48 Hours on ID: The Troubling Case of Jade Janks and Her Stepdad’s Secret Photos, May 5, 2024, ID

Jade Janks and the Secret Photos is an installment of the true crime series 48 Hours on ID, airing on Sunday May 5, that examines the mysterious death of Tom Merriman and the role his stepdaughter, Jade Janks, may have played. The case takes a twisted turn when explicit photos are discovered, raising questions about the nature of their relationship and leading to a shocking arrest.

The Gruesome Discovery and a Troubled Relationship

On December 15, 2020, Tom Merriman, a resident of Encinitas, California, was admitted to Scripps Hospital after a bad fall in his home. Two and a half weeks later, on December 23, while Merriman was in a rehab center, Jade Janks, his stepdaughter, went to his apartment to clean. It was there that she made a horrifying discovery—explicit photos of herself on his computer. Hundreds of nude photos, some in folders with suggestive names, left Janks feeling violated and disgusted. She described the experience as “gut-wrenching,” and the discovery led her to reach out to a man named Alan Roach, who worked in security, for help.

The relationship between Janks and Merriman was already complex. Janks first met Merriman when he married her mother when she was 14, and they remained close even after his divorce from her mother. Janks moved next door to Merriman during the COVID pandemic, and neighbors noted that Merriman referred to Janks as his daughter, not his stepdaughter.

A Suspicious Death and Incriminating Messages

On New Year’s Day 2021, investigators received a call from one of Janks’ friends, Adam Siplyak, who claimed that Janks might have killed her stepfather. The police spent the day searching for Merriman without success. When they stopped Janks for questioning, she told them she had picked Merriman up from the rehab center the day before but didn’t know his whereabouts. She then requested a lawyer and stopped answering questions.

The next morning, on January 2, 2021, Merriman’s body was found in his driveway, wrapped in a blanket and covered with trash, tools, and cardboard boxes. Janks was immediately arrested and charged with first-degree murder. During their investigation, detectives unlocked text messages between Janks and Roach, revealing a potential plan. In one message, Janks wrote, “I just dosed the hell out of him,” implying that she had given Merriman a large amount of drugs. Other messages showed her asking Roach for help, stating that Merriman was “getting way more aggressive” and that she was “not strong enough” to handle him.

A Trial, a Defense, and a Shocking Conclusion

Janks’ murder trial began in December 2022, almost two years after Merriman’s death. She pleaded not guilty, arguing that Merriman had died due to his poor health and misuse of prescription drugs. She admitted to wrapping his body and covering it with trash, but only because she panicked and thought she would be blamed for his death.

However, the prosecution focused on the text messages between Janks and Roach, portraying him as “The Fixer.” They questioned whether Janks had intentionally drugged Merriman and suggested that her messages indicated a plan to harm him. Despite this evidence, Alan Roach was not charged in connection with Merriman’s death and did not appear at her trial.

The case of Jade Janks and the secret photos is a twisted tale of family dynamics, violation, and murder. With explicit photos, text messages, and a complex relationship at its center, the episode promises to provide a fascinating insight into a disturbing true crime story.

48 Hours on ID: Jade Janks and the Secret Photos airs on ID on Sunday May 5, 2024 at 10.00pm.