Investigators suspect that he murdered Julianne at her cottage and then buried her somewhere on her property – which was 70 acres, extended near the Deep River, and bordered the Cockaponset State Forest.
The Chief State’s Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit offered assistance to local police in 2000, with the goal of using forensic technology advancements and a fresh set of eyes on the case to generate new leads.
Thereafter, the unit, along with state police dogs, conducted a widespread search in the Deep River woods. Still, no evidence was uncovered.
James was convicted in military court of attempted murder in May 2002, but this conviction was not connected to Julianne’s case. Rather, while stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, and serving as a captain in the Army Medical Corps, he allegedly fractured a military officer’s skull using a hammer during an attempted robbery in November 2001.
He reportedly told authorities that he had “blacked out” and had no memory of the incident. James was sentenced to five years in prison at the U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Investigators reportedly took another look at Julianne’s case following his conviction, and James remains the only suspect in her disappearance.
Nonetheless, no arrests have been made in her case, and the exact circumstances surrounding her disappearance are still unclear over 42 years later.
At the time Julianne went missing, she was five foot six, weighed 110 pounds, and had blonde hair.
Anyone with information regarding her case is urged to contact the Old Saybrook Police Department at (860) 395-3140.
