Julson was last seen when she dropped her young son off at the child's grandfather's residence in Bismarck, North Dakota at 12:30 p.m. August 2, 1994. She stated she was going to run errands, pick up her paycheck from the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation where she was a blackjack dealer, and possibly play bingo. She promised to return in a few hours. Julson never picked up her paycheck and never returned home.

Julson was reportedly seen by a friend at We Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on August 5; she was allegedly in the company of a man named "Tom" who drove a black four-by-four Chevrolet. Police closed her missing persons file as a result of the sighting, but then reopened it after she did not get in touch with her family. Now investigators do not believe she was ever at We Fest. Her light blue 1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with the North Dakota license plate number DAH 159 was found at a Bismark Comfort Inn six days after her disappearance. Authorities cannot be certain but they do not believe it was there on August 2. It was turned over to her family without being processed. The inside appeared to be clean, except for a half-eaten sandwich left on the front seat. Julson's father later told police he found some scoria rock near the vehicle's intake manifold. There is little, if any, scoria rock in the Bismarck area.

Julson resided in the 700 block of west Sweet Avenue in Bismark at the time she went missing. She is described as a dedicated mother who was close to her family and would not have abandoned them. She had no plans to leave the Bismarck area and investigators do not believe she left of her own free will. Foul play is suspected in her case.