Jess Mitchell
Dangerous Obsession; Dangerous Heat

5’4”, 130 lb
DOB 07/19/1979, Cancer
Blonde hair, green eyes, and a body that brings men to their knees

Jess Mitchell loves KISS, 80’s hair bands, gourmet cooking, and speaks Italian like a native. She also plays a mean game of stud poker and has a closet obsession with the Spaulding-Cooper feud on Guiding Light. She tries to watch or at least catch up on the net every day...but don't tell anyone. Aside from driving her 1968 Chevrolet Corvette a little too fast, riding her Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail, or occasionally singing karaoke with gal pal, Niki, she’s not the adventurous type. Jess has been described at quiet, reserved, and even bashful at times. She's a consummate work-a-holic who doesn't have time for dating or relationships. Not that she'd want that if she did have time, as her limited history with men has been less than stellar. She is fascinated by serial killers and is a crack shot with just about any handgun given her. Her biggest quirk is that she wears faded jeans and a white shirt every day…the better to collect evidence from should she be contaminated at a crime scene, she claims, though she rarely visits active crime scenes.

Her appearance gives nothing away of her personality. At first glance, she’s a Barbie doll with her waist-length, naturally white-blonde tresses, expressive green eyes, and a body that reduces men to slobbering lap dogs. But she’s uncomfortable in this position, preferring to use her intellect to get ahead rather than her physical attributes. If anything, she’s the poster child for self-control. With no bad habits to speak of, she doesn’t smoke and has never tried drugs. She rarely drinks because two glasses of wine give her a major buzz, and she hasn’t dated in well over a year. Her only flaw is that she has the mouth of a sailor, to hear her best friend, Niki, tell it.

Born Caroline Jessica Mitchell to John Mitchell and Suzanne Eisen on July 19, 1979 in the small town of Burlington, North Carolina. An only child, Jess had a well-adjusted childhood in which she was well-loved and maybe even a bit spoiled by her parents until she was suddenly orphaned when her mom and dad were tragically killed in a botched robbery attempt one hot summer evening in 1989, a week before her tenth birthday. Though little is known about her mother's background, her father was an officer with the Burlington Police Department where he was partnered with Dean Johansen.

Killed in the line of duty on a summer evening in 1988, John Mitchell was trying to protect his wife, who had joined him for a quick dinner break, and other patrons at a local restaurant during a failed robbery attempt. Suzanne Mitchell, also shot during the robbery, passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. As luck would have it, Jess was at a slumber party and so was not present to witness or become another victim of the senseless crime.

She was immediately taken in by Dean, who still fondly refers to her as "my Jessie," showered her with more love than any child could want, and treated her as his own. Though she was still happy and had many friends, she was no longer the carefree child prone to fits of giggling as young girls are. In fact, she rarely left Dean’s side, fearful that he would be taken from her if she looked away, just as her parents had been. Jess’ best friends were the cops who worked alongside of Dean and the civilian support staff at headquarters. Her surrogate mother was Maggie O’Dell, a secretary who later became Dean’s administrative assistant as he rose through the ranks.

Jess closed herself off, afraid to love anyone for fear of losing them…until she started high school and met best friend, Niki Shannon, who she remains best friends with even today. Jess’ polar opposite, Niki was and still is everything that Jess isn’t, refusing to allow Jess to hide behind her defenses. As young girls, whenever Jess wanted to hide away in her room, Niki dragged her to the mall. Where Jess was quiet and reserved, Niki was loud and boisterous. When pretty, but shy, Jess turned down countless dates with every cute boy who asked, Niki secretly told the football team captain that Jess thought he was hot. He worked on her until he finally talked her into going to the prom with him where they became the envy of everyone.

After high school, a young Jess studied Criminology at John Jay University in New York where she graduated with honors after only three years. But she wasn’t done. She wanted to know what made the criminal mind tick, so she continued on to graduate school where she earned her PsyD in Forensic Psychology from Aliant University in Los Angeles, California by age 23.

While in California, Jess met her first real boyfriend at the Cathouse, a nightclub that Niki dragged her to when she flew out for spring break. Jake Robertson (who makes his first appearance in Dangerous Heat) was a few years older, but typical California male in that he surfed on his days off, bounced at a local hotspot, and played bass in a band with his buddies. He was comfortable territory for Jess because by day, he was cop with the Los Angeles Police Department, a trainer of new recruits. She could relate to cops after having been raised by practically an entire police force. Theirs was a smooth and uneventful relationship. Jake and Jess were friends, lovers, and even coworkers at times when Jess taught an occasional class at the police academy where Jake also worked. But the inevitable happened. Jess graduated and accepted a newly-created position at the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation where she is happily employed today. Jake did not want to move clear across the country, so they parted amicably.

A few months later, after settling into her new home in Raleigh, North Carolinar, she met Bill Atkins. Again, in her comfort zone, as he was a cop with the Raleigh Police Department. Their three-year romance was good at first. Jess was sure that he was the one…until she started hearing the rumors of Billy’s womanizing ways, which turned out to be more than just rumors. Billy broke her heart. Jess swore off men, especially cops, and threw herself into her work, where she’s made quite the name for herself.

Life moved along smoothly after that...until she opened the door to stand face-to-face with the man of her dreams.

Click here to find out who he is.

Email Jess.