Thanksgiving is traditionally a time for warmth and family, but in November 2022, a family in Tennessee found themselves in an unsettling situation.

Just two days before the holiday, 22-year-old Jasmine “Jazzy” Pace sent her mother, Catrina Bean, an unexpected text. Jazzy, a student at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, informed her mother that she would be spending time with a friend instead of joining the family celebration.

This sudden change of plans was uncharacteristic for Jazzy, who family members described as a reliable “old soul” during the November 6 episode of Oxygen’s Dateline: Unforgettable. Given the recent passing of a cherished family matriarch, they speculated that Jazzy might have needed some space to process her grief.

However, worry set in when Jazzy suddenly stopped communicating. “Something’s wrong,” said her cousin, Jacqueline White. “She’s not answering her phone.”

What happened to Jasmine Pace?

Concerned family members soon discovered that Jazzy wasn’t with the friend she had mentioned in her text. Determined to uncover the truth, they began following a digital trail for clues about her whereabouts.

“Everyone leaves a digital footprint,” noted Jacqueline White in the episode titled “The Pin at Apartment 210.” “Clues are everywhere.”

Jazzy’s family began with her email records. They discovered passwords to her bank and social media accounts had been changed. Jazzy’s phone records showed a recent 71-minute call to an unknown number on Nov. 22.

On Nov. 26, the family tracked down Jazzy’s car using a vehicle app. The car was empty, but Jazzy’s half-sister, Gabby Pace, observed that the driver’s seat had been pushed back.

“Gabby told me that that was her first moment of real dread,” recalled Dateline correspondent Blayne Alexander. “For whatever reason, someone else had been driving her sister’s car and left it in this strange place.”

Jasmine Pace reported missing

The same day Jazzy’s mother called the police, who came to the parking lot where the car had been left. As family members explained that Jazzy was missing, a provocative post popped up on Jazzy’s Facebook page.  

“That’s not something she would put out there,” said Jacqueline. 

Jazzy’s mom asked officials to pull any security footage from the parking lot. In the meantime, the family dug deeper into that mysterious 71-minute phone call.

Jacqueline ran the number through a mobile payment app and turned up the name of Jason Chen. He and Jazzy had dated casually on-and-off for a few months.

Catrina called him, and he claimed he hadn’t spoken to Jazzy recently. But her phone records told a different story. When she pressed him about that, Jason claimed he’d forgotten about that call. 

Pin drop comes to light

Catrina realized that Jazzy had dropped a pin on her location at 2:18 a.m. on Nov. 23. Catrina had missed the message because she was preoccupied due to the recent death of a beloved family matriarch. 

The pin led them to an apartment complex. The family made their way into the building and used coordinates to determine it had been dropped from apartment 210.

A resident of the adjacent apartment told Jazzy’s family that a loud scream had come from apartment 210 around 2 a.m. on Nov. 23.

Using a credit card, Jazzy’s mom popped the lock on apartment 210. Inside, she and other family members found Jazzy’s overnight bag, credit cards and driver’s license. 

Jason Chen’s name was written on a notebook on a desk. A neighbor confirmed it was Jason’s apartment. 

Jazzy’s loved ones called the police, who told them they were already working the case. Authorities warned them not to enter the apartment again.

“Jazzy’s family told me they had no hesitation about breaking into that apartment,” said Alexander, “and that they would do it again if it meant possibly saving her rather than sitting back and waiting for police to step up.”

Who was Jason Chen?

Investigators learned that Jason was the son of Chinese immigrants who owned a restaurant. The family lived 30 minutes outside of Nashville.

Jason moved to attend the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, where he majored in computer science.

“He was a quiet guy, but he was kind of funny,” said former college dormmate Ryan Barrett, who met him in the summer of 2020. “He’d always come in with little jams at everybody.”

Jazzy’s family was convinced Jason had something to do with her disappearance. They took everything they’d gathered that could be used as evidence. They also had their family lawyer reach out to the District Attorney General for help.

What police found in Jason Chen’s apartment

When Det. Zach Crawford entered apartment 210, he recognized the faint odor of cleaning products. “I saw what appeared to be blood transfer,” he said, “in the form of a heel print on the floor.”

After the scene was photographed, a chemical reagent applied to the floor revealed, “an extremely large amount of blood,” recounted Crawford. “We all said, ‘We have a homicide.’”

While searching for Jason, investigators searched his phone records. They showed he’d been at Walgreen’s and Walmart, where security footage caught a man resembling him buying cleaning supplies.

Jason was apprehended at his parents’ home in Nolensville, Tenn. Detectives confirmed he was the man in the video by the clothes he was wearing the day he was detained.

Jason Chen charged with first-degree murder

Jason was arrested on Nov. 29, 2022, and he immediately asked for a lawyer. As they gathered evidence, police learned from Ryan Barrett that their friendship abruptly ended. Jason had allegedly hacked his Venmo and social media accounts. 

Location data from Nov. 23 put Jason on the banks of the Tennessee River. On Dec. 1, 2022, detectives searched the area and found Jazzy’s body. 

“Jazzy had told him about that place,” said Alexander. “That’s where he ultimately chose to dump her body.”

Jazzy was handcuffed and stuffed inside a suitcase. She had been stabbed 60 times. “It was not something that was quick,” said Crawford. “It was violent.”

Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp took stock on the part Jazzy’s family played, saying: “I don’t know how the police department would have ended up getting a search warrant had it not been for her family.”

But Jason’s attorney, Josh Weiss, said the entire crime scene was compromised the moment Jazzy’s family stepped inside. 

Jason Chen’s trial and conviction

Prosecutors presented evidence of the crime’s brutality, including 60 stab wounds and the disposal of her body in a suitcase. 

The defense attorney shocked the court with his opening statement about Jason. “He is guilty,” the lawyer said, “but he’s not guilty of the crime that he’s charged with.”

Weiss argued self-defense, claiming Jasmine attacked Jason after discovering his Tinder messages. A forensic expert testified that Jason was not on Tinder at the time of the murder. 

The jury deliberated for less than an hour and found Jason guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

Dateline: Unforgettable airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Oxygen.