The Trail Went Cold

May 24, 1990. Livingston County, Michigan. After dropping her mother off at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and spending the afternoon with a friend, 30-year old Paige Renkoski starts driving home. That evening, her abandoned vehicle is discovered with the engine running on the shoulder of Interstate 96, but Paige has vanished without a trace. Before she […]

November 18, 1970. Nashville, Indiana. A barn located on the property of 52-year old Clarence Roberts burns to the ground and a charred body is found in the rubble. Clarence’s family assume the body is him, but since he was experiencing serious financial problems at the time, the authorities suspect that Clarence faked his own […]

August 29, 1943. Indianapolis, Indiana. 33-year old Maoma Ridings is serving as a corporal in the Women’s Army Corps at Camp Atterbury and checks into a room at the Claypool Hotel. Later that evening, Corporal Ridings is found murdered on her bed. She has been beaten and slashed with a whiskey bottle and is nude […]

August 4, 1981. Toledo, Ohio. 20-year old Cindy Anderson shows up for her job as a legal secretary at a law firm. Later that morning, Cindy’s co-workers arrive at the locked office and are surprised to discover that she has vanished. A romance novel is lying on Cindy’s desk and is open to a page […]

August 27, 1992. Tupelo, Mississippi. While Hurricane Andrew moves over the area, 13-year old Leigh Occhi is left home alone for the day by her mother, Vickie Felton. When Vickie fails to reach her daughter from work, she rushes home to discover that Leigh is missing and the presence of blood in the house suggests foul play. Weeks later, Vickie is mailed an envelope containing Leigh’s glasses. Was Leigh abducted and murdered by an unknown intruder… or could her own mother have been responsible for her disappearance and fabricated an elaborate cover story? In this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we analyze a very disturbing and bizarre missing persons case. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Leigh_Occhi http://charleyproject.org/case/leigh-marine-occhi https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/13/grace.coldcase.occhi/index.html http://web.archive.org/web/20090803091158/http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/07/leigh-marine-occhi.html#more http://web.archive.org/web/20

December 17, 1967. The skeletal remains of an unidentified male are found in Balsam Lake Provincial Park near Coboconk, Ontario, Canada. Five months later, the decomposing body of another unidentified male is discovered in a field near the village of Schomberg, and the similarities between the two scenes suggest that both victims were murdered by the same killer. The victims go unidentified for 40 years until clay busts of their heads are constructed and shown on television. They are both eventually recognized and identified by their families as Richard “Dickie” Hovey and Eric Jones. However, the exact circumstances of their murders are still unknown. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” will be venturing back to its native country for an episode about two young men who may have been victims of Canada’s first known serial killer. Additional Reading: “Unsolved: True Canadian Cold Cases” by Robert J. Hoshowsky http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/body-found-in-68-identified-as-new-brunswick-youth-1.615309 https://

Back in January, we released a minisode about the disappearance of 47-year old Pamela Butler, who vanished from her Washington, D.C. home in February 2009. Even though Pam’s house was covered by security cameras, none of the surveillance footage showed her leaving, but her boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, was seen entering and exiting the home on multiple occasions in the days following her disappearance. On April 8, 2017, Jose was finally arrested and charged with Pam’s murder. Incredibly, it has now been revealed that Jose is also the prime suspect in the unsolved 1989 disappearance of his estranged wife! For the first time, “The Trail Went Cold” is presenting a bonus update minisode about one of the cases featured on our podcast, as we reveal what finally led to Jose Rodriguez-Cruz being charged with Pamela Butler’s murder and some shocking secrets which have emerged about his past. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

June 6, 1991. Greenford, England. While leaving her family’s home, 43-year old Penny Bell tells a group of builders that she is running late for an appointment. Later that morning, Penny is discovered dead inside her vehicle after being brutally stabbed 50 times. Three days before her death, Penny had withdrawn £8,500 from her bank account without telling anybody, but the money is never recovered and no one uncovers the reason for the mysterious appointment which led to Penny’s death. “The Trail Went Cold” will be travelling back to the United Kingdom for this week’s minisode, as we chronicle one of the country’s most baffling unsolved murders. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Penny_Bell http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4233444.stm http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3199425/My-precious-Penny-baby-s-helped-reclaim-mother-murder-Daughter-woman-stabbed-50-times-horrific-unsolved-killing-parent-herself.html https://www.thefreelibrary.com/WHAT+DROVE+PENNY+TO+MAKE+A+DATE+W

January 6, 1982. Breckenridge, Colorado. After finishing her shift at work, 29-year old Bobbie Oberholtzer phones her husband to say she is going out for drinks with friends. Bobbie never returns home and is found shot to death the following day. Strangely, an orange sock which does not belong to Bobbie is found at the murder scene. Six months later, the body of a 21-year old missing woman named Annette Schnee is found and she is wearing the matching orange sock. This piece of evidence suggests that both victims were murdered on the same night by the same perpetrator at different locations. But who could have been responsible for such a brazen crime, and was there more than one person involved? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we examine the infamous unsolved case known as the “Orange Sock Murders”. Special thanks to Casper for supporting our podcast. In order to save $50 on a mattress, please visit http://www.casper.com/cold and enter the promo code “cold”. Also, a big thanks to Esther Gamez

May 9, 1994. Pine Bluff, Arkansas. 18-year old Cleashindra Hall phones her mother from her workplace to say she will be working late and might be calling again once her shift ends. Cleashindra never phones back and does not return home. Cleashindra’s boss, Dr. Larry Amos, tells police that an unknown individual picked her up that night, but troubling holes open up in his story and he displays some suspicious behavior. Even after a search is conducted of his home 18 years later, no hard evidence is found to incriminate Amos and the case remains at a standstill. In this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we examine the frustrating unsolved disappearance of Cleashindra Hall, a case which might only need that one crucial piece of evidence to blow it wide open. For more information about this case and the Cleashindra Hall Foundation, please visit this website… http://findcleashindra.blogspot.ca/ Thanks to HelloFresh for supporting our podcast. Go to www.HelloFresh.com and use the code cold30 to get $30 off

January 14, 1983. 62-year old Terri McClure travels from her hometown of Reno, Nevada to attend the wedding of her son, Tim, in Lake Tahoe. After leaving the reception that night, Terri does not return home. Three days later, she is found shot to death inside her vehicle in the parking lot of a Carson City casino. Due to some suspicious behaviour and strange inconsistencies in his story, the investigation soon zeroes in on Tim McClure as the prime suspect. Tim is charged with his mother’s murder in 1992, but the surprising end result only opens up more unanswered questions. Was Terri McClure murdered by her own son or was someone else responsible? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” analyzes one of the most controversial and heavily discussed cases ever featured on “Unsolved Mysteries”. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/terri-mcclure/ https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Terri_McClure https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-04-me-6296-story.html http://articles.latimes.com

April 25, 1988. Copperas Cove, Texas. After an argument with her boyfriend, 20-year old college student Elizabeth Campbell storms out of his house and receives a ride to a convenience store. After phoning her boyfriend and making an unsuccessful attempt to convince him to pick her up, Elizabeth vanishes without a trace. Over the next few weeks, there would be multiple sightings of a woman resembling Elizabeth in the company of a possessive man, leading to speculation that she was being controlled by a pimp. Was Elizabeth abducted and murdered, or was she actually kept alive and forced into prostitution? We explore both possibilities on this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Additional Reading: http://unsolved.com/archives/elizabeth-campbell http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/campbell_elizabeth.html https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Elizabeth_Campbell Listeners attending CrimeCon 2017 from June 9th-11th at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis can receive a 20% discount on their ticket purchase by

August 17, 1992. Waukegan, Illinois. While babysitting two children, 11-year old Holly Staker is sexually assaulted and brutally murdered inside their apartment. Two months later, a suspect named Juan Rivera is brought in for questioning and confesses to the murder after four straight days of interrogation. He is subsequently convicted and receives a life sentence, but no physical evidence links Rivera to the crime and the veracity of his confession is called into question. After Rivera serves 19 years in prison, DNA evidence eventually links Holly’s death to another murder… but could another innocent person also be serving time in prison for that particular crime? This week, we present one of our most shocking episodes of “The Trail Went Cold”, which examines a truly egregious wrongful conviction and two brutal murders committed by an unknown perpetrator who has yet to be identified. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Rivera_(wrongful_conviction) https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exonerat

January 6, 1994. Ylenia Carrisi, the 23-year old daughter of the famous Italian singing duo, Al Bano and Romina Power, and a minor celebrity in her native country, has embarked on a solo trip around the world. Shortly after arriving in New Orleans, Ylenia vanishes without explanation. Her disappearance would generate a few leads, including a suspicious street musician who attempted to use Ylenia’s passport and traveler’s checks, and a witness who may have seen her jump into the Mississippi River. Did Ylenia Carrisi drown, disappear to start a new life, or was she was a victim of foul play? We explore each possibility in this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ylenia_Carrisi http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/carrisi_ylenia.html http://people.com/archive/seeking-ylenia-vol-41-no-12/ http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/28/us/woman-s-vanishing-engrosses-a-city-redolent-of-mystery.html The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is c

October 23, 1981. Newburgh Heights, Ohio. 17-year old Kurt Sova goes out to spend the evening with friends, but does not return home. When Kurt’s parents go searching for him, they learn that he vanished after getting drunk at a party. Five days after his disappearance, Kurt’s body is discovered in a ravine, but the coroner’s office cannot figure out his exact cause of death and determine that he died only a day or two before he was found. The confusion is heightened by suspicious behavior from the host of the party, an unexplained eyewitness sighting of Kurt, and a mysterious stranger who accurately predicted the discovery of Kurt’s body two days beforehand. By popular demand, this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” will be chronicling one of the most memorable cases ever featured on “Unsolved Mysteries” Additional Reading: http://www.unsolved.com/gallery/kurt-sova “The Plain Dealer” (October 27, 1991) The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

March 24, 1994. After being honorably discharged from the Army, Matt Flores begins a new job at a computer company called Applied Materials, Inc.. One morning, Matt shows up for a training session at their headquarters in Silicon Valley, but after parking his car, an unknown assailant shoots him in the back of the head. Even though there were more than twenty people in the parking lot and it was covered by security cameras, the killer manages to escape without being seen and the only clue turns out to be surveillance footage of a suspicious-looking Ford Explorer. The investigation fails to uncover anything in Matt’s background to suggest why he was killed. Was Matt deliberately targeted or was he a victim of mistaken identity? Our latest minisode of “The Trail Went Cold” examines a seemingly motiveless murder which is about as close to a perfect crime as you can get. Additional Reading: http://unsolved.com/archives/matt-flores http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/05/16/matt-flores-killing-a-22-year-old-santa-clar

June 1, 1948. Denton, Texas. 21-year old Virginia Carpenter takes a train trip from her hometown of Texarkana to enrol at the Texas State College for Women. That evening, Virginia is dropped off at her dorm by a cab driver, who claims he last saw her speaking with two unidentified males. Virginia is never seen again and it would be three days before she is reported missing. Over the next several years, there would be numerous twists and turns, including alleged sightings of Virginia and suspicions about her cab driver. It is even theorized that Virginia’s disappearance might be connected to the infamous Texarkana Moonlight Murders, which took place in her hometown two years earlier. In this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we chronicle one of the most baffling missing persons cases in the history of Texas. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Virginia_Carpenter http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/carpenter_virginia.html http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/opinion/edito

November 8, 1988. Botany Bay, Australia. A radio operator receives three calls from Ken Jones, the skipper of a steel schooner called the Patanela. The yacht is currently in the midst of a month-long voyage to Airlie Beach, and Ken Jones’ wife, Noreen, and two crew members, John Blissett and Michael Calvin, are also on board. Ken claims the boat has run out of fuel, but after his final radio call is abruptly cut off, there is no more communication from the vessel. When the Patanela fails to arrive at its destination ten days later, a massive search comes up empty, and neither the yacht nor its four passengers are heard from again. There are enough suspicious things about the disappearance to fuel rumors that the boat was hijacked, but aside from a lifebuoy and a message in a bottle from one of the missing crew members, no trace of the Patanela is ever found. This week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles our very first mystery about a missing boat. A huge thank you to Audible for supporting our podc

December 12, 1985. 36-year old Mike Riemer and his 21-year old girlfriend Diana Robertson leave their home in Puyallup, Washington to take their two-year old daughter, Crystal, out for a day in the woods to get a Christmas tree. That afternoon, Crystal is discovered wandering alone outside a Kmart, but is unable to tell anyone where her parents are. Two months later, Diana is found murdered outside Mike’s truck on a remote logging road with a tube sock tied around her neck, but Mike himself has gone missing. Police begin to suspect that Mike killed Diana and could have been responsible for the murders of another couple from the area. In that case, a tube sock was also tied around the female victim’s neck. In 2011, a skull fragment belonging to Mike is found a mile away from where Diana was killed. Did Mike commit these murders, drop off his daughter, and return to the scene to commit suicide? Or was an unknown serial killer responsible for the deaths of all four of these victims? We attempt to answer these pe

July 4, 1999. Travelers Rest, South Carolina. The parents of 20-year old Brooke Henson return home to find her sitting on the front porch at 2:00 AM. Brooke tells them she is going to walk to a nearby store to buy cigarettes, but she does not return home and is never heard from again. Years later, investigators are shocked to discover that Brooke is registered for classes at Columbia University in New York because a con artist named Esther Reed has stolen her identity. In spite of this revelation, Brooke’s disappearance continues to remain unsolved, but we will attempt to figure out what really happened to her on this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Additional Reading: http://charleyproject.org/case/brooke-leigh-henson http://www.sabrinaerdely.com/docs/IvyLeague.pdf http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicky-ward/esther-reed-how-an-ordina_b_166118.html The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.