The Disappearance of IUPUI Student Molly Dattilo and Molly’s Law

**Information is obtained from the Where are they? Podcast and other online sources as cited**

Molly Dattilo could run her heart out every day and not get tired of it. She loved running so much, in fact, she was offered a scholarship to attend Eastern Kentucky University.

Not too far from her home in Madison, Indiana, Molly was thrilled to head off to college and keep running.

Running wasn’t Molly’s only hobby she enjoyed, she was also a singer. In fact, her dream was to go to an American Idol audition, something she was planning on putting in motion that summer of 2006.

Molly went to Indianapolis that summer to take some courses at IUPUI- Indiana University–Purdue University of Indianapolis, and was living in an apartment near campus.

On July 6 of that year, Molly was planning on going to Wendy’s to apply for a job, she went and did some shopping for her upcoming nephew’s birthday, and she would make a phone call to a friend- from a payphone- at 11:00 p.m. that night.

Molly Dattilo would not be seen or heard from again.

Where is Molly Dattilo?

Who is Molly Dattilo?

Molly Dattilo was born on June 13, 1982. She would be the youngest of nine children.

Growing up in Madison, Indiana, Molly learned early on there were a couple of things she really enjoyed and happened to be very good at.

The first was singing. Molly was always singing and even took private voice lessons. Those that knew her and heard her sing, said she was very talented. In 2004, the year she would go missing, she had planned to attend an American Idol audition. This had been a dream of hers and she was so excited to finally attend an audition later that summer.

Even as a college student, Molly continued to take private voice lessons and work hard to get better. A trait that Molly took with her in everything she did. Hard work and determination.

Molly’s other hobby was running. Competitive running. Molly had been named in the Top 10 of High School runners in the state of Indiana for her entire four years of high school. She earned herself an athletic scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University and ran for a few years for the school. In 2004, Molly had just finished up her fourth and final year of running for EKU.

In fact, after four of college at Eastern Kentucky, Molly wasn’t quite ready for graduation and decided to take some summer classes at the Indiana University- Purdue University. IUPUI as it’s known is a university in downtown Indianapolis that offers classes and degrees from both Indiana University and Purdue University.

Molly moved into with her brother, in the Westlake Apartment Complex, which was located on the west side of Indianapolis, about five miles to IUPUI. Molly had a car so getting around wasn’t a problem.

The Westlake Apartments had a fair amount of young people living there, and Molly was a social butterfly. She made friends easily, and loved to just hang out and be with ‘her people’.

THE DISAPPEARANCE

On Tuesday, July 6, 2004, Molly attended her classes as normal. That afternoon she did some shopping, looking specifically for a present for her little nephew’s birthday which was in a couple of weeks, and she wanted to drop off some job applications.

A little later into the evening, around 7:00 p.m., Molly decided to walk to a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. This Wendy’s was about a half-mile from her apartment, and she wanted to drop off a job application. While walking, or possibly even at Wendy’s, Molly ran into her brother’s friend. They chatted for a minute, and then Molly left, heading back to her apartment.

She went to the apartment of one of her friends when she got back, and there were several people there just hanging out. Molly began talking to a young man by the name of John Shelton. John convinced her to let him take her for a boat ride on one of the small ponds on the property of the complex. It just so happened that John had the hookup, as his brother Benji, was a maintenance worker there at the apartments. Benji was able to help John get the boat, which had been locked up in a shed, and John and Molly went for a little boat ride.

Afterward, they went to Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat.

When they left Taco Bell, however, they didn’t go back to the apartments. In fact, for some reason, they continued on past the apartments and drove a couple of miles in the other direction. No one is quite sure why, or where else they may have been going, but it was 11:00 p.m. when Molly asked John to stop at Thornton’s gas station. Molly went over to use a payphone to call up one of her friends.

Molly had a cell phone, but she didn’t have it with her. And there’s lots of speculation about why that is, but it really could be so many things. First, it was 2004. Cell phones were around, of course, but they weren’t smartphones in the sense they are now, and people didn’t always carry them around everywhere with them. Second, she had been out and about all day, her phone may have needed charging. Third, she may have left thinking she’d only be gone a few minutes. Or, maybe she just forgot it.

But for some reason, just a couple miles from her apartment complex, Molly felt the need to stop and use a payphone to call a friend. Later, when asked about this call, the friend says she did get a call from Molly, but before Molly could really say anything, the line had been disconnected. At the time, she just thought they got cut off, nothing really seemed out of the ordinary.

This was really the last known communication- or attempt at communication- from Molly Dattilo.

On July 8, 2004, two days later, Molly’s brother was starting to panic. They shared an apartment together at Westlake Apartment Complex and they often went a day or two without seeing each other, but he realized they were now approaching day three. Not only that, but all her belongings were sitting untouched in the apartment, meaning Molly hadn’t come back at all. Her cell phone, her ATM card, and her ID were still sitting in the same place.

Her car had also remained at the apartment parking lot, unmoved.

It was not too unusual for Molly to disappear for a day or two. She was always with friends, and it seemed at first, she was likely staying with them and just hanging out.

As he put the pieces together though, realizing that he hadn’t seen her, she left her phone and ID behind, and the fact that her car was still sitting in the same place, he began to worry.

He called the police to report her missing.

THE SEARCH.

The police in Indianapolis took the call that day from Molly’s brother, but they really didn’t do anything. In fact, when questioned later about their slow reaction to looking for Molly, one detective simply stated, “It just isn’t a priority.”

Molly disappeared into thin air- but it’s not a priority.

Law Enforcement believed that this 23-year old girl, a very social college student, was likely just off with friends somewhere. And that was fine. At 23, she can go wherever she pleases, certainly doesn’t have to tell her brother.

Even though her family and closest friends, kept telling investigators that there was no way Molly would disappear on her own without telling them, their pleas for help fell on deaf ears. There would be no immediate search for Molly Dattilo.

What continued to raise red flags for the family, was that all of Molly’s activity completed stopped on July 6. She was a very good student, yet she stopped going to classes. Completed job applications sat in the back seat of her car, as did a birthday present she had just bought for her nephew.

Her ATM card sat in her apartment, her bank account still holding a considerable amount of cash, with no transactions being recorded after July 6.

But still, there was no official search right away.

In fact, her family would say it was well over 30 days after she was reported missing, that any attempt at searching even started.

Remember, it just wasn’t a priority.

Eventually, police do start to retrace Molly’s steps on the day of July 6. They learn went to class, went shopping, applied for jobs, went to a friend’s apartment, went boating with John, and then to Taco Bell for a late-night dinner.

At first, they believed that’s where her activity stops, and initial news media reports that. Later, they would learn of the phone call from the gas station that happened around 11:00 p.m. that night, and they did confirm that.

So they speak to John Shelton, the last known person to be with Molly on that day.

And while they don’t ever release the full details of that conversation to the public, they come away from that discussion with a new outlook on Molly’s case. Now they had questions, and the answers they were getting weren’t making a lot of sense.

They turn up the search, and they concentrate on the area of Westlake apartments. They search the pond where she took a boat ride earlier that day. Google maps show a couple of ponds. I hope they searched both.

They follow her route to Wendy’s that evening and focus efforts on searching there.

Molly’s case makes the local tv news stations. Finally.

THE SHELTONS.

By all accounts, Molly’s life seemed pretty typical that day. School, shopping, friends…

But then a new friend enters the picture. John Shelton.

People have come forward to talk about what a shady character he was, and bad news, but nothing really specific.

A quick criminal background check shows John Shelton in trouble with the law many times, beginning in 1994 with a felony theft charge.

From there, we have OVI’s, resisting law enforcement, intimidation, driving under lifetime suspension, more theft charges, and finally, a drug charge that has him in prison through the year 2038.

We know he was the last person with Molly, but something during law enforcement questioning, caused them to believe that John knew more than he was saying.

As for what we know- the public- we only know that John admitted to being with Molly that day and evening, he admitted he drove her to that payphone that night, and then he claims he took her home. For some reason, detectives don’t believe him.

But the story doesn’t really just end there, because John isn’t the only person that has been pointed out as a person of interest. His father, Edward Shelton, has also been named. Again, we don’t know the exact connection there, and how John’s father was ultimately implicated as well.

And that’s okay. Sometimes the more information we have on an unsolved case, the more the public can help with leads and tips to law enforcement. But not always. There are times when detectives need to protect the information they have.

The Dattilo family is also convinced that John and Edward are responsible for something happening to Molly.

THE AFTERMATH AND MOLLY’S LAW.

Molly had not been found, nor were any real clues revealed.

In December of 2005, Molly’s father passed away, never knowing what happened to his youngest daughter.

Family members said he was sick near the end, but he was still working the searches for Molly and had been preparing another one before he died. Relatives said he died of grief not knowing where Molly was and what happened to her.

The family was extremely unhappy with the reaction from law enforcement- or lack thereof.

In fact, her family went to her apartment one week after she was reported missing, and police hadn’t even been in the apartment. And, police wouldn’t interview friends and neighbors at the apartment complex for one full year after Molly vanished.

One of Molly’s cousins, Keri, was a reporter in Los Angeles at the time Molly disappeared. She couldn’t believe the lack of response and flew to Indianapolis to see what she could do.

The family began making media rounds and started working with state lawmakers to change the way missing person cases are handled. They even worked with Project Jason for some time- and if you recall, Project Jason is the organization set up by Jason Jolowksi’s mother after her son went missing.

In 2007, after a lengthy process and legal fight for change, Molly’s law was passed. The Molly Dattilo Law requires law enforcement to accept missing person reports immediately and identifies those as high risk. The law also offers annual missing person training for police departments.

Legislation similar to Molly Dattilo’s law is being enacted all over the country. In fact, Molly’s cousin, Amy, has worked to get the law passed in other states, including her home state of Arizona.

It’s really a great way to keep Molly’s name out there and to try and help other families. No one should have to go through what the Dattilo’s did, and if the tragic things happens- a loved one goes missing- you want the help of authorities immediately.

In addition to the work for Molly’s Law, her family also helps with an annual 5k that is done in Molly’s honor. That seems the perfect way to honor this young woman, who loved to run and loved to support others in the running community. This race still takes place in Madison, Indiana, where Molly grew up.

The family has never ended their search for Molly, their search for justice and their hope for answers.

In fact, both John Shelton and his father Edward would end up in court for Molly’s case.

THE CIVIL SUIT.

In 2010, the Dattilo family won a $3.5 million judgment against Shelton and his father, alleging the two men were involved in Dattilo’s disappearance.

The information came out that there was vomit found in Shelton’s car. Police believed that Molly was possibly strangled in the car.

The Dattilo family won by default as neither John nor Edward came forward to defend themselves. This is interesting because John Shelton was an inmate at a state prison in Plainfield during this lawsuit. Edward Shelton, however, was unable to be located.

I haven’t been able to verify all of the evidence linking Edward Shelton to the case, but he was also found negligent in the lawsuit. And the fact that he was a no-show to court, also raises eyebrows.

Edward and John were never charged criminally. There is a completely different threshold for being found negligent in a civil trial, however. The total amount of $3.5 million, was split. The judgment includes about $1.7 million for lost earnings, pain and suffering, and another $1.7 million in punitive damages.

The family knows they will never see a dime of that money, but that wasn’t their goal. Their goal was to hold them responsible for Molly’s disappearance, and likely death.

In 2014, John Shelton was released from prison. Don’t worry- he would end up back behind bars where he will stay until 2038, but for a short time, he was free.

During that time the local Fox News station interviewed him. He was living with his girlfriend at the time, and they agreed to speak, but not on camera.

He continued to proclaim his innocence, saying that, “I was the only person dumb enough to admit I was with Molly that night.”

In 2017, a judge would declare Molly legally deceased, with her date of disappearance- July 6, 2004, being her date of death. A step the family believed was necessary.

THE QUESTIONS.

As with many unsolved cases, there are always unanswered questions that leave us wondering.

Let’s talk about some things in this case that make me wonder. And I have a lot, but let’s touch on the main ones.

Question #1.

What was the intention of the call to the friend, from the payphone? Here’s what I wonder.

Why, did John and Molly leave Taco Bell that night, drive past her apartment for another two miles, and then stop at that gas station to make a call?

Why not just stop at her apartment if she wanted to call her friend? Why did they pass it?

What was her reason for calling? Did she possibly need help? Or was it an innocent enough call…

Why did the phone line disconnect? Was she not supposed to make a call, and John- or someone else- disconnected the line?

There is absolutely no evidence that proves why the call was made or what the intention was, but it seems odd to me. She was just a couple miles from her apartment, where her cell phone was, and likely a land-line phone too in 2004. Why not stop there?

I just feel like there is more to that story.

Question #2.

How did Edward become implicated? Clearly, he was, enough to even be found guilty in the civil suit. And my thought is he knew he was guilty or at least that the evidence was overwhelming against him because he never even showed up to court to fight it.

In fact, where is Edward today? There are a few different Edward Shelton’s in the Marion County area.

I’m really left wanting more information on Edward.

As for theories, there is really just one main theory in this case. But still, we don’t know what exactly happened to Molly, or where she is.

You’d think by this point, 18 years later, someone would have come forward with something. And if it’s just John and Edward that know something, it’s interesting that neither one of them has given up any information either. John’s in prison until 2038. Doesn’t seem like he’d have a whole lot to lose at this point.

There is still a missing girl out there, who needs to be found and brought home properly. It’s been way too long.

I also want to give a big thank you to Molly’s family also for working so hard to get Molly’s law in place and help other families when a loved one goes missing.

It’s very possible someone out there knows something. And it’s very possible there is still a tip out there that can break this case wide open.

In 2004, Molly was described as a caucasian female, about 5’ tall and weighing around 100 pounds. She has brown hair, hazel/green eyes and either wears contact lenses or glasses. It’s believed she was wearing a pink tie-dyed shirt on July 6, when she was last seen. The tip of Dattilo’s left thumb and the nail on that thumb are slightly deformed, shortened, and made hook-like from a childhood accident. She has a dime-sized brown birthmark on the outside of her right elbow.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Molly Dattilo, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department 812–265–2648, the Madison Police Department 812–265–3347, or the Marion County Sheriff’s Department 317–231–8154.

Keep sharing her story. The answers are still out there.