How did Molly Dattilo die? Was she murdered?

Molly Dattilo seemed to have disappeared without a trace in July 2004, when she attended a party in her apartment complex. The investigation into what happened, however, turned out to yield few clues and no explanations. Molly’s case is one of two featured in the episode of “Still a Mystery: Indiana Unsolved” which airs on Investigation Discovery. Over many years, the family has struggled immensely to come to a solution as they have not been given adequate information. So, in case you were curious about what became of Molly, here’s what we know to be the case.

How did Molly Dattilo die?

Molly was the ninth and last child born in the family and she spent her childhood in Madison, Indiana. The young woman possessed many skills and she was an outgoing, sociable and reliable person. Molly was not only successful in the classroom, but also a talented athlete. As a result, she received a running scholarship to attend Eastern Kentucky University. Everything turned out to be going wonderfully well for the 22-year-old man. She attended the Indiana University-Purdue University Summer Session in Indianapolis in 2004, intending to apply for “American Idol” at a later date. Molly’s day on July 6, 2004 began with the same routine as any other day. She shared an apartment in Indianapolis with her brother at the time, and they both called that city home.

After getting some supplies and going to her classes at about 7 p.m., Molly went to a nearby fast food restaurant to submit her application for a job there. After that, Molly attended a party held in her apartment complex. Molly called her boyfriend at about 11 p.m. from a pay phone in a gas station three miles from her apartment. Unfortunately, the conversation was cut short before the friend could finish his sentence. After that, nobody heard from or about her again. After more than a decade had passed, Molly’s family was finally officially recognized as dead in 2017. However, the cause of death cannot be determined at this time.

What really happened to Molly Dattilo?

Molly ran into a familiar face on her way to the fast food restaurant, and that person jogged their memory about having her phone with her. After some time, the device was in her flat. At the party held in her building on the evening of July 6, 2004, she met John Shelton. She was introduced to him by one of her other close friends. After they left the party, the two went on a boat trip and then ate at a Taco Bell, according to the findings of the investigation. The call came in at about 11 a.m. and was made from a pay phone, located three miles away in the other direction of the apartment.

When John was later questioned, he confessed that he was with Molly when she called, but claimed he dropped her off at home after the call ended. He was the very last person to ever see her alive. Nick, Molly’s brother, did not immediately report his sister missing because it was not uncommon for Molly to go on unplanned trips. Nick believed Molly had returned home safely. On the other hand, Nick was concerned when Molly still hadn’t returned home or been in contact with anyone on July 8, 2004. He contacted the authorities, but they did not take his report seriously because they thought she had left. own will.

However, all of Molly’s belongings, including her wallet, identity, car and phone, were still in the flat when the police arrived, leading them to suspect a crime had been committed. However, the authorities lacked a significant amount of information to follow up. The family continued to talk about Molly and her disappearance in the hope that other clues would surface. According to the episode, two years after John’s disappearance, they decided to hire a private detective to get more information about him. He has spent his entire life in and out of prison for various offenses.

When the family decided to go public with John’s name, the show claimed that his previous girlfriends confided in the family about how John made them feel uncomfortable and threatened. They claimed that John bragged that he’d done something to Molly and threatened to do the same to them if they didn’t keep their distance. Some of the other ladies in the family described how he would strangle them if he was drunk. The fact that there was neither a body nor any other evidence made it impossible for authorities to arrest John. In October 2008, the police received additional information.

According to the program, the tipster alleged that on the night of Molly’s disappearance, John had spoken to his father, Edward, and told him that he had accidentally killed someone else. Reportedly, Edward asked him to find a suitable burial place for the deceased. Not long after, the investigation into Molly’s disappearance was turned into a murder investigation by the authorities. John has been the only person in the investigation all these years. In 2010, the family prevailed in a wrongful claim against John and Edward, resulting in a $3.5 million award to Molly’s loved ones. The Sheltons, on the other hand, failed to appear in court, leading the family to believe they would never see the money again.

During the show, it was revealed that John is currently serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking and armed robbery-related crimes, and that he will be eligible for parole in the year 2038. Molly’s family decided to officially acknowledge her passing in September 2017, assuming she had passed away on July 6, 2004. Celestra Dewey, her sister, stated that “we are currently operating on the assumption that she has passed away.” In light of this, I do not consider it a form of surrender. Even if someone has been declared legally dead, that doesn’t mean you’ll give up looking for them anytime.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Molly Dattilo

On Tuesday, July 6, 2004, Molly followed her normal routine and went to her courses. She went shopping that day in the afternoon, mainly with the intention of buying a present for her young nephew’s upcoming birthday, and she also wanted to drop off some job applications.

Later that evening, around 7 p.m., Molly decided to walk to a Wendy’s fast food restaurant. She had a cover letter to drop off at Wendy’s, about half a mile from her house. While out for a walk or maybe even at Wendy’s, Molly came face to face with a friend of her brother’s. They had a brief one-minute discussion before Molly said goodbye to them to go back to her flat.

After coming home, she went to one of her friends’ apartment, where she saw some other individuals just hanging out. Molly began talking to a young man named John Shelton when she saw him walking down the street. John convinced her to take a boat trip with him on one of the smaller ponds located in the complex. Coincidentally, John had the inside scoop on the apartments because his brother Benji worked there as a maintenance worker. Benji was able to help John retrieve the boat, which had been stored in a shed. After the boat was picked up, John and Molly took a short ride in the boat.

Then they left at a Taco Bell for a quick bite.

After they left Taco Bell, they did not go back to the apartments where they stayed. They didn’t stop when they reached the apartments and instead drove a few more miles in the opposite direction. Molly strongly suggested that John drive into the Thornton gas station around 11 p.m. No one knows why or where they went at that moment. Molly approached a pay phone to call one of her friends.

Molly had a cell phone, but she didn’t have it with her at the time. And there are many hypotheses as to why this is the case, despite the fact that it could be caused by a number of different things. For starters, there was the year 2004. Obviously there used to be cell phones, but they weren’t smartphones in the same sense as we understand the term now, and people didn’t always take them with them. Second, since she had been walking around all day, it’s possible that her phone’s battery was low and needed to be charged. Third, it’s possible she didn’t expect to be gone for more than a few minutes. It’s also possible she just forgot.

Despite this, Molly was only a few miles from her apartment complex when she felt compelled to pull over and use a pay phone to call a friend. After being questioned about this communication at a later date, the girlfriend admitted that she had indeed received a call from Molly; however, the line broke off before Molly could say anything. She just thought they were off at the time; there was nothing special about the situation.