Dry Boots in a Soaked Field: The Last Night Julie Bell Was Seen

Dry Boots in a Soaked Field: The Last Night Julie Bell Was Seen A rural harvest night ends with a running combine, an open cab door, and a pair of work boots tied and sitting perfectly upright-completely dry in a field soaked by hours of rain. The contrast of dry leather in wet mud became the single strange image that would keep investigators and a small Nebraska town awake for thirty-nine days; who texted "Running late, give me ten" and why did Julie Bell leave the cab? In this episode, we follow the timeline from the final confirmed sighting at 9:15 p.m. to the discovery of the running combine at 7:42 a.m., outlining the key evidence found on scene and the first investigative steps taken by local deputies. How did a prepaid phone message, a silent cellphone that last pinged at 9:41 p.m., and one set of tire tracks shape the search for Julie? Person: Julie Bell Age: 28 Date: June 14, 2011 Location: Calloway County, Nebraska Event: Combine found running with dry boots on metal step - At 7:42 a.m. on June 14, 2011, Melvin Powell discovered the combine running with the cab door open and a pair of dry work boots on the metal step. - Julie Bell’s phone last registered on a cell tower at 9:41 p.m. on June 13, 2011, and later rang twice before going to voicemail. - A text from an unknown prepaid number reading "Running late, give me ten" arrived at 8:53 p.m. on June 13; Julie did not reply but left the cab. - Dennis Harlow last saw Julie climb back into the combine at 9:15 p.m. while he was still in Arlow. - On June 18, Deputy Chris Wald found one set of tire tracks on the dried access shoulder along Sutter Line about 1.5 miles west of the Harlow farm. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].