Molly Dattilo vanished without a trace during a party at her apartment complex in July 2004. But the investigation into what transpired seemed to yield few hints and no answers. Molly’s story is included as one of two cases highlighted on Investigation Discovery’s ‘Still a Mystery: Indiana Unsolved.’ Over the years, the family has struggled to find closure due to a lack of information. So, if you’re curious about Molly’s fate, here’s what we know.
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Molly Dattilo’s Cause of Death
Molly grew raised as the youngest of nine children in Madison, Indiana. The young lady was gifted, driven, social, and trustworthy. Molly was a brilliant athlete who attended Eastern Kentucky University on a running scholarship, in addition to being an excellent student. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly for the 22-year-old. In 2004, she enrolled in summer studies at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis with the intention of auditioning for ‘American Idol’ later that year. Molly’s day on July 6, 2004, began like any other. She shared an apartment in Indianapolis with her brother at the time.
Molly left class around 7 p.m. to go to a nearby fast food restaurant to drop off a job application after buying for supplies. Molly then headed to her apartment complex’s party. Molly called a buddy from a gas station pay phone three miles from her residence about 11 p.m. However, the line was cut before the friend could speak. That was the last she was heard from. After more than a decade, the family had Molly legally declared deceased in 2017. The reason of death, however, is uncertain.
Was Molly Dattilo murdered?
On her way to the fast food establishment, Molly ran into an acquaintance who remembered she had her phone. The device was later discovered in her apartment. She met John Shelton during a party at her building on the evening of July 6, 2004. She met him through a mutual friend. According to the inquiry, the two left the party to go on a boat trip and then eat at a Taco Bell. The call came in at 11 p.m. from a payphone three miles away in the opposite direction from the apartment.
When questioned subsequently, John confirmed to being with Molly when she made the call but claimed to have dropped her off at home after that. He had been the last person to see her alive. Molly’s brother, Nick, did not immediately report his sister missing because she was known to take unplanned travels. When Molly did not return home or contact anyone by July 8, 2004, Nick became concerned. He phoned the cops, but they didn’t take it seriously because they assumed she departed on her own.
However, all of Molly’s items, including her wallet, identity, car, and phone, remained at the apartment, raising the possibility of foul play. However, the authorities had little information to work with. The family kept Molly’s story alive in the hope that new leads would come up. According to the show, two years after John’s disappearance, they engaged a private investigator and learnt more about him. He’d been in and out of jail for a variety of reasons.
When the family made John’s name public, it was revealed on the show that his previous girlfriends warned the family they were afraid of him. They claimed that John boasted of doing something to Molly and threatened them with the same. When he was inebriated, he would choke other ladies in the family. However, without a body or any other proof, the authorities were unable to apprehend John. Another tip was received by the police in October 2008.
According to the show, the tipster stated that John called his father, Edward, on the night Molly went missing and admitted to accidently killing someone. In response, Edward allegedly requested that the body be buried elsewhere. Molly’s case was quickly classed as a homicide inquiry. John has remained the only person of interest in the case over the years. Molly’s loved ones were awarded $3.5 million in a wrongful death claim against John and Edward in 2010. The Sheltons, however, did not appear in court, and the family felt they would never recover the money.
According to the episode, John is now incarcerated on armed robbery and narcotics charges and will be eligible for release in 2038. Molly was pronounced dead in September 2017, assuming she died on July 6, 2004. Celestra Dewey, her sister, stated, “We presume she is deceased at this moment.” So I don’t see it as a way to give up. Just though someone is legally dead doesn’t mean you’ll stop looking for them.”
Who exactly is Molly Dattilo?
On June 13, 1982, Molly Dattilo was born. She would be the ninth kid in a family of nine.
Molly discovered early on that there were a few things she truly enjoyed and happened to be really good at while growing up in Madison, Indiana.
The first activity was singing. Molly loved to sing and even took special voice lessons. Those who knew her and heard her sing claimed she was a natural. She had intended to attend an American Idol audition in 2004, the year she went missing. Her desire had come true, and she was overjoyed to finally attend an audition later that summer.
Molly continued to take private voice lessons and work hard to improve even as a college student. Molly carried this attribute with her in whatever she did. Work and determination are required.
Molly also enjoyed running. Running competitions Molly has been ranked among the top ten high school runners in Indiana for all four years of her high school career. She received an athletic scholarship at Eastern Kentucky University and ran for the school for a few years. Molly has just ended her fourth and last year of running for EKU in 2004.
Molly wasn’t quite ready to graduate after four years of college at Eastern Kentucky, so she enrolled in summer studies at Indiana University-Purdue University. IUPUI, or Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, is a university in downtown Indianapolis that provides coursework and degrees from both Indiana University and Purdue University.
Molly moved in with her brother to the Westlake Apartment Complex on Indianapolis’ west side, around five miles from IUPUI. Molly had a car, so getting about was simple.
Molly was a social butterfly, and the Westlake Apartments had a lot of young people living there. She made quick acquaintances and enjoyed simply hanging out with ‘her people.’
Molly Dattilo’s Disappearance
Molly went to her classes as usual on Tuesday, July 6, 2004. That afternoon, she went shopping, mainly seeking for a gift for her little nephew’s upcoming birthday, and she wanted to drop off some job applications.
Molly chose to walk to a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant later in the evening, at 7:00 p.m. Wendy’s was approximately a half-mile away from her place, and she needed to drop off a job application there. Molly ran into her brother’s friend while walking or potentially even at Wendy’s. They talked for a minute before Molly left to return to her apartment.
When she returned, she went to one of her friends’ flat, where there were other people just hanging out. Molly struck up a conversation with a young man named John Shelton. John persuaded her to let him take her for a boat trip on one of the complex’s small ponds. It just so happened that John had the hookup because his brother Benji worked in maintenance at the apartments. Benji was able to assist John in retrieving the boat, which had been stored in a shed, and John and Molly went for a short boat ride.
They then stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat.
They did not return to the residences after leaving Taco Bell. For some reason, they continued past the apartments and drove a few miles in the opposite way. No one knows why or where they were heading, but it was 11:00 p.m. when Molly urged John to stop at Thornton’s gas station. Molly walked up to a pay phone to call one of her friends.
Molly had a cell phone, but it was not with her. And there are numerous theories as to why this is the case, although it might be a variety of factors. First, there was 2004. Of course, cell phones existed, but they were not smartphones in the sense that they are now, and people did not always carry them with them everywhere. Second, because she had been out and about all day, her phone might have needed to be charged. Third, she may have thought she’d only be gone for a few minutes. Or perhaps she simply forgot.
However, just a few miles from her apartment complex, Molly felt compelled to pull over and use a payphone to call a friend. When queried about this contact later, the buddy admits she did receive a call from Molly, but the line was disconnected before Molly could say anything. She merely believed they were switched off at the moment; nothing seemed out of the norm.
Molly Dattilo’s final known communication—or attempt at communication—was this.
