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Man may have gone missing before But wife still has faith in her husband By Jill Briskey An Ashland man who disappeared with his daughter on Nov. 8 may have been involved in a similar incident 18 years ago, authorities believe. His wife, however, suspects foul play and says a man who was sighted in a Beaverton bank last week cashing a counter check was not her husband � and she has the signatures to prove it. Jackson County sheriff�s detectives are investigating the case of Jeff Wisdom and his 4-year-old daughter, Jill, who disappeared after a family trip to Cottage Grove one week ago. Detectives believe the disappearance is motivated by unknown domestic reasons. Detective Eric Fox said he has received information that indicated Wisdom may have attempted the same type of behavior 18 years ago over a six-week span. "We don�t have any factual information to support that," he said. "There are rumors that this occurred with his first wife." But Julie Wisdom said she knows in her heart that her husband did not run off with their child. "He�s not off somewhere, trying to find himself," she said. "I�m not crazy." Wisdom, a ranch manager at Box R Ranch, and his daughter failed to return home from Cottage Grove a week ago. Witnesses said a man who looked like Jeff Wisdom walked into a Beaverton bank Friday, produced a driver�s license and withdrew $700. He left with both the money and a small, talkative, blond-haired girl dressed in pink who accompanied him inside. Julie Wisdom is convinced the man was not her husband. Her most compelling evidence lies in three of Jeff Wisdom�s signatures, two of which were used to withdraw funds from the family�s account. The third is a known original. None of them match, she said. Roger Weeks, an Ashland certified handwriting expert, examined the bank drafts with Wisdom�s signatures on them. "The signature on the counter check which was cashed in Beaverton, Oregon, is not consistent with the writing which was known to be the writing of Jeff Wisdom," he said. Weeks is a former Southern Oregon University instructor who has written a book on handwriting. Five forgery experts from the sheriff�s department have reviewed the signatures, Fox said, but haven�t been able to draw a conclusion. He doesn�t believe, however, that foul play has taken place. If it had, the perpetrator would have needed to know specific information, such as Wisdom�s mother�s maiden name, to make one of the transactions, he added. Since Friday�s withdrawal, three other transactions made in Wisdom�s name have taken place in the Portland area, Fox said. There has been no word from Wisdom himself. The day after Wisdom and his daughter were reported missing, family members found his Chevrolet Suburban abandoned on Interstate 5 near the Drain exit. A note inside indicated the vehicle wasn�t working and the two would walk for help. There were no signs of foul play. Until contact is made between Wisdom and law enforcement, the case will remain open, Fox added. "We have no evidence of foul play. We have a strange happening," he said. "For all we know, he could have changed his name and is flipping burgers at McDonald�s." Julie Wisdom remains convinced eyewitness reports are incorrect. She said Jill was not wearing pink but a red vest, red and white shirt and faded blue jeans. She also said her husband had to have been wearing glasses � his contacts were found in the Suburban � but the man sighted in Beaverton was not. "That�s what concerns me so. Nobody has really seen him," she said. "He would have to be wearing (glasses). He is so impaired visually that he has to wear them to see." Fearing foul play, Julie Wisdom has hired a private investigator to look into the case. A network of family and friends have kept the search effort strong. "My heart is torn for both of them," she said, adding that she prays her daughter is still by her father�s side. "He�s a wonderful husband. He would never separate himself from Jill unless he was hurt." Fox remains skeptical, however. "There are some differences," he said. "But it�s close, a lot of it is close." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.