The Trail Went Cold is a weekly true crime podcast which explores baffling unsolved mysteries and cold cases. On each episode, host Robin Warder examines a new murder or missing persons case, tackling a wide variety of mysteries from different countries and time periods. After sharing all the details about each case, Robin offers his own personal analysis and theories about what happened. The podcast is produced and edited by Magill Foote and the music composed and performed by Vince Nitro.
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June 27, 2000. Warren, Massachusetts. After showing up at Comins Pond to work her shift as a lifeguard, 16-year old Molly Bish vanishes without a trace and leaves all of her personal belongings behind on the beach. The previous day, Molly’s mother had dropped her off and noticed a suspicious-looking man inside a white car in the beach’s parking lot and numerous witnesses report seeing a white car in the area on the morning of Molly’s disappearance. Nearly three years later, Molly’s remains are d...
August 5, 1993. Sturbridge, Massachusetts. After leaving her grandparents’ cottage to view some puppies at a neighbour’s farm, ten-year old Holly Piirainen disappears and one of her shoes is found next to the road. Over two months later, Holly’s skeletal remains are discovered in a wooded area five miles away and it is believed that she was the victim of an abduction and a homicide. Over the years, investigators look at a number of different persons of interest, including a man in a pick-up truc...
May 6, 2014. Putnam County, Georgia. After he is not heard from for over four days, the beheaded body of 88-year old Russell Dermond is discovered inside his garage and his 87-year old wife, Shirley Dermond, is missing. Ten days later, Shirley’s body is discovered five miles away in Lake Oconee after she was weighed down in the water with some cinder blocks. Her cause of death is determined to blunt force trauma, but Russell’s head is never recovered. Investigators are unable to uncover any stro...
“Below the Surface” is a true crime podcast covering a variety of strange and bizarre cases with one common theme; a water connection. The show features both solved and unsolved cases, some of which are well known, while others have received little attention. In this special preview of Episode 1, we explore the puzzling case of journalist Kim Wall who was best known for her articles in the Guardian, New York Times, and Vice. She disappeared in a submarine beneath the Oresund Strait after intervi...
Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured over 500 cold cases on the podcast, a number of which have wound up being solved or experienced major developments. As a result, we have now released a total of seven special “update” episodes. In this particular episode, we’ll share a number of major updates which occurred in 2025, such as a resolution in the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders, Tommy Zeigler’s most recent attempts to overturn his conviction for the ...
For the month of December, True Crime creators are getting together for a series titled “True Crime Convos” in which we have conversations about podcasting, true crime, and the nexus between the two. We discuss creating our shows, behind-the-scenes moments, fears and hopes, the cases that have gripped us, and more. In this episode, I will be joined by Nina Innsted from “Already Gone” and John from “Sins & Survivors” , as we discuss how we got into podcasting, our passion projects, what we ha...
Christmas Eve 1963. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 34-year old Lucille Rinaldi, who happens to be five months pregnant, is bludgeoned and suffocated to death inside an apartment belonging to her husband, Frank Rinaldi. Even though Frank was supposedly out Christmas shopping when the crime took place, he is charged and convicted of Lucille’s murder after investigators learn that Frank took out a life insurance policy on his wife and there are also allegations surface that he was a closeted gay man....
January 18, 2001. Miami, Florida. Geralyn Graham, the foster mother of four-year old Rilya Wilson, claims that a female caseworker from the Florida Department of Children and Families took Rilya from her residence for a medical evaluation, but never returned. Rilya is not officially reported missing until 15 months later, but the authorities become convinced that Geralyn fabricated her story and is personally responsible for Rilya’s disappearance. Geralyn is eventually charged with numerous crim...
January 31, 1985. West Seneca, New York. 21-year old Leichia Reilly spends the night hanging out at a nightclub called the Pierce Arrow, but she never returns home and vanishes without a trace. Numerous witnesses recall having seen Leichia leaving the club during the early morning hours with an off-duty state trooper named Daniel Rose, but he denies this and stops cooperating with the investigation. Even though Rose is soon fired by the New York State Police and there appear to be some holes in ...
September 17, 1954. Salt Lake City, Utah. Five-year old Gregory MaComb is abducted from his apartment and found dead in a creek bed after he has been sexually assaulted, strangled and bludgeoned to death. A witness reports having seen a man carrying Gregory out of the apartment house and placing him inside his car and he seems to match the description of Norman Ash Fackrell, a friend of Gregory’s mother. Nearly three years later, Fackrell is charged with Gregory’s murder, but winds up being acqu...
August 26, 2006. Hinton, Alberta. After failing to reach her on the radio or the telephone, the supervisor of 70-year old Stephanie Stewart travels to the Athabasca Lookout Tower in the province’s foothills, where Stephanie is posted as a seasonal fire spotter. When he arrives, the supervisor finds a smear of blood on the front steps of Stephanie’s cabin and a pot of water on the stove, but there is no sign of her anywhere. Since bed sheets and other items are also missing from the cabin, there ...
September 5, 1978. Sterling, Alaska. 13-year old Scott Fandel and his 8-year old half-sister, Amy Fandel, are dropped off at their cabin by their mother, Margaret Fandel, who then goes out to some bars with her own sister. When Margaret and her sister return home during the early morning hours of September 6, they discover a pot of warm water on the stove next to some macaroni and tomato sauce. This suggests that Scott had been in the midst of preparing a late-night snack before he was interrupt...
November 10, 1984. Lynbrook, New York, After getting fired from her job at a roller rink, 16-year old Theresa Fusco starts heading home, but she never arrives. Her nude body is eventually found in a wooded area and she has been raped and strangled to death with a ligature. Over four months later, a 21-year old suspect named John Kogut confesses to the crime and implicates two accomplices – 26-year old John Restivo and 31-year old Dennis Halstead – and they are all charged and convicted of Theres...
August 20, 1966. Niteroi, Brazil. The bodies of a pair of electronics technicians, 34-year old Miguel Jose Viana and 32-year old Manuel Pereira da Cruz, are discovered on the top of Vintem Hill and they are carrying a pair of lead masks and some cryptic notes about ingesting capsules. Three days earlier, the two men had travelled to Niteroi from their homes in Campos dos Goytacazes over 260 kilometres away, but there is no direct evidence of foul play and the authorities are unable to determine ...
March 6, 1939. Fingringhoe, England. After purchasing some cigarettes at a local pub, 67-year old Ada Constance Kent seems to disappear and over the course of the next decade, numerous searches are performed of her empty cottage and they fail to turn up any trace of her. Ten years later, a human skeleton is discovered beneath some rubble in the cottage’s bedroom alongside an empty bottle of poison, and after a forensic examination is performed, there is some uncertainty about who the remains act...
October 31, 1963. Newcastle, England. 70-year old Katherine Lillian Armstrong fails to show up for choir practice at her church. The following morning, Lillian’s body is discovered near the bottom of the staircase in her house and she has been stabbed 28 times and strangled with one of her nylon stockings. Since there are no signs of forced entry, police suspect that Lillian willingly let her killer inside, but even though a massive investigation is launched, no compelling suspects are found and...
December 19, 2006. Clayton, Missouri. 57-year old attorney Ernie Brasier is found shot to death inside a third-floor office of his law firm: Boggs, Boggs & Bates. Since Ernie was killed in an office belonging to another attorney, there is speculation that he may have been the victim of mistaken identity, but no evidence is found to support this theory. Over the next few years, there are a number of strange incidents involving other employees at the firm, including a bombing at the home of tw...
June 3, 2017. Dallas, Texas. After suffering a violent assault at the hands of a female acquaintance and her male companion, 27-year old Armani Morgan goes missing. Seven weeks later, Armani’s skull and five of his other bones are found in a vacant residential lot located near his residence and since the police are inclined to believe that he succumbed to a drug overdose, his cause of death is listed as “undetermined”. However, in the days prior to his disappearance, Armani had been repeatedly a...
September 11, 1987. Cowlitz County, Washington. The dismembered headless torso of a woman is discovered in the Lewis River and the same victim’s legs are soon found 30 miles away in the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Thirteen days later, the body of an infant girl who is believed to be the woman’s daughter is discovered in the Cowlitz River, but since the identity of both victims cannot be determined, they remain Jane Does. In 2006, the decedents are finally identified as 24-year old Raj ...
This episode delves into the controversial 1998 murder of Yale University student Suzanne Jovin, found stabbed 17 times. The initial investigation focused heavily on her thesis advisor, James Vandervelde, despite a lack of evidence, leading to allegations of tunnel vision and a mishandled case. The hosts explore crucial unanswered questions, newly revealed evidence like a mysterious Fresca bottle, and an intriguing alternate suspect known as "Billy," whose mental health issues and suspicious death add another layer of complexity to this enduring cold case.
June 6, 1978. Jericho, Vermont. Michael Reapp, the husband of 32-year old Grace Reapp, claims he returned home from work and discovered that Grace and their five-year old daughter, Gracie Reapp, had disappeared, though he alleges Grace left behind a note stating that they ran off voluntarily. Eighteen years later, Michael himself goes missing after police announce that Grace and Gracie’s disappearances have been reclassified as a homicide investigation and a search is being performed of their fo...
November 21, 1997. Powhattan, Kansas. 28-year old Jodie Bordeaux, who happens to be seven months pregnant, is spending the evening with her husband at their rural farmhouse when several bullets from a semi-automatic rifle are fired into the residence. A bullet strikes Jodie in the head and kills her instantly and her unborn baby daughter, Jordan Shay, also dies. There is speculation that Jodie’s murder might be connected to a conflict from her managerial job at a casino on the Kickapoo Reservati...
July 17, 2002. Butler County, Pennsylvania. After spending the night partying and drinking, 15-year old Scott Fosnaught and his 15-year old best friend, Shawn Baur, leave a friend’s house in order to walk back home during the early morning hours. Shortly thereafter, their bodies are discovered by the side of a rural road and Scott’s injuries seem to indicate that he was the victim of a hit-and-run by a vehicle. However, Shawn only has some fatal head wounds and a crushed skull, but since he has ...
July 31, 1979. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 49-year old Lola Marvin plans to board a flight to Oklahoma City, but she never arrives. Four days later, Lola is found shot to death inside her car in the parking lot of Albuquerque International Airport. In September 1984, Lola’s 55-year old husband, Robert Marvin, disappears after visiting his new fiancée in Moab, Utah and his abandoned car is eventually discovered in an Albuquerque parking lot. Investigators explore the possibility that the two cases a...
October 5, 2000. Roseboro, North Carolina. While his great-aunt is napping, four-year old Tristen “Buddy” Myers, a child with a history of behavioral problems and violent outbursts, disappears from the property of their rural home. Two of the family’s dogs disappear alongside Buddy and while they both resurface days later, a massive search effort fails to turn up any trace of the child. Over the years, investigators explore a number of different leads and debate whether Buddy could have been abd...
July 22, 1989. Peoria, Arizona. Rob Page, the husband of 32-year old Pam Page, claims that she disappears from their home and leaves behind a letter revealing that she ran off with another woman named “Sarah”. Rob also says that Pam took one of their dogs with her, along with most of her personal possessions and $60,000 in cash that she was keeping inside the safe of the video store she owned. However, Rob does not immediately report Pam missing to the police and constantly changes his story abo...
May 24, 1996. Glendale, Arizona. 19-year old Diana Shawcroft and her 19-year old best friend, Jennifer Lueth, leave their apartment to visit a nearby convenience store, but they never return and are last seen climbing into a pick-up truck with an unidentified man. Three months later, Diana and Jennifer’s bodies are discovered 100 miles away in a remote desert area in Yavapai County and it is determined that they were the victims of a homicide. After their families set up a memorial shrine at the...
November 10, 1951. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Three brothers from the Klein family – eight-year old Kenneth, six-year old David and four-year old Danny – leave their residence to go play in nearby Farview Park, but they never return home. When a search effort is launched, the brothers’ scents are tracked to a bank of the Mississippi River about a mile away. After two woollen caps are found on a layer of ice, the Minneapolis Police Department concludes that all three boys fell into the water and dro...
December 14, 2011. Andover, Massachusetts. 69-year old John “Jack” Magee and his 67-year old wife, Geraldine “Jeri” Magee, are found shot to death inside their mansion in what appears to be a professional hit. There are no signs of robbery or forced entry at the scene, though it turns out that the couple’s SUV was stolen and driven 20 miles to the North End of Boston before it was set on fire. Even though the Magees are wealthy and Jack owned a successful construction company, they do not appear...
June 24, 1991. Boarhills, Scotland. The body of 33-year old Sandy Drummond is found on a farm track across the road from his cottage and it is determined that he was choked to death with what is described as a “ju-jitsu stranglehold”. In the days prior to his death, Sandy had suddenly quit his job without notice and withdrew nearly all of his money from his accounts, leading to speculation that someone may have been bullying or blackmailing him. Investigators explore a number of different leads,...
