The Trail Went Cold

August 1, 2007. Powder Springs, Georgia. After not being heard from for over 30 hours, 46-year old Jane Kuria and her two daughters - 19-year old Isabella and 16-year old Annabelle - are found bludgeoned to death inside their home. Jane’s eight-year old son, Jeremy, and her eleven-year old nephew, P.K. Thande, are also severely beaten and left comatose, but while they wind up surviving their injuries, they are unable to provide much information about who attacked them. Since the Kurias originally hailed from Kenya and had been seeking asylum in the United States, investigators explore a number of different scenarios, including the possibility of some family friends being responsible for the murders, but the case is never solved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a horrific and baffling crime known as the Kuria family murders. Additional Reading: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Kuria_Family https://unsolved.com/podcasts/the-kuria-family-murders/ https://unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/108-The-Kuria-Family-Murders-Web-Final.pdf https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/archive/police-question-survivor-of-attack-that-killed-3-in-georgia-home/article_aa17ad8f-fd8d-5827-b222-886708c23c60.html https://www.wave3.com/story/6875529/police-searching-for-suspect-in-attack-that-killed-3-in-georgia-home/ https://mshale.com/2007/09/06/detectives-progress-on-murders-of-kenyan-mother-daughters/ https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/us/02attack.html https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/gone-cold/gone-cold-a-family-massacred-a-case-left-cold/85-511736512 https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/powder-springs-community-rallies-around-teen "The Trail Went Cold" will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Boston North Shore in Boston, Massachusetts on July 18-20, 2025. To get a 20 % discount on tickets, please our specialized promo code, “ROBIN20”, by visiting https://www.truecrimepodcastfestival.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

May 28, 1981. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 30-year old Christine Schultz, the ex-wife of police officer Fred Schultz, is shot to death inside her home and Fred’s current spouse, Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek, is soon charged with the crime. Even though Laurie insists that she was framed by the police and the evidence against her was planted and fabricated, she is convicted of first-degree murder and receives a sentence of life imprisonment. In 1990, Laurie manages to escape from prison with the assistance of her new spouse before they are recaptured in Canada, but even though Laurie continues to maintain her innocence, she is allowed to walk free after agreeing to enter a plea of “no contest” to the crime. Was Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek actually responsible for the murder of Christine Schultz or was she the victim of an elaborate frame-up job? Last week, in Part One of our series, we chronicled the events in this case leading up to Laurie Bembenek’s prison break. This week, we will share the rest of the story and provide our theories and analysis about this very controversial and sensationalistic case. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Bembenek "Run Bambi, Run" by Kris Radish https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1991/10/was-bambi-framed https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-trouble-for-dr-phil-guest/ https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/01/18/bembenek-case-takes-new-turns-with-dna-and-dr-phil/ https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/us/22bembenek.html https://web.archive.org/web/20141019065121/http://www.milwaukeemag.com/article/6212011-laurieslastdays https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/2023/09/12/lawrencia-laurie-bembenek-run-bambi-run-facts-murder-escape-from-prison-cause-of-death/70794066007/ https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/life/2023/09/07/laurie-bembenek-tried-for-murder-in-1982/70791199007/ "Run Bambi Run" Podcast "The Trail Went Cold" will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Boston North Shore in Boston, Massachusetts on July 18-20, 2025. To get a 20 % discount on tickets, please our specialized promo code, “ROBIN20”, by visiting https://www.truecrimepodcastfestival.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

May 28, 1981. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 30-year old Christine Schultz, the ex-wife of police officer Fred Schultz, is shot to death inside her home and Fred’s current spouse, Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek, is soon charged with the crime. Even though Laurie insists that she was framed by the police and the evidence against her was planted and fabricated, she is convicted of first-degree murder and receives a sentence of life imprisonment. In 1990, Laurie manages to escape from prison with the assistance of her new spouse before they are recaptured in Canada, but even though Laurie continues to maintain her innocence, she is allowed to walk free after agreeing to enter a plea of “no contest” to the crime. Was Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek actually responsible for the murder of Christine Schultz or was she the victim of an elaborate frame-up job? This week, “The Trail Went Cold” releases the first part of a special two-part episode about one of the most controversial and sensationalistic murder cases of all time. Special thanks to listener Brent Amelingmeier for narrating the opening of this episode. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Bembenek "Run Bambi, Run" by Kris Radish https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1991/10/was-bambi-framed https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-trouble-for-dr-phil-guest/ https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/01/18/bembenek-case-takes-new-turns-with-dna-and-dr-phil/ https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/us/22bembenek.html https://web.archive.org/web/20141019065121/http://www.milwaukeemag.com/article/6212011-laurieslastdays https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/2023/09/12/lawrencia-laurie-bembenek-run-bambi-run-facts-murder-escape-from-prison-cause-of-death/70794066007/ https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/life/2023/09/07/laurie-bembenek-tried-for-murder-in-1982/70791199007/ "Run Bambi Run" Podcast "The Trail Went Cold" will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Boston North Shore in Boston, Massachusetts on July 18-20, 2025. To get a 20 % discount on tickets, please our specialized promo code, “ROBIN20”, by visiting https://www.truecrimepodcastfestival.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

February 15, 1994. Indianapolis, Indiana. While waiting for her school bus, eleven-year old LaShonna Bates walks into a nearby convenience store, but she soon vanishes without a trace. A month-and-a-half later, LaShonna’s remains are found in a wooded area located eight miles away and it is determined that she has a skull fracture and died of blunt force trauma. In 2000, Charles Daughtery, the man who found LaShonna’s remains, is charged with her murder after he confesses to the crime. However, Charles recants his confession and after it is ruled to be inadmissible as evidence, the charges against him are dropped. A potential alternate suspect is the boyfriend of LaShonna’s mother, who was alleged to have been abusive, but no one else is ever charged with the crime. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the heartbreaking and controversial murder of LaShonna Bates. Additional Reading: https://www.newspapers.com/image/313031302/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/313050540/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/313017527/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/313015462/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/107425204/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/107478434/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/107478993/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/759074676/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/108041229/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/108041259/ https://www.wthr.com/article/news/man-charged-in-girls-death-set-free/531-d0d3b02e-9475-4f43-b329-ec04ea063932 https://fox59.com/news/legendary-indianapolis-homicide-detective-recalls-unsolved-cases-as-he-prepares-to-call-it-quits/ If you have any information about this case, please contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide unit at (317) 327-3475 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at (317) 262-TIPS (8477). “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

March 15, 2000. Jacksonville, Florida. After completing her shift at a hospital pharmacy, 27-year old Tina McQuaig drives out of the parking garage, but she never returns home. Four days later, Tina’s abandoned car is discovered in a Wal-Mart parking lot. In December 2002, Tina’s remains are discovered in a wooded area on the property of a decommissioned naval base and it is determined that she was the victim of a homicide. Suspicion eventually falls upon a former neighbour of Tina’s, as she had allegedly been conducting an extramarital affair with this man, but there is no evidence to implicate him and the crime remains unsolved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the unsolved murder of Tina McQuaig. In addition, we will also be discussing the murder of 35-year old Mary Petersen, who was strangled to death inside her home in Jacksonville in May 2002. If you happen to have any information about the murders of Tina McQuaig or Mary Petersen, please contact the the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500 or the First Coast Crimestoppers tipline at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477). Additional Reading: https://www.newspapers.com/image/177199645/ https://disappearedblog.com/tina-mcquaig/ https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/jax-cold-cases-tina-mcquaig/77-438527795 https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2011/03/15/renewed-reward-case-missing-murder-victim-tina-mcquaig/15910940007/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/657657475/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/657657488/ https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2009/03/02/who-killed-mary-petersen/15994445007/ https://www.jacksonville.com/story/opinion/columns/mike-clark/2018/08/12/cold-case-murder-of-young-mother-remains-unsolved/6494239007/ https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/duval-county/jacksonville-mother-mary-petersen-killed-nearly-19-years-ago/AVT5OQUH4FEYTBXYGCJBKYCHKY/ https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/jacksonville-family-still-seeking-answers-daughters-murder-20-years-later/OQ2GESVD4ZES3MK5UIOOTST7VY/ https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/05/26/21-years-since-mothers-body-found-by-her-children-still-no-arrests/ “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

October 21, 1985. Brooklyn, New York. Three days after she is born, Marlene Santana is carried out of Brookdale Hospital by her mother, Francesca Santana, before they are confronted by a woman who had been seen hanging around the hospital nursery earlier that night. The woman points a gun at Marlene and orders Francesca to walk six blocks before she abducts the baby and escapes in a car being driven by an accomplice. There is speculation that the woman may have kidnapped Marlene in order to raise the child as her own, but she is never identified and no trace of Marlene is ever found. June 30, 1944. Chicago, Illinois. Ten-week old Laurence Harding Jr. is taken grocery shopping by his mother, but shortly after they return home, Laurence is abducted from his baby carriage by two teenage girls who had been eyeing him at the market. Four decades later, Laurence’s brother obtains the original FBI file from the investigation and learns that a pair of railroad porters at a train station in St. Louis, Missouri had spoken to a woman carrying a baby four days after Laurence’s disappearance. The woman claimed that the child was given to her by a teenage girl at a train station in Chicago and she was planning to take him to Magnolia, Arkansas, but while it is suspected this baby might have been Laurence, he is never recovered. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two unsolved cases involving abducted infants who have may have been unknowingly raised under false identities following their disappearances. Additional Reading: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Marlene_Santana https://unsolved.com/gallery/marlene-santana/ https://charleyproject.org/case/marlene-santana https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/10/24/Police-find-one-of-two-stolen-babies/2793498974400/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/709783318/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/491373321/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/491376220/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/406642817/ https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/02/nyregion/crime-update-85-kidnapping-of-newborn-baby-is-still-a-mystery.html https://unsolved.com/gallery/laurence-harding-jr/ https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Laurence_Harding_Jr. “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

November 27, 1985. St. Augustine, Florida. While attending a neighbourhood social gathering, 12-year old Martha Jean Lambert tells her mother that she needs to take a brief trip back to their mobile home, but she never returns and is eventually reported missing. Suspicion falls on Martha’s 14-year old brother, David, after he gives conflicting stories about the last time he saw his sister. 24 years later, David confesses to killing Martha and disposing of her body and police find his story to be believable enough to close the investigation. However, David soon recants his confession and since corroborating evidence cannot be found to support it, Martha continues to remain a missing person and there is still debate about what actually happened to her. In this special two-part series of “The Path Went Chilly”, Jules and I explore the unsolved disappearance of Martha Jean Lambert and in this episode, Jules will perform a statement analysis on David Lambert’s confession. Part Two of our series can be found here: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-embuq-234d44be

July 4, 1954. Bay Village, Ohio. 31-year old Marilyn Reese Sheppard is bludgeoned to death inside her bedroom and her 30-year old husband, Sam Sheppard, is injured after claiming he was attacked by an intruder. Since Sam was known for conducting extramarital affairs, police believe that he fabricated the story and was responsible for killing his wife, so he is charged with Marilyn’s murder. After being convicted at what is described as “The Trial of the Century”, Sam receives a sentence of life imprisonment, but there is great concern about the sensationalistic and biased media coverage surrounding the case. Sam spends nearly ten years in prison before his conviction is overturned and after the case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he is granted a second trial and winds up being acquitted. Decades later, Sam’s supporters attempt to posthumously exonerate him by presenting evidence that points towards another suspect, but the crime remains shrouded in mystery. To commemorate the nine-year anniversary of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be releasing our very first special three-part episode about one of the most controversial murder cases of all time. In our previous two episodes, we covered Sam Sheppard’s two criminal trials and his posthumous civil trial and this week on Part Three, we will conclude the series by analyzing and breaking down the case. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Sheppard https://famous-trials.com/sam-sheppard/ "The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff "Dr. Sam Sheppard on Trial: The Prosecutors and the Marilyn Sheppard Murder" by Jack DeSario and William Mason https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sheppard/ https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=300 “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 4, 1954. Bay Village, Ohio. 31-year old Marilyn Reese Sheppard is bludgeoned to death inside her bedroom and her 30-year old husband, Sam Sheppard, is injured after claiming he was attacked by an intruder. Since Sam was known for conducting extramarital affairs, police believe that he fabricated the story and was responsible for killing his wife, so he is charged with Marilyn’s murder. After being convicted at what is described as “The Trial of the Century”, Sam receives a sentence of life imprisonment, but there is great concern about the sensationalistic and biased media coverage surrounding the case. Sam spends nearly ten years in prison before his conviction is overturned and after the case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he is granted a second trial and winds up being acquitted. Decades later, Sam’s supporters attempt to posthumously exonerate him by presenting evidence that points towards another suspect, but the crime remains shrouded in mystery. To commemorate the nine-year anniversary of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be releasing our very first special three-part episode about one of the most controversial murder cases of all time. On last week’s episode, we chronicled the original investigation into Marilyn Reese Sheppard’s murder and Sam Sheppard’s first trial, but this week in Part Two, we will chronicle the overturning of Sam’s conviction, his second trial, and the attempts to exonerate him at a civil trial in 2000. Part Three of this series will be released next week. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Sheppard https://famous-trials.com/sam-sheppard/ "The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff "Dr. Sam Sheppard on Trial: The Prosecutors and the Marilyn Sheppard Murder" by Jack DeSario and William Mason https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sheppard/ https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=300 “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 4, 1954. Bay Village, Ohio. 31-year old Marilyn Reese Sheppard is bludgeoned to death inside her bedroom and her 30-year old husband, Sam Sheppard, is injured after claiming he was attacked by an intruder. Since Sam was known for conducting extramarital affairs, police believe that he fabricated the story and was responsible for killing his wife, so he is charged with Marilyn’s murder. After being convicted at what is described as “The Trial of the Century”, Sam receives a sentence of life imprisonment, but there is great concern about the sensationalistic and biased media coverage surrounding the case. Sam spends nearly ten years in prison before his conviction is overturned and after the case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he is granted a second trial and winds up being acquitted. Decades later, Sam’s supporters attempt to posthumously exonerate him by presenting evidence that points towards another suspect, but the crime remains shrouded in mystery. To commemorate the nine-year anniversary of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be releasing our very first special three-part episode about one of the most controversial murder cases of all time. This episode will chronicle the original investigation and trial for the murder of Marilyn Reese Sheppard and Parts Two and Three will be released over the course of the next two weeks. Join us on Saturday, February 22 at 8:00pm ET for an online streaming marathon where we will be watching classic segments from “Unsolved Mysteries”. You can enter our screening room by clicking on this link. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Sheppard https://famous-trials.com/sam-sheppard/ "The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff "Dr. Sam Sheppard on Trial: The Prosecutors and the Marilyn Sheppard Murder" by Jack DeSario and William Mason https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sheppard/ https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=300 “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

December 7, 2003. Montgomery, Alabama. 19-year old LaQuanta Riley stops off at her mother’s residence to borrow a jacket from her brother. He sees LaQuanta leave in a dark green car being driven by an unidentified man, but she subsequently goes missing. A few weeks later, LaQuanta’s mother receives a garbled message on her answering machine from a panicked woman whom she believes is her daughter and a male voice can be heard in the background. Even though a number of leads are explored, including LaQuanta’s name showing up on an apartment rental in Georgia, no trace of her can be ever found. June 26, 2010. Selma, Alabama. 17-year old Tarasha Benjamin leaves her mother’s home to go shopping at the Selma Flea Market, but never returns. Tarasha is seen driving an SUV which she borrowed from a friend, but later that day, the abandoned vehicle is found alongside the Cecil Jackson Bypass with a broken door handle and two windows missing. While it is suspected that Tarasha was the victim of an abduction, there are very few leads to work with and Tarasha remains a missing person. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two unsolved missing persons cases involving young women from Alabama. Additional Reading: https://charleyproject.org/case/laquanta-nachelle-riley https://discover.hubpages.com/family/Missing-LaQuanta-Nachelle-Riley https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2014/04/where_is_my_daughter_decade-ol.html https://www.waka.com/2018/06/25/15-years-later-mother-of-missing-woman-still-searching-for-answers/ https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2019/05/search-continues-for-teen-who-disappeared-in-montgomery-15-years-ago-11000-reward-offered.html https://elmoreautauganews.com/2021/02/26/missing-since-2003-officials-release-age-progressed-photo-of-laquanta-riley-today-is-her-birthday/ https://charleyproject.org/case/tarasha-benjamin https://www.newspapers.com/image/570741799/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/570741847/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/570741897/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/570817130/ https://www.wsfa.com/story/36273263/selma-family-pushes-to-uncover-clues-in-womans-2010-disappearance/ https://www.wsfa.com/story/15670452/exclusive-missing-selma-teens-mom-finds-new-hope/ “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

November 28, 2004. Nairn, Scotland. An unidentified man arrives at the front door of 30-year old Alistair Wilson and hands him an empty envelope with the name “Paul” written on it. The man shoots Alistair three times and takes the envelope back before fleeing the scene and the murder weapon is found in a nearby drain ten days later. Investigators explore a number of different theories and eventually conclude that the crime might be connected to a dispute over a decking area at a hotel pub located across the street from Alistair’s home. Police believe that at least two people were involved in the murder and have one potential suspect in mind, but the crime is never solved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore one of the most bizarre cold cases in the history of Scotland. Special thanks to listener Alison Simmonds for narrating the opening of this episode. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Alistair_Wilson "To Catch a Killer - My Hunt for the Truth Behind the Doorstep Murder" by Peter Bleksley https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-42056011 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_doorstep_murder_alistair_wilson https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-61215644 https://www.thetimes.com/article/two-men-could-have-been-behind-unsolved-murder-of-banker-alistair-wilson-qspbcrwkq https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0r884dlgpno https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/sep/21/family-of-banker-alistair-wilson-murdered-20-years-ago-rebuke-incompetent-police-scotland https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/police-officer-in-nairn-murder-investigation-found-guilty-of-366536/ https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/new-alistair-wilson-murder-evidence-34174176 https://news.sky.com/story/alistair-wilson-20th-anniversary-of-bankers-doorstep-murder-as-police-reject-callous-handling-of-unsolved-shooting-13257633 “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at Crimecon UK” in London on June 7-8, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting Crimecon.co.uk. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

November 19, 2006. Littleton, Colorado. First Lieutenant Nonnie Dotson, a 33-year old nurse with the United States Air Force, has travelled from San Antonio, Texas to Colorado with her infant daughter and is saying with her brother, Tony Dotson. Nonnie leaves Tony’s residence in order to presumably travel to a nearby shopping center, but she never returns. Even though police track Nonnie’s cell phone signal and her scent to a nearby field, no trace of her can be found. Investigators explore a number of different angles, including the possibility that Nonnie was harmed by a stalker, the estranged father of her child, and even her own brother, but she remains a missing person. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling unsolved disappearance in which the victim seemingly vanished into thin air. Additional Reading: https://charleyproject.org/case/nonnie-ann-dotson https://www.crimelibrary.org/criminal_mind/forensics/nonnie_dotson/1_index.html https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ng/date/2011-03-23/segment/01 https://www.denverpost.com/2006/12/06/ex-beau-of-missing-nurse-quizzed/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/case-of-missing-air-force-nurse-grows-cold/ https://www.denverpost.com/2007/11/27/missing-moms-trail-goes-cold/ https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/something-happened-to-her-family-wants-answers-10-years-after-single-moms-disappearance/73-437111811 https://kdvr.com/news/colorado-cold-cases/cold-case-have-you-seen-this-woman-missing-since-2006/ https://www.denverpost.com/2014/01/17/man-gets-96-to-life-in-break-in-sexual-assault/ https://www.westword.com/news/rapist-tony-dotson-guilty-in-murder-for-hire-bid-against-victimand-sister-is-still-missing-6283026 “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at Crimecon UK” in London on June 7-8, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting Crimecon.co.uk. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 12, 1988. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four-year old Barbara Jean Horn disappears from the front yard of her home before her nude body is discovered inside a cardboard box resting on a curb in the same neighbourhood. Nearly four years later, a suspect named Walter Ogrod, who had lived across the street from Barbara Jean’s residence, is arrested after he confesses to her murder and after two trials, he is convicted and sentenced to death. However, Walter claims his confession was coerced by corrupt police detectives and there are numerous allegations of misconduct and serious issues with his conviction. In 2020, after a new review is performed of the case, Walter’s conviction is overturned. While he is finally released from death row and fully exonerated, no one else is charged with the crime. Last week, in Part One of our series about the murder of Barbara Jean Horn, we shared the basic facts about the case. This week, in Part Two, we will attempt to analyze and break down this crime by sharing all the different theories about what happened, as well as explore some other wrong conviction cases which took place in Philadelphia during this time period and involved the same law enforcement figures who put Walter Ogrod in prison. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tip line at (215) 686-TIPS (8477). Additional Reading: "The Trails of Walter Ogrod: The Shocking Murder, So-Called Confessions and Notorious Snitch That Sent a Man to Death Row" by Thomas Lowenstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Ogrod_case https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Barbara_Jean_Horn https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5752 https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-CIU-Walter-Ogrod-Expert-Reports-2020-02-28.pdf https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-Answer-to-Walter-Ogrod-Amended-PCRA-Petition-2020-02-28.pdf https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-innocent-death-row-larry-krasner-philadelphia-20200605.html https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-murder-conviction-overturned-philadelphia-larry-krasner-20200610.html https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/will_bunch/walter-ogrod-death-row-stories-hln-larry-krasner-dna-testing-philadelphia-20180405.html https://www.newsweek.com/pennsylvania-court-orders-death-row-inmate-tested-coronavirus-1493628 https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/after-2-decades-on-death-row-wrongfully-convicted-man-will-be-set-free/2421261/ https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/barbara-jean-horn-murder-philadelphia-walter-ogrod/ “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at Crimecon UK” in London on June 7-8, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting Crimecon.co.uk. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 12, 1988. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four-year old Barbara Jean Horn disappears from the front yard of her home before her nude body is discovered inside a cardboard box resting on a curb in the same neighbourhood. Nearly four years later, a suspect named Walter Ogrod, who had lived across the street from Barbara Jean’s residence, is arrested after he confeses to her murder and after two trials. he is convicted and sentenced to death. However, Walter claims his confession was coerced by corrupt police detectives and there are numerous allegations of misconduct and serious issues with his conviction. In 2020, after a new review is performed of the case, Walter’s conviction is overturned. While he is finally released from death row and fully exonerated, no one else is charged with killing Barbara Jean Horn. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” will be releasing the first part of a special two-part episode about a very controversial child murder case which has yet to reach a conclusive resolution after more than 36 years. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tip line at (215) 686-TIPS (8477). Additional Reading: "The Trails of Walter Ogrod: The Shocking Murder, So-Called Confessions and Notorious Snitch That Sent a Man to Death Row" by Thomas Lowenstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Ogrod_case https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Barbara_Jean_Horn https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5752 https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-CIU-Walter-Ogrod-Expert-Reports-2020-02-28.pdf https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-Answer-to-Walter-Ogrod-Amended-PCRA-Petition-2020-02-28.pdf https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-innocent-death-row-larry-krasner-philadelphia-20200605.html https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-murder-conviction-overturned-philadelphia-larry-krasner-20200610.html https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/will_bunch/walter-ogrod-death-row-stories-hln-larry-krasner-dna-testing-philadelphia-20180405.html https://www.newsweek.com/pennsylvania-court-orders-death-row-inmate-tested-coronavirus-1493628 https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/after-2-decades-on-death-row-wrongfully-convicted-man-will-be-set-free/2421261/ https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/barbara-jean-horn-murder-philadelphia-walter-ogrod/ “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at Crimecon UK” in London on June 7-8, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting Crimecon.co.uk. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

If you like highly detailed and thoroughly researched podcasts, you will love “DNA: ID”. The show has over 100 episodes available to binge on right now. This is a sneak preview of Episode 122 (https://www.abjackentertainment.com/dna-id/9xglar65zhwgblh), which covers the case of Patricia Stichler. New Years’ Day 1985 should have rung in an exciting new year for Patti Stichler and her three young daughters. Instead, in the middle of the night on January 1-2, someone slashed and stabbed Patti to death in her bedroom. Her three girls, ages 11, 9 and 6, were in their bedrooms just feet away. The oldest, Andrea, was the one to find her mom, and also found the most significant clue the police had – the open window in the blood-stained bathroom, and the gaping curtains that had been cut away from it. A knife sheath was found right outside, but the killer eluded police for decades. Sylvania, OH investigators focused on people Patti knew, but could not link anyone in her inner circle to the crime. Decades later, a very complex forensic genealogy analysis that required interpreting one-sided DNA matches, piercing adoption records, and a lot of luck, finally provided a name – and it was not who anyone suspected. For all things “DNA: ID,” including past episodes, news, and more, please visit the show’s homepage (https://www.abjackentertainment.com/). “DNA: ID” is available on all major podcast apps and players; please subscribe to the show on your favorite app, so you don’t miss a single episode. An all-new season begins in January, 2025.

March 2, 1996. Culpepper County, Virginia. After leaving her home in Baltimore, Maryland in order to drive to Charlottesville, 25-year old Alicia Showalter Reynolds goes missing and her abandoned car is found alongside U.S. Route 29. Eyewitnesses report having seen Alicia speaking with an unidentified man in a pick-up truck and it becomes apparent that he may have tricked Alicia into pulling over before abducting her. Two months later, Alicia’s body is discovered in a remote field and while it is theorized that she fell prey to a killer known as the “Route 29 Stalker”, no one is ever charged with her murder. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the death of Alicia Showalter Reynolds, a crime which has had some compelling suspects over the years, but remains unsolved. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/alicia-showalter/ https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Alicia_Showalter_Reynolds https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/05/09/culpeper-body-is-that-of-md-woman/b7b731e7-0d2f-4389-9a8c-40bb178e60c2/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/11/16/their-name-linked-to-stalker-larry-breedens-bear-a-burden/8f991bdb-3940-48cd-a3a1-1ef188dcbd2e/?utm_term=.c800767169fd https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1997/rt9703/970302/03030076.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_persons_cases_along_U.S._Route_29_in_Virginia https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/police-continue-to-search-for-alicia-reynolds-killer/article_645eff83-4236-5969-afd3-3ef583a5dd9d.html https://www.29news.com/2021/05/07/family-alicia-showalter-reynolds-still-looking-answers-years-after-her-death/ https://dailyprogress.com/news/community/madisonnews/police-continue-to-investigate-showalter-reynolds-homicide/article_d857aa78-da96-11ee-a14a-0b1ad05a8707.html https://pix11.com/news/suspect-sketch-in-1996-virginia-murder-looks-like-accused-gilgo-killer-victims-family-says/ https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2024/03/01/state-police-continue-to-investigate-the-disappearance-and-homicide-of-alicia-showalter-reynolds/ “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured nearly 500 cold cases on the podcast, a number of which have wound up being solved or have experienced major developments. As a result, we have now released a total of six special “update” episodes and this is our second episode about updates which took place in 2024. This time around, we’ll share major developments in such cases as the 1996 murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, the 2000 disappearance of Asha Degree and the 1995 disappearance of Morgan Nick. These are just some of the cases we’ll be discussing on our sixth “update” episode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Here are the links to our three previous “update” episodes: https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-155-update/ https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-257-update-part-2/ https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-310-update-part-3/ https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-359-update-part-4/ https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-369-update-part-5/ “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

On this special holiday bonus episode titled “True Crime Convos”, “The Trail Went Cold” has been teamed up with two other fellow true crime podcasters to converse about our various experiences in the medium. Join me as I chat with Melissa of the “Navigating Advocacy Podcast” and Robert Parmer of “The Broken System Podcast” about such topics as researching cold cases, working with victims’ families, and even some of the more bizarre things we’ve experienced as podcasters. “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

Over the past six years, “The Trail Went Cold” has released three special Q&A episodes in which Robin Warder answered a number of questions that were sent in by our audience. We have decided to put together another episode like this and received some interesting new questions from listeners. Which cases from the podcast do you believe will eventually be solved? Do you intend to cover every unsolved case that was featured on “Unsolved Mysteries”? Are there any cases that you will never cover? What are your thoughts on the JonBenet Ramsey murder and the recent Netflix documentary about the case? These questions and many others will be answered as we close out 2024 with our fourth Q&A episode of “The Trail Went Cold”. “The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/. “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 produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.