According to what her family knows, Julie had lived in Sacramento, California with her mother and sisters, then went to live with her grandfather in Placerville, California. After some time, she was placed in foster care and lived with a couple called Aldea. She may have disappeared while walking from her foster family's home to her grandfather's home, or she may have gone missing after leaving to meet a male companion at a pizza restaurant. It's unclear whether a missing persons report was filed at the time, and Julie's grandfather did not want her case to be publicized. Her disappearance was rarely discussed within her family and few details are known.