The Unforgotten – Season 3: Finding Dolores Wulff
Episode: Tony Rocha on the Family's Search for Dolores
Release Date: November 19, 2025
Podcast by: Free Range Productions
Hosts: Adam Rittenberg & Kyle Bonagura
Guest: Tony Rocha (Dolores Wulff's cousin)
Episode Overview
In this bonus episode of The Unforgotten, hosts Adam Rittenberg and Kyle Banagura sit down for a frank, unfiltered conversation with Tony Rocha, cousin of Dolores Wulff. Tony was closely involved in the family's decades-long struggle to find out what happened to Dolores after she vanished in the late 1970s. Known for his candor and passion, Tony shares his perspectives on the family’s efforts, their confrontations with Carl Wulff (Dolores’s husband and the prime suspect), and the failures of law enforcement. This episode offers a raw, personal look at the emotional toll of the case and the lengths family members were prepared to go in their search for justice and closure.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Tony’s Reaction to the Podcast and Revisiting the Past
- Processing Old Memories:
- Tony reflects on experiencing the podcast as someone who lived through the events.
- Quote: “Obviously brings up a lot of tough memories … but there was a lot of camaraderie that came out of, let’s just say, our shenanigans... out of tragedy, sometimes fun things come up. A lot of mixed emotion on that stuff.” (05:29, Tony Rocha)
The Family’s Confrontation with Carl Wulff
- Shadowing Carl:
- Tony describes the family’s years-long campaign to intimidate Carl, believing he was responsible for Dolores's disappearance.
- Intense Surveillance: The family would follow and harass Carl daily, especially after law enforcement failed to act.
- Quote: “We haunted him every chance we could.” (10:38, Tony Rocha)
Their Harrowing Plan — “Get a Confession or Kill Him”
- Murder Plot Averted:
- Tony admits that he and other family members considered killing Carl if he wouldn’t confess.
- They planned detailed surveillance and even dug a grave, based on tips from someone tied to law enforcement.
- Quote: “The plan was to get a confession or kill him. And we were all in… I had no problem with it. Neither did any of us, because at this point he deserved that... That’s how we felt.” (06:14, Tony Rocha)
- Tactics: If they hadn’t stood down at the request of law enforcement (via Dolores’s brother), they were prepared to enact their plan, which Tony explains in unsettling detail.
- Quote: “We had a location that was no way in God’s green earth that anybody would ever know where he was at. … Our plan was if he didn’t talk right away, would be to put him in the trunk of the car just like he did to Dolores.” (10:43, Tony Rocha)
Why the Family Waited, and Law Enforcement’s Dismal Role
- Standing Down… Twice:
- The family gave authorities multiple chances to act, standing down at the request of Dolores’s brother and local law enforcement contacts.
- Quote: “They told us the cops asked me to tell you guys to stand off for a month. … So we cased Carl Wolf on his habits because we were going to have to grab him.” (09:14, Tony Rocha)
- After repeated disappointments, the family decided to withdraw support for law enforcement and escalate their own efforts.
The Limits of Intervention and Dolores’s Reluctance to Leave
- Family’s Frustration:
- Tony explains why they didn’t intervene before Dolores disappeared, sharing episodes when the family tried to protect her.
- Dolores steadfastly refused to leave Carl, insisting he was only violent when drunk and always protecting him from retaliation.
- Quote: “She kept saying just don’t go, stay here. … We couldn’t go out and pulverize the guy and then have her go back to him because then what was he going to do to her?” (17:28, Tony Rocha)
The Day Dolores Disappeared: No Surprise
- Immediate Suspicion:
- Tony never doubted what happened: “I said, she’s dead… He killed her. And that was within 30 seconds of being told that we couldn’t find her.” (21:30, Tony Rocha)
The District Attorney’s Failures
- Ongoing Anger at the DA:
- Tony remains deeply frustrated with DA Rick Gilbert’s inaction and self-justification, believing Gilbert prioritized his political career.
- Quote: “He did a lot of groveling… if he would just try, he would have had friends. We would have been on his side…” (22:21, Tony Rocha)
Carl Wulff Before & After: Tony’s Perspective
- A Regular Guy, Gone Wrong:
- Tony recalls initially liking Carl. With time, Carl changed, growing bitter and abusive as dreams faded and alcoholism set in.
- Tony suspects Carl’s escalating failures, infidelity, and drinking drove him to violence:
- “I think … he was a very ambitious guy … didn’t go very well … then alcoholism, beating on his brain, his lack of success. … He started the girlfriends on the side. … He always had these little rotten ways about him.” (26:27, Tony Rocha)
Discovery and Identification of Dolores
- Mixed Emotions Toward Police and Closure:
- Tony was initially distrustful of law enforcement, even when meeting those who helped finally identify Dolores’s remains.
- Over time, his appreciation, especially for investigator Kenny Hart, grew:
- “Here I chat with them almost daily… the guy’s a hero as far as I’m concerned. … If we had had a Kenny in Yolo County those 48 days… that body would have been found.” (31:03, Tony Rocha)
The Systemic Failures — and a “Kenny Hart” Exception
- Jurisdictional Confusion:
- Tony and hosts discuss how nobody in law enforcement connected the dots when Dolores’s body was found, underscoring systemic flaws that let her case go unsolved for decades.
Dolores Wulff: The Person
- The Heart of the Family:
- Tony offers a moving remembrance of Dolores:
- “She was the kind of person. She was just like her mom, you know, my aunt … welcoming at any point… She was just a genuine, nice person.” (34:46, Tony Rocha)
- That same warmth and refusal to abandon her life kept her in harm’s way:
- “It’s that personality… I’m not leaving, this is my family. This is my life. I’m not going nowhere. And that’s what gets them killed.” (34:46, Tony Rocha)
- Tony offers a moving remembrance of Dolores:
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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Tony on the family’s intent:
- “The plan was to get a confession or kill him. And we were all in… I had no problem with it. Neither did any of us, because at this point he deserved that...” (06:14, Tony Rocha)
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On the limitations of justice:
- “Finding a body is the most important thing. ... We gave that respect because they were the older generation, we were younger … and it was Matthew’s sister.” (15:38, Tony Rocha)
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On Dolores refusing help:
- “We offered that day in specific … Dolores, me and Tony will go out to your house right now … that if he comes around there’s going to be a lot of problems, he’s going to be hurt really bad… But she kept going back.” (17:28, Tony Rocha)
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Tony’s bitterness toward officials:
- “He did a lot of groveling about, man. Would have, should have, could… Maybe I should have gone ahead... If he would just try, he would have had friends. We would have been on his side.” (22:21, Tony Rocha)
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Dolores’s essence:
- “She was kind of person who, if you said you, I’ll stay the night if you have spaghetti, she’d say, ‘well, we’ll have spaghetti.’ And that was her in a nutshell. She was just a genuine, nice person.” (34:46, Tony Rocha)
Timestamps (Selected Highlights)
- 05:29 — Tony reflects on listening to the podcast and revisiting memories.
- 06:14 — Tony describes the murder plot against Carl in detail.
- 09:14 — Family’s interactions with law enforcement and repeated “stand down” requests.
- 10:43 — Step-by-step description of the failed murder plan.
- 15:38 — Family prioritizes finding Dolores’s body over revenge.
- 17:28 — Stories of Dolores refusing to leave Carl and the family’s frustration.
- 21:30 — Tony’s immediate belief upon Dolores’s disappearance.
- 22:21 — Critique of DA Rick Gilbert.
- 26:27 — Reflections on Carl Wulff’s transformation and history.
- 31:03 — Tony’s changed perspective on law enforcement, especially Kenny Hart.
- 34:46 — Tony’s tribute to Dolores’s generosity and character.
Briefly: Why This Episode Matters
This conversation is a searing, honest account of the emotional fallout and private struggles behind a public case. Tony Rocha’s story shows how families can be pushed to extremes by loss and institutional failure, while also underscoring what’s truly at stake: honoring the victim by bringing them home and keeping their memory alive. For all its darkness, this episode is anchored by love, frustration, and — ultimately — respect for Dolores Wulff’s life.