Janice Mitchell's Story

FROM ROCK ‘N’ ROLL REBEL TO RENOWNED P.I.

JANICE MITCHELL’S STORY

It’s hard to believe that the same person who was dubbed “the modern-day Nancy Drew” by a major news outlet was ever anything other than a straight-laced and strict follower of the rules. Prior to the release of her memoir in September of 2021, Janice Mitchell (Jan) had developed this exact reputation from her many years spent as a nationally recognized and awardwinning private and federal investigator. Having worked and consulted on such high-profile cases as the infamous Wendy’s Massacre and the Carnegie Deli Murders, this is understandable. However, there is another side to Jan that according to her, she kept hidden for many years along with a shocking secret. At age 16, not only was she an adolescent runaway whose stunt led to an international search involving the Scotland Yard and the even the Beatles, her actions got rock ‘n’ roll banned in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

Since making global headlines first as a missing person and then as an award-winning investigator, Jan has become a valued member of the Tiffin Community. She earned her Master of Criminal Justice degree in homeland security administration through TU in 2007, and also spent 12 years teaching as an adjunct faculty member in the same department.

Jan’s new book entitled, “My Ticket to Ride – How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in Cleveland” is an Amazon bestseller that has attracted international attention. The story - as one would guess - centers around her experience abroad and the resulting movement it sparked.

“My story starts with my first step into the exhilarating early days of Beatlemania and the British Invasion,” Jan reminisced. “The first time I heard the Beatles singing ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ on the radio the day after Christmas in 1963, I was completely transformed and captivated. At age 16, I decided to leave my unhappy home and along with my best friend, we hatched a bold plan to leave the country and live in Beatleland - England - forever.”

After careful planning throughout the summer and without telling anyone, Jan and her friend flew to London the day after the

September 15, 1964 Beatles

Concert in Cleveland with nothing but suitcases and a dream of meeting them in person. With the contents of her savings account and her friend’s earmarked college funds, they were able to rent a studio apartment in the Notting Hill area and explore London. “Soho was the main destination as that’s where the Beatles were rumored to hang out,” Jan explained. “On our own for the first time, we explored London - a new culture and a new life. We visited the hippest coffee bars and clubs in Soho, listened to live music every night, met some nice British boys and hitchhiked to Liverpool.”

Little did Jan and her friend know, the pair had made international news. Everyone was searching for them, including the Scotland Yard and even the Beatles themselves.

“I kept the greatest adventure of my life to myself for over 50 years,” Jan remembered. “When I returned to Cleveland, I had to face the consequences. I was told by my relatives, school, church and authorities to never speak about it. I was advised that the best thing for me to do was to put it behind me and move on with my life, and that’s what I did. In 1964, girls were expected to do as they were told and not make waves. This was especially true for Catholic school girls. I had stepped way outside the box of what was acceptable and was held accountable. The way I was treated in England was completely different from the way I was treated in the U.S. It was night and day, or more accurately day and night, as in England, we were treated as if our adventure was a fun lark, but in the states, we were considered juvenile delinquents.”

Admittedly, by the time Jan returned to the states, it was a little late to follow the earlier advice to not make waves, as a crossAtlantic search for the duo had been underway for 23 days. What happened when she returned to Cleveland included a ban on rock and roll and Beatlemania, a decision handed down by the Mayor of Cleveland.

“We were completely oblivious to the media attention,” Jan recalled. “We didn’t have a telly or a radio in our flat and didn’t pay any attention to newspapers. We were living our dream of being in Soho where the Beatles had been and where the British Invasion music was bubbling up and being created. I was living in Beatleland where there was music and happiness. Honestly, I was in a state of shock when I learned that anybody noticed we were gone in the first place.”

“I felt that as a girl who had dared to be different, people tried to make an example out of it all by shaming my actions, by shaming me,” Jan explained. “I had become a cautionary tale for others my age, but I’ve never regretted it. I made a plan, followed my dream and ended up having the best adventure of my life. It wasn’t until 2016 when I had my eureka moment and realized that I could and should share my experience with others. My only hope for my book is that it will bring happiness and inspiration to its readers, that it prompts them to live their lives in a way that is authentic, regardless of what others might think or say.”

a teenager was simply an innate desire to seek the truth, and that this very sense of curiosity and adventure is what motivated her the entirety of her career.

“The foundation of my professional background as an investigator has always been research and writing,” she explained. “Throughout my years in school, I relished writing assignments because they required that I go to the library and seek out information or pound the pavement in search of answers.”

This love of knowledge and more importantly the quest for it would serve Jan well as she began and progressed through her illustrious career. According to her, the moment she knew she had found her true calling was when she began her first job as a cub reporter with the Columbus Dispatch.

“I was the person the editor sent into the field to follow up on tips the newspaper had received,” Jan remembered. “This was a pivotal moment for me, as it was then I realized my passion for finding the truth.”

After moving to New York City to further break into the industry, Jan worked for advertising agencies, retail publications, Family Circle Magazine and for financial publications on Wall Street. She also wrote feature stories for local newspapers on Staten Island which led to being offered a more substantial position with a private investigations company based in Manhattan. The firm specialized in the investigation of counterfeit products for major trademark holders such as Rolex, Fendi, Warner Bros. and others. Later, being promoted to the Director of Operations at the same firm, Jan frequently collaborated with the FBI, U.S. Customs, the Attorney General and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Eventually, Jan went on to complete the requirements necessary to become a licensed private investigator, and with the new title secured, she set her sights on a career change.

“I was hired as a Criminal Appeals Investigator with the Legal Aid Society of New York,” said Jan. “Soon after, I broke a major case and was promoted to their Capital Case Unit. It was around this time that I decided to pursue a college education and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Empire State University, continuing to work major cases while enrolled.”

Jan asserted that through it all, the driving force behind her ambition was the natural sense of independence and adventure she felt as a teenager.

“I approached each case I was assigned with the same determination, curiosity and excitement I felt all those years ago,” she said. “I loved living in New York, and it wasn’t until I became a survivor of the World Trade Center 9/11 terrorist attacks that I made the decision to return to Cleveland.” While back in her hometown, Jan has continued to wear many professional hats, starting as a Probation Officer for the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. This led to being offered a position as an Investigator with the Federal Public Defender’s Office.

“During my career in Cleveland, I maintained my private investigator license and taught as an adjunct for Tiffin,” Jan explained. “Though I’m retired from investigating with the Public Defender’s office now, I’m still working. Most recently, I was hired on as a Contract Investigator for the Department of Homeland Security.”

“In the weeks, months and years following 9/11, I suffered greatly as I was directly impacted,” Jan also recalled. “I was angry and confused. I remember constantly asking why this had happened. I knew I needed to know who the attackers were and why they did this. After reading some of Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War,’ one quote in particular stuck out to me – ‘If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.’ I felt strongly that if I could better understand those who attacked us, I could deal with my anger and confusion, hence my decision to enroll in TU's master's degree program in criminal justice, homeland security.”

Quite impressively, Jan was able to earn her master’s degree with distinction in a single year, and was so taken with Tiffin’s culture that she decided post-graduation to teach as an adjunct in the In the School of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences at one of TU’s satellite locations, Tri-C in downtown Cleveland, where she taught for 12 years. All the while, she continued working as an investigator.

“I use what I learned through the coursework all the time when I start new cases,” she said. “It can be very helpful in situations where I need to make assessments of people and the situations they’re in. My coursework enhances my 30+ years as an investigator. As far as teaching and my students are concerned, I am grateful for the opportunity to have shared my firsthand investigative experiences from the field. I think that sharing 'boots on the ground' examples brought my lectures to life and enhanced the student educational experience. It really has been a wonderful way to give back.”

Jan is presently working on her next book about her career as an investigator, and her Dragon Family anxiously awaits to see what daring adventure she’ll embark on next.

Jan’s book can be ordered through local bookstores, on Amazon. com, BarnesandNoble.com, MyTicketToRide.com or through her website at Janice-Mitchell.com.