Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

Dakota Spotlight is a true crime series investigating unsolved murders, cold cases, and missing persons in North Dakota and the Midwest. Hosted by investigative journalist James Wolner, each season takes a deep dive into one case, from rural crime and small town murders to decades-old disappearances. Through meticulous research, exclusive interviews, and on-the-ground reporting, Dakota Spotlight brings forgotten crimes back into the public eye and gives voice to victims and their families. Alongside full investigative seasons, the show also features shorter standalone episodes that explore individual mysteries in a single sitting. If you are drawn to investigative journalism, small town true crime, and real crime stories based on actual events, Dakota Spotlight offers gripping and respectful storytelling you will not forget.

Episodes

September 3, 2026 22 mins
James shares new information about red scoria, or clinker, found on Shelly’s car and speaks with a North Dakota geologist about what that material could mean for the investigation. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Ar...
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James examines allegations involving Bismarck Police Lieutenant Don Schaffer, discusses questions and comments from listeners, and lays out what he believes could still be done in Shelly’s case. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by Jam...
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James speaks with Jaden Woodworth about his memories of his mom, growing up without her, his father and grandparents, and a later police interview with Kevin Woodworth that centered on when Shelly was reported missing. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written a...
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August 13, 2026 38 mins
James interviews Tony Hulm, former bartender at the Burnt Creek Club, and revisits questions about Shelly’s final days, the Comfort Inn, the railroad workers, and other leads still left to examine. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by ...
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August 6, 2026 48 mins
James sits down with Shelly's parents, Wes and Linda Julson, and retired Bismarck Police Officer Rob Carvell, who responded to the original missing persons call in 1994 and later volunteered to re-examine the case in 2016. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is writt...
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July 30, 2026 44 mins
James speaks with one of Shelly’s friends, retired investigator Bill Connor, and one of the railroad workers mentioned in the cold case file. He also goes looking for Jennie, the former Burnt Creek Club barmaid Shelly suspected may have been harassing her. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callm...
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James follows the early investigation into Shelly’s final known days, including Tony Hulm’s statements, the babysitter’s account, the two railroad workers, Rick Snell, and the missing records in Shelly’s case file. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me...
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As investigators continue looking for Shelly, they interview friends and co-workers, follow reports of harassment, search for her Ford Thunderbird, and begin tracing the people who may have seen her before she disappeared. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is writt...
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July 9, 2026 47 mins
In August 1994, 26-year-old Michele "Shelly" Julson drops off her three-year-old son with his grandfather, planning to return a few hours later. She never does. As family, friends, and police begin searching, troubling details emerge about the days leading up to her disappearance, including reports that Shelly believed she was being harassed. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Inspired...
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Leah Sottile joins Dakota Spotlight for a conversation about investigative journalism, the ethics of true crime storytelling, and the challenges of reporting on unresolved cases in overlooked rural communities. Leah discusses the making of Hush Season 2, the line between mystery and journalism, and the emotional weight of reporting on the 2019 death of Sarah Zuber in rural Oregon. Following the interview, hear the first episode of...
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After the release of The Bagpiper and His Brother, listeners who knew Harold Pieper began reaching out. In this update episode, Harold's stepdaughters and granddaughter share memories that reveal a devoted husband, caretaker, and grandfather. Their stories offer a fuller picture of the man whose life was forever changed by the 1971 bombing. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up ...
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Journalist and podcast creator Josh Dean joins Dakota Spotlight to discuss scams, deception, and the craft of narrative podcasting. Josh talks about the rise of fraud stories, producing investigative audio on a weekly schedule, and his upcoming book on the legendary Lockheed Skunk Works. Following the interview, hear an episode of Chameleon Weekly titled “The de Kooning Job: Teachers Turned Thieves,” the strange true s...
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In September 1972, in Edina, Lloyd Brenna appears to have put the bombing behind him, until federal agents return with a new case. This time, it’s tax fraud, built around a fabricated identity and a scheme that begins to unravel in court. Faced with the evidence, Lloyd doesn’t back down. Instead, he offers explanations so strange, so confident, that they seem to defy common sense. As Lloyd faces sentencing, Wallace Bren...
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On a quiet night in 1971, in Huron, South Dakota Harold Pieper is asked to pick up a small case at the airport. Minutes later, it explodes. The investigation turns to Genevieve Johnson and her connection to Wallace Brenna, setting off a chain of events driven by jealousy and obsession. With Lloyd Brenna pulled in, the brothers become the focus of a bombing case that leads to a nationwide search, an arrest, and a trial that seems al...
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In 1960, in St. Paul, something didn't look right with an office phone, and it leads back to Lloyd Brenna. By now, he has built a life that looks stable on the surface, a job, a home, a reputation, but there are cracks. A wiretap. A past he’s left behind. Behavior that doesn’t quite line up with the man people think they know. As Wallace Brenna settles into his own version of adulthood, Harold Pieper moves forward on a ...
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In 1930s Chicago, Lloyd Brenna is arrested for burglary and sent to prison, where parole hearings reveal a young man who is both highly intelligent and deeply unpredictable. Given a rare second chance with a job and housing, he quickly violates parole, returns to theft, and lands back behind bars. As Lloyd moves between incarceration and opportunity, his brother Wallace Brenna is arrested and imprisoned for crimes of his own, while...
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Lloyd and Wallace Brenna are two Midwestern brothers whose outwardly ordinary lives conceal a long pattern of troubling behavior. From rural North Dakota beginnings to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota, the story moves through wiretapping, theft, and an attempted assassination. Built from years of research and original reporting, the series follows the Brennas while, in parallel, the life of the victim unfolds, carrying a quiet, growi...
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The Bagpiper and His Brother traces two Midwestern brothers whose outwardly ordinary lives conceal a long pattern of troubling behavior. From rural North Dakota beginnings to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota, the story moves through wiretapping, theft, and an attempted assassination. Built from years of research and original reporting, the series follows the Brenna brothers while, in parallel, the life of the victim unfolds, carrying...
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James is joined by Dakota Spotlight researcher Mari Zoerb Hansen for a conversation with investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd about the making of Valley of Shadows, their deep dive into the disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay. It’s a discussion about reporting, persistence, and what happens when a case refuses to stay buried. Following the interview, you’ll hear Episode ...
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James sits down with award-winning filmmaker and host of Someone Knows Something, David Ridgen. We talk about his approach to storytelling, how he works with families, and what it really means to stay with a case over time. We also get into his latest investigation, the disappearance of Jaclyn Ferland-Smith, and how a simple trip to Costa Rica turned into something much more. Following our conversation, you’ll hear Episode 1 ...
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