Down the rabbit hole: Police misled by WE Fest sighting of missing North Dakota woman in 1994

A blurry screenshot of 1994 television news footage, with a chyron label describing the scene as a live shot from WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota — A screenshot of historical TV news footage of WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, with Robin Huebner of WDAY TV in the foreground. Shelly Julson was reported to have been spotted at WE Fest in 1994, after she was last seen in Bismarck, North Dakota, a claim that was later disproven.

By Jeremy Fugleberg and James Wolner

August 03, 2022 at 7:00 AM

It's always so simple in the TV crime-solver shows. There's one wrong theory, one wrong explanation, one blind alley. And then there's the real solution to the crime — the one cause, the one criminal, the answer that neatly wraps up the show in 30 minutes or less.

Real life is much more complicated, as police investigators found as they struggled to untangle what happened to Shelly Julson, gone missing in August 1994.

Listen to Episode Number 3 — Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

Get Dakota Spotlight on your favorite podcast app: Apple | Spotify | Google

In episode three of season seven of Dakota Spotlight: Police files reveal Bismarck investigators chased multiple trails of evidence, grilled associates of Julson and vetted supposed sightings of Julson, in Minnesota and elsewhere in North Dakota.

They faced many puzzling questions, questions re-examined by a second police investigation years later, and now, Dakota Spotlight:

Was Julson one of two women partying with railroad workers and kicked out of the pool at the Comfort Inn?
Why had a patron of the Burnt Creek Club mysteriously gone missing for a week following Julson's disappearance?
What was Julson really doing on that Sunday night before she disappeared? Why does so much of what everyone knows about Julson in the days before her disappearance based on the account of one man, Tony Hulm — Julson's on-again, off-again boyfriend and a bartender at the Burnt Creek Club?

About Dakota Spotlight, Season Seven: 'Call Me Shelly — The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson'

In this season of Dakota Spotlight, creator, host and Regional Emmy Award-winner James Wolner looks into the cold case of 26-year-old Michele "Shelly" Julson, who vanished from Bismarck, North Dakota on Aug. 2, 1994. Granted exclusive, unprecedented access by police to the cold-case file, Wolner presents a play-by-play review of the initial investigation and further examines the strange events surrounding Shelly's life and her disappearance.

With the aid of new interviews with Shelly’s friends, family and retired police investigators, Wolner dives into the shadows of Shelly’s world at the time — Bismarck’s bar and gambling scene — and tracks the movements of several persons of interest. All in an attempt to answer the biggest questions of the case: What happened to Shelly? Where is she now?

Gallery - Browse with arrow on right

Large crowd at the 1994 outdoor We Fest in Detroit Lakes. Blurry photo of large crowd in sunshine

1/16: Amy Sansburn told police in 1994 that she had partied with Shelly Julson on Friday August, 5th, 1994 at We Fest in Detroit Lakes, MN. While considered credible at the time, investigators no longer feel that Shelly was ever at We Fest.

School portrait of a smiling Shelly Julson 18 years of age wearing blue button-down shirt under a purple knitted vest. Shelly has feathered, shoulder-length red-brown hair and dark eyes and eyebrows.

2/16: School portrait of a smiling Shelly Julson 18 years of age wearing blue button-down shirt under a purple knitted vest. Shelly has feathered, shoulder-length red-brown hair and dark eyes and eyebrows.

Richard Snell mugshot. Richard is bald and bears a dark, thick goatee.

3/16: Rick Snell did not return to work at Great Lines in Bismarck on Wednesday, August 3rd, 1994, the day following Shelly's disappearance. He resurfaced six day's later on August 9, which investigator Bill Connor considers to be an interesting coincidence.' Shelly's car was found on August 8, 1994.

Michele Julson's missing persons poster with photo of Shelly and her car as found at found at the Comfort Inn hotel in Bismarck. Shelly is smiling looking into the camera, wearing a red shirt.

4/16: Bismarck Police Department's missing poster for Shelly Julson

Portrait of Bismarck police officer Bill Connor in standard blue uniform with dark tie. Bill has a greying mustache and smiles into the camera.

5/16: Bill Connor investigated Shelly's cold-case from 2005 to 2010

6/16: Michele Julson

Rear of trailer home at location of Shelly Julson's residence in 1994. Three windows are visible. When investigators walked the perimeter of the home the windows in the back were open.

7/16: When investigators walked the perimeter of Shelly Julson's home the windows in the back were open. The front door was locked and the TV was on.

Present day photograph of Shelly's employer's office where she was to pick up her paycheck. The office was located at 309 East Broadway in Bismarck. A brick building.

8/16: Shelly said she was going to pick up her paycheck at the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation office, 309 East Broadway in Bismarck. She never picked up her check.

1990s era photograph of the square single-story building named The Burnt Creek Club where Shelly Julson worked dealing black-jack and where she was reportedly harassed b patrons. A sign stands near the street: Burnt Creek Club

9/16: Shelly worked dealing black jack at the burnt creek club and had been dating Tony Hulm a bartender there. Shelly told friends and family the patrons at the bar were harassing her and she had asked her supervisor to transfer to a different location. On more than one occasion, Shelly believed someone had followed her home from the bar and her car was vandalized.

Close up image of the Burnt Creek Club's sign outside the bar. The words 'Burnt Creek' are in red, then 'Club' in white caps on a black background. Below that in black characters on a yellow background are the words ON & OFF SALE

10/16: Shelly worked dealing black jack at the burnt creek club and had been dating Tony Hulm a bartender there. Shelly told friends and family the patrons at the bar were harassing her and she had asked her supervisor to transfer to a different location. On more than one occasion, Shelly believed someone had followed her home from the bar and her car was vandalized.

The Elbow Room Bar sign at the corner of a brick building. The words 'THE ELBOW ROOM' are red on a blue oval background

11/16: Shelly Julson occasionally worked at the Elbow Room. Different from today, in 1994 the bar was located near 3rd street and Main. 36 hours before Shelly disappeared she was witnessed talking to two men in the parking lot just after closing. The men had stated they were railroad workers and one of the men was going to be laid over in Bismarck a couple more days.

12/16: Michele Julson

Portrait of Sargant Dennis Walls, the first investigator to work on Shelly's case. Walls wears a light brown blazer, white shirt and dark tie. He has a light or gray mustache and large eyeglasses. He smiles into the camera.

13/16: Bismarck Police officer Dennis Walls was the first investigator to work on Shelly's case.

Portrait of police officer Julie Thompson. She wears a dark blazer and red blouse. Her hair is dark and she smiles pleasantly into the camera.

14/16: Officer Julie Thompson worked on Shelly's case. Thompson focused on looking into Shelly's banking activity and she was also present when Shelly's home was investigated and when her car was located.

Image of a piece of binder paper and handwriting on it. It is Wesley and Linda Julson's missing person's report. It says: Wes and Linda Julson, the parents of Michele Shelly julson would like to report the disappearance of our daughter. It is very uncharacteristic of her to abandon her child. She is a very caring and loving mother to her son. She would call frequently about his welfare even when in the care of his grandparents. If she intended to be late, she would let you know. It is also unusual for her not to pick up her paycheck. As a single working mother she needed her money to care and provide for Jaden herself. She has taken her responsibilities very seriously. It is also unusual of her to leave without notifying a friend or US of her whereabouts. Westley julsen, Linda julson

15/16: Shelly's parents Wesley and Linda Julson submitted this handwritten letter to Bismarck PD to further substantiate their strong belief that Shelly would not leave her son willingly.

Photograph of present-day Wes and Linda julson standing outside of their home in Center North Dakota holding a large framed photo of their daughter Shelly. It is Shelly's high school graduation photograph. Wesley Julson is wearing a short-sleeve blue button-down shirt and Mrs Julson a blue blouse. Wesley Julson is slightly balding and has grey hair. Mrs Julson has grey hair.

16/16: Wesley and Linda Julson outside their home in Center, North Dakota on June 21, 2022. The Julsons question how well Bismarck Police Department handled Shelly's case. Shelly disappeared on August 2, 1994 after dropping her son Jaden at his paternal grandparents home. She was going to pick up her paycheck and run errands but never returned.

People in this episode

(In alphabetical order)

Chris Aziz: Bartender at the Elbow Room. Witnessed Shelly with two men Sunday night.
Russ Bryant: Investigator for Burlington Northern Railroad
Bill Connor: Bismarck Police Department investigator
Clifford Emmert: Bismarck Police Department investigator
Larry Helfenstein: Shelly's friend
Robin Mostad: Shelly’s co-worker at The Elbow Room.
Tony Hulm: Shelly's latest on-again/off-again boyfriend, and a bartender at Burnt Creek Club
Wes Julson: Shelly's father
Linda Julson: Shelly’s mother.
Bonnie Munsch: Shelly's friend and coworker, worked with Shelly at the Burnt Creek Club the night before Shelly vanished. Bonnie felt Shelly did not seem her usual self that night.

Amy Sansburn: Claimed she partied with Shelly at WE Fest.
Don Schaffer: Bismarck police officer and patron at Burnt Creek Club. Shelly told friends Schaffer had been harassing her at work.
Nick Sevart: Bismarck Police officer
Rick Snell: Did not return to work at Great Lines after Aug. 2, 1994
Tammy Sumner: Shelly’s babysitter
Julie Thompson: investigator with the Bismarck Police Department
Dennis Walls: Bismarck Police Department sergeant who was the initial and main investigator on the Julson case
Kevin Woodworth: Shelly's former boyfriend and Jaden's father
Richard Woodworth: Jaden's paternal grandfather and the last person to acknowledge having seen her when she dropped Jaden at 104 American Ave.
Jenny Yantzer: Barmaid at Burnt Creek Club. Shelly speculated that Jenny was responsible for hangup phone calls and damage to her car. Jenny has denied any involvement.

People in previous episodes

James Becker: Shelly's friend
Kim Borner: Shelly's friend
Officer Robbie Carvell: Bismarck Police Department officer and patrolman, who responded to the Julson missing person report
Jack Erhardt: Kevin Woodworth's foreman at Miller Insulation
Linda Julson: Shelly's mother
Michele "Shelly" Julson: a 26-year-old blackjack dealer and mother of 3-year-old Jaden, who went missing on Aug. 2, 1994
Tarileen Olson: Blackjack dealer at Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation
Mike Quinn: Agent at North Dakota bureau of criminal investigation
Troy Schaner: Bismarck police officer who helped North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation's aerial search for Shelly's car
Carol Thomas: Assistant manager at The Fleck House hotel near The Elbow Room bar
Jaden Woodworth: Shelly's 3-year-old son