The Body That Vanished

Who stole Julie Mott’s body from the chapel?

On August 8, 2015, Julie Mott died following her battle with cystic fibrosis at the age of twenty-five. On August 15, the day she would have turned twenty-six, her memorial service was held at Mission Park North. She was remembered by friends and family as being a vibrant young woman who enjoyed being out in nature and horseback riding. Her memorial service ended at around 1:30 p.m. and her body was wheeled away to await transfer to a crematorium. At 4:30 p.m., staff locked up the chapel and went home for the day.

The next morning, an employee came into work and discovered that the bier on which Julie’s casket had been resting had been moved, the casket’s hinges were damaged, and Julie’s body was gone. There were no signs of forced entry and the building’s security system hadn’t been set off. Therefore, it’s believed that her body was stolen in the three hours between the end of her memorial service and the closure of the facility.

Police launched an investigation, while volunteer search parties joined in the effort to find Julie’s body, and the owner of Mission Park, the unfortunately named Dick Tips, offered a $20,000 reward for any information leading to the discovery of the body or the arrest of any persons involved.