What happens when someone disappears… after they’ve already died?
In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m exploring one of the most unusual and heartbreaking cases I’ve ever researched, the disappearance of Julie Mott’s remains from a San Antonio funeral home following her memorial service.
Julie was just 25 years old when she passed away after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis. Her family gathered to honor her life, believing they would soon receive her ashes after cremation. Instead, they were met with an unimaginable nightmare: Julie’s embalmed body had vanished.
I’ll walk you through the timeline of events, from Julie’s courageous life and memorial service to the shocking discovery that her remains were missing. We’ll examine the police investigation, the role of a former boyfriend who became a person of interest, the civil trial that revealed serious security concerns within the funeral home, and why this mystery remains unsolved nearly a decade later.
As a forensic death investigator, I’ll also share my professional perspective on the handling of human remains, chain of custody, funeral home security, and why cases like this are extraordinarily rare. We’ll discuss what the evidence tells us, what it doesn’t, and why preserving the dignity of the deceased is one of the most important responsibilities in death care.
No one has ever been criminally charged in connection with the disappearance, and Julie’s remains have never been found.
This episode is a sobering reminder that even after death, families deserve answers, transparency, and the assurance that their loved ones will be treated with dignity and respect.
Join me as we examine one of the most perplexing and emotionally devastating mysteries in modern death investigation.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
00:06
Welcome to Pushing Up Lilies. I’m your host, Julie Mattson. Pushing Up Lilies is a weekly true crime podcast with spine-tingling, unusual, and terrifyingly true stories from my perspective as a forensic death investigator and a sexual assault nurse examiner.
00:24
Do I have some stories for you? Are you ready? Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Pushing Up Lilies. I’m your host, Julie Mattson. School, y’all, is kicking my butt. It is so hard to go back to school when you’re in your late 50s.
00:44
My memory is just not what it used to be. I mean, kudos to all of you who have done this because I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be. I never really realized how much time it was going to require.
00:57
In high school, it wasn’t that difficult for me. I just have not struggled really with school. And I’m not struggling now. It’s more of a time issue because, you know, when you’re an adult and you have a family and you have a granddaughter and you have a job and you own a business and you have a podcast, it’s very difficult to figure out how you’re going to squeeze everything in.
01:22
I’m like guest host on four different podcasts this month. I have a couple of trips planned. I have a leadership meeting this weekend on Friday. I have a three-day conference in September. I’m just so glad that this semester is over on July 31st and I can actually take off a month and a half until the next semester starts.
01:48
And I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bit nervous about my final exam. It actually requires being on video with my instructor and you have very little time to actually do your assignment behind the scenes before you’re being videoed.
02:05
So that makes me extremely nervous. I know I’ve been a nurse for 30 years, but the context is so different. Like to actually diagnose and treat somebody with a medication and to be responsible for what you give them and make sure it works is completely different than graduating with your RN degree.
02:27
It’s a little bit, I don’t know, it’s kind of scary, but I love it. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love it. I know I’m completely capable, but it is a little bit difficult when you get this age because my memory, again, I think I’ve told y’all before, it’s just not what it used to be.
02:45
And so if I was in my 20s, I’d be spitting this stuff back out so fast, it’d be crazy. But now I’m like struggling to remember. Anyway, this week I want to talk to you about a detailed look at one of the most disturbing cases involving the post-death handling of human remains I’ve ever researched.
03:06
This story actually centers on the Julie Mott case. She’s a young woman who fought a long battle with illness only for her remains to disappear from a funeral home in circumstances that remain unresolved years later.
03:21
Now we’re going to cover her life, her death, the memorial service, the shocking discovery, the police investigation, the extensive civil trial with all its revelations, the family’s ongoing search for closure, and the forensic insights into what this case reveals about vulnerabilities in death care facilities.
03:44
Now, this is a thorough examination, and I will pause at key points to allow the weight of the facts to settle. Listener discretion is strongly advised because this episode actually discusses death from chronic illness, profound grief, and the desecration and loss of human remains, and the lasting trauma to surviving family members.
04:10
All information presented is drawn directly from publicly available court documents, police statements, and credible journaling reporting. I know I’ve told y’all before, I’m not making this stuff up.
04:24
No speculation beyond what has been officially documented. If you’re experiencing grief or emotional distress, again, please reach out to professional support resources in your area. We’re going to spend significant time on each phase of the case to fully understand the complexity, but we’re going to start at the beginning with who Julie was.
04:46
She was born August 15th, 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas. So right down the road, right down the road from me. She was a daughter of Timothy and Charlotte Mott, and she had a brother named Jonathan, who often was called John.
05:02
From a very early age, at just two years old, Julie received a diagnosis that would actually shape much of her life, cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis, I don’t know if y’all have heard of it, it’s actually an inherited genetic disorder.
05:17
It causes the body to produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus, and that mucus actually builds up in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs, leading to chronic and recurrent lung infections, persistent coughing, difficulty breathing.
05:33
It can lead to digestive problems, malnutrition, and a host of secondary complications. In the years leading up to 2015, life expectancy for individuals with cystic fibrosis has been improving due to better treatments.
05:51
But it remained a lifelong, progressive, and often debilitating condition, and it requires vigorous daily management. Parents typically performed chest physiotherapy, took enzymes to aid in digestion, used nebulizers and antibiotics, and faced frequent hospitalizations on these kiddos that had this disease.
06:15
Now, despite these immense challenges, Julie refused to let this disease completely define her. According to obituaries and family statements, she was remembered as vibrant, warm, kind-hearted, and full of life.
06:32
So she formed a lot of meaningful connections with family and friends, and she maintained a positive spirit and lived as fully as possible. Her parents and brother have spoken about her strength and the way she brought light to those around her, even during difficult medical periods.
06:50
On Saturday, August 8th, at the age of 25, Julie passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in San Antonio. Now, the cause of death was complications arising from her long-term battle with cystic fibrosis.
07:06
There were no indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding the death itself. Her family was heartbroken, but had to some extent prepared for the outcome given the nature of her illness.
07:20
They quickly made arrangements for a memorial service and chose cremation for her remains after the service. Now, the family selected Mission Park funeral chapels and cemeteries to handle the arrangement, and specifically, services were planned at the Mission Park North facility located at 3401 Cherry Ridge Drive in San Antonio.
07:44
Visitation took place on Friday, August 14th, 2015 from 6 to 8. And the primary memorial service was scheduled for Saturday, August 15th, 2015, which is the date that would have been Julie’s 26th birthday.
08:01
This timing added a particularly poignant layer of sorrow to this occasion. Now, as a forensic death investigator who has responded to a lot of scenes involving individuals with chronic illness, I can say that cases like Julie’s highlight both the medical realities and the long-term disease management, the medical realities of long-term disease management, and the importance of dignified aftercare.
08:29
The family’s focus here was on honoring Julie’s life and providing her with a proper farewell. Now, attendees at the memorial service on August 15th included many of her family, many of her friends, and others who wished to pay their respects.
08:46
Now, among those present was Bill Wilbrun. Now, he was identified in subsequent reports and court documents as Julie’s ex-boyfriend. The relationship had actually ended roughly two years earlier, but Wilburn was described in police and court contexts as having been obsessed with her.
09:07
According to accounts from the court proceedings, Wilburn lingered at the facility for about 15 minutes after many other guests had actually already left. Weird. A Mission Park employee eventually asked him to leave.
09:24
And then when he left, the doors were locked behind him. Following the conclusion of the service at around 1.30 p.m., funeral home staff moved the closed casket and her remains were in there, embalmed, into a rear hallway.
09:40
So the plan was for the remains to be transported later for cremation. The facility closed for the day at around 4.30 and the doors were secured, the ADT alarm system was activated, and at that point, everything was routine and secure and there were no reported signs of disturbance.
10:00
Okay, y’all, here’s the weird part. On the morning of Sunday, August 16th, 2015, when employees arrived back at the Mission Park North facility, they encountered a scene that would trigger one of San Antonio’s most unusual investigations.
10:15
The casket had actually been relocated from the hallway where it had been left to an unnatural position near an exit door. One hinge of the casket was damaged, and upon opening it, they discovered that Julie’s remains were actually missing.
10:33
Now, law enforcement was immediately notified, and San Antonio Police Department officers arrived and documented the scene. As they should, critical observations included the complete absence of forced entry into the building.
10:48
It didn’t look like anybody had tried to get in. There was no activation of the security alarm. The windows were intact and not broken, and the locks were completely undisturbed. Based on the timeline, investigators concluded that the removal most likely took place after the service ended on August 15th and before or around the time the facility was locked in that afternoon.
11:14
Now, Charlotte Mott, her mother, received this devastating news when she called the funeral home to inquire about retrieving personal items such as jewelry that had belonged to Julie. By that time, staff were already conducting a frantic search, as you can only imagine.
11:32
The family’s grief, already immense from losing her, was intensified by the incomprehensible new loss. Tim and Charlotte Mott publicly expressed that their deepest wish was simply to have their daughter’s remains returned so they could finally lay her to rest with dignity and find some closure.
11:54
Mission Park owner Dick Tipps addressed the public and he offered a $20,000 reward for any information that would lead to recovery of the remains and an arrest. And the case quickly gained widespread media coverage due to its bizarre and heartbreaking nature.
12:13
The San Antonio Police Department opened an investigation into the disappearance, and they treated it initially as abuse of a corpse, which is a Class A misdemeanor under Texas law at the time, while leaving open the possibility of any additional or more serious charges as evidence developed.
12:33
Because we don’t know what happened at this point. Detectives pursued multiple leads, including assistance from the San Antonio Regional Intelligence Center. Searches were conducted in public areas such as parks, and cadaver dogs were deployed in connection with persons of interest.
12:52
Public tips were actively solicited. And despite these efforts, her remains have never been recovered. Now, Bill Wilburn emerged as a primary person of interest very early in this investigation. Reports detailed that he had made, get this y’all, more than 200 phone calls to the funeral home in a single day after her body disappeared.
13:19
On September 2nd, 2015, police finally issued him a criminal trespass warning barring him from Mission Park property. Surveillance footage later captured him attempting to enter the premises on at least two separate occasions in violation of that warning.
13:39
And this led to his arrest on trespassing charges. Now he pleaded guilty to one count, receiving a sentence of two days in jail and a $100 fine. But throughout this process, Wilburn denied any involvement in the removal of the remains.
13:58
Cadaver dogs actually searched locations associated with him. They searched his home, his vehicle, and property linked even to his grandparents. But those searches didn’t really produce evidence that resulted in charges related to the body.
14:15
Police continued to reference him publicly as a person of interest, but no arrest connected to the theft of the remains was ever made. Now, this investigation’s debt increased significantly when the Mott family filed a similar lawsuit, and that was in January of 2016 against MPI Inc.
14:39
doing business as Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries and owner Robert Tipps. The suit centered on claims of negligence and gross negligence in the care and security of Julie’s remains. And the civil trial, which took place in Bayer County in February of 2018, lasted roughly three weeks and actually provided the most detailed public record of events.
15:04
Extensive testimony actually shed light on the funeral hog’s operations. Court documents and contemporaneous news reporting revealed that Mission Park had a long-standing business relationship with a third-party mortuary services provider identified as Bayer and Vital.
15:22
Employees of this contractor had unfettered after-hours access to mission park facilities. And this included keys to exterior doors and knowledge of alarm codes. Now, the family’s legal team alleged that Mission Park either lacked full awareness of the scope of this arrangement or actively sought to downplay or conceal it over an extended period.
15:49
Significantly, testimony indicated that the subcontractor’s unlimited access ended on August 16, 2015, which was the day that Julie’s remains were discovered missing. The subcontractor had itself been sued for mishandling a body in the months prior to her service.
16:09
And Mission Park officials, including owner Dick Tipps and company president Kristen Tipps, actually denied any wrongdoing and instead maintained that an outside individual, specifically pointing to Bill Wilburn, was responsible.
16:27
They argued the family hadn’t provided adequate warning about risks associated with him. Now, expert witnesses testified about the physical evidence at the scene. The casket’s relocation to an unnatural position near an exit, the damaged hinge, and the displaced beer.
16:48
That is actually the stand that holds the casket. So these things were highlighted as indicators of human intervention. Plaintiffs’ attorneys emphasized the lack of comprehensive security measures, limited surveillance that failed to capture the incident, and insufficient oversight of third-party access as evidence of negligence.
17:12
Family members actually provided powerful emotional testimony. Charlotte Mott spoke about the moment she learned that the remains were gone and the enduring pain of seeing the empty urn purchased for Julie’s ashes.
17:28
Tim Lott and their son Jonathan also described the family’s profound anguish and the daily impact of not knowing where her remains were. The family asked the jury to award $10 million total, $5 million each to Tim and Charlotte for past and future mental anguish.
17:48
The defense presented its case, disputing the allegations of gross negligence and reiterating their focus on Wilburn. Now, after hearing all the evidence and arguments, the jury actually deliberated for less than three hours before finding in favor of the Mott family and awarding $8 million in damages.
18:09
The family later reached a settlement with the defendants in the years following the verdict. Now, trial coverage also noted passing references to various theories discussed in the broader investigation, including Wilburn’s objection to cremation.
18:29
But no criminal charges related to the actual removal of the body were ever filed against any individual. So a lot of those were just unsubstantiated rumors, but they were not central to the legal findings.
18:46
The combination of the police investigation and the civil trial exposed very important gaps, as you can imagine, in the security protocols, access control, and the subcontractor management at the facility.
19:02
But the central mystery, who took the remains and where they are now, still persisted. From my professional standpoint as a forensic death investigator, this case kind of illustrates the critical issues about the handling of human remains.
19:18
Embalmed bodies in caskets, they’re heavy and they’re cumbersome. And moving one discreetly without detection requires knowledge of the premises and timing and actual physical capability. The absence of alarm activation and forced entry strongly suggest access by someone who’s very familiar with this facility or its system.
19:43
Proper chain of custody documentation, restricted access logs, adequate surveillance, and strict supervision of third parties are essential safeguards that death care facilities must maintain to actually protect the dignity of the deceased and the rights of the families.
20:04
Her case stands out really because of the timing, immediately following a public memorial on what should have been a birthday celebration and a complete lack of recovery despite extensive searches and rewards.
20:18
So as of reports from 2022, seven years after the disappearance, the family were still actively seeking the return of the remains. No confirmed public updates have actually indicated whether or not her remains have been located.
20:35
Now for the Mott family, the ordeal has actually meant compounded trauma. Tim, Charlotte, and John have continued to speak out, and they’re emphasizing their love for her and their need for answers. Now, the civil victory provided financial accountability, but true closure remains elusive without the physical remains.
20:59
I mean, could you imagine your child missing? I mean, even just for five minutes, I would freak out in the grocery store if I couldn’t find my daughter. Imagine if her remains had been stolen. Who would take those
21:13
Where would they keep them? I can’t even imagine. Julie Nicole Mott lived a courageous life defined by resilience in the face of cystic fibrosis. She was a beloved daughter, sister, and friend, and her memory continues to matter deeply.
21:33
Her death on August the 8th, 2015 was followed by a memorial service meant to celebrate her life, but instead it became the starting point of a prolonged and painful mystery. So the removal of her remains from Mission Park Funeral Chapels North on or around August 15th under circumstances involving no forced entry and no alarm trigger has never been solved criminally.
22:01
The civil trial in 2018 held the funeral home accountable through an $8 million jury award, revealing details about access policies and third-party involvement. But the remains themselves have never been returned.
22:19
This case actually reminds us of the fundamental human need for dignity in death and closure in grief. Families actually deserve secure, transparent processes when entrusting loved ones to care facilities.
22:37
Public cooperation is so important. And it’s so sad that this poor family is left still wondering. I mean, this happened back in 2015. It’s been 11 years. That’s a long time to wonder where your daughter is.
22:52
I mean, they know she was deceased. That’s one thing, but the body’s missing. Like, who would take a bot? What are they doing with it? And so I’d like to know, like, who all was investigated besides the ex-boyfriend
23:06
Who else did they look into? You know, did they go look? I mean, I’m sure they went and looked at their home. I just can’t imagine. And it’s kind of strange that he was, you know, quote unquote obsessed with her.
23:19
There’s always that possibility that he did something with the body. But it’s really hard to explain the fact that the alarms didn’t go off and there didn’t seem to be any signs of forced entry into the funeral home.
23:33
So it’s very strange. It makes you think it’s somebody that works there, but why? I don’t know. I don’t even know if this funeral hub is still open. Again, this occurred 11 years ago, which really isn’t that long ago, but I’m curious if anything like this has ever happened there before.
23:49
I don’t think it has. But again, you know, we’ve talked many times about the importance of cameras. And again, this is one situation where if you just had a camera, you could easily see what happened.
24:02
Easily. Would be super difficult for them to try to get out of it if you caught them on camera trying to get in there and actually remove her body. And imagine how heavy it was. Again, she was embalmed and the casket was still there.
24:19
So whoever it was was actually able to, it almost would have had to have been more than one person. So it’s very odd. But, you know, no one involved is ever going to say anything, but it’s been so long.
24:31
And I hate that this family is still wondering where she is. Anyway, I watch a lot of Netflix. And so sometimes I don’t see the regular news. And so many times I’ll get my stories off of just like Google searches.
24:47
But the family with the 16 kids, I really need to investigate that because that, I know very little about it at this point, but it sounds like a very interesting story that I probably need to cover. There are several recent ones that I’m kind of excited to investigate.
25:03
And I was recording an episode of On Your Host Jules, who is a true crime podcaster and friend of mine that I met at Beyond the Crime back in April in New Mexico. I was a guest host on her podcast yesterday, and I don’t know exactly when it’s going to air, but she said she was probably going to edit it pretty quickly.
25:22
And it’s about a case that she’s been working on. It’s about a drowning. I’m excited for y’all to hear that episode too. And when I was talking to her yesterday, the case just made me angry. You know how some cases you’re just like, there’s something fishy.
25:38
And this was one of those cases. And so I’m kind of excited for y’all to hear her story and see what your thoughts are on this. So I will put a link on my website so that you can take a listen. It’s really interesting and it makes you mad.
25:54
You know, when you see that investigations weren’t 100% done correctly and there’s a lot of missing pieces, it tends to aggravate you and it would aggravate you even more if it was your family member.
26:10
Anyway, I hope you all have a great rest of your week. I look forward to talking to you next week. Again, I have already purchased my hotel room for CrimeCon 2027. It’s in Orlando, Florida, and I have applied to be on Creator’s Row.
26:28
So we’ll see how that goes. If it doesn’t go well, I will actually be an exhibitor again because I do want to go. Again, I’ve already got my hotel room, but we’ll see how it goes. I think this is year four or five.
26:40
So cross your fingers. I hope that y’all have a great week and stay safe. Bye, y’all. Thank you so much for joining me today on Pushing Up Lilies. If you like this podcast and would like to share with others, please do me a quick favor and leave a review on Apple Podcast.
27:00
This helps to make the podcast more visible to the public. Thanks again for spending your time with me and be sure to visit me at pushinguplilies.com for merchandise in past episodes.
