HBO's Burden of Proof: 5 things to know about Jennifer Pandos' disappearance

The much-awaited crime documentary Burden of Proof is all set to premiere on June 6, 2023, on HBO. The documentary entails the story behind the baffling 1987 disappearance of Jennifer Pandos, and how her brother Stephen Pandos, nearly three decades after the incident, gets the cold case reopened and embarks on a quest to find out the truth of what really happened.

HBO revealed that Burden of Proof will have a total of six episodes and released the official synopsis for the series, which reads:

"When 15-year-old Jennifer Pandos went missing in 1987, her parents told everyone she ran away. Decades later, her brother Stephen begins a relentless odyssey in search of the truth. His investigation into the case threatens to destroy his family as he becomes strongly convinced that his parents are both implicated in the crime. As time passes, more threads unravel and new evidence comes to light, Stephen starts to question everything he has come to believe."

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On the morning of February 10, 1987, Margie Pandos woke up to wake her daughter for school. Usually, Jennifer used to get up at 6:00 am to take a shower and get ready, however, on that day it wasn't the case, as Margie did not hear any sound from the room. Assuming her daughter had overslept, Margie opened Jennifer's door to wake her up, but to her surprise, the door was locked.

Worried and concerned, for Jennifer never used to lock the doors at night, Margie woke up Ron Pandos, Jennifer's father. Upon prying the door open, Ron and Margie discovered that Jennifer was missing and so was her purse. Despite the case having gone cold, with no new leads and suspects, there remain numerous facts that the public might not know.

HBO's Burden of Proof: 5 Facts about the puzzling disappearance of Jennifer Pandos

1) Ron and Margie Pandos found a note on Jennifer's pillow

Burden of Proof docuseries reveals that upon prying Jennifer's door open, Margie and Ron Pandos found an unsettling and disturbing note on her pillow. James City County Deputy Chief Steve Rubino also revealed that the letter, surprisingly, began in third person. It read as:

"Your daughter's with me. She's fine. She's having some problems and needs time away."

Despite the handwriting on the letter examining the same, the tense of the letter changed to the first person:

''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.''

2) Ron and Margie Pandos reported Jennifer missing three days after the initial suspicion

Ron, Margie and Jennifer Pandos (Image via HBO)

Ron and Margie Pandos followed the instruction of the note and decided to report the disappearance at the James City Police Department, three days after finding out about the note. After showing the note to the police, investigators and lead prosecutors on the case theorized that Jennifer, who was left-handed, wrote the note with her right hand since the penmanship on the note was "awkward" and "unpracticed".

Burden of Proof docuseries reveals that based on the note, that just indicated that Jennifer needed time away, and her sudden disappearance without an apparent reason, she was reported as a "runaway". Deputy Chief Rubino also told Dateline in an older interview:

“There was no reason to believe any foul play had occurred.”

3) No other evidence was found in the case

A still from Burden of Proof (Image via IMDb)

The investigators of the case revealed to Dateline that they found no other evidence about Jennifer's disappearance and that her case went cold almost immediately. Deputy Chief Rubino revealed that since the case he has supervised numerous interviews of potential suspects, cadaver dog searches, and polygraph examinations, however, that has led the case nowhere.

Burden of Proof will also bring to light the impact of Jennifer's disappearance on the Williamsburg community. Her childhood friend Woods Woolwine reveals in the documentary:

“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.”

However, it has been revealed in the documentary's trailer that new evidence will come to light regarding Jennifer's disappearance.

4) Stephen Pandos suspects Ron and Margie Pandos of foul play

Margie Pandos during an interrogation (Image via HBO)

HBO docuseries Burden of Proof's trailer sheds light on how Stephen Pandos has always suspected his parents of having something to do with Jennifer's disappearance. The brother reveals in the documentary that his suspicions stem from the fact that his parents decided to report Jennifer's disappearance three days after their initial suspicion.

He goes on to explain that Jennifer, being 15 at the time was obviously not in a position to make clear and concise judgments, and so the parents' decision to just trust the note was very suspicious. Another reason that made Stephen suspect his parents is their failed polygraph tests when asked about Jennifer's whereabouts. He says that there is something bigger at play than his parents let on.

What makes Burden of Proof even more intriguing is that it'll see Stephen confront his estranged parents about the same, and discover shocking facts about Jennifer's "disturbing" past that is sure to change the trajectory of the case.

5) Jennifer's case is still an open and active missing persons case

Deputy Chief Rubino confirmed in an interview with Dateline that Jennifer's case has officially been labeled as an open and active missing persons case. He says that even though the case has been reopened and new facts have come to life, unfortunately, “there’s never been any evidence to explain her disappearance” and “her body has not been recovered.”

Burden of Proof premieres on June 6, 2023, exclusively on HBO.

Edited by Abhipsa Choudhury