By Steve Lannen
slannen@herald-leader.com
Indianapolis Police are investigating information a man is offering in the disappearance of an Eastern Kentucky University student.
Molly Dattilo, who is from Indiana, has been missing since July 6, 2004. She was last seen in Indianapolis, where she was studying and living over the summer months.
Police are investigating some claims made by a man named John Shelton, said Sgt. Paul Thompson, an Indianapolis Metro Police spokesman on Friday. Shelton is thought to have been with Dattilo on the night of her disappearance
Shelton is in custody on an unrelated charge. Thompson declined to comment on reports that Shelton is offering information in exchange for a plea bargain. He did say that Dattilo’s case remains a missing persons investigation.
Some confusion was created because the lead detective on the case was transferred from the missing persons department to the homicide department but continues to work the Dattilo case, Thompson said.
Just to set the record straight here. The only confusion that has been created has been by Sgt. Paul Thompson, the Indianapolis Metro Police spokesman mentioned in this news story. The Indianapolis Metro Police Department wants you to believe that members of their police department have not repeatedly told our family that the case has been (quote)”reassigned” to homicide. Yes, the lead detective on Molly’s case moved from missing persons to homicide but the case was left for a new missing persons detective for a few months and the case was not “reassigned” to homocide until after Mr. John E. Shelton talked with authorities about information he had concerning Molly. This is the truth.
Kendra (Dattilo) Skidmore, Molly’s sister