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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast …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•Transcript available on Metacast …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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast June 3, 1995. Oslo, Norway. The body of a young woman is found inside Room 2805 of the Oslo Plaza hotel and since a pistol is in her hand, she appears to be the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Three days earlier, she had checked into the hotel under the name, “Jennifer Fairgate”, but the name turns out to be fake and since she has no identification in her possession, the woman remains a Jane Doe. All attempts to identify “Jennifer” are unsuccessful, but there a number of strange detail...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr•Ep 394•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•38 min•Ep 393•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•47 min•Ep 392•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•44 min•Ep 391•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•46 min•Ep 390•Transcript available on Metacast 
