July 8, 1997. Carson City, Nevada. While visiting her father on a trip from California, 16-year old Natasha Jennings is found dead inside a bedroom at his apartment. An electric fan is lying over Natasha’s body, her hair is damp, and even though traces of cocaine and methamphetamine are inside Natasha’s nostrils, no drugs can be found in her system. There are a few theories involving foul play, including the possibility that Natasha was murdered because her father was a drug informant, but the m...
Mar 08, 2023•45 min•Ep. 424
November 15, 1971. Galveston, Texas. 15-year old Debbie Ackerman and 15-year old Maria Johnson are seen climbing into a white van outside an ice cream shop, but they never return home. Days later, the girls’ bodies are found in a bayou and they are bound, nude from the waist down and have been shot to death. After several decades, a convicted murderer named Edward Harold Bell sends out letters in which he confesses to having killed Debbie and Maria. Bell also claims to be responsible for eleven ...
Mar 01, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 423
August 4, 1971. Galveston, Texas. After spending the day at the beach, 14-year old Rhonda Renee Johnson and 13-year old Sharon Shaw fail to return home and their skeletal remains are found in a bayou months later. A suspect named Michael Lloyd Self is eventually taken into custody and confesses to the murders, but even though he maintains his confession was coerced and that he is innocent, Self is still convicted of the crime. Decades later, another convicted murderer named Edward Harold Bell be...
Feb 22, 2023•57 min•Ep. 422
December 15, 1995. Bristolville, Ohio. The children of 36-year old John Markley and his 32-year old wife, Shelly Markley, return home from school and discover that their parents are gone, though there is evidence to suggest that an intruder was in the house. The couple’s pick-up truck is also missing and it is soon found abandoned in a nearby town. It turns out that on the same morning they disappeared, John and Shelly were seen cashing a cheque at a bank’s drive-thru window and even though the ...
Feb 15, 2023•53 min•Ep. 421
…12 dates … …14 love gone wrong stories… …Will YOU be my Valentine? This Valentine’s Day, prepare for a unique podcast experience! Shane Waters will introduce 14 true crime podcast hosts, including Robin Warder of “The Trail Went Cold”. Each host brings a new “love gone wrong” true story to the mix. It’s an extra-special Valentine event which runs over two hours long. Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance: 1. Murder She Told [ https://murdershetold.com/connect ] 2. True Crime Island [ ...
Feb 12, 2023•2 hr 14 min•Ep. 420
October 13, 1982. Morro Bay, California. The decomposed body of 43-year old Dian Harlin is discovered in a stand of trees next to a beach and she has been strangled to death with a leash belonging to one of her dogs. It turns out that Dian’s eccentric 47-year old husband, Hugh Harlin, had failed to report her missing for eleven days and since the couple was known for having a turbulent relationship, Hugh becomes a potential suspect in his wife’s murder. Four years later, Hugh inexplicably vanish...
Feb 08, 2023•53 min•Ep. 419
February 2, 2008. Saanich, British Columbia. 24-year old real estate agent Lindsay Buziak arrives for an appointment to show an expensive suburban house to an unidentified man and woman. When Lindsay’s boyfriend goes inside the residence to check on her, he discovers that she has been stabbed over 40 times and the mysterious couple have fled the scene. Over the years, there are a number of unconfirmed theories surrounding Lindsay’s murder. Even though Lindsay’s boyfriend and his family are clear...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 418
February 28, 1983. St. Louis, Missouri. The body of an African-American girl is found in the basement of an abandoned apartment building. She is believed to be between eight-to-eleven years old and has her hands tied behind her back and it turns out she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death before she was beheaded. Since the victim’s head is never recovered and she cannot be identified, she becomes known as the “St. Louis Jane Doe”. Over the years, investigators explore a number of diffe...
Jan 25, 2023•51 min•Ep. 417
February 6, 1997. Bristol, Rhode Island. Bryan Nisenfeld, an 18-year old freshman at Roger Williams University, vanishes after leaving an afternoon class and most of his possessions are found in his dorm room. Nearly seven months later, a severed foot and a shinbone are found washed up on a beach located a few miles from campus and while they are positively identified as belonging to Bryan, the rest of his remains are never recovered. Suspicion is placed on a former student and friend of Bryan’s...
Jan 18, 2023•46 min•Ep. 416
October 6, 1983. British Columbia, Canada. 27-year old Bernd Goericke and his 22-year old fiancée, Andrea Scherpf, are found shot to death next to a remote road. The couple hailed from West Germany and had been hitchhiking through Canada and an unidentified man driving a pick-up truck is seen using Andrea’s travellers’ cheques in the days following her death. Nearly six years later, a suspect named Andy Rose is charged with the crime based on testimony from a former friend who claimed she heard ...
Jan 11, 2023•56 min•Ep. 415
Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured nearly 400 cold cases and unsolved mysteries on the podcast. Since a number of these cases have wound up being solved or experiencing major developments, we have been able to release three special “update” episodes over the past three years. On this particular episode, we’ll be discussing a number of recent trials, including Steve Pankey’s second trial for the murder of Jonelle Matthews, and Bill MacDowell’s trial...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 414
Over the past four years, “The Trail Went Cold” has released two special Q&A episodes in which Robin Warder answered a number of questions from listeners. We have decided to put together another episode like this and a received number of interesting new questions from listeners. How has producing a successful true crime podcast changed your life? Do you have any pet peeves in podcasting? Have you have covered a case in which you had preconceived thoughts, but wound up changing your opinion w...
Dec 28, 2022•2 hr 56 min•Ep. 413
December 19, 1949. Juneau County, Wisconsin. A fire breaks out at the residence of four-year old Ricky Jean “Jeannie” Bryant, which burns her family’s farmhouse to the ground. While Jeannie’s remains cannot be found in the rubble, the authorities conclude that she died in the fire. As the years go by and Jeannie’s surviving siblings discuss what happened, they become troubled by a number of suspicious discrepancies, including the presence of an unidentified blonde woman who had stopped by the ho...
Dec 21, 2022•41 min•Ep. 412
December 26, 1996. Chelmsley Wood, England. 13-year old David Spencer and 11-year old Patrick Warren tell their families that they are planning to spend the night with Patrick’s brother, but they never arrive and are subsequently reported missing. It turns out that the last confirmed sighting of the boys took place at a petrol station and Patrick’s abandoned bicycle is found there next to some rubbish bins. Years later, Brian Field, a sex offender serving time in prison for the murder of another...
Dec 14, 2022•41 min•Ep. 411
December 13, 2009. Henderson, Nevada. A security camera captures 30-year old Steven Koecher arriving in a residential neighbourhood, where he parks his car and is seen walking down the sidewalk before he vanishes without a trace. Earlier that day, Steven had made a 135-mile trip to Henderson from his residence in St. George, Utah, but never told anyone why, and in the days prior to his disappearance, Steven also made multiple unexplained road trips through Utah and Nevada. Since Steven was strug...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 410
March 13, 1977. Dunedin, Florida. The body of 54-year old Robert Dirscherl is found on the floor of his bedroom with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. A shotgun is resting on the bed and since investigators believe that Robert used his big toe to pull the trigger and shoot himself, they rule his death to be a suicide. Sixteen years later, one of Robert’s sons receives an anonymous letter from someone who says they are dying and want to confess to Robert’s murder. Even though the Dirscherl fami...
Nov 30, 2022•45 min•Ep. 409
June 23, 1996. Boston, Massachusetts. The dismembered upper body of 20-year old Karina Holmer is found inside a plastic trash bag in a dumpster. She was strangled to death before being sliced directly in half and the lower portion of her body is never recovered. Karina hails from Sweden and has spent the past three months working as an au pair for a married couple and she was last seen partying at a nightclub nearly 36 hours before she was found. Even though the investigation looks at a number o...
Nov 23, 2022•50 min•Ep. 408
July 27, 2009. Placentia, California. 81-year old Bob Harrod is discovered to be missing from his home and he has left his car and his eyeglasses behind. One month earlier, Bob had gotten married to Fontelle Heeter, a former spouse whom he had not seen in six decades, and she was scheduled to move in with him two days after he disappeared. Since Bob has a substantial net worth, the division of his estate causes a lot of friction between Fontelle and Bob’s daughters. There is speculation that Bob...
Nov 16, 2022•46 min•Ep. 407
September 29, 1984. Chicago, Illinois. 23-month old Deborah Sanders is taken from her mother, Norell Sanders, who claims she was violently attacked by the child’s estranged father, Odell Sheppard, before Deborah was abducted. Nearly one year later, Odell is tracked down and arrested, but he no longer has Deborah with him and maintains that he returned her to Norell. After serving a prison sentence for child abduction, Odell winds up being sent to jail for contempt of court after he refuses to pr...
Nov 09, 2022•40 min•Ep. 406
December 11, 1995. Washington, D.C.. The fire department is summoned to a townhouse and discovers the burning body of 38-year old Lynn Amos on her bed. Lynn is still alive at the time and taken to a hospital with burns on the majority of her body, but she passes away ten days later. While investigators initially believe that Lynn’s death was an accident, traces of accelerants are found on the bed to indicate that arson took place and she was the victim of a homicide. There is speculation that Ly...
Nov 02, 2022•43 min•Ep. 405
…1 campfire… …1 dark forest… …31 bone-chilling stories… …Will YOU survive the night? This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 crime podcast hosts, including Robin Warder of “The Trail Went Cold”. Each host brings a new, nerve-wracking true story to the circle. It’s an extra special, two part, five-hour, Halloween event, but before hitting play you might want to ask yourself…can you really handle this...
Oct 28, 2022•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 404
…1 campfire… …1 dark forest… …31 bone-chilling stories… …Will YOU survive the night? This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 crime podcast hosts, including Robin Warder of “The Trail Went Cold”. Each host brings a new, nerve-wracking true story to the circle. It’s an extra special, two part, five-hour, Halloween event, but before hitting play you might want to ask yourself…can you really handle this...
Oct 27, 2022•2 hr 24 min•Ep. 403
November 12, 1945. Bennington County, Vermont. While on a hunting trip on Glastenbury Mountain, 74-year old Middie Rivers splits off from his son-in-law, but he is never heard from again and an extensive search effort fails to find him. Over the next five years, four other individuals – 18-year old Paula Jean Welden, 68-year old James Tedford, eight-year old Paul Jepson and 53-year old Frieda Langer – all vanish within the same general area and most of the victims are never found. This leads to ...
Oct 26, 2022•59 min•Ep. 402
April 18, 1943. Hagley, England. A group of teenage boys discover an unidentified female skeleton inside a hollow wych elm tree near Wychbury Hill. It is determined that the victim was killed at least 18 months before she was found and her likely cause of death was suffocation. Over the next several decades, mysterious graffiti messages pop in numerous locations which are variations of the phrase: “Who put Bella in the wych elm?” While there are several theories surrounding the victim’s death, i...
Oct 19, 2022•58 min•Ep. 401
March 22, 1975. Clermont, Florida. After climbing out of the shower, 32-year old John Harden looks out the window and notices that his pick-up truck is on fire. When John runs outside to extinguish the flames, he is ambushed by a fatal shotgun blast to the chest and an extensive investigation fails to turn up any strong suspects or a motive for the crime. Over the next several years, multiple people move into John’s former residence and report unexplained paranormal events. This causes suspicion...
Oct 12, 2022•44 min•Ep. 400
May 10, 1996. Brown County, Texas. A burning car belonging to 30-year old Leon Laureles is found next to a remote road. Leon’s body is lying near the vehicle and he has been shot though the back of the head, execution-style. One hour earlier, Leon had left his residence to drive to work for his shift at a supermarket, but even though his co-workers recalled seeing his car in the parking lot, Leon never entered the store. Since Leon was gay, there is speculation that his murder might have been a ...
Oct 05, 2022•45 min•Ep. 399
June 9, 1995. Alma, Arkansas. While attending a Little League baseball game with her mother, six-year old Morgan Nick goes off to play with some other kids before she vanishes without a trace. Morgan’s friends claim that she was spoken to by an unidentified man standing next to a red pick-up truck, so it is suspected that this man might have abducted her. Over two decades later, a deceased sex offender named Billy Jack Lincks is publicly named as a person of interest, but he has not been conclus...
Sep 28, 2022•45 min•Ep. 398
May 26, 1986. Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories. After returning home from a trip, the sister of 15-year old Mary Ann Birmingham enters their residence and discovers that Mary Ann has been stabbed to death. Months later, a local resident named Jopey Atsiqtaq pops up on the radar as a potential suspect after he is charged with the similar stabbing deaths of two other victims. Even though Atsiqtaq is initially charged with killing Mary Ann, he denies any involvement and since the evidence is de...
Sep 21, 2022•58 min•Ep. 397
February 10, 1981. Cedaredge, Colorado. After showing up at Cedaredge High School, 17-year old senior Roger Ellison places his books inside his locker, but he never attends any of his classes that day and vanishes without a trace. Months later, one of Roger’s teachers comes under suspicion when he allegedly makes some bizarre statements to Roger’s mother, but no evidence links him to Roger’s disappearance. Over the years, there are number of odd developments, including a deathbed confession from...
Sep 14, 2022•51 min•Ep. 396
June 6, 1992. Rosarito, Mexico. While vacationing at a beachfront condo, 29-year old Los Angeles resident Mario Amado is arrested by the local police after an alleged altercation with his girlfriend. Shortly thereafter, Mario is found dead inside his jail cell and the police rule that his death was a suicide after he hanged himself with his own sweater. When Mario’s brother pushes for a new investigation, his death is eventually reclassified as a homicide and a police officer named Jose Antonio ...
Sep 07, 2022•41 min•Ep. 395
