The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 312 - Bryan Nisenfeld

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 who supposedly made a threatening phone call to him prior to his disappearance, but there is no evidence to prove that foul play took place. Was Bryan Nisenfield’s death a homicide, a suicide or an accidental fall into the water? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a cold case involving a university student which still does not a definitive resolution after nearly 26 years.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Bristol Police Department at (401) 253-6900.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bryan_Nisenfeld
https://web.archive.org/web/20170513101325/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/alt1/archive/news/97/06/26/ROGER_WILLIAMS.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20150923203934/http://articles.philly.com/1997-09-05/news/25551062_1_bristol-police-body-parts-audubon
The Hawk’s Eye – Roger Williams University (Oct. 17, 1997)
The Hawk’s Eye – Rogers Williams University (Nov. 7, 1997)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170507110032/https://providencephoenix.com/archive/features/98/01/08/BRYAN.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20170429213423/http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/features/00/03/16/BRYAN.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/missing-bryan/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/183755689/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/183755727/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/184322415/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/184275062/
https://www.wpri.com/news/crime/cold-cases/detectives-determined-to-conquer-decades-old-quest-for-answers-in-college-students-death/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Tower Bridge, Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on June 10-11, 2023, as well as “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo  code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk or https://www.crimecon.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 311 - Bernd Goericke & Andrea Scherpf

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 him confess to the murders. After two trials and two overturned convictions, the charges against Andy are dropped when DNA testing on a key piece of evidence excludes him as the perpetrator, but no one else is ever charged with killing Bernd and Andrea. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we travel back to our home country of Canada to explore an unsolved double murder which led to a wrongful conviction.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Chetwynd branch of the RCMP at (250) 788-9221 or the Canadian Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_murder_of_Andrea_Scherpf_and_Bernd_Göricke
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2648100646
https://archive.today/20120723055359/http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/someone_got_away_with_murder/timeline.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/newfoundlander-s-ordeal-with-rcmp-sting-subject-of-cbc-documentary-1.834222
https://vancouversun.com/news/metro/police-seek-new-leads-in-1983-murder-of-two-german-tourists-near-chetwynd
“The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions: A Handbook” by Gisli H. Gudjonsson
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/files/mrbig.pdf
https://ucfiles.com/filestatus.php?number=104200082
https://www.newspapers.com/image/501465197/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/495935807/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/496051750/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/495047641/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/494831236/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/496376227/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Tower Bridge, Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on June 10-11, 2023, as well as “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo  code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk or https://www.crimecon.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 310 - Update, Part 3

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 for the murders of Renee and Andrew MacRae. Other updates we’ll be discussing include the identification of the Jane Doe formerly known as “The Lady of the Dunes” and a surprise resolution in the disappearance of Robert Hoagland. These are just some of the cases that will be explored in our third special “update” episode of “The Trail Went Cold’.
Additional Reading:
https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/10/31/jonelle-matthews-case-pankey-guilty-of-kidnapping-felony-murder/69606715007/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alan-lee-phillips-life-prison-dna-1982-killings-annette-schnee-bobbie-jo-oberholtzer-colorado/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/29/renee-andrew-macrae-murder-inverness-1976-william-macdowell-guilty
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/former-boyfriend-bethany-decker-pleads-guilty-second-degree-murder/65-6928ab43-0296-4db3-aa44-405c58d97994
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2022/11/18/some-evidence-in-floyd-galloway-murder-trial-violates-attorney-client-privilege/69661456007/
https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2022/08/tracy-krohs-disappearance-33-years-of-false-leads-dead-ends-and-1-mysterious-old-man.html
https://closingthecase.com/solved-el-dorado-jane-doe
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/crime/el-dorado-jane-doe-identified-31-years-later/91-4d6d3495-0261-4e21-90b9-653e93023bb5
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/us/provincetown-body-lady-of-the-dunes.html
https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/crime/2022/11/03/lady-of-the-dunes-suspect-guy-rockwell-muldavins-california-ties-victim-husband-salinas-cold-case/8260790001/
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article258176483.html
https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/Robert-Hoagland-Richard-King-missing-man-death-17657828.php
https://www.newson6.com/story/6272fc3ae82b9f78434b2d14/killer-identified-in-1977-girl-scout-murders
https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2022/10/27/death-row-inmate-tommy-zeigler-edges-closer-long-sought-dna-testing/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 309 - Q&A

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 when you completed the episode? Have you ever considered doing a long-form podcast? If you had the chance to travel back in time and meet Robert Stack, what would you ask him? These questions and many others will be answered as we close out 2022 with our third Q&A episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 308 - Ricky Jean Bryant

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 house while the fire was taking place. They begin to believe their mother and grandmother may have orchestrated Jeannie’s disappearance and that she could still be alive somewhere, so they manage to convince the authorities to open a new investigation. Did Ricky Jean Bryant actually die in the fire, or was the whole thing an elaborate set-up to fake her death? On this year’s final holiday-themed episode, “The Trail Went Child” tackles a truly unusual missing children’s case.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office at (608) 847-5649.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/ricky-jean-bryant
https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/ricky-jean-bryant-taken-or-trapped
https://madison.com/news/local/siblings-hold-out-for-long-lost-sister-first-edition-mystery-of-long-lost-sister-may/article_2ab0f9e9-17ff-50c7-be36-446231e4934e.html
https://madison.com/mobile/article_565e45b1-c765-5869-a130-f911017c2e04.html
https://www.wiscnews.com/news/local/search-continues-for-ricky-jean-bryant/article_cb9c12bc-bd7c-530d-a558-80a143fb32e5.html
https://wi-homicide.com/content/area-cold-case-mysteries-keep-investigators-searching
https://www.newspapers.com/image/407566158/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/404441037/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/404442939/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 307 - David Spencer & Patrick Warren

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 teenage boy, is looked at as a potential suspect in this case, but there is no conclusive evidence to implicate him and the two boys are never found. On this week’s holiday-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a unsolved mystery from the United Kingdom known as the “Milk Carton Kids” case, as this was the first British missing children’s case in which the victim’s faces were featured on milk cartons.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Patrick_Warren_and_David_Spencer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38417633
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37999316
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-57641052
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-57652028
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3139027.stm
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/nov/11/ukcrime.rosiecowan
https://www.newspapers.com/image/849999509/
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/dig-sites-looked-during-search-24352298
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/special-report-chelmsley-wood-families-167564
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/please-interview-brian-field-before-20882104
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1657754.stm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Roy_Tutill
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 306 - Steven Koecher

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 struggling financially, it is theorized that he might have travelled to Henderson in order to seek employment or make a delivery to earn some money, but there is no conclusive evidence of what happened to him. Did Steven Koecher disappear voluntarily or end his own life somewhere or did he become the victim of foul play? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore of the most perplexing missing persons case of the modern era.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the St. George Police Department at (435) 627-4319, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at (702) 229-2907 or the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-2323.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Steven_Koecher
http://charleyproject.org/case/steven-thell-koecher
https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/finding-steven-koecher-man-vanishes-from-las-vegas-valley-neighborhood-phone-pings-for-days-after-presumed-death/
https://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/news/ci_14152619
https://fox13now.com/2015/05/15/new-theory-in-case-of-man-missing-since-2009-sparks-renewed-search-effort/
https://sites.google.com/site/parallelcooler/home/koecher-html/timeline2009
https://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/home2/53090169-183/steven-koecher-henderson-missing.html.csp
https://www.deseret.com/2010/1/6/20362964/about-utah-powell-isn-t-only-missing-utahn
https://www.deseret.com/2010/2/13/20096171/family-of-missing-st-george-man-steven-koecher-waits-and-hopes
https://news3lv.com/news/local/finding-steven-nine-years-after-his-disappearance-family-still-hopes-him
http://img.ksl.com/slc/2507/250737/25073705.pdf
Arron Stoner Youtube Channel
EyesOn Justice: A True Crime Podcast
Join us on Saturday, December 10 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.
“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 Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 305 - Robert Dirscherl

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 family learns about a potential suspect who might be the writer, the authorities refuse to reclassify Robert’s death as a homicide. Did Robert Dirscherl actually take his own life or was he the victim of foul play? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore one of the more bizarre deaths to ever be classified as a suicide.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/robert-dirscherl/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Dirscherl
https://www.newspapers.com/image/340353970/
“Healing Wounds: The Redemption Legacy” by Daniel Dirscherl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBD2liHClOQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMvKRe9vGAc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAzL2DI3P-c
“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 Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 304 - Karina Holmer

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 of potential suspects, there is no evidence to implicate anyone. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a brutal unsolved crime which has often been described as Boston’s version of the Black Dahlia murder. Special thanks to listener Anil Adyanthaya for narrating the opening of this episode.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Boston Police Department Unsolved Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470 or the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/who-killed-karina-holmer-twenty-five-years-later-swedish-nannys-grisly-murder-remains-unsolved/
https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/03/30/from-the-archive-body-identified-as-swedish-nanny-karina-holmer/
https://www.masslive.com/boston/2021/06/karina-holmer-cold-case-boston-police-seek-new-leads-in-brutal-1996-murder-of-20-year-old-swedish-au-pair.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441014499/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/546676252/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441015411/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441016075/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441016594/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/440995729/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441018223/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441071148/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441516425/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441527386/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441855310/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/441089022/
“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 Vokl 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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 303 - Bob Harrod

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’s financial situation played a role in his disappearance, but he is never found and there is no physical evidence to indicate what happened to him. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic case of Bob Harrod, whose life suddenly transitioned from a heartwarming love story to a baffling unsolved mystery.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Placentia Police Department at (714) 993-8164.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/robert-merle-harrod
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-feb-02-la-me-disappeared3-2010feb03-story.html
https://abc7ny.com/archive/6939639/
https://people.com/crime/elderly-man-disappeared-after-marrying-high-school-sweetheart-went-missing/
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/07/30/after-4-year-search-missing-placentia-mans-wife-suspects-foul-play/
https://www.orangecoast.com/features/vanished-orange-countys-infamous-cold-cases-bob-harrod/
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/50k-reward-offered-in-2009-killing-of-placentia-man-who-vanished-after-marrying-high-school-sweetheart/
https://www.ocregister.com/two-persons-of-interest-in-2009-disappearance-of-placentia-millionaire-arrested-later-released
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/orange-county/news/2019/06/04/two-persons-of-interest-in-2009-disappearance-of-millionaire-released
https://disappearedblog.com/robert-harrod/
“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 Vokl 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.