charges stemmed from an October 2002 incident where he allegedly pointed a gun at Jeanette and threatened to kill her.
Montgomery’s lawyer at the time, Scott Freeman, said there was nothing to indicate Jeanette is dead, and noted that she also failed to show up for a December hearing on the October assault incident.
The attorney also said Jeanette fabricated the story about the October assault, and that she had broken into Montgomery’s home on October 26 to steal things and attacked him with a knife.
Montgomery was ordered to be held on a $2.5 million cash bond for the assault charge.
On April 8, 2003, following his release, Montgomery committed suicide by shooting himself with his roommates gun. He did not leave a note.
Authorities consider Montgomery a suspect in Jeanette’s homicide and disappearance, though the case has stalled since his death.
Appearance
White/Hispanic female born on January 27, 1975. Jeanette has brown hair, blue eyes, stands 5’6, and weighs 160 pounds.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jeanette Corpuz please contact the Reno Police Department at (775) 334-2155.
Resources & Further Information
Jeanette Maria Corpuz – NamUs
Jeanette Maria Corpuz – The Charley Project
Reno Judge Sets Bail at $2.5M in Missing Woman Case – The Record Courier
Murder – Jeanette Corpuz – True Crime Deadline
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