As a mom in the early 2000s, Julie Rand loved children and often took foster kids into her care. This is just one example of Julie’s compassionate nature.
Julie was also working as a nurse. She is described as the type of person who truly thrives on taking care of others.
Julie was also struggling with her health during this time. She had been diagnosed with Type I diabetes and used an insulin pump. She also was suffering from a condition known as “Adhesive Capsulitis”, which is also called ‘Frozen Shoulder’. This condition left her with chronic pain, although she wasn’t letting it slow her down.
In 2005, Julie and her husband at that time would divorce. They had two special needs boys together, and Julie continued to be a devoted mother.
Almost immediately, Julie remarried a man named Cregg Earley. Their marriage started good, but soon those closest to Julie noticed her change. At one point, she attempted to get a protective order against Cregg, telling her family she was afraid of him.
Cregg said that was ridiculous, and denied that there ever was said, or happened.
On May 21, 2012, Julie spoke to a few friends that morning. That afternoon Cregg argued with one of Julie’s sons, who was hoping to visit them on Memorial Day Weekend, but Cregg didn’t want visitors.
Cregg left that afternoon to go work on a roofing job.
When he returned that evening, Julie wasn’t home. He noticed some of her meds and personal belongings missing, so he thought she just left for a bit.
When she hadn’t returned by May 30, Cregg reported her as missing.
Julie Rank was born on July 20, 1961. I can’t tell you what her childhood was like, but I can tell you as an adult Julie is described as very caring. She thrived on taking care of people. Julie worked as a nurse and soon became a foster parent.
She also suffered from a few different medical problems. She was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and was using an insulin pump. She also had a condition known as ‘Ashestive Capulitus’, which is commonly referred to as ‘Frozen Shoulders’. In addition, Julie wore glasses and was said to be nearly blind without them.
None of that held Julie back or dampened her spirits, she was said to always be a kindhearted and friendly person.
Julie would get married and have two sons, both of whom would have disabilities.
In 2005, Julie’s marriage would end in divorce.
She remarried soon after, a man by the name of Cregg Earley. But the marriage would be filled with problems.
In 2012, Julie was still working as a nurse. She was 50 years old, and her boys were now young adults.
She had confided some of her marital problems to her family and friends, although Cregg said there were no such troubles.
There were many positives in Julie’s life too, at this time. She had just bought a home in Trotwood, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, and she and Cregg were living there. She had medication to treat her illnesses, and she was managing them pretty well.
Soon after the purchase of the home, however, things in Julie’s life started to change.
THE DISAPPEARANCE.
On Monday, May 21, 2012, Julie’s day started fairly normal, as far as we know.
She spoke to a few people on the phone that morning, and nothing seemed amiss, according to them. Julie seemed fine.
Later in the day, Cregg got into an argument with one of Julie’s sons. The entirety of this argument isn’t cleared, but what’s been reported is that her son wanted to come to visit for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, but for some reason, Cregg didn’t want him to.
We don’t know any other details about that call, or the argument.
We also really don’t know Julie’s reaction to that argument or phone call.
Around 3:30 p.m., Cregg left the home to go work on a roofing job he was doing. Julie was in the home.
When Cregg returned that evening, Julie was not home. He noticed that her purse was missing along with some of her medication, and her curling iron. Initially, he said that he believed someone picked her up and she was staying somewhere else, something she had done before after an argument.
At some point, he also noticed that $6,000 was missing.
However, when May 30 came, and there was still no word from Julie, Cregg decided to report his wife missing.
Julie had not been seen or heard from in nine days.
Julie Earley had disappeared.
THE SEARCH.,
As mentioned earlier, Cregg said he hadn’t been alarmed at first because Julie had done this before. Her family disagreed with this, however.
After speaking to family and friends, no one had any idea where Julie could be.
Cregg was interviewed multiple times, and he was asked to take a polygraph, but he declined, stating that he didn’t believe in them.
The home was searched, and the only evidence found was a couple of very small blood spatters found in the garage. They were swabbed for testing, but those results were inconclusive.
And really, a couple of drops of blood in a garage isn’t that unusual, however, Julie’s family was now becoming very suspicious of Cregg.
The woods surrounding the house were also searched, but again, nothing to lead them to where Julie might be.
They just found nothing.
Meanwhile, Julie missed her son’s 21st birthday. While many were clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, Cregg was right and Julie just needed some time away, they knew that she would never miss her son’s birthday.
The search for Julie was tough. Where does one even look? There weren’t many clues to go on.
Cregg stated he thought Julie had left on her own accord, and that someone had picked her up. He also said he thought that someone was likely her ex-husband and that he was helping her.
Her ex-husband denies all of this, however. He believes Cregg knows more than he is saying, as does Julie’s family.
Cregg did state that she took some of her medication, and $6,000, but that medication was never refilled. This was the main catalyst for authorities listing her disappearance as endangered missing.
There was also no record of her utilizing any bank or credit cards.
It is unknown if she had a cell phone that could be traced.
Julie’s family also came out publicly to let everyone know that Julie had accused Cregg of being abusive to her. She had allegedly filed, at one point, for a protective order against him and told her family that she was afraid of him.
Cregg denies all of that.
In 2015, now three years with no signs of Julie, her family and Cregg go on the Dr. Phil show to share their stories.
Julie’s family makes their thoughts known, and Cregg proclaims his innocence.
Cregg also goes on to say that he thinks Julie is still alive, and that her ex-husband was involved in her disappearance.
Dr. Phil presents a copy of that protective order to Cregg on the show, and he claims it was a misunderstanding. In the order, Julie said she believes Cregg is dangerous and she is afraid of him.
Cregg continues to deny being dangerous.
He now says that he doesn’t think she left of her own accord- or she isn't staying away of her own accord- because, even though she took her purse, medications, and money- oh, and curling iron, she left behind all of her photographs, and she was excited because they had just bought the house they were living in, in Trotwood.
Trotwood, Ohio.
Google Map Image of Trotwood, OhioPhoto byGoogle Maps
Trotwood, Ohio is a larger, small town. The population is just over 20,000 residents. It is a suburb of the large Ohio city of Dayton.
Dayton is just about eight miles to the east of Trotwood. Notable landmarks in the area include the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the larger Eastwood Lake is about 12 miles away, Wolf Creek runs through town, and the 2,300-acre Sycamore Woods State Park is also nearby.
Are any of those locations significant to Julie Earley? Are any of those locations significant to Cregg Earley?
We truly don’t know.
Trotwood itself is very much a town, but it is surrounded by parks, woods, and rivers/creeks.
Wolf Creek runs through Trotwood and is described as a popular fishing spot, and also a scenic creek that visitors like to walk near.
Google Map Image of Wolf Creek in Trotwood, OhioPhoto byGoogle Maps
By looking at Google Maps, the creek doesn’t look huge, but it is surrounded by trees and brush in many of the areas, concealing the water from view in most places.
Eastwood Lake, about 10 miles from Trotwood, is part of the Five Rivers Metropark System in Ohio. The lake is a mile long and covers over 180 acres. I tried to find information on the depth and water temperature of the lake, and what I did learn is that it is a lake that presents certain dangers, because it gets deep very quickly from the shore.
In 2019, there was a drawing death of a teenager, in which the safety of the lake was called into question.
According to the website, Eastwood Lake is described as:
Eastwood MetroPark is a hub of outdoor recreation. With a variety of water-based recreational activities as well as land-based recreational and leisurely activities, the park offers visitors many opportunities to actively experience nature without leaving the city.
There is also John Wolfe Park right in Trotwood, which seems to offer picnic and play areas for children and families. This park was also close to Julie’s home- only about a mile and a half away, sits back off the road a bit, and does have a pond.
Julie, along with Cregg, lived at a home on Molane Avenue. This is a residential street, with houses that sit pretty close together. There are sidewalks and not much cover. Meaning, that anyone coming and going from a house there would be easily seen.
What stands out to me, is that Cregg didn’t report Julie missing for nine days. By that time, people’s memories had faded. I couldn’t tell you if I saw a neighbor nine days ago. I barely remember what I was doing nine days ago.
We know that Julie was at home on the morning of May 21, 2012. She indicated this to the friends she spoke to on the phone.
Cregg said he left the house at 3:30 p.m., to go to work. When he returned home, she was gone.
So did she get picked up by someone else during that time? In broad daylight, in her neighborhood?
This was in 2012. Ring doorbells weren’t publicly available until 2014, and even then it took several years for them to gain popularity.
She could have easily got into a car unnoticed and left. But, with whom?
And, would Julie leave her family, including her two adult sons?
I wanted to look into the area, and specifically the other missing person cases from Montgomery County, Ohio. I know Ohio has what is referred to as a couple of ‘hot spots’ for missing person cases.
Montgomery County just might be one of those ‘hot spots’.
I covered the case of Chelsey Coe before, a 25-year-old young woman who vanished in September of 2017. When researching her case, I came across a few others that some speculate may have been linked. Amber Flack vanished from the area in September of 2016 and Melinda Miller went missing in February of 2017.
When all these women started disappearing, talk began of a possible serial killer in the area. By the way, all three of those women are still listed as missing, and their cases have not been solved.
Julie Earley went missing from Montgomery County. However, she did disappear in 2012, a full four to five years before Amber Flack, Melinda Miller, and Chelsey Coe.
I thought I’d let you know the names of all the missing in Montgomery County, but that seems to be a podcast episode on all its own.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, there are 51 unsolved missing person cases in the county. 34 are children and teens, under the age of 18, and 17 of them are adults.
Is Julie’s case connected to any of these other disappearances? Or, is it more likely completely unrelated?
I know everyone involved has their theories, but I suppose at this point, we just can’t rule anything out.
So what questions do we have about Julie’s disappearance?
First, was Cregg’s alibi confirmed, that he was indeed at a roofing job on the afternoon and early evening hours of May 21, 2012?
If he was there, was there anything that anyone noticed about him? Did he seem normal? Did he look normal?
Was there anyone else in Julie’s life that may have presented a threat to her? Who else did she know?
Cregg claimed she took $6000 cash. Was this cash that was in the home? Can anyone confirm this money existed?
What questions do you have about Julie’s disappearance?
Let’s get people talking about Julie and let’s spread the word about her disappearance.
Authorities do believe that Cregg knows more than he is saying, and they also believe he likely has told other people. The key to cracking this case is someone coming forward with information.
Someone out there knows something.
Julie is described as a caucasian female, standing 5’4” tall and weighing around 135 pounds when she was last seen in May of 2012.
She was 50 years old then, and would today be 62.
Julie has sandy blonde hair and green eyes. She suffers from Type I Diabetes and a painful shoulder condition. She also wears glasses and is said to be almost legally blind without them. You wouldn’t see Julie without her glasses on.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Julie Earley, or what may have happened to her that May afternoon in Trotwood, Ohio, please contact the Trotwood Police Department at 937-854-3988.
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