Most news reports will cite Oct. 7th 2006 as the day Molly Dilts rolled into Atlantic City by bus from Philly. Those reports are correct but what they fail to mention is that Ms. Dilts had earlier spent a week in AC in late July 2006.
Apparently she had the time of her life: "She said she stayed at the Borgata," Rondell Burton said. The Borgata is touted as Atlantic City's most luxurious hotel-casino. "That was her first time going to Atlantic City. She said she really enjoyed herself and that she got to gamble for the first time, got to really see the beach, and that she would like to go back sometime."
http://www.post-gazette.com/frontpage/2007/02/04/The-girl-in-the-ditch/stories/200702040162
It's also possible that on her first visit to AC she made friends with Kim Raffo. Kim took an interest in the full-faced young girl with the long dark hair. Molly was only 20. She looked even younger. She was always with Kim on the street. The young girl who lost her mother and the 35-year-old woman who lost her kids may have found something to cling to in one another.
Note: This link refers to a page on another thread here and prefaces the quote with a byline by Lynda Cohan who is the premier crime reporter in Atlantic City.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?165352-ATLANTIC-CITY-SK-possible-link-to-LISK-and-GB4/page22
It initially confused me that Ms. Dilts had made friends with Ms. Raffo because at the time of Molly's arrival on Oct. 7th Ms. Raffo was in Long Island. However, once the previous trip by Ms. Dilts to AC in late July was unearthed her time-line began to fall into place.
Sadly, the short time that Molly Dilts spent in AC after her second arrival on Oct. 7th was not what she expected. Her friend, Kim Raffo, was gone and she was left to fend for herself in the area around Tennessee Ave. At one point she was kicked out of a rooming house by Papa Joe Bocchino for sleeping in the hallways. Sister Jean Webster tried to direct her to Covenant House but she refused to seek refuge there.
For all practical purposes Molly Jean Dilts was living the life of a homeless transient during this time. She was scraping by doing what she had to do to make money but was not indulging in drugs. Her toxicology report would later indicate alcohol only.
Knowing Molly's affinity for drinking and finding herself in the situation that she did, the 24 hour a day pub at the end of Tennessee Ave, The Pic-A-Lilli Pub, must have appeared to her to have been an oasis in a desert of desperation.
The Pic-A-Lilli Pub proudly advertises itself as the go to place for Pittsburgh Steelers fans in AC. Molly, having grown up in Steelers Country, may have come to view this cozy dive bar as a home away from home, a place to belly up to the bar with other Steelers fans and swap stories of their dominance on the field. Hell, they had just won the Super Bowl in 2005 with Big Ben at the helm.
On Sunday Oct. 15, 2006 the Steelers played a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The kick-off was at 1:00 pm and the Steelers ended a three game skid by trouncing the Chiefs 45 to 7. Time to party. If Molly was in that bar that afternoon I'd say the chances of her getting hammered were pretty good. Later, well after the game, she may have bought a line of crap by some guy offering to take her over to the Borgata. Or an offer of a ride to make some money so she could continue to drink.
Whatever the case, poor Molly couldn't have predicted what came at her that night. And so it began.
As always, just my opinion.
Great post.
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