U.S. military officials: Inconsistencies in Maj. Jill Metzger’s kidnapping story

The police in Kyrgyzstan aren’t the only ones who question U.S. Air Force Maj. Jill Metzger’s story that she was kidnapped at a store, held three days, and then escaped.

U.S. defense officials tell ABC News that serious inconsistencies have emerged in the investigation of the strange disappearance of Air Force Major Jill Metzger. Maj. Metzger vanished without a trace while shopping at a store in Kyrgyzstan on Sept. 5 until she just as mysteriously reappeared three days later.

Sources tell ABC News that surveillance video taken in the store contradict the Major's story that she was abducted after someone put a hard object in her back pocket along with a note saying that it was an explosive.  The video indicates that she left the store of her own free will, and alone, according to sources who have seen the video.

As investigators gather all the facts surrounding the case, they are exploring the possibility that she was attempting to flee a recent marriage, according to one source close to the investigation.   When she was found, her hair had been cropped short and dyed.

Happy to be free? Meanwhile, Metzger yesterday released an incredibly vague statement. What’s missing from the statement? Any mention that she is happy to be “free.” Maybe she doesn’t feel especially thrilled to be free because she never was captive.

“Right now I’m trying to focus on healing myself mentally and physically,” Metzger said in a news release from U.S. Air Forces in Europe. “I’m healthy and recovering, and looking very forward to heading back to the states to see my family. I appreciate everyone’s understanding in respecting my privacy while I rest and try to get through this.”

Perhaps she’s another “runaway bride.” This is the most likely explanation. On April 8, she married Air Force Capt. Joshua Mayo, but the two have been apart for all but 10 days since then because of their military careers. He is based in Florida. When she disappeared Sept. 5, she was three days from the end of her four-month deployment in Kyrgyzstan. They had scheduled a honeymoon in Jamaica for Sept. 24.

No questions, please. She disappeared from her taxpayer-paid job for three days, and now she asks us to respect her privacy. In other words, don’t ask questions because I might have to tell you I ran off on my own to avoid going home to the husband I hardly know. Don’t ask questions because I might have to tell you I sent a lot of people on an expensive wild goose chase.

Jill Metzger’s father, John Metzger, says she really was kidnapped, but:

He said she has not yet provided him with details of her ordeal.

“We haven’t really pushed that button yet,” he said.

Obviously, her father doesn’t want to make her lie, so he’s avoiding the big questions. My guess is, she’ll eventually tell the truth. She’ll have to.

Frank Warner

Update Sept. 17: Really no update. Nothing new today. But somebody in the family must have asked a couple of important questions by now.

* * *

Update: Maj. Metzger on Sept. 14 arrived back in the United States, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The Air Force said she was greeted by family members. She already had been reunited with her husband, Capt. Mayo, days earlier in Germany. In Georgia, she arrived wearing an informal shirt with the words "Air Force" on it. She appeared to be flanked by her father and mother.

SEE ALSO: Unknown soldiers: With 38,000 Bronze Stars awarded in the Iraq war, where are the stories of heroism?

SEE ALSO: Atrocity of history: Representing Castro as Cuba.

SEE ALSO: Maj. Jill Metzger update: Nothing new.

Comments

[Kuba Kyrgyz]

Would hair dyed dark brown make Jill Metzger less visible during night time covert operations? Considering that that area was near Russian military base, would she be going for some ops?

These kind of things did happen in the past. Say, some covert ops in Kyrgyzstan were in place to get details about new secret Russian torpedoes which are tested in Issyk Kul lake.

[Kuba Kyrgyz]

Looks like she got caught by Russian counter intelligence type of guys. They interrogated her probably for couple of days and let her go. And gave her to Kyrgyz police.
Rest of the story is well known.
This theory deserves paying an attention. Deductions, deductions.

[Helen Shephard]

I have met Jill Metzger more then a few times, since she was working with my husband in Germany. She was engaged at the time and happy as she can be. She is NOT a runaaway wife, and didn't just take a break from her taxpayers paid job. If you think the details about her ordeal will be in the news, think again !
People who has very little knowledge about the military, -really- should stop speculating !
Jill is a sweatheart, we are all happy that she is alive !

[bf]

I had the displeasure of knowing Jill Metzger while stationed at Ramstein Germany. "Jill is a Sweetheart" - - PLEASE! I knew her as ruthless, and unsympathetic to those with a personal life. I could hardly believe it when I heard what happened to her, and could only think to myself "what goes around, comes around". Jill, if you are reading this - you know exactly what I am talking about. Devine Justice.

[Frank Warner]

What a weird case.

It probably would be better if we'd all agree she wasn't kidnapped, and leave it at that.

[Friend of Jill's]

I also knew Jill in Germany and she is a kind and wonderful person and a very hard worker. I never heard anything bad about her except that she worked too hard. She is an outstanding officer who loves the Air Force. She is loved and respected by many.

[Roger]

OSI will get the truth out of her in their own sweet time. I don't know her personally, but know of her. All AF personnel officers work too hard, especially at Ramstein. If they do not, they won't survive. I tend to believe Helen Shephard though. Todays non-rated officers will ride their subordinates all the way to their next promotion. Integity is selectively used when it meets their own agenda. This is actually quite sad because if they do not operate this way, they won't be making the AF a career. Thank God for force shaping because the AF can eliminate some of the dead weight, especially 640 O6s. As for the O3s all the good ones are taking the money while the mediocre ones stay. As for her abduction?? Something is fishy. She struck her captor and escaped?? Yeah, right. If she did lie we'll probably never know. The AF is well known for protecting its officer corp

[Kuba Kyrgyz]

Check out following web page.
It says that Jill's case naow is being handled by Justice Department (which means that case is being handled by FBI?)

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=39393&archive=true

She also said that conclusions from the investigation — now being handled by the U.S. Justice Department — can’t come too soon. Not only do airmen want to go off-base, she said, but the 600 Americans in Kyrgyzstan, including families of contractors working on the base, need to know if they’re at risk.

[Sheena]

"She is NOT a runaaway wife, and didn't just take a break from her taxpayers paid job."

And you know this... how? Because you are a friend and you don't think she would do that? I just love it when people say so and so could never do such and such. Please. You never really know anyone.

Read the news today? Seems like you don't know Jill at all.

[curious grunt]

If there is anything i have learned in my lengthy service career its that the military is very good at circling the wagons to protect various people when it suits their PR image. We seen this with the incident of fratricide in Afghanistan for their reknown football player, jessica lynch, and it wouldnt suprise me if the major wasnt yet another cover up. Its possible (barely) that she is being truthful but as in previous cases she is valuable to their image so we may never know. She competes in marathons and makes public appearances for the USAF and they need that for recruiting. THey also need certain factions to believe women belong in the military and are just as safe there as anywhere else because the military is so good at protecting them and creating a good working environment. You wont see stories (i can verify) of female troops waking up with foriegn nationals in their tents, cars pulling along side them while they ran and men trying to abduct them, etc... Since i have witnessed aggressive acts against women soldiers while deployed i do find her story slightly credible. There is just to many inconsistancies in it though. Since the military likes to appear it does this flawless job at catering to certain groups though the truth may never evolve. If she had failed to keep her weapon clean and been unable to engage the enemy, been kidnapped and had to be rescued she would be a national hero.

[Frank Warner]

Football player Jessica Lynch? What?

[Jills Ex Friend]

Helen...
Ditto, ditto, ditto!!!
Karma is a b*tch for Jill - those were my exact words when I saw her face on CNN. I knew her as jealous, attention-seeking, ... person that went out of her way to ruin several relationships because she did not like the female. Jill had a real issue with competition and if the AF had recognized how unstable she was five years ago we wouldn't be paying for an FBI investigation. I hope Jill is reading all of the posts around the internet about herself. Seems she is not respected, liked or admired. I have also noticed there are no posts from troops that have worked for her in the past saying that she is a great officer. ...
At least she will finally be "cute" in prison - that is what she has wanted her entire life.

[Capt Z]

I knew Jill while she was stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany. She was a very professional and hard working officer. I never felt she had any integrity issues and faced all endevours head on and she did well. I would be very surprised if she lied about what happened to her. I know plenty of people in the AF that would probably try to pull something like that, but Jill is not one of them.

[Preevyet]

There are things that haven't come out yet that will clear up the whole issue. I would like to say I think that this runaway bride rumor is crap. It was started by someone who speculated and has blossomed into a full fledged internet rumor. I don't know Maj. Metzger but I think there would be better ways to resolve a marriage issue than pulling a disappearing act in a foreign (and potentially hostile) country. Anyone who has been to that part of the world knows the risks when you go off base, and you are always watching your back. Her mistake was separating from her group, when you are alone it can get hairy. It may be a while before the report is released, by then it will be buried somewhere in the back pages of papers or websites because no one will probably care by then. As for the snide comments on "dead weight", I'm one of those "mediocre" O-3's hanging around because I love my country and have sacrificed 19 years of my life in service to my country (yes, I'm prior enlisted, 12 years). And the ones taking the money aren't always the good ones, the mediocre ones know if they don't take it now they might be forced out with nothing to show for it, the good ones know they are safe and are staying. Don't mean to turn this into a force shaping debate, so just wait for the final report and you will be in awe of what happened to her and how she managed to escape.

[Roger]

Preevyet,

Mediocre?? Touche!

[preevyet]

[Part of comment is deleted.] Roger, something I missed before, the AF doesn't protect their officers, they protect their *General* officers. Us peons, O-4 and below, are expendible and they'll throw us to the wolves especially now with force shaping. Obviously you've got some officer issues, just know we're not all careerists and some do actually care about those who work for them.

[Frank Warner]

Just a reminder to everyone posting here:

Let's spread no rumors here you wouldn't want spread about someone in your own family. At the same time, let's have no rebutting of those kinds of rumors, because in rebutting the rumors, you have to repeat unfair and potentially libelous stories.

Make sense?

[DM]

Helen Shephard,

You might want to contact militarycorruption.com because you're being misquoted there. In fact, a completely different quote, one that is negative about Jill, is being attributed to you on that site.

[Idol Hanz]

DM! How does it feel to be one of "Jill's Shills"?

Lets say Jil really did get kidnapped--despite all the testimonial evidence that she did not.

When is she going to the White House to receive her Air Force Cross? Nothing less will do of course! Why didn't the Wing commander come out to meet her at Moody when she arrived there?

If Scott O'Grady was recognized for his bravery, then when is Jil going to be paraded as a "hero"?

This is not fair! Where is Hillary, Nancy, Dianne, Rosie O’Donnell and Oprah?

Face it, she lied and the truth will be known and soon! If she didn’t lie, then why the cold-shoulder? You can't have it both ways---It's either going to be our Nation's highest honors or it's going to be DISGRACE and DISHONOR! There can be no middle ground or vacillation!

[Snip]

This story isn’t going away and WE THE PEOPLE want a full ACCOUNTING.

Yeah, Jil is a real “sweet heart”.

[DM]

Idol Hanz, how does it feel to have an problem with anger management, paranoia, and obsessive disorder?

Definition of "Shill", source dictionary.com
"a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty."

There is no personal profit or motivation by friendship or loyalty. Perhaps there is self-interest in acting on my conscience by not condemning someone without the availability of facts or evidence, by not jumping on the anti-Jill bandwagon, by not wrongfully slandering her. If Idol Hanz would ridicule me for this, then what sort of person does that make HIM??

[Idol Hanz]

Hey DM (Jil)--there is a saying that goes:

"if the shoe fits, then you must wear it".

You are defending Jil (yourself). You claim there's no "facts or evidence". Can you not hear the laughter of the public and the taxpayers?

How many people do you think believe you now despite all the physical, testimonial and particular knowledge evidence against you and your claim of abduction, torture, escape?

Again, let's say Jil (you) are telling the truth. Why are you tolerating this slighting of your integrity and honor? Only the nation's highest honors will do! We think that since Jil (you) are telling the truth, then you deserve to be recognized just as Scott O'Grady was recognized and awarded our nation's highest honors. Anything less (since you're telling the truth) is unacceptable!

So when are you going to be receiving that Air Force Cross for heroism and bravery? We want to know!

But if the truth lies elsewhere, then it's going to be disgrace and dishonor, isn't it?

[Idol Hanz]

BREAKING NEWS ON METZGER CASE!!

I have just learned of evidence that shows unusual activity with Major Metzger's Air Force career.

For the last month, persons unknown to me have been checking the availability of Major Metzger’s email address on the Air Force Global email-addressing database. This database is easily accessible to any military or civilian Air Force member who has an email account through their base server.
Punch in "Metzger" into the address you're looking for and all Metzger names will pop up. There are not that many "Metzgers" in the database. I don't know what that address is, but most probably it is "JilMetzger@moody.af.mil". I have not looked at that database since I retired nor have I ever sent her unsolicited email. I have learned this information through a third party. I strongly believe it's true and factual. Because of the character and credentials of the persons who gave me the information, I sincerely believe it to be true and factual.

In the last week, Jil Metzger's Email listing on the global address directory has been REMOVED. There is only one reason that that would be done. She is being out processed!! No more email for you Jil!

This is also evidence that there will be no trial in a military court. This evidence shows that for whatever reason, Metzger is now being out processed and administratively discharged. And under the privacy act, we, the taxpayers, will never know the details!

This is the royal shaftola for the taxpayer and a disgrace to the already disgraced Air Force leadership. Now the complaints to congress will begin.

[Preevyet]

Nice try Idol Hanz, but Maj. Jill Metzger is still (as of 2 minutes ago) on the global listing. Not being on the global means nothing, I'm an AF guy working at a Naval Base, and guess what, I'm not on it either. Anyone who has an AF portal account can find her, still listed in MilPDS which means she's still in. Of course if that changes, I'll let you know. What you need to know is she suffered something traumatic, and all this speculation about "other issues" is unfounded. Why hasn't she been awarded some award, ie a POW award or Purple Heart? Probably because we don't do that for events as such. Do you remember the Airman who shot and killed a Qatari national at Al Udeid? Probably not but I processed his Bronze star with V, worthy of national attention in my opinion since he shot the guy from about 75 meters with a 9mm while the guy was blasting away with an AK-47. Just don't rush to judgement, I'm not defending her, but I like to wait for all the facts before I convict someone.

[Preevyet]

Just wanted to correct myself, I had mixed up the Al Udeid Incident with another, this one was close range, heroic still, but at 15 feet not 75 meters. See http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=11958&archive=true
for the full story you probably never heard. Sorry to be off topic but I wanted people to hear this Airman's story and point out you don't always get the truth out of the US media.

[Idol Hanz]

Wait a minute! She said terrorists kidnapped her! They placed a bomb in her pocket! She was tortured! And then she said she overpowered her captors and escaped.

If this is true, this is a significant event and she should be recognized! The leadership is discriminating against her because she's a female!

A guard shooting an intruder is not in the same category as being kidnapped by "terrorists" and then escaping--it is much more significant!

So, Why the cold-shoulder from the leadership? No appropriate recognition for an OFFICER who ESCAPED from TERRORISTS? When is the award ceremony and if not, when is the public campaign and petition to see her recognized going to begin?

Again, You can't have it both ways!

Either it's going to be the nation's highest honors, or it's going to be DISGRACE and DISHONOR!

What excuse for Silly Jilly Willy are you going to make when the Air Force tells us next week: "The United States Air Force and the 23rd Wing today announces that Major Jil Metzger has resigned her commission and has left the Air Force for health reasons"??

There's not going to be a trial--she is threatening adverse publicity unless they give her a sweet deal medical retirement for "PTSD"--something that should only be given to combat veterans, not liars and scoundrels!

You want to believe Jil Metzger’s story?—go right ahead, it’s your reputation pal. Some of us are not so stupid. So enjoy your stay in Rota, Sigonella, Misawa, Diego or wherever the heck you’re at.

You seem to be out of touch!