Call Me Shelly (8): Frightened, Followed, Harassed

Welcome back to Call Me Shelley: The Mysterious Disappearance of Michelle Julson.

I want to talk about Lieutenant Don Schaefer, but let's take a moment to go back in time and remind ourselves exactly what Shelley's life was like at the time of her disappearance, because let's face it, some very disturbing things were taking place at the time.

It's August of 1994, and Shelley Julson is a 26-year-old single mother of one.

Her son, Jayden, is three and a half.

Shelley and Jayden are living in a simple trailer home at 716 West Sweet Avenue in Bismarck.

Apparently, Shelley isn't really big on housekeeping, and when police later search her trailer, they will find it not so much in disarray as just, well, really sloppy.

There are clothes everywhere on the floor and on the furniture and dirty dishes on the counter, table, and in the sink.

And according to statements Kevin Woodworth will make to police later, Shelley's trailer is in poor working condition, too.

Her stove, air conditioner, and a refrigerator are not working properly.

Just four days before her disappearance, Kevin needs to drop off an extra $50 so she can buy some fresh food.

Shelley works as a blackjack dealer for the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation, and according to Kevin, her hours at work have been cut back, so she's struggling financially, something law enforcement will confirm later.

And it's not just that Shelley doesn't have any money.

She owes a lot of money, too.

Medical bills, telephone bills, and collection notices are piling up in her mailbox.

Shelley is basically broke.

Broke and also likely a little bit frightened because, as we have learned, some very peculiar things are happening.

Shelley is feeling harassed and in more ways than one.

She tells multiple friends she's getting hang-up phone calls at home.

These friends will later tell investigators that Shelley said the calls were coming at all times of the day and night.

In fact, when Kevin drops off the $50 for food, Shelley asks him, "Hey, Kevin, how do I get caller ID?" Which was the technology at the time to see what phone number was calling your landline.

It seems that Shelley wanted to get to the bottom of all this harassment she was experiencing.

Now, harassing phone calls are one thing.

By definition, a phone call requires some kind of distance between the two parties.

And when you're feeling scared or harassed, just knowing that a potential threat is at a distance, well, that's a little bit comforting, I suppose.

But the harassment of Shelly Jolson isn't just happening from a tame and safe distance.