She Vanished After Trying To Remove Her Boyfriend’s Name From The Deed Of Her Home In 1982, And It’s Suspected That She Was Murdered And Buried Somewhere On The Property
In 1982, Julianne Miller was 27-years-old and living in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
As a teen, she graduated from Valley Regional High School in 1973 before going on to attend Connecticut College in New London.
Julianne also tied the knot, but she was only married for a brief period before she ultimately got divorced. At that point, her father gifted her a cottage – located at 27 Clinton Avenue.
By the time she was 27, she was enrolled at the University of Hartford as a graduate student and worked at a daycare center part-time.
Julianne lived with her boyfriend, James, as well, who she met in 1981 at a roller rink. She even deeded half of her property to him not long after he moved in.
Yet, in the early fall of 1982, their relationship was not working out, and on September 20 of that year, Julianne actually got a quitclaim deed. Her goal was to remove James’ name from her property.
Then, after she was last seen at her home the following day, she vanished and has remained missing ever since.
She and James had two tenants at her Old Saybrook home, one of whom saw her for the last time at about 10:00 p.m. on September 21. Julianne was reportedly sitting on the couch in her living room with James while they watched TV.
However, things were also supposedly tense between the couple – as the tenant claimed Julianne and James appeared to be having an argument about the cottage.
State Of Connecticut Division Of Criminal Justice – pictured above is Julianne
No one aside from James ever saw Julianne again after that, and he did not report her missing. Rather, Julianne’s parents ultimately contacted the Old Saybrook Police Department on September 29, 1982, which launched an investigation into her disappearance.
Julianne left behind her purse, glasses, car, and her dog – a Golden Retriever named Bo-Jo. The quitclaim deed was also discovered still inside her purse, and James had not signed it.
When authorities questioned him, James reportedly stated that he didn’t report Julianne missing since he did not want to negatively impact his chance of being employed with state police.
He also alleged that on September 22, he last saw her enter a brown pickup truck being driven by a Black man.
After Julianne vanished, a witness reportedly told authorities that the furniture in her home had been moved around, and some couch cushions were missing. James allegedly told the witness that the cushions were at the dry cleaner’s.
Investigators searched Julianne’s cottage and wound up seizing the couch, a rug, and other personal belongings.
They discovered blood on the couch’s cushions and springs, which James claimed was from a dog. At the time, DNA testing was unavailable, so authorities weren’t able to ascertain whether it belonged to Julianne.
Additionally, the rug had some white spots, indicating that a bleaching product may have been used to clean stains.
Just a few weeks after Julianne disappeared, James had the two tenants move out of the cottage. Investigators conducted polygraph tests on both of the tenants, who passed, but James reportedly refused to take the test.
Julianne’s family reported her grandmother’s wedding ring – as well as other fine jewelry pieces – missing, too. Months later, the ring was reportedly found at a New Haven pawn shop and was allegedly sold by James’ brother.
By late 1982, James was named as the prime suspect in Julianne’s case. But he was never charged in connection with her disappearance.
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.
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