Janet was last seen in Jackson, Michigan during the summer of 1992. That summer she and her husband, Robert Kirkup, were on a road trip in a recreational vehicle (RV). Janet disappeared sometime during the trip after visiting relatives in Gennessee County, Michigan. She has never been heard from again. Her children reported her missing. Robert did not provide much information as to her whereabouts at the time, saying only that she had left him. Authorities believed Janet was missing under suspicious circumstances.

Robert moved to California sometime after Janet's disappearance. In June 2008, investigators interviewed him about her case and he confessed he was responsible for her death. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. A photograph of Robert is posted below this case summary. He told police he strangled Janet at a campground near Buffalo, New York on August 14, 1992 and buried her body in a wooded area of Batavia, west of Buffalo. In August, Robert pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Janet's death. He said he killed her in self-defense after she attacked him with a knife. He could not remembered exactly where he'd buried her body. Robert was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

Janet's body has not been located, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.

Above: Robert Kirkup, circa 2008