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Author: jdwolner

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Cover image for Christine Rothschild murder podcast, Season 10 of Dakota Spotlight.
DAKOTA SPOTLIGHT

Dakota Spotlight S10 – You Killed Chris: A Friend’s Fight for Justice

The Christine Rothschild murder is one of Madison, Wisconsin’s most haunting unsolved cases. In 1968, 18-year-old Christine was found stabbed to death outside Sterling Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison …

Community members stand distraught on a Zeeland street after the Ellen and Wade Zick murder in 1976
DAKOTA SPOTLIGHT

ZEELAND – 2024 Rebroadcast

The Ellen and Wade Zick murder shocked Zeeland, North Dakota on July 11, 1976, when the couple was killed by three young men from their own community. Originally covered in …

Mandan Murders podcast feature image showing RJR Maintenance and Management building in Mandan, North Dakota
MANDAN MURDERS

Dakota Spotlight S9 – The Mandan Murders

“Dakota Spotlight” host James Wolner tosses the true crimeplaybook aside and dives into the many facets of grief — from thosewhose loved ones were taken by the hands of a …

Explore the Joel Lovelien murder podcast, an investigation into the unsolved 2007 Halloween homicide in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
JOEL LOVELIEN

Dakota Spotlight S8 – Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien

On October 27, 2007, Joel Lovelien stepped outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota, during a night filled with Halloween costumes, celebration, and heavy drinking. Moments later, …

Shelly Julson’s parents holding a framed photo of their daughter, connected to the Michele Julson disappearance in Bismarck, North Dakota.
SHELLY JULSON

Dakota Spotlight S7 – Call Me Shelly: The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson

Photo James Wolner, courtesy of Forum Communications Co. The disappearance of Michele Julson shocked Bismarck, North Dakota in the summer of 1994. On August 2, 26-year-old Julson dropped off her …

Feature image for the Kristin Diede disappearance, showing Kristin Diede and Bob Anderson, who vanished together in North Dakota in 1993.
VANISHING ACT

Dakota Spotlight S6 – Vanishing Act: The Untold Story of Kristin Joy Diede and Bob Anderson

In August 1993, Kristin Joy Diede and Robert Michael Anderson set out on a road trip to North Dakota and were never seen again. Authorities believe the two were murdered, …

Photo of Barbara Louise Cotton, the 15-year-old at the center of the 1981 Barbara Cotton disappearance case in Williston, North Dakota.
BARB COTTON

Dakota Spotlight S5 – A Better Search for Barbara

The Barbara Cotton disappearance is one of North Dakota’s longest-running cold cases. On April 11, 1981, 15-year-old Barbara Louise Cotton vanished while walking home in Williston, North Dakota. According to …

Photos of Billy Wolf, the 18-year-old victim in the 1978 unsolved Red River murder investigated in Dakota Spotlight Season 4
BILLY WOLF / DAKOTA SPOTLIGHT

Dakota Spotlight S4 – Chasing Billy

Billy Wolf. Photo courtesy of Forum News Service In August 1978, a man canoeing the Red River near Fargo, North Dakota discovered two plastic garbage bags. Inside was the severed …

Detective questioning a suspect during the investigation of the Barbara and Gordon Erickstad murder in Bismarck, North Dakota
HOUSE SWEET/SEVENTH

Dakota Spotlight S3 – The House on Sweet and Seventh

The Barbara and Gordon Erickstad murder shocked Bismarck, North Dakota in September 1998. On a quiet Friday morning, 17-year-old Aimee walked into the police station with a chilling suspicion: her …

Newspaper clipping showing the capture of suspects in the Wade and Ellen Zick murder case in Zeeland, North Dakota, 1976
DAKOTA SPOTLIGHT

Dakota Spotlight S2 – ZEELAND: The Untold Story of Wade and Ellen Zick

The Wade and Ellen Zick murder shocked the small town of Zeeland, North Dakota on July 11, 1976. That night, the couple was killed by three young men from the …

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