The Trail Went Cold

The courtroom can be a battlefield over money, people’s rights, and even their lives. For some cases, the consequences can affect us long after the verdict is read. Based on extensive interviews and court transcripts, Wondery’s new podcast LEGAL WARS puts you inside the jury box of some of the most famous court cases in American history, including Hulk Hogan’s courtroom wrestling match with Gawker, the battle for free speech on the internet, and the Rodney King trial that set off the LA Riots. Host Hill Harper, actor and Harvard Law School graduate, brings you the drama, the larger-than-life characters, and the real-world impact these cases had on our society. In this bonus episode, Robin introduces Legal Wars and offers up a preview of the show. To subscribe to Legal Wars on Apple Podcasts, click here.

November 1, 2001. State College, Pennsylvania. After spending Halloween night partying at a club with friends, 21-year old Penn State student Cindy Song is dropped off at her apartment complex at 4:00 AM. She is never heard from again, but some of her personal items and a piece of her Halloween costume are found inside […]

June 14, 2000. Jonesboro, Arkansas. 20-year old Amanda Tusing leaves her fiancee’s apartment to drive home to her parents’ house, but never arrives. Her abandoned car is soon discovered by the side of the highway, but there is no sign of Amanda. Days later, her body is found in a waterlogged ditch over 12 miles […]

April 16, 1987. Union City, Tennessee. Four-year old Marlena Childress vanishes from her front yard after her mother, Pamela Bailey, claims she saw a red car driving away from their house. Two months later, Pam confesses that she accidentally killed Marlena and tossed her body into the Obion River. Pam soon recants her confession and […]

August 16, 1983. Idaho Springs, Colorado. 14-year old Beth Miller leaves her home to go jogging, but never returns. The investigation uncovers some promising leads, including eyewitness accounts of a man in a red pick-up truck who was seen flirting with Beth in the days prior to her disappearance. Ten years later, the former girlfriend […]

October 12, 1982. Los Angeles, California. 35-year old Sol Salomon, his 39-year old wife Elaine, his 15-year old stepdaughter Michelle, and their 9-year old son Mitchell all vanish without explanation from their home. Evidence suggests they were victims of foul play and pieces of their identification are found scattered alongside a freeway. The investigation leads to Harvey Rader, a business acquaintance of Sol’s who is accused of killing the entire family and burying their bodies in the desert, and is also considered a potential suspect in the unsolved disappearance of a California couple named Peter and Joan Davis. Rader is eventually charged with murdering the Salomons, but after two mistrials, he is acquitted at his third trial in 1992. Did Harvey Rader get away with the murders of the Salomon family, or was someone else responsible? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles the harrowing unsolved disappearance of an entire family who have still never been found. Additional Reading: http://w

November 6, 1976. Rome, New York. 59-year old Stanley Gryziec and his wife, Esther, are attacked in their home by two masked intruders, who tie up Esther, ransack the place, and murder Stanley. Even though the original autopsy report states that Stanley was stabbed to death, his son finds a shell casing inside the house which was overlooked by police, and an exhumation of Stanley’s body reveals that he was actually shot through the chest. Over a decade later, a new investigation uncovers evidence that the two perpetrators were hired to break into Stanley’s house and that his death may have been connected to illegal activities at a local bar and a secret confession Stanley heard from his dying brother. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles a baffling unsolved home invasion murder and an alleged cover-up. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/stanley-gryziec/ http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Stanley_Gryziec “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwe

March 24, 1991. Victoria, British Columbia. Four-year old Michael Dunahee accompanies his family to a football game at a local elementary school and after they park their car, Michael asks if he can go to a nearby playground. Within minutes, Michael’s parents notice that he is not at the playground and has vanished without a trace, leading to speculation that he was abducted during a very narrow timeframe. Over the next two decades, there would be reported sightings of Michael, the surprising discovery of his missing poster in a deceased individual’s home, and a couple of young adults who were briefly suspected of being Michael himself, but he is never found. August 5, 1989. North Delta, British Columbia. After spending the night in the same bedroom as her baby sister, three-year old Casey Bohun vanishes without explanation from her home. Casey is last seen playing on the front porch by a neighbour and police dogs are able to track her scent down the street to a nearby park, but there is no sign of the missin

August 18, 1949. Los Angeles, California. After finishing a phone call with a friend, 48-year old widowed socialite Mimi Boomhower is not heard from for days. When police eventually check Mimi’s house, they discover that her lights are still on, an uneaten salad is sitting on the table, and her car is still parked in […]

November 24, 1956. LaPlace, Louisiana. 46-year old married family man Thomas Hotard and 31-year old single mother Audrey Moate meet up to continue their secret affair, which they have been carrying on for years. The following day, Thomas’ body is discovered inside his vehicle at a remote swamp area with a shotgun blast to the […]

May 6, 1988. Burbank, California. Crystal Spencer, a 28-year old aspiring actress working as a topless dancer, phones her sister and mentions that she is feeling ill. This is the last time anyone ever hears from Crystal and one week later, her decomposing body is discovered in a corner of her apartment. She is nude […]

December 3, 2003. Baltimore, Maryland. While working on a plea agreement, 38-year old prosecutor Jonathan Luna leaves his office at the Federal District Court Building shortly before midnight. The following morning, Luna’s vehicle is discovered over 90 miles away in a rural creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and his body is lying in the water. […]

October 23, 1986. Dublin, Ireland. After going home for lunch, 13-year old Philip Cairns leaves in order to return to school. He never arrives and vanishes without a trace. Six days later, Philip’s school bag appears in a laneway which had previously been searched, leading to speculation that it was planted there by the person […]

June 25, 2001. Hood River, Oregon. During a date with a friend, 41-year old Eric Tamiyasu hears strange noises outside his home and discovers an unidentified shoeprint. After his friend leaves for the night, Eric is not heard from for five days. His decomposing body is eventually discovered in his bed and it turns out […]

March 11, 1985. Waverly, Georgia. While holding a Bible class at the Rising Daughters Baptist Church, 66-year old deacon Harold Swain is summoned to the vestibule by an unidentified man. Harold is soon shot to death and when his 63-year old wife, Thelma Swain, goes to check on him, she is fatally shot as well. […]

February 3, 1964. Manchester, New Hampshire. The burned body of 54-year old Rena Paquette is discovered inside a pigsty on her family’s farm. Even though there are no containers for flammable substances at the scene, investigators believe that Rena set herself on fire and rule her death to be a suicide. However, many people suspect […]

March 22, 2010. Huixquilucan, Mexico. Paulette Gebara Farah, a four-year girl with developmental disabilities, vanishes from her bedroom and a massive search campaign fails to turn up any trace of her. Nine days later, Paulette’s decomposing body is discovered wedged between her mattress and the footboard of her bed, and a police inquiry rules that […]

June 27, 1994. Tacoma, Washington. 25-year old Michael Johnston and 19-year old Rochelle Robinson leave a get-together at a friend’s house. Later that morning, Michael is found shot to death outside Rochelle’s vehicle with his throat slashed. Rochelle is soon found stabbed to death on a remote road with her own throat slashed. Even though […]

October 13, 1997. Gillette, Wyoming. 14-year old Amanda Gallion leaves her home for school, but never arrives and is reported missing. Suspicion turns towards Amanda’s 20-year old boyfriend, Patrick Ghering, who denies any knowledge of her disappearance. Six days later, Patrick goes missing himself after his abandoned vehicle is discovered by the side of the […]

January 4, 1991. Lake Havasu City, Arizona. 42-year old audio designer John Iverson disappears from his home after a meeting with a machinist named Jack Weber. According to Iverson’s spouse, Kathy Munro, Weber had robbed her at gunpoint before kidnapping Iverson. After being a wanted fugitive for three months, Weber turns himself in, but there […]