Podcast Summary: The Unforgotten
Episode 7: 41 Years
Date: September 15, 2025
Season 3: Finding Dolores Wulff
Overview
This gripping episode unpacks the recent breakthrough in the 41-year-old case of Dolores Wulff, a mother who vanished from her Woodland, California home in 1979. It traces how a cold case sergeant, unexpected clues, and dogged family perseverance led to the identification of Dolores's remains—discovered just weeks after her disappearance but long left unidentified as "Jane Doe 16." As the episode unfolds, it reflects on heartbreak, missed opportunities, and the meaning of finally bringing Dolores home.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introducing Benicia and Detective Kenny Hart
- Quick background on Benicia’s location and significance, linking it to major California waterways and true crime history (Zodiac Killer’s first murder).
- [02:53] Introduction of Kenny Hart, Benicia PD sergeant with experience in homicide, investigations, and the coroner’s office:
- Hart is described as hands-on, experienced, and deeply committed.
2. The Doe Network Tip & the Mystery of Jane Doe 16
- [04:43] In July 2020, Hart receives a tip from the Doe Network—a missing persons volunteer org—about unidentified remains found in Benicia in 1979 (Jane Doe 16).
- Initial suspicions swirl around Patty Toliver, a presumed victim of serial killer James Toliver, but records and DNA would quickly cast doubt on this theory.
3. Lost Case Files and Psychic Connections
- [07:55] Kenny struggles to locate 1979’s physical case files, learning they were likely purged in the late '80s/'90s.
- Coroner’s archives yield bizarre surprises: a psychic’s handwritten notes led authorities to bury a mismatched skull and Jane Doe 16 together—a detail that resonates as both surreal and tragic.
4. Rediscovering Dolores Wulff
- DNA and contextual clues eliminate Patty Toliver as Jane Doe 16. Hart expands the search in missing persons databases, zeroing in on cases from the right timeframe, geography, and physical description.
“As I kept broadening the search... I added a lot of the Sacramento area and Yolo County.” — Kenny Hart [13:38]
- He is drawn to Dolores Wulff, missing mother of four, matching the description almost exactly.
5. The Shoe Clue & Personal Investment
- A pivotal moment: Jane Doe 16 wore a wooden-soled shoe—the same kind Dolores was last seen wearing. Kenny asks his wife, a shoe expert (and police chief), for her opinion:
“Her eyes got missing. She said, that’s gonna be her.” — Kenny Hart [16:30]
6. The Exhumation Process
- [17:32] Hart leads the exhumation of Jane Doe 16's remains, braving poor conditions and waterlogged evidence. Thoughtful CSI work preserves the integrity of the DNA sample.
7. Contacting Dolores’s Family for DNA
- [20:01] Paul Wulff (Dolores’s son and college football coach) is asked for a DNA sample but, hardened by years of false hope, doesn’t expect a breakthrough.
"You totally had given up on finding her. And we were content with that." — Paul Wulff [31:51]
- Other family members are cautiously informed. Each reacts with a mixture of shock, numbness, and long-dulled emotion.
8. The Long Wait and Emotional Toll
- Both Kenny and Paul express how expectation management is crucial—neither fully allows themselves to hope.
“Yes. I mean, the professional side hit me was don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” — Kenny Hart [22:17]
- Kenny admits to rarely displaying such personal investment in a cold case, even placing Dolores’s photo on his board:
“Help me bring you home.” — Kenny Hart [22:41]
9. The Breakthrough: DNA Confirms Dolores’s Identity
- [27:30] On October 20, 2020, results come back: the remains are conclusively identified as Dolores Wulff.
"My cop brain kind of kicked in. I said, hey, can I talk to the scientist?...because there’s no take backs once I deliver that phone call." — Kenny Hart [27:47]
- Notification calls to family are deeply emotional, filled with disbelief, grief, but also relief.
“Paul, we found your mom.” — Kenny Hart [30:21]
“I didn't know what to say... you got this rush in your body.” — Paul Wulff [30:41]
10. Family, Resolution—and Regret
- Family members process their feelings: some are angry at the missed opportunity for closure decades prior.
“My first reaction was anger because I thought, you know, all this could have been resolved for us, you know, 40 some years ago, and here we are dealing with it, and it shouldn't have been that way.” — Tom Wulff [32:30]
- Dolores’s brother “Slick,” at 82, is deeply moved:
"He's a tongue. Give her a decent burial...And I know I'm going to run into her on the other side." — Slick [35:53]
11. The Lingering Mystery & Institutional Critique
- The episode closes with the recognition that Dolores could have been identified in 1979, had there been better inter-county communication. The mishandling—across agencies and decades—leaves unresolved anger and a push for accountability.
“She was found literally, I think, 48 days after she disappeared. And yet they couldn't connect the dots at that time...” — Paul Wulff [38:11] “Sort of pissing me off now.” — Adam Rittenberg [38:50]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On how cases get lost:
"Somehow that file...got purged in the late 80s, early 90s." — Kenny Hart [07:55]
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On personal connection:
"Tiny 2 by 2 inch picture on that and pinned it to my board for motivation. And usually in the mornings I would come in...just kind of look at her and go, help me bring you home." — Kenny Hart [22:41] "Actually, never. ...but I never really had a victim on my board." — Kenny Hart [23:08]
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Family’s pain and resignation:
"There wasn't like, great excitement or anger. I was just like, wow, you know." — Anna Wulff [33:53] "I guess I will die...not knowing what happened." — Tom Wulff [33:49]
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Final family wishes:
"That's why we wanted to find her. To give her a decent burial." — Slick [35:56] "And I know I'm going to run into her on the other side." — Slick [36:00]
Important Timestamps
- 02:53 – Introduction of Kenny Hart and his investigative background
- 04:43 – Tip received from Doe Network regarding Jane Doe 16
- 07:55 – Missing/purged case files; psychic involvement
- 13:38 – Kenny broadens his search and lands on Dolores Wulff
- 16:30 – Shoe clue connects Jane Doe 16 to Dolores Wulff
- 17:32–18:41 – Exhumation of remains
- 20:01 – Paul Wulff gives a DNA sample
- 22:41 – Kenny pins Dolores’s picture to his bulletin board
- 27:30–28:20 – DNA results: Jane Doe 16 is Dolores Wulff
- 30:21–31:32 – Notifying family of the identification
- 32:30 – Tom Wulff’s anger and reflection on missed closure
- 38:11–38:50 – Final reflections on failure of authorities to connect the case
Tone & Narrative
The episode is deeply empathetic, at times procedural and methodical, but with bursts of raw emotion—especially from Dolores's family, who speak with candor about decades of frustration and hope. The hosts and interviewees maintain a tone of respect, realism, and determination, balancing the technical aspects of forensics and law enforcement with the very human costs of unsolved crime.
Conclusion
Episode 7 lays bare the wrenching mix of closure and regret at the heart of cold case investigations. Though Dolores Wulff’s family can finally lay her to rest, the story provokes sharp questions about law enforcement communication, bureaucratic loss, and the power of individual initiative. The story isn’t fully over—another family, linked to the misplaced skull, still waits for answers. The haunting, persistent question remains: How many other families are waiting, still, for connections long missed?