The Remains Of 2 Women Were Discovered After Last Being Seen With The Same Man In 2014, But Nobody Has Any Answers About Their Deaths

Katharina Buczek |

Aug 21, 2022

Danielle Bertolini was born on March 6, 1990, and, even in her younger years, was known for being spunky and unapologetically herself.

She grew up in Maine and was a friend to everyone she met. But, Danielle also struggled with substance abuse and, at the age of twenty, lost her son– Xavier.

During Danielle’s pregnancy in 2010, her physician made the chilling discovery that Xavier would not survive the birth due to severe developmental issues.

So, Danielle’s medical team decided it was best to terminate the pregnancy, but it forever changed the young expectant mom.

Four years later, in 2014, she decided it was time for a fresh start away from her turbulent childhood and the reminders of her loss. Danielle ended up moving to northern California in hopes of living amongst the historical redwood trees.

But, the cross-country move did not turn out as planned. The young woman became surrounded by triggers and urges after falling in with the wrong crowd of people.

“She just me up with the wrong people. She went to go work for people on ‘Murder Mountain,’ which is a mountain where marijuana grows, there is a lot of dealing, a lot of heroin, a lot of meth, a lot of everything,” explained Billie Jo, Danielle’s mother.

She ultimately returned to using and, in the time leading up to her disappearance, was fighting to get out.

Facebook; pictured above is Danielle

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Then, on January 29, 2014, Danielle unexpectedly lost contact with her family. The twenty-three-year-old constantly remained in touch with her mother and sister, so it was very out of character for Danielle.

And the last time Danielle spoke to Billie Jo, she described plans to leave California as well as go to local law enforcement about her struggles.

Following that call, though, Billie Jo never heard from her daughter again. Leading up to Danielle’s disappearance, she had been sleeping on her friend James’s couch.

Then, on the night she vanished, Danielle also called James for a ride from Swain’s Flat area– which was about thirty minutes away from his home.

And witnesses did see James pick up Danielle that evening, but she never returned home. Instead, she remained missing for over one year until March 9, 2015, when a man riding his ATV near Eel River noticed a skull.

The skull was DNA tested and confirmed to be Danielle’s. But, her case has tragically remained cold for over eight years.

Nonetheless, Kristen Seavey, a childhood friend of Danielle’s, has been fervently advocating for answers.

She created a Change.org petition outlining the details of Danielle’s case, as well as the possible connection to another tragic murder.

In February of 2014, Sheila Franks– a thirty-four-year-old woman from the same region– also vanished just days after Danielle disappeared. Moreover, Sheila was last seen with the same man, James.

Facebook; pictured above is Sheila

Then, in June of 2019, more human remains were discovered near Eel River consisting of a femur bone. The bone was DNA tested and confirmed to have belonged to Sheila.

Still, this link to James has not been confirmed nor denied by authorities despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence. Instead, Lieutenant Sam Williams of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office described the lack of case progress in an email to Dateline in 2019.

“The cause and manner of death are undetermined at this time. The case is not labeled ‘Homicide’; however, it is suspicious and is being investigated accordingly. As to a ‘person of interest’ versus ‘suspect,’ no changes have been made up to this point. The person of interest is the same in both cases,” Lt. Williams said.

But, the Bertolini family and Kristen have refused to rest until both the murders of Danielle and Sheila are solved.

In Kristen’s Change.org petition, she is urging community members to sign the petition directed toward the Humboldt County District Attorney for three key actions: the re-interviewing of persons of interest, the publication of a public update on the cases, and to put pressure on anyone with information about the cases.

“People care about these women and care about justice getting served. We have not forgotten. Help us today by joining Nelly’s Army and standing with us to try and bring justice to this case,” Kristen wrote.

To sign the petition and learn more about both Danielle and Sheila’s disappearances, you can visit the Change.org petition here.

And if you have any information regarding either case, you are encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Anonymous Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.

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