Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

Episode 7, A Missing Mother’s Son, introduces Jaden Woodwoth, who grew up without his mother after her disappearance in 1994 Bismarck. He reflects on the impact of loss, the role of his father and grandfather, and how Shelly’s case shaped his life. The episode also debunks a claim made by Bismarck PD investigators, shedding new light on The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson. Archival audi...

Episode 6, Interview with Tony, centers on Tony Hulm, Shelly Julson’s boyfriend and Burnt Creek Club bartender. He recalls their turbulent relationship, the harassment Shelly reported, and considers whether she may have left to start a new life. His voice adds complexity to The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson. Archival audio provided by The State Historical Society of North Dakota https...

Family and investigation collide in Episode 5, Don’t Give Up. Shelly Julson’s parents, Wes and Linda, share their memories, while retired officer Rob Carvell recalls responding to the 1994 missing person report and reopening the case in 2016. A close friend and the “forty-year-old guy” Shelly planned to go camping with also add insight into The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson. Archival...

Retired Bismarck detective Bill Connor, who worked Shelly Julson’s case from 2005–2010, revisits The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson. Episode 4, Stones Unturned, highlights the We Fest sighting, the discovery of Shelly’s car at the Comfort Inn, and suspects Rick Snell, Tony Hulm, and Kevin Woodworth. With archival audio from the State Historical Society of North Dakota, this episode con...

Rumors and leads clouded the case of Shelly Julson after she disappeared in 1994. Episode 3, Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, asks: Was Shelly partying with railroad workers at the Comfort Inn? Why did another Burnt Creek Bar patron vanish? And what was she really doing on the Sunday night before she disappeared? This episode highlights the rabbit holes investigators fell into while pursuing The Mysterious...

Officer Cliff Emmert searched Shelly Julson’s world of bingo halls, bowling alleys, and bars after her 1994 disappearance in Bismarck, North Dakota. Episode 2, In Shelly’s Shadows, uncovers disturbing reports that she was being harassed and followed, possibly by multiple men — including a Bismarck police officer. This episode deepens the questions surrounding The Mysterious Disappearance of Michel...

The 1994 disappearance of Michele “Shelly” Julson in Bismarck, North Dakota, begins in Episode 1, Fly on the Wall. With unprecedented access to her cold case file, host James Wolner examines the early investigation and the troubling events leading up to her vanishing — harassment, vandalism, and mystery men. Featuring new interviews with law enforcement, family, and friends, this episode launches...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance remains a haunting North Dakota cold case. Episode 21, But, I Saw Barb Cotton!, features Jeri Martinez-Kueffler, who recounts spotting Barbara in broad daylight the year she vanished. When she reported the sighting to local authorities, their response was far from what she expected. A Better Search for Barbara continues to bring forward overlooked voices, small...

Episode 11 closes the season with a focus on the human cost of the 1993 disappearance of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson. For decades, their families and friends have lived with grief, uncertainty, and silence, carrying unanswered questions about what happened in North Dakota that August. This episode of Vanishing Act pulls back the curtain on the enduring impact of loss in one...

Episode 10 shifts from facts to theories in the unsolved 1993 disappearance of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson. Four working theories about what may have happened are presented to retired North Dakota homicide detective Bob Haas, who hears the case details in depth for the first time. Haas weighs in on which explanations he finds most plausible and why, decades later, nobody ha...

Episode 9 presents the complete conversation with Clyde Diede, a chiropractor from Winner, South Dakota, and Kristin Joy Diede’s husband at the time of her 1993 disappearance with Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson. Clyde encountered Kristin at the Diede family farm near Wishek the same weekend she and Bob vanished. In the years that followed, law enforcement closely scrutinized Clyde, at one point eve...

Episode 8 uncovers new layers in the disappearance of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson. Former Minnesota TV reporter Dan MacDonald recalls his chilling 1995 trip to Wishek, North Dakota, where he tried to ask questions about the case. This episode also explores a claim that North Dakota BCI made a curious discovery at the Diede family farmstead, as well as an incident where Clyd...

Episode 7, How Two People Vanish, asks why the 1993 disappearance of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson from Wishek, North Dakota, never triggered a massive manhunt or widespread media coverage. Was it about who they were — or who they weren’t? This episode explores the cracks and blind spots that allowed their case to fade from view, leaving questions unanswered for decades. Alon...

Episode 6 uncovers a critical clue in the 1993 disappearance of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson. Days after they were last seen in Wishek, North Dakota, Bob’s 1979 Dodge B200 van turned up abandoned in a Burlington Northern railroad yard in Aberdeen, South Dakota — 100 miles away. Today, that same van is still held as evidence in Logan County, North Dakota. How did it get there...

Episode 5, Secrets of Storytelling: Interview with James Wolner, pauses the live investigation into The Untold Story of Kristin Joy Diede and Bob Anderson for an update and behind-the-scenes conversation. Jeremy Fugleberg interviews Dakota Spotlight creator and host James Wolner about his approach to true crime reporting, storytelling, and music, while also sharing important clarifications about S...

Episode 4, Looking Over Her Shoulder, explores the danger Kristin Joy Diede faced before her disappearance in 1993. Her marriage to Clyde Diede had collapsed, and after a domestic assault conviction, a judge issued a two-year no-contact order. But friends say Kristin still lived in fear. When she set out on a trip to Wishek, North Dakota, with her boyfriend Robert “Bob” Anderson, they hoped she wo...

Episode 3 examines who Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson were before they vanished in 1993. Their personal histories and complicated relationship provide vital context for understanding why they traveled from Minnesota to Wishek, North Dakota, that summer. This chapter of Vanishing Act offers deeper insight into their lives while continuing the search for answers in one of North...

Episode 2, Last Days, traces the final movements of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson before their 1993 disappearance in North Dakota. Host James Wolner and co-producer Jeremy Fugleberg speak with the last people to see and talk with Kristin and Bob, asking why they traveled together, what they were trying to accomplish, and the conflict they faced on the day they vanished. This...

The 1993 vanishing of Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael “Bob” Anderson begins with Episode 1, Surprised By Secrets. The two set out on a North Dakota road trip and were never seen again. Authorities believe Kristin and Bob were murdered, yet decades later, no one has been held accountable. Host James Wolner teams up with journalist Jeremy Fugleberg to reexamine this cold case, uncovering hidden...

Barbara Louise Cotton’s disappearance in 1981 remains one of North Dakota’s most troubling cold cases. Episode 20, Lost Suicide Note, brings forward two powerful perspectives: Sandee Evanson, Barbara’s childhood friend, reflects on her enduring search for answers, while Stacey Werder’s sister in California shares insight into his death and the note tied to his suicide. A Better Search for Barbara...

Part 2 of 2 - Host James Wolner and his daughter head to a small apartment in Sweden to learn more about the lives and deaths of Sajid Hussain and Karima Baloch. Music by Väsen  Check out the full catalog of Dakota Spotlight true crime podcasts at https://dakotaspotlight.com where you can sign up for a newsletter, subscribe to the new and exciting Spotlight PLUS ad-free experience and much more. ...

Part 1 of 2 - What do these things have in common: missing Barbara Cotton from Williston, ND, a hitman in Italy, secret agents, international crime and 3,300 pounds of heroin seized in a Dutch port city? I’ll tell you. They are all included in this 2-part story about how my Scandinavian vacation became sidetracked by a mysterious drowning and sent me looking for international secrets. Music by Väs...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance remains unsolved, but for the first time, Red Sullivan shares his account publicly. Episode 19, Red Sullivan Speaks Out, includes an exclusive interview with Sullivan, who was with person of interest Stacey Werder the night Barbara vanished. Red describes Stacey’s behavior leading up to his jailhouse suicide, providing details never revealed before. A Better Sea...

The Barbara Cotton cold case continues to raise difficult questions about persons of interest. Episode 18, The Inquest, examines the coroner’s hearing into Stacey Demarr Werder, who died by suicide three months after Barbara vanished. His associate, C.E. “Red” Sullivan, also emerges as a key figure, with the #FindBarbCotton movement asking the public for help in locating him. A Better Search for B...

Barbara Louise Cotton’s 1981 disappearance in Williston, North Dakota, remains an unsolved murder, but a grassroots movement is keeping her memory alive. Episode 17, The FindBarbCotton Movement, features Lisa Jo Schiele, Diane (Cotton) Schiele, and Kathy (Cotton) Nulph discussing their activism, while new details surface about Barbara’s older brother Frank as a person of interest. Updates include...