The Unforgotten

Season 3: Finding Dolores Wulff

Episode 2: Afraid of the Dark

Date: August 11, 2025
Hosted by: Kyle Bonagara & Adam Rittenberg

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into the immediate aftermath of Dolores Wulff's mysterious disappearance from her Woodland, California home in 1979. Through firsthand family accounts, it explores the dark suspicions that quickly took root among her loved ones—particularly her children's near-instant certainty about their father's involvement. The episode also unpacks the beginnings of the criminal investigation, family trauma, and the legacy of fear and suspicion that lingered for decades.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Family’s Dark Suspicion

• Tom & Paul’s Revelation
  Tom Wolf recounts being abruptly told by his father that their mother was gone and would never return. The chilling finality and emotional coldness immediately sowed seeds of suspicion:

  "From that moment, I believed that he had done something to her and that he was responsible for it." – Tom Wolf [00:09]

• Children Leaving Home
  After this conversation, Tom and Paul left with their uncle and never returned home to live with their father.

  "We, Paul and I went with my uncle to his place and we basically never came back." – Tom Wolf [00:29]

• Immediate Suspicions in the Family
  Dolores’s relatives quickly found Carl Wolf’s version of events suspicious—the premise that Dolores had simply vanished on her own, especially given her documented fear of the dark.

2. Anna’s Story: The Daughter’s Perspective

• Anna’s Background & Injury
  Anna Marie DeMott Wolf, Dolores’s only daughter, shares her unique relationship with her mother and her desire to escape country life for the city and arts (dance/theater). After suffering a serious car accident, Anna was convalescing, leading to the early-morning call to her parents on the day Dolores was discovered missing.

• First Hints of Trouble
  Anna’s early morning call was unusual, and her father’s vague, tired reply only hinted at her mother’s absence. She didn't process the news right away due to her own condition and mental haze.

  "My dad answered the phone and he sounded groggy... He said, your mother's not here. And I didn't think about it..." – Anna Marie DeMott Wolf [05:13]

• Family Alarm & Janet’s Instincts
  Dolores’s sister-in-law, Janet, immediately knew something was wrong after being informed by Carl and hurried to the Wolf house, finding it “spotless” and smelling of disinfectants.

  "I could smell the disinfectants." – Janet [07:40]

• Dolores’s Fear of the Dark
  Family members, including Janet, cited Dolores’s intense fear of the dark as evidence she would never have left the house voluntarily at night.

  "She would not do that because she was afraid of the dark." – Janet [08:03]

3. Dolores’s Disappearance: Early Family & Police Response

• Identification of Carl as Primary Suspect
  Anna and Tom immediately believed their father was responsible, as did other family members. Anna recounted to police her reasons, including estrangement, heavy drinking, prior abuse, and conflict in the marriage.

  "Right away I just said, my dad did it. I think right away I was saying that." – Anna Marie DeMott Wolf [11:07]

• Anna’s Disclosure of Abuse
  Anna reveals to the hosts that her father had abused her as a child, and her mother’s reaction was a stoic “poker face” that left Anna feeling unsupported and undervalued.

  "He grabbed me. So I was hurt and offended... I told my mom and... she just had a poker face..." – Anna Marie [13:03]

• Reporting to Police
  The family, especially Janet and Anna, went straight to law enforcement with their suspicions. Janet was forthright:

  "I told them he's told me he's going to kill her. Now if her car is there, her wedding rings are there and she's not. He probably killed her." – Janet [16:45]

4. Investigation Details

• Sheriff’s Department’s Initial Delay
  At the time, police protocol was to wait 72 hours before investigating a missing person, but the family’s urgency and unified suspicions led to earlier engagement.

• Lead Detective Ron Heileman
  Heileman is depicted as a committed, thorough investigator whose dedication was recognized and appreciated by the family.

  "He was pleasure working with Ron. He was number one, a decent human being, caring, thoughtful, hard working..." – Rick Gilbert, DA [22:43]

• Crime Scene: Physical Evidence
  Heileman, upon searching Carl's car, found:

  • Blood stains on blankets (matching Dolores’s blood type)
  • A single earring in the trunk
  • Four distinct finger marks on the underside of the trunk, leading investigators to believe that Dolores may have been alive and trying to escape

  "Her hands just slid through the soot and stuff and down." – Kyle Bonagara (as Ron Heileman) [26:12]

• Carl’s Inconsistent Statements
  Carl’s explanations—claiming blood was “kool-aid” from a picnic, or the earring landed there by accident—further raised suspicions ([25:14], [25:45]).

• Carl Refuses Polygraph
  After initially agreeing, Carl acquires a lawyer and withdraws from the polygraph, heightening detectives' suspicions ([27:38]).

5. Children’s Lives in the Aftermath

• Tom and Paul’s Experience
  Both boys immediately cut ties and sought refuge with relatives. Tom, upon being told matter-of-factly by his father that “your mom’s not coming back,” felt it was a clear indication of guilt.

  "That to me is what was interesting probably, about the whole thing... those words were what pretty much told me that it was wrong, it was a bad deal that had happened." – Tom Wolf [32:52]

  Janet recalls promising Dolores she would care for the boys if anything happened (“Promise me you’ll take care of my boys.” – Janet [36:43]).

• Family’s Reaction: Anger and Strategy
  The Rocha family, devastated and enraged, rallied their energy to both pressure Carl and support the investigation. They began holding their own meetings, vowing to “make Carl Wolf’s life as miserable as humanly possible.”

  "We said we were going to start a holy reign of hell on him. Woodland was about to get wild." – Tom Wolf [40:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tom’s Immediate Suspicion:

  "From that moment, I believed that he had done something to her and that he was responsible for it."
  – Tom Wolf [00:09]

• Anna’s First Response:

  "Right away I just said, my dad did it. I think right away I was saying that."
  – Anna Marie DeMott Wolf [11:07]

• Janet About Dolores’ Fear:

  "She would not do that because she was afraid of the dark."
  – Janet [08:03]

• Evidence in the Trunk:

  "There was four distinguishable marks, like four fingers... in my mind, she was in that trunk alive, and she was trying to push up on the trunk lid..."
  – Kyle Bonagara, relaying Ron Heileman's investigation [26:12]

• Carl's Flat Delivery:

  "That was it… that minute I knew it just didn’t make any sense why you would come to that conclusion that fast."
  – Tom Wolf [32:37]

• Janet’s Promise to Dolores:

  "Promise me you’ll take care of my boys."
  – Janet [36:43]

• Family’s Response:

  "We said we were going to start a holy reign of hell on him. Woodland was about to get wild."
  – Tom Wolf [40:21]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:01 – 01:00: Tom describes being told by Carl their mother is gone
• 03:11 – 05:00: Anna shares childhood memories and her injury before the disappearance
• 06:50 – 08:30: Janet’s observations at the Wolf house; Dolores’s fear of the dark
• 11:07 – 12:00: Anna’s immediate suspicion of her father
• 13:03 – 15:20: Anna’s story about abuse and her mother’s response
• 16:45 – 18:00: Janet reports Carl’s threats and suspicions to the police
• 22:43 – 23:16: DA describes Ron Heileman’s dedication
• 24:04 – 26:48: Heileman searches Carl’s car and finds key evidence
• 27:19 – 28:17: Carl evades the polygraph
• 32:29 – 33:16: Tom describes the impact of Carl’s reaction on his suspicions
• 36:43 – 37:14: Janet recounts her promise to Dolores
• 40:21: Rocha family vows to “start a holy reign of hell” on Carl

Tone & Language

The episode maintains the natural, direct tone of family recollection—a mix of trauma, suspicion, candor, and occasional dark humor. The interviews are emotional, raw, and honest, with a strong sense of justice running through the family’s voice and the hosts’ empathetic questioning.

Summary

Episode 2, "Afraid of the Dark," powerfully unpacks the first days after Dolores Wulff’s disappearance through intimate family and investigative recollections. The episode highlights how quickly suspicion converged on her husband, Carl Wolf, due to his cold demeanor, contradictory explanations, and physical evidence. The episode sets the stage for a deeper unraveling of the mystery, the family's relentless pursuit of the truth, and the legacy of harm that alternated between personal anguish and community action.