A Fairy Tale Life, A Snowy End
Jeannette de May was one of the most charmed women of the 20th century. A beautiful ex-model, Jeannette was also the ex-wife of the fabulously wealthy (and notoriously private) financier Evelyn de Rothschild.
But this connection to a legendary American dynasty didn’t save her from a dark, mysterious death in the Italian mountains—in fact, it may have caused it.
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1. Her Father Perished Horribly
Jeannette’s life didn’t just end in tragedy; it also began with it. Born Jeannette Bishop in Kent, England in 1940, it didn’t take long for misfortune to befall the little girl. When she was nine months old, her father, an RAF sergeant, perished in 1940 while trying to defuse a German bomb in WWII.
After this, it was an uphill climb.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Had A Lonely Childhood
With this disaster setting the tone of her childhood, Jeannette’s mother Susan had to raise the child by herself, all while dealing with her own grief in the process. It must have been a lonely time for Jeannette, growing up without a father and as an only child—and it began to show.
Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3. Her Mother Sent Her To A Convent
Jeannette’s mother hardly earned a high income as a hairdresser, and needed to put in long hours in order to support her family. As a result, when Jeannette was just four years old, her mother had her board in a convent school, no doubt turning Jeannette’s lonely life into an isolating one.
But by the time she was a teenager, things had turned right around.
David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
4. She Turned Beautiful
As time went on, Jeannette’s beauty flourished, and she turned into a striking, fair-haired, blue-eyed young woman. She also began to show a love for dance, and took up ballet around this time. What she didn’t appear to like was schooling—and at a very young age, she made a fateful career choice.
5. She Became A Teen Model
When Jeannette was 16 years old, she felt it was high time to take her good looks and put them to use, and went into the world of modeling. More than that, she was successful: Her photographs appeared in publications like Vogue, and she also had some television work, hosting the game show Spot the Tune.
It was, at last, a comfortable life for Jeannette, and it was about to get glamorous.
6. She Was Part Of A London Set
Modeling rocketed Jeannette into an entirely new world. By the time she was in her early 20s, she was living in London’s wealthy and established Marylebone neighborhood, and was no doubt in the orbit of many influential people. In fact, she was about to meet a man who would change her life entirely.
Alan Murray-Rust, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
7. She Met A Very Rich Man
Around this time, Jeannette met British financier Evelyn de Rothschild—and his pedigree was eye-popping. A member of the fabulously wealthy Rothschild dynasty, Evelyn was one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe or America, and a born natural in the world of fast cars and expensive horses. But from the beginning, there were problems.
Evening Standard, Getty Images
8. There Was A Big Power Imbalance
Evelyn de Rothschild wasn’t just the heir to one of the biggest fortunes and holdings in the world, he was also almost 10 years older than Jeannette. When the pair began seeing each other, tongues must have wagged about this upstart Kentish model zeroing in on the Rothschild fortune—but nothing could be further from the truth.
Evening Standard, Getty Images
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9. She Was In It For The Right Reasons
Although the Rothschilds owned massive manors—like Ascott House and Buckinghamshire mansion, this latter abode with 4,400 acres done up in the Tudor Revival style—Jeannette wasn’t blinded by these possessions. A friend would later describe her relationship with de Rothschild as “a love match”. Soon, the couple proved it.
Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
10. She Married Up
Evelyn de Rothschild had no doubt known many women in his life, but Jeannette was the first one he asked to marry him. The pair wed on September 30, 1966, in Arlington, Virginia, as Evelyn had spent much of his childhood over in America. The bride was 26 years old, and the groom 35. From then on, nothing in Jeannette’s life was the same again.
MrPanyGoff, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
11. She Entered A Whole New World
Suddenly, Jeannette went from worrying about modeling contracts and magazine photoshoots to worrying about what to wear to the next gala with Imelda Marcos and Henry Ford II, or what exotic destination to vacation in. It was a lot to take in, and her reaction was to withdraw.
Trikosko Marion S., Wikimedia Commons
12. She Became Intensely Private
Whether it was under her new husband’s influence—the Rothschilds were and still are notoriously close-lipped—or a natural aversion to the publicity her lifestyle now drew, Jeannette began to disappear from the public eye almost entirely. Gone were the days of Vogue covers displaying her for the world to see. Instead, she took a new career track.
13. She Took A New Path
Even before her marriage to Evelyn de Rothschild, Jeannette was smart enough to realize that her late 20s as a model were a time to start looking for other, more stable work, and she began to take an interest in both antiques and interior design. After her marriage, she had more than enough time and money to devote to these interests, and began building her skills.
Even so, Jeannette couldn’t completely leave her roots behind.
JRennocks, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Made An Unusual Friend
It goes without saying that the Rothschilds had a virtual army of people waiting on them hand and foot. But Jeannette’s response was surprising. Used to the other side of the tracks, she grew especially close with one of the domestic help, a woman named Gabriella Guerin. What the de Rothschilds thought of this, we don’t know—but we do know other parts of the marriage weren’t working.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
15. She Had A Tabloid Divorce
Evelyn de Rothschild had broken with tradition by marrying the humble Jeannette Bishop, and by the 1970s, that risk hadn’t paid off. In 1971, after scarcely five years of marriage, the pair officially divorced, setting the tongues’ of gossips around the world wagging. As with so much about Jeannette’s life, however, the truth was complicated.
16. She Joined The First Wives Club
The exact reasons for Evelyn de Rothschild’s split from Jeannette are still kept private and within the dynasty to this day—but the exes still gave the world a twist. Whatever their issues with each other, the pair remained amicable, and de Rothschild always spoke highly of Jeannette. Evelyn even let her continue to use his vaunted last name when she wanted. That wasn’t all.
17. She Asked For Only One Thing
Upon her exit from her tabloid-magnet marriage, Jeannette made sure that anyone who had called her a gold digger would quickly shut their mouths. Her terms of divorce were simple and sympathetic: Besides a small house in Chelsea, London, her only request was for a 25,000-pound settlement, which Evelyn was to invest how he saw fit.
She also moved on quickly.
PAUL FARMER, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
18. She Found A New Love
In 1975, Jeannette met the next man in her life: Stephen May, the soon-to-be personnel director of a chain of department stores. He was thus still well-connected, but with none of the drama that the Rothschilds attracted. Moreover, he was a suitable two years her senior, and promised both stability and compatibility. Jeannette acted fast.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Married Again
Within a year, Jeannette had married Stephen, becoming Jeannette May. For the first years of their marriage, everything went like the fairy tale she’d hoped for in her union with Evelyn de Rothschild. She took back up interior decorating and antiquing, and the pair often traveled to Italy for inspiration and items.
Then, this habit took on new dimensions.
20. She Globe-Trotted
Eventually, Jeannette and her husband visited Italy so much—particularly around the province of Macerata in the central region of Italy—that they bought a 300-year-old farmhouse in the small, medieval town of Sarnano. The fact that it was a definite fixer-upper was part of its charm, and they got to work on renovations. Jeannette would never see them finished.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
21. She Phoned Up An Old Friend
By 1980, the 40-year-old Jeannette and her second husband were traveling to Sarnano regularly to check in on the progress of their dream home. That November, Jeannette enlisted the help of an old friend. She took none other than her old maid, Gabriella Guerin, with her to act as translator for the workers on site. In so doing, Guerin would meet her own mysterious end.
Diego Baglieri, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
22. She Was Set On A Trip
The next—and last—events of Jeannette’s life can only be told through eyewitnesses. On November 29, Jeannette and Gabrielle met with the surveyor who was working on the Sarnano property to discuss business points with him and have drinks. At this meeting, Jeannette told the surveyor they were planning on sightseeing in the nearby Sibillini Mountains.
When he heard this, his face must have gone pale.
Valentina Petrocchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
23. People Warned Her
At the time, there was a forecast for a big snowstorm on the way, and the surveyor was immediately alarmed for the safety of the women. He not only declined to go with them, he “told her to be careful,” he later recalled, “and not go to the mountains because of the snow”. Jeannette, unbothered, did just that. The results were both catastrophic and confounding.
Paulacastelli, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
24. She Didn’t Listen To Advice
Hours after her conversation with the surveyor, Jeannette took her black Peugeot, and she and Guerin drove off to the mountains for their sightseeing adventure. As they were driving, the blizzard began in earnest, quite possibly hindering their way as they went up the snowy peaks.
The next morning, it became clear that something had gone terribly wrong.
Luigi936, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
25. She Didn’t Come Home
On November 30, 1980, Jeannette’s hotel made a horrible discovery. Neither woman had returned to their bed the night before, and it appeared the surveyor’s worst nightmare had come true: They were trapped in the mountains in the middle of the storm, or worse. The small town of Sarnano leapt into action, but they weren’t prepared for what they found.
Valentina Petrocchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
26. They Found A Terrifying Clue
After the surveyor called in the authorities, officers searched the hills for any sign of Jeannette and Guerin. For hours, days, and even weeks they came up empty-handed—there was no trace of them. Then, they hit the mother lode: They spotted Jeannette’s black Peugeot, almost entirely hidden by a snowdrift, and scrambled toward it.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
27. There Was No Trace Of Her
People frantically cleared the car of snow to look inside—and their blood ran cold. It was completely empty. In fact, with all the raging snow and wind, there was no other trace of the women in the immediate vicinity. Just a cold, dark car, in impeccable condition and with no signs of a struggle inside or outside.
But, venturing further out from the site, officers began to get a new theory.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
28. She May Have Fled
There was a small, empty cottage near where the car had been abandoned. When officers burst into the structure, there was evidence that it had been recently inhabited: Burned wood was in the fireplace, and someone had scattered a few dirty dishes around.
The prevailing theory was now that Jeannette and Guerin, taking shelter from the storm, had stumbled their way into this cottage, then walked out, later suffering from hypothermia. But other theories told a much different story.
29. Her Husband Ran To Help
Immediately after hearing that his wife had gone missing, Stephen May traveled from London to Italy to help with the investigation any way he could, especially to throw his weight around if necessary. Arriving on December 1, he would spend that Christmas season terrified about Jeannette’s whereabouts—but the case was about to have its biggest twist yet.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
30. They Received A Bizarre Message
A little more than a week after the disappearance of the two women, Jeannette’s hotel received a blood-curdling telegram. It was addressed to Jeannette herself, and contained five chilling words: “I am waiting for you”. Officers desperately began tracking the source of the telegram, but finding it only brought up more questions.
31. She Was Connected To A Robbery
Incredibly, the telegram had come from an address in Rome, and not just any address. Roman officers had already connected the address to a robbery at the high-end auction house Christie’s—and it was a robbery that had taken place the day after Jeannette and Guerin had gone missing.
And still, the plot thickened.
32. The Trail Led Nowhere
The “I am waiting for you” telegram remains a sticking point for some interested in Jeannette’s mystery, but there was one big problem: Officers would eventually determine that the entire telegram had been a hoax, and the connection to a robbery nothing more than a coincidence.
Investigators had been pouring time and energy into a lead that went nowhere, but they had one last hope.
33. She Was Missing For Months
So far, the disappearance of the former Jeannette de Rothschild had brought only criticism onto the Italian police. Still, they hoped that with the coming of the spring, the mountains would thaw out and give them more clues about what happened that late November night.
So when spring finally came and gave up nothing, the investigation all but ground to a halt. Jeannette’s husband Stephen May got truly desperate.
34. Her Husband Had Dark Suspicions
Stephen May had no idea what had happened to his wife, but he was certain of one thing: She had not simply died in a snowstorm of hypothermia or some other related issue. He had a much darker suggestion. May believed there was foul play involved, especially since Jeannette had once been a Rothschild, and he went to great lengths to prove it.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
35. He Opened His Own Investigation
May began working with two reporters from the Sunday Times, Gitta Sereny and Dalbert Hallenstein. They too, believed that something had gone violently awry for Jeannette and her companion, and as they researched more and more into the case, they began to believe they knew exactly what had happened.
36. She Could Have Been Kidnapped
According to Sereny and Hallenstein—as well as Stephen May himself—Jeannette and Guerin hadn’t been stranded; they’d been kidnapped, likely on commission. And while that sounded implausible to the Italian police at the time and many people since, there is compelling evidence for this…and plenty of precedent.
37. There Were Other Cases Like Hers
The 1970s were an era rife with high-profile kidnappings, among them oil heir John Paul Getty III in 1973, who had been kidnapped in Rome, not so far away from where Jeannette had disappeared years later. But when it came to Jeannette’s mystery, there was one case that really convinced people she may have been kidnapped.
Umberto Pizzi, Wikimedia Commons
38. There Was A Chilling Coincidence
There were also Rothschild-specific kidnappings popping up just before Jeannette’s disappearance. In one attempt, a businessman named Rolf Schild had suffered a case of mistaken identity kidnapping when bandits tried to ransom him after assuming his name was “Rothschild”.
Meanwhile, Jeannette still kept her name on her passport as “Rothschild” and used it in checking into hotels. Terrified, Stephen upped the ante.
39. He Offered A Reward
Stephen May had no shortage of money, and he was determined to get his wife back safely. On January 14, 1982, after more than a year of waiting and wondering, May offered a $208,000 reward if anyone could find his wife alive. Tragically, what he got instead was the confirmation of his worst fears.
40. The Tragic Truth Surfaced
Just weeks after Stephen May’s award announcement, investigators finally discovered the truth. On January 27, 1982, two hunters stalking through the woods near the Sibillini mountains had come across the bodies of two women, later identified as Jeannette and her companion Gabriella Guerin. Yet even now, the mystery was just beginning.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
41. Her Remains Were Ruined
After more than a year, the bodies of the two women weren’t just decomposing. Wild animals had badly damaged their bones, and some of them were even missing. Nonetheless, investigators brought the remains they had in for an autopsy. These results were truly heartbreaking—and enigmatic.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
42. The Autopsy Revealed Strange Results
The autopsy on the two bodies revealed one thing investigators likely suspected, and one thing they absolutely didn’t. First, it showed that Jeannette and Gabriella had perished on the spot, supporting the hypothermia theory of their ends. Yet it also reported that, confoundingly, both of their watches had stopped, days apart from each other but at the same time of eight minutes to six.
Not everyone believed this could just be a coincidence.
43. Private Investigators Published Explosive Findings
Shortly before the two-year anniversary of Jeannette and Gabriella’s disappearance, Stephen May’s investigative reporters published a bombshell article. In it, they officially asserted that Jeannette and Guerin’s death had been foul play, specifically at the hands of Sardinian kidnappers. Once more, their evidence for this held some weight.
44. There Was Evidence Of Kidnapping
According to the article’s evidence, Jeannette wasn’t in Sarnano only for the renovations of her house. She had also come to sell an expensive snuff box, and had been due to rendezvous with the buyer on the mountainside before, the story went, she had been seized by kidnappers. Moreover, the reporters believed that the unusual evidence of the stopped watches indicated that someone had tampered with Jeannette’s effects.
Of course, all of this could be wishful thinking—if it weren’t for the most recent developments.
45. Her Name Appeared In An Eerie Place
A year after the discovery of the remains, investigators completely restarted the case from scratch—and in the process reportedly found Jeannette’s name in the diary of antiques smuggler Sergio Vaccari, who was linked to the Christie’s robbery they had previously investigated, and who may have had mafia connections.
But, at least forensically, this was another dead end: Investigators couldn’t find a “shred of evidence” connecting Jeannette to Vaccari.
46. The Evidence Had Holes In It
In 2006, an investigator looked back into the decades-old case to try to identify the remains of Gabriella Guerin once and for all….and couldn’t. Whether this was because of faulty testing or something more sinister is difficult to say, but it doesn’t help to close the case.
When it comes to these loose ends, though, Jeannette’s case just keeps on fraying.
47. She Was Connected To The Mob
In 2013, a full 33 years after Jeannette disappeared, a criminal named Marco Accetti claimed a cabal of his had tried to loop Jeannette into a blackmail scheme concerning the Vatican, since her position as a former Rothschild and her frequent travel to Italy made her a candidate for the plot. Although Accetti claimed he never ended up contacting her, here again was a link between Jeannette and a shadowy underworld few knew of.
It was all becoming far too much.
48. The Theories Multiplied
For most mysteries, the easiest explanation is often correct. Only, despite how simple-seeming Jeannette de Rothchild’s end is, it never seems to stick inside its “fatal snowstorm” container. Over the years, even more theories have multiplied, with some arguing that she was a British spy, or that she was poisoned after discovering a mafia plot.
49. The Case Went Cold
In 1989, amidst these rapidly multiplying theories, an Italian magistrate made a momentous decision. The judge ruled that foul play couldn’t be proven, but neither could the case be completely dismissed. Instead, they relegated it to the cold case files, and that appeared to be the end of that, as unsatisfying as it might have been.
But Jeannette is having one final gasp.
50. It May Never Be Closed
Just recently, in 2024, the Italian government reopened the Jeannette de Rothschild case again, stating an intention to review the evidence and to re-question any witnesses who are still living after all of these years. The results of their investigations may provide more insight, but perhaps they will only add to the confusion.
For one, officers will have access to precious few sources: For his part, Evelyn de Rothschild followed his first wife to the grave in 2022 at the ripe age of 91—living half a century longer than poor, mysterious Jeanette.
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