Everyone, at some point, experiences the loss of a loved one. As a society, we’re taught to grieve, to heal, and to move on. Fewer are those who outlive their children. Fewer still are those who are never given the opportunity to properly lay their children to rest.
In August of 2015, San Antonio resident Julie Mott passed away at 25. She was survived by her brother, Jon, and her parents, Sharlotte and Tim. The grief and pain felt by her loved ones was brought to new heights when the unthinkable occurred — Julie’s remains went missing, presumably stolen, from the funeral home before she could be laid to rest. Her friends and family have been left without closure and comfort for three impossibly long years.
Hill Country locals are no stranger to the ongoing investigation, which seems destined to remain in the news as events unfold.
In February of last year, an ex-boyfriend of the deceased, Bill Wilburn, was arrested for illegally trespassing at the funeral home. He was alleged to have called the funeral home hundreds of times in a single day. When charged for the crime of trespassing, Wilburn pled guilty.
Photo: Pixabay.com
One revelation in the case that caused a stir in San Antonio was the fact that the funeral home contracted with a third-party mortuary service for cremations. This mortuary service company had unfettered access to the funeral home’s facility. The Motts’ lawyer, Alex Katzman, alleged that an employee of the mortuary service company was “into Satan,” citing images from the employee’s Facebook page. The employee was not found individually liable for Julie’s disappearance.
The Mott family won a negligence lawsuit against MPII Inc. (which conducts business under the name Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries). The jury awarded the family $8 million, but the owners of the company have appealed the judgment. After losing Julie and being denied the opportunity to lay her to rest, the multi-million dollar lawsuit is scant comfort for the Motts. Past investigations by the San Antonio Police Department have yielded nothing conclusive in the case. Three painful years after her death and disappearance, the bizarre case of the late Julie Mott remains a mystery.
Now, according to the SAPD’s Lt. Jesse Salame, there could be new developments in the case after all this time. Understandably, the police are withholding information to avoid putting the case in jeopardy. For those who have been following the case, and especially for the Mott family, this could be a sign of hope. Whether these new developments result in retribution, recovery, or further years of heartache, it’s clear no one is giving up.
