The Trail Went Cold

May 19, 1996. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. 24-year old Julianne “Julie” Williams and her 26-year old girlfriend, Laura “Lollie” Winans, leave on a backpacking trip, but are eventually reported missing when they fail to return home. Nearly two weeks later, Julie and Lollie are found dead at a campsite inside the park and have been […]

February 24, 1983. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. After receiving a temporary furlough from the county jail, 21-year old Don Decker attends his grandfather’s funeral and goes to stay at a friend’s house. It isn’t long before Don appears to go into a trance and water starts materializing from the house’s walls, ceiling and floor. Over the course […]

November 29, 1987. Millions of people tune in to NBC to watch a television special about unsolved mysteries which is hosted by a legendary, well-respected Hollywood actor. The special is eventually turned into a full-time series and this actor becomes the permanent host. Three decades later, after this TV show and the host have become […]

November 22, 1997. Aiken County, South Carolina. The daughter of 47-year old Janice Wessinger returns home to discover that her mother is missing. The following morning, Janice’s body is found in a wooded area near her house and she has been raped and stabbed to death. It is theorized that Janice was attacked after going […]

July 2, 1966. Porter County, Indiana. 21-year old Ann Miller, 19-year old Patricia Blough and 19-year old Renee Bruhl leave their homes in Illinois in order to travel to the Indiana Dunes State Park. After taking a spot on the beach next to Lake Michigan, the three women venture into the water, leaving all of […]

August 18, 1987. Manatee County, Florida. Todd McAfee, the 27-year old manager of a tomato farm, is discovered to be missing from his trailer after his employees arrive for work. Todd’s body is soon found in a nearby drainage ditch and he has been shot four times. Since a valuable gun collection was stolen from […]

October 7, 1949. Los Angeles, California. 26-year old actress Jean Spangler leaves her home and asks her sister-in-law to watch over her daughter. Jean says she is planning to meet with her ex-husband and spend the night working on a film shoot, but she soon vanishes without a trace. Two days later, Jean’s purse is […]

June 29, 1991. New York City. Su-Ya Kim leaves her children with their grandmother to go shopping, but never returns. Ten hours later, Su-Ya’s nude body is discovered in a dumpster after she has been stabbed nine times. A security guard reports interacting with an unidentified white male who drove away from the dumpster before […]

June 13, 1977. Mayes County, Oklahoma. While attending a summer camp for Girl Scouts, 10-year Denise Milner, 9-year Michelle Guse, and 8-year old Lori Farmer spend the night together in a tent. When morning hits, the murdered bodies of the three girls are discovered 150 yards away in the woods. Michelle and Lori have been […]

December 7, 1958. Portland, Oregon. 54-year old Kenneth Martin, his 48-year old wife Barbara and their three daughters – 14-year old Barbie, 12-year old Virginia and 10-year old Susan – leave their home in their station wagon to take a trip to the Columbia River Gorge. When the family fails to return, they are reported […]

February 14, 1986. Sugar Land, Texas. 43-year old insurance agent Stephen Geri phones the mother of his 33-year old wife, Marilu Geri, and asks her to visit Marilu at their house to help her prepare for a party. When Marilu’s mother arrives, she discovers that her daughter has been shot four times. Since there were […]

December 1, 1987. Chicago, Illinois. While speaking with his mother on the phone, 39-year old Charles Southern shares his plans about taking a trip to India. After not hearing from him for weeks, Charles’ parents check his house and discover he is missing, but they find what appears to be a Last Will and Testament […]

May 20, 1982. Kendall, Florida. A fire breaks out at the home of 30-year old Ezzat Aboul-Hosn and a badly burned body is found pinned underneath a car inside his garage. The body is tentatively identified as Ezzat and after it is determined that a leaky fuel line caused the fire, his death is ruled […]

February 8, 2002. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After closing up the bar she manages and drinking at various clubs in the downtown area, 33-year old Jamie Stickle drives back home to her apartment. Shortly thereafter, Jamie’s Jeep Wrangler is found engulfed in flames near her front door and her badly burned body is in the driver’s seat. […]

May 16, 1987. Denver, Colorado. After a collision with another vehicle, the unidentified driver of a pick-up truck runs away from the accident scene. Police discover that the man was registered at a local motel under the name “Larry Monroe” and the truck is registered to a 55-year old California resident named Don Smith. Five […]

Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured over 200 unsolved cold cases on the podcast, but a decent number of these cases have either wound up being solved or had some significant developments take place. Examples include the disappearance of Pamela Butler, the murder of Jodine Serrin, the disappearance […]

December 19, 1959. Osprey, Florida. After spending the day running errands and visiting a family friend, 25-year old Cliff Walker, his 24-year old wife Christine, and their two children, three-year old Jimmie and 23-month old Debbie, head back to their rural home in separate vehicles. The following morning, the family’s bodies are discovered inside their […]

December 17, 2006. Sydney, Australia. After spending the day with her family, 25-year old Katrina Ploy drives away from her parents’ house. Hours later, Katrina’s abandoned car and some of her possessions are found next to an oceanside cliff known as “The Gap”, but Katrina herself is missing. Katrina’s body is found floating in Sydney […]

December 27, 1928. Orrville, Ohio. Four-year old Melvin Horst leaves his home to play in the neighbourhood with friends, but never returns and a search of the area fails to turn up any trace of him. Over the course of the next two years, a number of different suspects would be arrested after allegations surface […]

February 10, 1990. Las Cruces, New Mexico. A pair of armed gunmen enter a bowling alley called the Las Cruces Bowl and bring everyone inside into the manager’s office. After stealing money from the safe, the assailants fire several bullets into seven people before fleeing the scene. Three of the victims – 33-year old Ida […]