The Trail Went Cold

March 15, 1989. Frederick, Maryland. 17-year old Tracey Kirkpatrick spends the evening working alone at a shopping center clothing store. Nearly two hours after the store was supposed to have been closed, a security guard discovers Tracey’s body in the rear storage room and she has been stabbed seven times. Three months later, a man […]

October 12, 2000. Houston, Texas. After leaving her home, 48-year old Mary Henderson Morris does not show up for work and her body is discovered inside her burned-out car on a remote road later that afternoon. Four days later, another Houston woman, 39-year old Mary McGinnis Morris, is discovered shot to death inside her car […]

July 16, 1952. Salisbury, Connecticut. While spending the summer at Camp Sloane, ten-year old Connie Smith skips breakfast and leaves the campground. Numerous witnesses see Connie walking down the road and attempting to hitchhike, but before she reaches the nearest town, she vanishes without a trace. Since Connie’s grandfather is the former Governor of Wyoming, […]

July 11, 1988. Walnut Creek, California. Lester Garnier, a 30-year old vice officer with the San Francisco Police Department, is found shot to death inside his car in a shopping center parking lot. Eyewitnesses recall seeing at least two unidentified blonde women in the parking lot the previous night and speculation mounts that Lester’s murder […]

May 4, 1996. Sitka, Alaska. While walking home from her sister’s place after celebrating her 17th birthday, Jessica Baggen is attacked on a bicycle path. Her body is soon found in a wooded area, where she has been sexually assaulted and asphyxiated to death. Eleven days later, a suspect named Richard Bingham turns himself in […]

April 12, 1994. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 23-year old Karen Denise Wells has left on a cross-county road trip from her hometown in Oklahoma in order to visit her friend, Melissa Shepard, in New Jersey. After checking into a motel, Denise phones Melissa and asks her to come meet her there, but when Melissa arrives, Denise has vanished. Later that morning, Denise’s abandoned rental car is discovered 35 miles away on a remote road. The gas tank is empty and it turns out there are 700 miles on the vehicle’s odometer which cannot be accounted for. Investigators eventually start noticing discrepancies in Melissa’s story, leading them to believe she is withholding information about Denise’s disappearance. What actually happened to Karen Denise Wells? Why did her vehicle wind up in such a remote area? Where did those additional 700 miles on her odometer come from? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles one of the more baffling missing persons cases we’ve ever covered. Additional Reading: http://charley

September 14, 1965. Coral Gables, Florida. After leaving work, 22-year old Judith Hyams vanishes without a trace and her rental car is found abandoned in Atlanta. It turns out that Judith had become pregnant and was seeking an illegal abortion from a shady doctor, but after he is arrested, he jumps bail and disappears. 24 years later, the case is suddenly re-opened after a police captain receives a series of bizarre anonymous phone calls stating that Judith is still alive. Even after investigators receive an anonymous letter which reveals what happened to Judith, she is never found and there are a number of unanswered questions. For our first episode of 2019, “The Trail Went Cold” tackles a very odd cold case which was revived in the most unlikely fashion. We would like to thank Postmates for sponsoring this episode of The Trail Went Cold. For a limited time, Postmates is giving you $100 of free delivery credit for your first 7 days. To start your free deliveries, download the Postmates app, and use the promo

Listeners of “The Trail Went Cold” have always had a number of questions about the podcast and its host, Robin Warder. What unsolved cold case have you covered which you’d most like an answer to? What is the biggest challenge of producing a weekly podcast? Have you ever been contacted by any of the people involved in the cases you have covered? Are there are any cold cases you would not cover? What is your favourite thing about being a podcaster? These questions and many others will be answered as we close out 2018 with our very first Q&A episode of “The Trail Went Cold”. This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Care/Of, a monthly subscription vitamin service that delivers completely personalized vitamin and supplement packs right to your door. For 25% off your first month of personalized Care/Of vitamins, visit takecareof.com and enter the promo code “cold.” “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonu

Christmas Eve 1975. The Isle of Mull, Scotland. 54-year old Peter Gibbs, a former Royal Air Field pilot and World War II veteran, has dinner with his girlfriend at the Glenforsa Hotel, but decides to go for an evening flight. After taking off from an adjacent airfield in a Cessna, Gibbs never returns. Four months later, Gibbs’ body is discovered on a hill one mile away from the hotel and his cause of death is determined to be exposure, but the missing aircraft is never found. An enquiry concludes that Gibbs likely crashed the Cessna into the water, swam to shore, and subsequently died on the hill, but there are a number of discrepancies to suggest this scenario would have been impossible. How did Gibbs’ body remain undiscovered on the hill for four months? If he crashed his aircraft, how did he avoid sustaining any serious injuries? What prompted Gibbs to take such a dangerous nighttime flight to begin with? For our final holiday-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling unexplained death

Christmas Day 1996. La Vernia, Texas. Patty Vaughan, a 32-year old mother of three, vanishes without a trace and her van is found abandoned by the side of the road the following day. According to her estranged husband, J.R. Vaughan, Patty had stormed out of their house following a heated argument. Traces of Patty’s blood are found inside the house and her van and seem to indicate she was a victim of foul play. At the time, Patty was in the midst of a trial separation from her husband and recently started a relationship with another man. J.R. becomes the primary person of interest by filing for divorce the day after Patty went missing, but investigators lack enough evidence to file charges. This week’s holiday-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold” covers a Christmas Day spousal disappearance which has yet to be solved. Additional Reading: http://charleyproject.org/case/patty-inez-brightwell-vaughan https://www.ksat.com/news/new-dna-findings-in-patty-vaughns-1996-disappearance https://foxsanantonio.com/news/l

December 26, 1985. Fayetteville, North Carolina. 28-year old nurse Debbie Wolfe leaves at the end of her shift at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, but does not show up for work the following morning. When Debbie’s mother checks her cabin, she discovers that Debbie is missing. Six days later, one of Debbie’s friends finds her at the bottom of a nearby pond, but even though he claims her body was inside a barrel, the local sheriff’s department rule that Debbie drowned accidentally and that the barrel never existed. However, Debbie’s loved ones uncover a lot of odd discrepancies to suggest she was a victim of foul play and point the finger at two potential suspects. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles a bizarre unexplained death surrounded with controversy which has never been solved. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/debbie-wolfe/ http://www.drmauricegodwin.com/murderofdebbiewolfe.html “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to be

October 8, 1976. Knoxville, Tennessee. 16-year old Trenny Gibson leaves on a high school field trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park alongside nearly 40 classmates. The students spend the day hiking through the park, but after Trenny is last seen turning off the trail at around 3:00 PM, she vanishes without explanation. During a search of the park, dogs would track Trenny’s scent to a spot next to the roadside, creating speculation that she was abducted. Did Trenny simply wander off and die of exposure, or was she a victim of foul play? And if she was harmed, could other students have been involved? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we chronicle one of the most mysterious unsolved disappearances of the Smoky Mountains. Special thanks to listener Laura for requesting this case. Be sure to visit her blog about Trenny Gibson at https://www.canadiangurl77.com. Additional Reading: http://charleyproject.org/case/teresa-lynn-gibson https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/appalachian-unsolved

May 31, 1975. Hamilton, New Zealand. 18-year old Mona Blades leaves to hitchhike hundreds of kilometres in order to attend her nephew’s birthday in Hastings, but never arrives. After Mona is reported missing, witnesses would recall seeing her inside an orange Datsun station wagon with an unidentified man. Over the years, investigators examine a number of different suspects, including a man who committed suicide only weeks after Mona went missing, a former traffic officer, and a biker gang. Who was actually responsible for Mona Blades’ disappearance? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” covers our first unsolved mystery from New Zealand, which happens to be one of the country’s famous missing persons cases. Special thanks to listener Loquin Britton for providing the opening narration for this episode. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Blades_case https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12099766 http://www.police.govt.nz/stolenwanted/coldcase/2018/mona-eli

August 28, 2008. Laurel, Maryland. While returning to her apartment after running errands, 28-year old Army veteran and government employee Kanika Powell is shot to death inside the building’s hallway. In the preceding days, Kanika claimed that separate men impersonating an FBI agent and a deliveryman had knocked on her apartment door, but she refused to let them inside. Two-and-half-months later, Sean Nicholas Green, a 31-year old government employee living in Oxon Hill 30 miles away, is shot to death by a masked gunman while parked in traffic. Could the two crimes be connected? Were Kanika and Sean both murdered because they happened to work government jobs requiring top secret clearance? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” examines a pair of baffling, seemingly motiveless unsolved murders which have left investigators stumped for the past decade. Additional Reading: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090304010_2.html?noredirect=on https://truecrimedaily.com/2015/

August 14, 1986. Myrtle Point, Oregon. 14-year old Jeremy Bright attends a county fair with his younger sister, but after promising to meet her at a scheduled time, he does not show up and is never heard from again. After Jeremy is reported missing, it isn’t long before rumours start circulating throughout the community and many of them involve a group of local troublemakers causing Jeremy’s death and disposing of his body. Two years later, one of these alleged suspects would go to prison for an unrelated murder, but it still fails to turn up any answers about Jeremy’s disappearance. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover a frustrating missing persons case which has gone unsolved for three decades, even though there are people out there who might still know the truth about what happened. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Jeremy_Bright https://unsolved.com/gallery/jeremy-bright/ http://charleyproject.org/case/jeremy-doland-bright https://theworldlink.com/news

April 12, 1981. Keddie, California. 36-year old Sue Sharp, her 15-year old son John Sharp, and John’s 17-year old friend, Dana Wingate, are found brutally murdered inside Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort. Sue’s 12-year old daughter, Tina Sharp, is missing and her skeletal remains would be discovered in a remote area three years later. Sue’s two youngest sons, along with a 12-year old family friend named Justin Smartt spent the night in a separate bedroom and were left unharmed. Over the years, the investigation would uncover two promising suspects who happened to live in another cabin at the resort. Were these two men responsible for the Keddie Cabin murders? Was there was a cover-up by law enforcement which allowed them to escape justice? Did Justin Smartt witness the murders and block the event from his memory? Were other suspects involved in the crime? For our special Halloween episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be examining an infamous case which was voted on by our listeners. Special thanks to listen

Five years ago, Molly Weaver, Bryan Anderson, and Nathan Howell started a podcast focused on the local legend of a monster called The Blackwood Bugman. Quickly, the investigation grows out of their control, as they discover that, not only are the legends seemingly true, many people in Blackwood have turned up dead or disappeared without a trace. Worse, there may be a reason why no one has ever uncovered the truth before. Someone is watching them, willing to do whatever it takes to keep the secret. Their recordings have finally been released. In this bonus episode, Robin introduces Blackwood and offers up a preview of the show. Click here to subscribe to Blackwood.

October 31, 2002. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 21-year old university student Chris Jenkins celebrates Halloween by going to a local bar with friends. After he is ejected from the establishment, Chris vanishes without a trace and his body is found in the Mississippi River four months later. While police initially believe that Chris’ death was an accidental drowning, his family uncovers disturbing discrepancies to suggest his body was not in the river the entire time he was missing and that he was a victim of foul play. After four years, the Minneapolis police chief reopens the investigation, reclassifies Chris’ death as a homicide, and issues an apology to the Jenkins family. What actually happened to Chris Jenkins after he left the bar? Could his death somehow be connected to the infamous “Smiley face murder theory”? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” examines a truly baffling Halloween night mystery. Additional Reading: http://www.startribune.com/strange-case-of-son-s-death-propels-mom-on-tireless-ques

October 24, 1953. La Crosse, Wisconsin. The father of 15-year old Evelyn Hartley attempts to phone her while she is babysitting an infant child, but there is no answer at the house. After travelling there to check on her, he discovers that Evelyn has disappeared and the evidence suggests she was the victim of a violent abduction by an intruder. Days later, pieces of blood-stained clothing are found outside of town which are believed to belong to Evelyn and her abductor. Over the next several decades, there would be a number of developments, including a possible connection to notorious murderer Ed Gein and the discovery of a tape-recorded confession implicating multiple suspects in the crime, but Evelyn is never found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we examine what is considered to be one of the most terrifying unsolved missing persons cases of all time. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Evelyn_Hartley http://charleyproject.org/case/evelyn-grace-hartley http://jg-tc.com/

October 31, 1979. Williamson County, Texas. The nude body of a young woman is discovered in a concrete culvert next to Interstate 35. She has been strangled to death and is only clad in a pair of orange socks, but since she cannot be identified, “Orange Socks” becomes her nickname. Notorious serial killer Henry Lee […]