Every Town - WHO Stole Julie Mott's Body & WHY?

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

The details of this case always remain the same but the theories as to what exactly went down are constantly be evolving….As to what really happened, its hard to say for sure. But one thing we do kn...ow is that Julie Motts story this is one of the more disturbing cases in recent memory. 👀 Watch This Episode On Youtube: https://youtu.be/p_OTTXzv3pY 👁 Check out our movie AN ANGRY BOY for FREE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvtlOlODQ8g&t=5238s https://tubitv.com/movies/100029672/an-angry-boy International & Other Ways To Watch: https://www.anangryboy.com/ 💀 MERCH: https://scary-mysteries.teemill.com/ 💀 Free 7 Day Trail on Exclusive Episodes, Podcasts & Perks! https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries   🎧 Our Other Podcast Scary Mysteries: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZooEZMoZ421WdsOVJhVkT 👁 X: https://x.com/ScaryMysteries1 👁 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.fitzg 👁 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewfitzgerald 👁 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarymysteriesofficial 👁 X: https://x.com/ScaryMysteries1   🗣 Business Inquiries, questions and comments hit us up at scarymysteries1@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between.
Starting point is 00:00:30 With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime. Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every town has a dark side. The family of Julie Mott seeking justice as best they can. Her body went missing from a local funeral home in 2015.
Starting point is 00:01:21 The funeral home was being sued by a family after the body of their loved one could not be found following a memorial service. We begin with a bizarre story. The body of a 25-year woman stolen from a San Antonio funeral home. Almost exactly two months after their daughter's body disappeared from a Northside funeral home, the parents of Julie Mott are again.
Starting point is 00:01:40 Again, pleading for the public's health. The story of what happened to Julie Maud has been talked about for some time now in various forums across the internet, and in publications, both independent and mainstream. The details always remain the same, but the theories as to what exactly went down seem to constantly be evolving. As to what really happened, well, it's hard to say for sure. But one thing we do know is that Julie Mott's story is one of the more disturbing cases in recent memory, Well, it's not because of the usual reasons one might suspect. It's messed up on a whole other level, a human decency one.
Starting point is 00:02:19 The idea that after we pass away, our bodies deserve to be respected and should be laid to rest in peace as universal. And for Julie, a young woman who died from a terrible disease, or she never got that peace. Her body was at her funeral one moment, and the next, it just vanished. And to this day, nobody knows. where it went or who took it. And hey guys, it's Andrew, and thanks for tuning in to this episode of Everytown War today. We're exploring the disturbing case around Julie's missing body.
Starting point is 00:02:56 We'll dig in to what exactly happened, the different players in the case and the theories surrounding what possibly could have happened, and in the end, you'll need to decide for yourself what makes the most sense. Let's head on over to Texas now and explore the theft of Julie Mont's body. On the morning of August 15th of 2015, the Mott family gathered at Mission Park funeral home in San Antonio, Texas, to bid farewell to Julie Mott. She was a beautiful young woman, just 25 years old when she tragically passed away after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.
Starting point is 00:03:43 This disease is a horrible one. It's a genetic disorder for which there's no cure. It causes the body to produce a thick mucus that affects the organs, and it is a very good. a slow and painful way to go. And over at the chapel on the grounds that day, family and friends conducted a heartfelt ceremony to honor Julie's life. On that exact day, she would have turned 26, so there were many emotions swirling, comforting words exchanged, and shared memories. The last thing on anyone's mind that day was at this solemn moment in time would somehow turn out to be the prologue to a mystery that wasn't just shocking and tragic, but one that
Starting point is 00:04:26 the entire city of San Antonio would never be able to shake off, the one that still digs at Julie's family in the most disturbing and unjust way. At first glance, the Mission Park funeral home appeared to be just like so many others across the U.S. It was part of a larger conglomerant of funeral homes and was a secure and well-managed establishment. It had cameras and alarm system and staff present 24 hours a day. However, shortly after, Julie's funeral ended, a chilling event would call all these measures into question. The arrangements were standard and clear. After the service finished, Julie's body would be brought to one of the funeral homes preparation rooms until it could be transported for cremation
Starting point is 00:05:14 the following day. Her family was told that her remains would be safeguarded, but that most certainly didn't happen. So at around 1.30 p.m., the ceremony concluded from all the guests who were there to pay their respects, filed out through the large front doors and headed to their cars, back inside everything seemed to be in order. But then, employees returned the next morning to prepare for the cremation, and Julie Maud's body was nowhere to be found. The immediate reaction was disbelief, of course. This had never happened before, and doesn't happen ever, period. And certainly somebody must have moved her to another room or hallway, but a quick check showed that wasn't the case. In searching the grounds, they found.
Starting point is 00:06:18 found there was no sign of a forced entry on the property. The alarm system hadn't been triggered. There was just the empty stretcher where Julie's body was supposed to be. None of this made sense. I mean, could somebody have actually taken her? Well, that seemed so morbid and messed up, but yeah, could have. Mission Park workers quickly realized the gravity of the situation, so the police were notified. Julie's family was beyond devastated upon hearing the news. They demanded answers that no one seemed able to provide. From there, the story quickly caught the attention to the media, which only added more pressure on the funeral home to give explanations,
Starting point is 00:07:00 and a full-scale investigation was then set in motion. Initially, because the alarm system wasn't triggered, the main theory was that it likely had been a theft orchestrated from within. Why somebody would want a young woman's dead body is a question, and I'll let you answer yourself. But they figured someone familiar with them, the layout and access codes of Mission Park must have played a role. So employees were questioned, and police began scrutinizing footage from the security cameras. But all the employees were adamant,
Starting point is 00:07:34 but they had no idea what had occurred. The footage itself only deepened the mystery. And there was no sign of anyone entering the building. No locks were forced open, meaning that the person who stole her was already inside when the place got locked up after the ceremony. A Julie had been stored in a hallway without cameras, so there was no direct footage seeing her being taken. To make matters worse, no one could provide a clear timeline of when the body was actually last seen, as if nobody wanted to be the last person with access to her, as it could incriminate them either directly or indirectly. It was a perfect storm of confusion, and every possible scenario was on the table. Because no one had broken in, it was believed that she was.
Starting point is 00:08:25 she was taken shortly after the funeral, it wrapped up. This meant that anyone in attendance could have potentially hidden somewhere and waited for the crowds to dissipate before grabbing her and then walking out a side door unnoticed. Detectives treated it all very seriously and approached this like a homicide rather than a theft. They interrogated employees hard, reviewed visitor logs, and analyzed every piece of footage from security cameras. However, all leads reached a dead end. No fingerprints, no footprints. It was a situation that defied logic and explanation.
Starting point is 00:09:19 Now, to understand the full scope of this case, it's essential to examine the roles of two key actors in this drama. Mission Park and Bayer and Beetle. These two entities, both operating in the funeral service industry, became embroiled in a legal and public relations scandal that would expose flaws in the handling of human remains. And Mission Park is one of the largest and most well-eastern. known funeral home chains in San Antonio. It prides itself on offering compassionate service
Starting point is 00:09:51 and dignity in every detail. But this case would expose some cracks in its system to say the least. The disappearance of Julie Mont's body not only damaged its reputation but also raised questions about its security protocols and operational procedures. And if a body could disappear under its care, well, how safe were the remains of other loved ones entrusted to them. Bayer and Beetle is another funeral services provider that played a key role in the mystery. According to testimonies from former employees, Bayer and Bettel had a working relationship with Mission Park. And they frequently delivered bodies to Mission Park after hours.
Starting point is 00:10:34 In an affidavit, Karina Kayser, a former employee, stated that she had keys to enter Mission Park and alarm codes that allowed her to deliver bodies during off hours and unsupervised. This revelation would later become a crucial part of the investigation. I mean, how many other employees or former employees, perhaps disgruntled ones, had the same kind of access. The cooperation between these two companies, initially seen as normal industry practice, quickly became the subject of scrutiny. According to Kaiser, she entered the facility almost every other weekend to deliver bodies, often relying on a key and alarm codes stored right in the company van. The fact that so many people had access to the funeral home at night
Starting point is 00:11:22 raised serious questions about the real security it had. The Mott family was quick to file a lawsuit against Mission Park. According to the lawsuit, the Mott's blame Mission Park Funeral Chapel for negligent conduct and grossness. negligence after their daughter's body went missing on August 16th. In court, it was all eyes on Dick Tips, the funeral homeowner, and a family friend of the Mott. The family accused the company of failing to provide proper security and accountability for the remains of their daughter. In response, Mission Park counter that the disappearance could not have occurred without the
Starting point is 00:12:02 involvement of an insider. Their attorneys argued that Bayer and Bettles loose protocols might have played a role, especially given that former employees testified to having unrestricted access to the grounds. But it was more to this whole thing because it wasn't just about the disappearance of Julie. Investigators discovered that just months before this incident, another body mix-up occurred at Bayer and Beetle. The body of 73-year-old Betrisse Garza was accidentally swapped with that of another woman. And this mistake resulted in a lawsuit and a settlement, further eroding the company's credibility. The back and forth accusations between these two entities
Starting point is 00:12:48 highlighted the larger issue at hand, the lack of clear security measures and chain of custody protocols and the handling of human remains. But beyond all the legal issues, really, who would have taken Julie and why? While multiple workers might have had access and the ability to do so, or why would they? Julie's mother, Charlotte, is likely the person. person who was thought about this question the most, and for her, it just never made enough
Starting point is 00:13:18 sense that a stranger would take her daughter from that funeral home. After all, this type of crime doesn't happen very often, so why Julie? Why her daughter? For Charlotte, she felt like whoever took her knew Julie very well, perhaps was even obsessed with her and couldn't let her go. And so, after the funeral, which they attended, they then hid out and snatched her right off the stretcher when the coast was clear. Enter, Julie's ex-boyfriend, Bill Wilburn, into the fold. Body theft cases are rare, but in this context, the involvement of Bill added another layer to the case. Motivation. Wilburn and Julie had been separated for two years by the time her funeral came around, and his desire for her never seemed to wane.
Starting point is 00:14:23 He had, according to some, always wanted to get back together with her, and so detectives looked into the matter. It was discovered that on the day of Julie's funeral, Billy Boy was the last one to leave. And he lingered behind as everyone left for an additional ten, maybe even fifteen minutes, though he was eventually escorted out by a Mission Park employee who then locked the door behind him. And the Mott family desperate to find Julie offered a $20,000 reward for anyone who could provide information leading to the return of the young woman's remains. Bill was also desperate in his own way, and allegedly he started to really get involved in the case demanding answers as well. So much so that in the course of a single day, he called Mission
Starting point is 00:15:13 Park staff over 200 times to express his frustration with them, and this led to him getting a criminal trespass against him, meaning he could no longer go on any Mission Park property. But still, that didn't stop him. Because nine months later, he was caught on security cameras and spotted by employees attempting to gain entrance to Mission Park North. Prosecutors say he again showed up at the funeral home where Mott's body disappeared from. The new evidence was presented during an arraignment hearing this morning for 31-year-old Bill Wilburne. He faces two counts of criminal trespassing. Investigators say he was repeatedly caught on surveillance cameras at Mission Park North
Starting point is 00:15:54 funeral home, including on February 20th, 10 days after he was first charged. He was arrested for this, and just a few months before this incident, and part of the reason why Charlotte felt so uneasy about the young man, was that he called their house more than a dozen times between midnight and 4 a.m. during a two-week stretch. So, not very normal behavior coming from him. Bill is, of course, on the investigator's radar for all this, but it never found enough to really pin the theft on him. The civil lawsuit filed against Mission Park culminated in settlement in 2020, but the funeral home agreed to pay $8 million in compensation to the Mott family.
Starting point is 00:16:41 Although the settlement provided financial relief, and most certainly did not return Julie's body nor resolved the mystery behind her disappearance. The anguish of the parents who not only had to face the death of their daughter, but also the uncertainty of not knowing where she is, is indescribable. The Mott family continues to fight for answers, though as time has passed, the chances of ever finding Julie, grows slimmer by the day. After the events regarding the disappearance of Julie Mons' body, the city of San Antonio's witnessed a surge of conspiracy theories that have gained traction over the years, while the official investigation continues to leave the mystery unsolved, the voices of the local community
Starting point is 00:17:38 and online comments have given rise to a series of possible explanations that, although lacking concrete evidence, offer an alternative view of what actually happened. As we discussed, one of the most debated theories suggests that the disappearance of Mott's body is not some sort of error or oversight, but the result of a plot within the Mission Park funeral home itself. Given the unrestricted access that the subcontracted company Bayer and Betel had to the funeral home facilities, some speculate that Mission Park employees,
Starting point is 00:18:11 perhaps under coercion, or for financial reasons, could have been involved in the theft of the body. The lack of signs of forced entry into the building and the failure of the alarm system have fueled this theory. So could it be that someone inside the funeral home is willing to cooperate to cover up the disappearance
Starting point is 00:18:30 for unclear reasons. Yes, that's certainly possible. Another of the darker theories revolves around the possibility that Julie Maude's body was stolen to be sold on the black market. While this idea may sound extreme, some believe that, given the confidential nature of funeral services and the unrestricted access that certain employees had to the bodies, there is a chance that Julie Ma became a victim of illegal body trafficking.
Starting point is 00:19:01 These underground markets, while not common, have been reported. in some parts of the world, where bodies are used for medical research, organ donation, or even darker practices. If this were the case, then the theft of Mott's body would have involved both corrupt funeral home employees and individuals outside the funeral industry. Whether the whole story of not knowing what happened was a cover-up by the higher-ups, or they genuinely were unaware that they had employed criminals would require a much deeper investigation. And somewhat in line, with this is the idea that instead of Julie Mott's body being stolen, an internal mistake might have occurred within the funeral home. This theory holds that due to an administrative or communication
Starting point is 00:19:50 lapse, her body could have been prematurely cremated or even mistakenly given to another family. The funeral home then tried to cover up the error because of the embarrassing nature of the incident and the implications it would have on the Mission Park funeral home as a whole. In this case, the disappearance of the body would not have been a deliberate theft, but rather a massive, bureaucratic mistake that has been carefully concealed to avoid a larger public scandal, one that would likely put an end of their business because who's going to allow their deceased loved ones to be entrusted with people like that? As for ex-boyfriend Bill Wilburn, although investigators have not been able to directly link him
Starting point is 00:20:35 to the disappearance of the body, some argue that his erratic behavior and constant attempts to gather information about the case may have been part of a larger plan. Some believe that Wilburn could have been involved in an impulsive act, perhaps in the state of desperation or emotional confusion following Julie's death. That shortly after the funeral ended, he made his way back inside to steal the body for some personal reason, either just to keep it all to himself or for something else altogether. And this entire case has sparked a range of theories.
Starting point is 00:21:19 some more believable than others. And while we don't know the true answer, one of them has to be what really happened. While answers would be ideal, really the issue with all of them is that they lead to one conclusion that is deep-rooted in our psyche and disturbing. And that is that somebody stole a poor young girl's body, and it could be anywhere in the world right now.
Starting point is 00:21:43 Because of that, this case remains one of the most haunting and controversial in the city's history. a case that is yet to reach any sort of closure, which deep down is the real problem. As time goes by, this story has not only shed light on the specific mishandling of Julie's remains, but also raised uncomfortable questions about the integrity of funeral services in San Antonio and potentially across the country. Despite the passing of time, the question still remains unanswered. Was there a cover-up?
Starting point is 00:22:17 Was this body stolen for personal gain or something dark? This selfish person who took her could not have loved her any more than I do is breaking my heart each and every day. I don't care who you are, but somehow get word to someone where we can find her. So we ask that you please, please return our Julie to us. When a loved one dies, we blindly entreat. all the funeral home operators with their dark-colored suits and serious faces to protect the dead with basic human dignity. But the reality is that there's some twisted individuals out there who might have ill intentions or even just be aloof to the seriousness of caring for the deceased.
Starting point is 00:23:10 And either way, none of them can be trusted 100% completely. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Hope you all enjoyed it. If you want to watch this episode, click the link in the description or visit Scary Mysteries on YouTube. And for exclusive podcasts, plus an entire library of additional episodes, go to patreon.com slash scary mysteries. You can sign up for a free trial, even buy some bundled episodes too. Remember to come back next week for another one filled with scary, strange, and mysterious stories,
Starting point is 00:23:54 because you never know. Maybe your town will be next.

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