The Trail Went Cold - podcast cover

The Trail Went Cold

Robin Warderwww.trailwentcold.com
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.

Episodes

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 291 - Margie Dabney

December 5, 2001. Dallas, Texas. After boarding a flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, 70-year old Marjorie “Margie” Dabney and her husband stop for a layover at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Before they can make their connecting flight, Margie winds up disappearing and since she suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, there is fear that she might have become confused and wandered outside the airport. Nearly seven years later, skeletal remains found in a wooded area 15 miles away are po...

Aug 24, 202238 minEp. 393

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 290 - Chris Metallic & Dean Mortensen

November 25, 2012. Sackville, New Brunswick. While attending a house party, 20-year old Mount Allison University student Chris Metallic becomes intoxicated and starts walking back to his residence, but he never arrives. Nearly four hours later, an eyewitness spots Chris walking down a rural road located 15 kilometres away before he disappears into the woods. A search of the area turns up some footprints and a pair of flip-flops Chris had been wearing, but Chris himself is never found and there i...

Aug 17, 202247 minEp. 392

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 289 - Justin Burgwinkel

June 12, 1993. Santa Clara, California. 21-year old U.S. Army Private Justin Burgwinkel leaves his girlfriend’s apartment and never returns. One week earlier, Justin had gone AWOL from Fort Lewis, the post where he was stationed in Washington state, and kept hinting to his girlfriend that he was working on some sort of secret mission. Three months later, Justin’s abandoned car is found at a motel in Monterey with his military dog tags and most of his personal items inside. While the Army denies ...

Aug 10, 202244 minEp. 391

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 288 - Dorothy Forstein

October 18, 1949. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dorothy Forstein, the 40-year old wife of a local magistrate, is discovered to be missing from her home. Even though there are no signs of forced entry, Dorothy’s nine-year old stepdaughter, Marcy, claims that an unidentified man entered Dorothy’s bedroom and carried her unconscious body out of the residence. There is speculation that Dorothy’s disappearance might be connected to another incident from nearly five years earlier where she was violently...

Aug 03, 202246 minEp. 390

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 287 - Danny Casolaro

August 10, 1991. Martinsburg, West Virginia. The nude body of 44-year old freelance investigative journalist Danny Casolaro is discovered inside the bathtub of his hotel room. Each of his wrists have been slashed multiple times, but since a suicide note is found and there is no evidence of foul play, the authorities conclude that Danny took his own life. In the year prior to his death, Danny claimed he was working on a massive story about widespread government corruption which he titled “The Oct...

Jul 27, 20222 hr 32 minEp. 389

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 286 - Tracey Ann Patient

January 29, 1976. Auckland, New Zealand. 13-year old Tracey Ann Patient leaves her friend’s house to walk home, but never arrives. The following day, Tracey’s body is discovered in some bushes located sixteen kilometres from where she was last seen. She has been strangled to death with a pair of pantyhose which were tightened around her neck with a stick. Nearly two years later, police receive an anonymous phone call from a man who claims that a missing signet ring Tracey had worn can be found i...

Jul 20, 202243 minEp. 388

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 285 - Dana Bradley

December 14, 1981. St. John’s, Newfoundland. 14-year old Dana Bradley leaves her friend’s residence to head back home, but she never arrives and eyewitnesses report seeing her hitchhiking and climbing into a vehicle driven by an unidentified man. Four days later, Dana’s body is found in a remote wooded area and she has been killed by multiple blows to the skull with a blunt instrument. Over the next four decades, investigators explore a number of different leads, included a confession from a sus...

Jul 13, 202246 minEp. 387

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 284 - Earlene Barksdale

July 7, 1973. Tampa, Florida. The nude body of 34-year old Earlene Barksdale is discovered in the back office of the children’s clothing store she owns and she has been raped and shot in the head in an apparent robbery. Police soon focus on a suspect named Joseph Green Brown, who was involved in a similar robbery at another location on the exact same date. After he is implicated by an accomplice, Brown is charged, convinced and sentenced to death for Earlene’s murder. However, even though Brown ...

Jul 06, 202257 minEp. 386

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 283 - Gordon Page Jr. & Kristi Krebs

May 26, 1991. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 28-year old Gordon Page Jr. is discovered to be missing from his room at the Cascade Foster Care Home, a residential treatment centre for individuals with autism. Since a man matching Gordon’s description is seen hitchhiking on a nearby interstate, it is theorized that he escaped from the home in order to travel to Florida to see his family. There are additional reported eyewitness sightings of Gordon and a baseball card collection which is believed to belon...

Jun 29, 202254 minEp. 385

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 282 - Mark Himebaugh

November 25, 1991. Middle Township, New Jersey. 11-year old Mark Himebaugh leaves his residence in order to watch firefighters extinguishing a brush fire, but he never returns home. A search turns up Mark’s left shoe on a nearby beach and while eyewitnesses place Mark in the company of multiple unidentified individuals on the afternoon he went missing, he cannot be found. Over one year later, a witness tells police that a sex offender named Thomas Butcavage screened a video of himself sexually a...

Jun 22, 202247 minEp. 384

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 281 - Byron Carr

November 12, 1988. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. After he is not heard from in over 24 hours, the body of 36-year old Byron Carr is discovered inside the bedroom of his residence. He has been strangled with a towel and stabbed with a kitchen knife and the words, “I will kill again”, are scrawled on the bedroom wall. The evidence indicates that Byron had sex with another man before he was murdered, but even though the perpetrator left his DNA behind, all attempts to match it to anyone are ...

Jun 15, 202243 minEp. 383

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 280 - Peter Watts

January 18, 1976. Colwyn Bay, Wales. The family of 15-year old Peter Watts returns to their residence and discovers he has left behind a note to say that he went to see a friend. Ten hours later, Peter’s unconscious body is discovered on the Euston Road underpass in London over 250 miles away and he dies after being rushed to the hospital. While Peter’s injuries are consistent with a fall from a great height, his body and clothing appear to have been washed, suggesting that he was seriously inju...

Jun 08, 202245 minEp. 382

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 279 - Colonel Philip Shue

April 16, 2003. Kendall County, Texas. 54-year old Colonel Philip Shue, who works as a staff psychiatrist for the United States Air Force, leaves his residence to drive to work. Two-and-a-half hours later, Colonel Shue’s car is seen driving erratically down the interstate before it crashes into some trees and Shue is found dead in the driver’s seat. Even though his death is ruled to be a staged suicide, there are a number of suspicious discrepancies, as duct tape is wrapped around Shue’s wrists ...

Jun 01, 20221 hr 8 minEp. 381

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 278 - Alexis Patterson

May 3, 2002. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Seven-year old Alexis Patterson is walked to school by her stepfather, who claims that he last sees her crossing the street and heading in the direction of the school playground. Even though numerous students report seeing Alexis crying on the playground that day, she never attends any of her classes and is eventually reported missing. Over the years, investigators explore a number of potential leads and direct some suspicion towards Alexis’ family, but there a...

May 25, 202245 minEp. 380

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 277 - Wil Hendrick

January 10, 1999. Moscow, Idaho. While attending a party at an apartment complex, 25-year old University of Idaho theatre student Wil Hendrick vanishes without explanation and his abandoned car is soon discovered downtown. Three-and-a-half years later, Wil’s skull and jawbone are found in a rural wooded area and even though his exact cause of death cannot be determined, he is ruled to be the victim of a homicide. Since Wil was gay, it is speculated that his murder might have been a hate crime. W...

May 18, 202241 minEp. 379

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 276 - Paul Armstrong, Steven Lombard & Karen Wright

December 17, 1993. Merced, California. 27-year old Paul Armstrong, a tow truck operator employed by RTS Towing, vanishes without explanation from his home. Later that day, 34-year old Steven Lombard, another tow truck operator from the same company, goes to the towing yard to pick up his paycheque before he also disappears and his abandoned pick-up truck is found in a K-Mart parking lot the following morning. Over 15 years later, the owner of RTS Towing, Randal Wright, becomes a person of intere...

May 11, 202243 minEp. 378

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 275 - Leonard Dirickson

March 14, 1998. Roger Mills County, Oklahoma. 39-year old Leonard Dirickson prepares breakfast for his son, Jared, before a man driving a pick-up truck shows up at their ranch. After Leonard goes outside and speaks to the driver, he tells Jared that the man is interested in looking at one of his stud horses and he will accompany him to the locations where they are being kept. After Leonard climbs into the pick-up truck and leaves, he does not return and is eventually reported missing. Even thoug...

May 04, 202247 minEp. 377

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 274 - Cary Sayegh

October 25, 1978. Las Vegas, Nevada. Six-year old Cary Sayegh disappears from his schoolyard during lunchtime recess and a student reports seeing Cary being forced into a vehicle by a man. Hours later, the Sayegh family receives a phone call from a kidnapper demanding a sizable ransom for Cary’s safe return, but the caller never makes contact with them again. A man named Jerry Burgess draws suspicion from the authorities when he keeps inserting himself into the investigation and he is eventually...

Apr 27, 202259 minEp. 376

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 273 - Laurie Murninghan

July 9, 1970. Lansing, Michigan. 16-year old Laurie Murninghan, the daughter of the city’s former mayor, is abducted from her workplace by a black male during a robbery gone wrong. Eleven days later, Laurie’s decomposed body is discovered in a remote swampy pond and her cause of death is determined to be manual strangulation. Since Laurie’s employer witnessed the abduction, she picks out a promising suspect from a photo line-up who has an extensive criminal record. However, the authorities do no...

Apr 20, 202240 minEp. 375

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 272 - Kimberly McAndrew

August 12, 1989. Halifax, Nova Scotia. After her shift ends 40 minutes earlier than scheduled, 19-year old Kimberly McAndrew clocks out and leaves her workplace before she vanishes without a trace. Over the years, investigators check out a number of different leads and even consult with a so-called “psychic detective”, but fail to find any conclusive answers about what happened to Kim. Even though a sex offender named Andrew Paul Johnson is looked at as a potential suspect in Kim’s disappearance...

Apr 13, 202245 minEp. 374

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 271 - The Feeney Family Murders

February 27, 1995. Springfield, Missouri. The bodies of 35-year old Cheryl Feeney and her two children – six-year old Tyler and 19-month old Jennifer – are all discovered inside their separate bedrooms at their residence. Cheryl and Tyler have been bludgeoned to death while Jennifer was strangled and the house is completely ransacked. Even though the family’s 35-year old patriarch, Jon Feeney, was attending a conference at a resort 90 miles away, investigators suspect that he drove back home in ...

Apr 06, 20221 hr 7 minEp. 373

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 270 - Andre Jones

August 22, 1992. Brandon, Mississippi. While driving his girlfriend home, 18-year old Andre Jones is stopped at a police sobriety checkpoint and is arrested on a number of charges after his pick-up truck is determined to be stolen. Andre is transferred to the Simpson County Jail, but over 19 hours after his arrival, he is found hanging by one of his own shoelaces in a holding cell’s shower stall and the authorities rule his death to be a suicide. However, since Andre’s mother and stepfather were...

Mar 30, 20221 hr 3 minEp. 372

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 269 - Theodore Kampf & Patrick Rosner

May 21, 1983. Yukon, Canada. The remains of a male homicide victim are discovered in a shallow grave in a remote area and since he cannot be identified, he becomes known as the “Dawson City John Doe”. Thirty-eight years later, DNA testing identifies the victim as 46-year old Theodore Kampf, who had left his home in New Jersey in 1981 to make a cross-country road trip to Canada before he disappeared. It turns out that an unknown individual cashed Theodore’s traveller’s cheques and stole his pick-...

Mar 23, 202244 minEp. 371

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 268 - Ray Gricar

April 15, 2005. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. After taking the day off work and leaving on a road trip, 59-year old Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar fails to return home and is reported missing. The following day, Ray’s abandoned car is discovered 60 miles away in the town of Lewisburg, parked across the street from an antiques mall. Over the course of the next several months, Ray’s county-issued work laptop and its hard drive are discovered in the nearby Susquehanna River, but the hard dr...

Mar 16, 20221 hr 14 minEp. 370

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 267 - Elizabeth Eisel & Katherine Lowery

February 1, 1999. DeSoto County, Mississippi. While living in a farmhouse with her two children and her boyfriend, 27-year old Katherine Lowery vanishes without explanation. Months later, Katherine’s boyfriend takes the children and abruptly moves to Wyoming, but he winds up being arrested when Katherine’s daughter accuses him of sexual abuse. It turns out the boyfriend has been living under an alias and his real name is Steven DeLoge. Investigators soon learn that Steven’s 23-year old half-sist...

Mar 09, 202240 minEp. 369

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 266 - Jocelyn Hickenlooper

June 11, 1955. Salt Lake City, Utah. 22-year old Jocelyn Hickenlooper, who suffers from developmental disabilities and scoliosis, vanishes without explanation from her home. Over two weeks later, Jocelyn’s decomposed body is discovered in a shallow grave located near Parley’s Canyon. After a two-year investigation, a suspect named Bernt Murphy, who also has developmental disabilities, confesses to killing Jocelyn. Even after Bernt recants his confession and the murder charge against him is dropp...

Mar 02, 202254 minEp. 368

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 265 - The Alcatraz Escape (Part 2)

June 11, 1962. San Francisco, California. 35-year old Frank Morris, 32-year old John Anglin and his 31-year old brother, Clarence Anglin, attempt an elaborate escape from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island. After sneaking out of their cells during the night, the three convicts enter the water in order to cross San Francisco Bay on a homemade inflatable raft, but an extensive manhunt fails to find them. While the authorities are inclined to believe the escapees drowned, certain ...

Feb 23, 20221 hr 5 minEp. 367

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 264 - The Alcatraz Escape (Part 1)

June 11, 1962. San Francisco, California. 35-year old Frank Morris, 32-year old John Anglin and his 31-year old brother, Clarence Anglin, attempt an elaborate escape from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island. After sneaking out of their cells during the night, the three convicts enter the water in order to cross San Francisco Bay on a homemade inflatable raft, but an extensive manhunt fails to find them. While the authorities are inclined to believe the escapees drowned, certain ...

Feb 16, 20221 hrEp. 366

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 263 - Cassandra Rundle, Detrick Sturm & Melanie Sturm

February 14, 1985. Colorado Springs, Colorado. The bodies of 37-year old Cassandra Rundle and her two children, 12-year old Detrick Sturm and 10-year old Melanie Sturm, are discovered inside their respective bedrooms at their residence. The two females were sexually assaulted and beaten and all three victims have been strangled to death. Since Cassandra had placed some personal ads in a local newspaper and received responses from a number of men, there is speculation that this might be connected...

Feb 09, 202245 minEp. 365

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 262 - Jack Wheeler

December 31, 2010. Wilmington, Delaware. The body of 66-year old Jack Wheeler is discovered in a trash heap at the Cherry Island Landfill and his cause of death is determined to be blunt force trauma. Days earlier, Jack had left his residence in New York City to travel to Delaware and numerous eyewitnesses would report seeing Jack at numerous locations, displaying erratic behaviour which may have been caused by his struggles with bipolar disorder. It is believed that Jack’s body was transported ...

Feb 02, 202254 minEp. 364