Episode description

May 25, 2000. Mercer County, Pennsylvania. After last being seen at a convenience store, 46-year old Sandra Kay Baker supposedly phones her fiancée, Billy Crea Jr., to say that she is in danger and cannot return home, but she is never heard from again. Five years later, Billy is named as a suspect in Sandy’s disappearance after a private detective he had once hired named Clifford Aley is charged with lying to law enforcement. Aley reveals that he heard Billy confess to Sandy’s murder, but there are a number of credibility issues with his story, so without a body or any other corroborating evidence, no charges are ever filed against Billy. Was Sandra Kay Baker murdered by her spouse? If so, did Clifford Aley have direct involvement in the crime? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a controversial missing persons case which has yet to reach a conclusive resolution after two decades.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (724) 662-4200.

Listen and follow along to Toxic: The Britney Spears Story on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Pandora or wherever you find your podcasts.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/sandra-kay-baker

“Who Killed? Pittsburgh, Pa” by Jack Swint

https://www.post-gazette.com/uncategorized/2008/02/09/Missing-woman-declared-dead-after-7-years/stories/200802090129

http://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/children-seek-ruling-of-sandra-baker-s-death/article_4dbdde34-1c0a-5a89-a089-cfc6ad40cd8b.html

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/suspected-killer-is-dead/article_d3f95f57-e47d-544e-bcc4-9f494dfaa540.html

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/private-eye-aley-waives-hearing-on-threat-charges/article_34aace7f-57b5-538b-ac43-9e6bb411a0ba.html

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/update-aley-pleads-guilty-to-federal-gun-charges/article_9e6f2176-2ef1-5659-9499-413cbcea8d9d.html

https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/judge-finds-new-castle-private-investigator-guilty-of-lying-to-cops/article_196c7429-85f1-51bc-a8f1-425241d0f5a7.html

https://www.newspapers.com/image/96571682/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/96571696/

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on  GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True  Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.