The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 425 - Christine Schultz, Part 1

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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 424 - LaShonna Bates

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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 423 - Tina McQuaig

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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 422 - Marlene Santana and Laurence Harding Jr.

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.
if you happen to have any information about the disappearance of Marlene Santana, please contact the New York City Police Department Missing Persons Squad at (212) 694-7781.
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.

The Path Went Chilly - Bonus Episode - Statement Analysis, Part 1

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

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 421 - Marilyn Reese Sheppard, Part 3

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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 420 - Marilyn Reese Sheppard, Part 2

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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 419 - Marilyn Reese Sheppard, Part 1

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.
 

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 418 - LaQuanta Riley and Tarasha Benjamin

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.
if you have any information about the disappearance of LaQuanta Riley, please contact the Montgomery Police Department at (334) 241-2651. If you have any information about the disappearance of Tarsha Benjamin, please contact the Selma Police Department at (334) 874-2134.
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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 417 - Alistair Wilson

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 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.