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Marjorie Orbin: The Showgirl and the Death of a Salesman | Part 1 of 2

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Glamour, Glitter, and Partial Remains in the Desert

Before the headlines, there was the show. Marjorie was a polished Vegas performer—costumes, high kicks, and the brand of stagecraft that sells the shimmering fantasy of the Strip, and strip clubs. Jay Orbin was a hustling entrepreneur who built his business one trade show and client at a time. Their worlds collided one night at a gentleman's club where Marjorie was dancing.

It would take ten years before the relationship went anywhere, with Marjorie turning down Jay at every turn. But once he told her he would pay for her fertility treatments to become a mother, the relationship moved quickly. After Vegas came Scottsdale/Phoenix—sun-baked suburbia that promised calmer days, growing business, and family life. They married and later welcomed a son, Noah, the bright center of their new world.


Marriage Under the Microscope

From the outside, the Orbins looked like a couple who’d figured out the puzzle—work hard, play hard, live bigger. Jay’s jewelry ventures kept him on the road: trade shows, gem buys, and regular loops through the Southwest and beyond. Marjorie’s past in show business never really left her; she carried herself like a performer even when the curtain was down.

Behind the front door, the story was messier. Friends would later describe friction—money, jealousy, control, and the pressure of two people chasing different versions of a good life. Allegations of Marjorie’s sexual affairs swirled around the marriage, and the whispers hardened into a narrative: the once-fairy-tale romance was cracking.


Jay’s Work, Jay’s Routine

Jay’s calendar was structured by the jewelry business. He traveled for inventory and shows, then returned home with stones, settings, and plans. He was known as a doting father; gifts for Noah were a constant—baseball gear one trip, a new gadget the next. He lived for those homecomings.

In early September 2004, Jay headed out again. It was the kind of trip he’d done dozens of times—drive, buy, sell, repeat. On his way back to Phoenix, he phoned, made check-ins, and talked like a man with a list: see Noah, celebrate his 45th birthday, catch up on business, reset for the next run.


The Last Normal Day

When Jay reached the Valley, he did what he always did—went to his office, and touched base with Marjorie and his mother. But according to Marjorie, Jay never made it home that day.

Then the calls stopped. People who expected products to be shipped from Jay's business, Jayhawk were met with silence first, then the absence. Days stretched. Concern sharpened into alarm for Jay's family. But not for his wife, Marjorie.


A Missing Persons Case in Phoenix

When Jay officially became a missing person, the questions multiplied. Where was his SUV? Where were the credit card swipes, the ATM withdrawals, the paper trail a traveling businessman always leaves behind? The Phoenix heat has a way of baking away the transient details of a life, but detectives kept tugging on every thread—phone pings, business contacts, last sightings.

At home, the tension was palpable. Friends, colleagues, and family were caught between hoping for a benign explanation and preparing for the worst. But not Marjorie. She seemed bothered by all the questions. Especially since she'd found herself a lover and he's practically moved into Jay's home while he's missing.


The Desert Does Not Give Up Its Secrets Easily

If Phoenix is a city, it’s one with a wild edge. The Sonoran Desert hides things well, and—occasionally—it spits them back out.

Days after Jay vanished, a man named Robert Ame came across something that didn’t belong: a large Rubbermaid storage tub abandoned in a stretch of Arizona desert. It was out of place and ominously ordinary, the kind of container you’d expect to find in a garage, not sun-bleaching in the open.

The lid, the weight, the smell—every sensory alarm bell went off. Ame contacted authorities.


The Rubbermaid Tub

Inside the tub were partial human remains—a torso, dismembered and sealed into that mass-market plastic coffin. No wallet, no phone, no convenient ID, but there was a set of car keys. Other than that and a bullet casing, it was merely biology, violence, and the vacuum left by whoever had tried to hide it. The desert had held on as long as it could; the heat had done what heat does.

Within hours, the discovery became the center of the investigation. Detectives now had a likely homicide and a body to identify. For a missing persons case, that pivot is seismic: from “Where is he?” to “Who is this?” and “How did this happen?”


Why This Case Gripped the Nation

  • Glamour vs. grit: a showgirl past and a jewel dealer’s grind colliding with a stark desert crime scene.

  • Domestic drama vs. public spectacle: alleged affairs, marital strain, and the sudden, chilling discovery in a place built on wide skies and long horizons.

  • Ordinary object, extraordinary horror: a Rubbermaid tub—ubiquitous, domestic, safe—turned into an instrument of concealment.


Timeline Snapshot (Through the Discovery Only)

  • Vegas years: Marjorie performs; the couple meets and marries.

  • Phoenix/Scottsdale move: Jay grows his jewelry enterprise; they start a family—Noah becomes the center of their life.

  • Marital strain: arguments, money stress, and alleged sexual affairs undercut the foundation.

  • Mid–October 2004: Jay travels for business, returns to the Valley, brings gifts, and goes radio silent soon after.

  • Late October 2004: Robert Ame discovers a Rubbermaid storage tub abandoned in the Arizona desert; inside are partial remains—specifically, a torso.

  • Investigation shifts: from missing person to probable homicide, identification pending.


Sources used for this podcast:

Photos (reference images/venues)

Videos / Film & TV

Selected series and films referenced (APA-style, simplified):

  • Agent Carter (Season 2, Episode 1), “The Lady in the Lake.” (2016). Television series episode.

  • Silicon Valley (Season 1, Episode 7), “Proof of Concept.” (2014). Television series episode.

  • Pretty Little Liars (Season 4, Episode 21), “She’s Come Undone.” (2014). Television series episode.

  • Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. (2020). Motion picture.

  • 21. (2008). Motion picture.

  • Inventing Anna (Season 1, Episode 3), “Two Birds, One Throne.” (2022). Television series episode.

  • Boomerang. (1992). Motion picture.

  • The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Season 12, Episode 1), “The Break-In.” (2022). Television series episode.

  • The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (Season 1, Episode 4), “100% Not Guilty.” (2016). Television series episode.

  • Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. (1999). Motion picture.

  • Toy Story 3. (2010). Motion picture.

  • The Karate Kid. (1984). Motion picture.

  • Family Guy (Season 16, Episode 7), “Petey IV.” (2017). Television series episode.

  • The Graduate. (1967). Motion picture.

  • The Lizzie McGuire Movie. (2003). Motion picture.

  • House of Cards (Season 1, Episode 2; Episode 4). (2013). Television series episodes.

  • Family Guy (Season 16, Episode 9), “Don’t Be a Dickens at Christmas.” (2017). Television series episode.

  • The Mick (Season 1, Episode 2), “The Grandparents.” (2017). Television series episode.

  • How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. (2003). Motion picture.



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All information contained in this audio podcast or video presentation is provided for entertainment purposes only. The authors leave any and all conclusions to individual members of the audience. The author offers no statements of fact beyond those available through diligent private research or through information freely available in the public record. To the extent that pending or settled criminal matters or crime or possible crimes, are discussed in this audio podcast or video presentation, all parties or defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. To the extent that any pending or settled civil matters are discussed in this video presentation, all parties or defendants are presumed not liable unless proven liable in a court of law. Copyright for material incorporated and presented under Fair Use is retained by the original author or copyright holder where applicable. Our cases are researched using open source and archive materials, and the subjects are real crimes and people. We strive to produce each episode with respect to the victims, their families and loved ones. At Hitched 2 Homicide we are committed to always discussing how victims lived, and not just how they died. All podcast information is gleaned from sources given. All opinions in the podcast are solely of Hitched 2 Homicide and are for entertainment purposes only. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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