The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 203 - The Freedon & The Casie Nicole

December 17, 1988. Miami, Florida. Lisa Bishop, a 23-year old journalism student from the University of Georgia, leaves on a trip to Haiti on a boat called the Freedon, which is being captained by a German national named Florian Meyer Bourch. When they do not arrive at their destination and Lisa does not contact her family, a search from the Coast Guard fails to find the missing boat. Months later, an eyewitness reports having seen the Freedon in Grand Cayman weeks after it originally went missing and residents of the island also recall having seen Florian during that time period. This leads to speculation that the Freedon may have been involved in an illegal smuggling operation, but no trace of Lisa, Florian, or the boat and its crew are ever found.
April 11, 1990. Richmond Hill, Georgia. 32-year old Nathan Neesmith, his 23-year old brother Billy Joe Neesmith, their 18-year old nephew Keith Wilkes, and a 23-year old friend named Franklin Brantley leave for a fishing expedition in the Atlantic Ocean on a boat named the Casie Nicole. The following morning, the four men are forced to abandon the boat when it starts sinking and Nathan becomes separated from the group. After four days drifting on his own, Nathan is finally rescued, but the other three men are never found. Months later, a series of bizarre phone calls leads Nathan and his family to believe that Billy Joe, Keith and Franklin may have been picked up by a freighter Nathan had seen and are being held against their will, but they do not receive any conclusive answers.
On this week’s episode of the “Trail Went Cold”, we explore the separate stories of the Freedon and the Casie Nicole, two boats which became the centre of unique unsolved mysteries.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends!
Additional Reading:
http://www.unsolved.com/gallery/lisa-bishop/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/The_Crew_of_the_Freedon
https://www.newspapers.com/image/400333720/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/400163696/
http://www.unsolved.com/gallery/missing-fishermen
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/The_Crew_of_the_Casie_Nicole
https://apnews.com/article/1e238f5f9485e136815a91f4ed02885a
https://www.newspapers.com/image/79406314/
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon 2021: Austin” at the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, Texas on June 2-4, 2021, as well as “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on June 12-13, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com/CC21 or https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 202 - The Blount Family Bombing

November 28, 1985. Tarrant County, Texas. The family of 44-year old Joe Blount gathers together for Thanksgiving dinner in their trailer at the Hilltop Mobile Home Park. After making a trip to a convenience store later that night, they return home to discover a briefcase on their front doorstep. When the briefcase is opened, a bomb goes off, claiming the lives of Joe, his 15-year old daughter, Angela, and Joe’s 18-year old nephew, Michael Columbus. Fourteen years later, a suspect named Michael Roy Toney is convicted of the bombing and sentenced to death, but it turns out the prosecution withheld evidence supporting Toney’s innocence at trial. As result, Toney’s conviction is overturned and he is released from prison in 2009. Who was actually responsible for planting the bomb which killed three members of the Blount family and what could their motive have been? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a tragic and baffling unsolved mystery which took place on Thanksgiving. Special thanks to listener Brooke Bunch for providing the opening narration for our episode.
Special thanks to our sponsor of this week’s episode: Nutrafol. For 20 % off, please visit Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code “cold”.
“The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon 2021: Austin” at the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, Texas on June 2-4, 2021, as well as “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on June 12-13, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com/CC21 or https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Roy_Toney
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3692
https://murderpedia.org/male.T/t/toney-michael-roy.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20100830181454/http://www.michaeltoney.com/case.htm
https://www.deseret.com/1997/12/6/19349732/12-year-probe-into-briefcase-blast-at-texas-home-finally-yields-an-arrest
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Inmate-on-death-row-for-Fort-Worth-bombing-freed-1737069.php
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/crime/article24558250.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/639108561
https://www.newspapers.com/image/639108567
https://www.newspapers.com/image/639206571/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/649058179/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/648201727/
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 201 - Erica Baker

February 7, 1999. Kettering, Ohio. Nine-year old Erica Baker leaves her family’s home to take their dog for a walk. While a pair of eyewitnesses see Erica in a nearby park, she soon vanishes without a trace and the dog is found unattended. Six years later, a suspect named Christian Gabriel is indicted on the charges of evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse after confessing that he was in a van which fatally struck Erica in a hit-and-run accident before the responsible parties disposed of her body. Even though Gabriel recants his confession, he winds up being convicted on these charges and serves nearly six years in prison. Numerous searches fail to turn up Erica’s body and following his release, Gabriel still does not divulge the location of her remains. Was Gabriel being truthful in his original confession or did something else happen to Erica? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore one of the most frustrating missing children’s cases you’ll ever hear about.
If you have information about this case, please contact the Kettering Police Department (937) 296-2555.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/erica-nicole-baker
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/oh-court-of-appeals/1469914.html
https://mercercountyoutlook.net/2018/02/08/the-mystery-of-erica-baker-continues-after-18-years/
https://www.whio.com/news/erica-baker-what-the-missing-girl-would-look-like-today/vskS120C1pVST5CqE8k6iI/
https://apnews.com/article/6286840462bb1738eead57e7de25f209
https://www.newspapers.com/image/409877651/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/409877927/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/410119613/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/410119738/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/410813727/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/410813770/
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 200 - Melanie Flynn

January 25, 1977. Lexington, Kentucky. 24-year old Melanie Flynn leaves her workplace, but fails to show up for an appointment and does not return home for dinner with her family. Two weeks later, Melanie’s abandoned car is discovered in an apartment complex parking lot and her purse is found washed up next to the Kentucky River later that summer. After numerous eyewitnesses claim to have seen Melanie alive in Florida, the police close the investigation, but her family is convinced she was murdered. Over the years, rumours circulate that Melanie worked as an undercover informant for the narcotics squad and was killed by corrupt police officers who were involved in drug trafficking. The story eventually balloons into a mammoth scandal known as the “Bluegrass Conspiracy”, but no trace of Melanie is ever found. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a convoluted missing persons case which may have been connected to a multi-million-dollar drug smuggling ring.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends!
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/melanie-dee-flynn
“The Bluegrass Conspiracy: An Inside Story of Power, Greed, Drugs and Murder” by Sally Denton
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article232423297.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/101002756/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/110786699/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/110800054/
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 199 - Patrice Endres

April 15, 2004. Forsyth County, Georgia. After finishing a phone call with a customer, 38-year old Patrice Endres vanishes from the hair salon she owns. Patrice’s purse and SUV are left behind and two eyewitnesses report having seen her in the parking lot next to an unidentified individual and a blue vehicle shortly before she went missing. Nearly eighteen months later, Patrice’s remains are discovered in a wooded area behind a church located six miles away. Investigators look into a number of potential suspects, including Patrice’s husband, Rob Endres, and a pair of convicted serial killers, one of whom confessed to her murder, but they are unable to find a resolution. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an unsolved murder which was recently featured on the new reboot of “Unsolved Mysteries”.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/13-minutes/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Patrice_Endres
https://www.newspapers.com/image/424650076/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/261684140
https://www.newspapers.com/image/423149045/
https://www.forsythnews.com/local/crime-courts/husband-seeks-closure-in-cold-case/
https://www.forsythnews.com/local/crime-courts/investigators-still-dedicated-murder-case-local-hairdresser-after-15-years/
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/gbi-asking-for-help-solving-salon-owners-homicide-cold-case
https://www.newsweek.com/unsolved-mysteries-netflix-rob-endres-patricia-endres-terry-dunn-meurer-1516216
http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/unsolved-mysteries-show-boss-gives-update-on-the-first-six-cases/ar-BB1aaMon?li=BBnb7Kw&srcref=rss&ocid=iehrs
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 198 - Bill & Dorothy Wacker

March 5, 1957. El Paso, Texas. 52-year old William “Pat” Patterson and his 42-year old wife, Margaret Patterson, vanish without explanation from their home, leaving everything behind. A friend of the couple soon claims to have received a phone call from Pat, who allegedly said that he and Margaret were leaving town for awhile. Ten days later, Pat’s accountant receives a telegram from him, which states that he and Margaret are on an extended vacation and provides instructions about how to handle their assets and business. However, there is speculation that Pat did not actually write the telegram and evidence eventually emerges to suggest that the couple were victims of foul play. The case attains further notoriety when rumours spread that the Pattersons’ former home is haunted and their remains might be buried somewhere on the property. On this week’s Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling unsolved cold case involving a missing couple which contains numerous theories involving murder, espionage and the paranormal.
Special thanks to our sponsor of this week’s episode: Nutrafol. For 20 % off, please visit Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code “cold”.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bill_and_Dorothy_Wacker
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/07/27/Elderly-woman-with-stories-of-break-ins-found-dead/2396365054400/
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/07/31/An-elderly-spinster-terrorized-by-nighttime-burglars-apparently-was/3745365400000/
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/j0jcqm/87yearold_sigrid_barginde_was_found_dead_in_in/
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 197 - William & Margaret Patterson

March 5, 1957. El Paso, Texas. 52-year old William “Pat” Patterson and his 42-year old wife, Margaret Patterson, vanish without explanation from their home, leaving everything behind. A friend of the couple soon claims to have received a phone call from Pat, who allegedly said that he and Margaret were leaving town for awhile. Ten days later, Pat’s accountant receives a telegram from him, which states that he and Margaret are on an extended vacation and provides instructions about how to handle their assets and business. However, there is speculation that Pat did not actually write the telegram and evidence eventually emerges to suggest that the couple were victims of foul play. The case attains further notoriety when rumours spread that the Pattersons’ former home is haunted and their remains might be buried somewhere on the property. On this week’s Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling unsolved cold case involving a missing couple which contains numerous theories involving murder, espionage and the paranormal.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends!
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/william-durrell-patterson
http://charleyproject.org/case/margaret-m-patterson
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/2017/03/06/el-paso-familys-disappearance-remains-mystery/98702680/
https://kfoxtv.com/news/special-assignments/vanished
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/history/blogs/tales-from-the-morgue/2009/03/04/48-years-many-theories-no-leads-still-missing/31519165/
http://www.ephistory.com/the-patterson-files/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/68700556/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/68700643/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/68702771/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/430520778/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/460319450/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/430521118/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/436273013/
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 196 - Zigmund Adamski

June 11, 1980. Todmorden, England. The body of 56-year old Zigmund Adamski is found on top of a large pile of coal inside a coal yard. Five days earlier, Zigmund had vanished after leaving his home, which is located 25 miles away, but his whereabouts during that time period are unknown. Zigmund’s official cause of death is believed to be a heart attack, but there are a number of strange clues at the scene, including some unexplained burns on his head. Months later, one of the police constables who found Zigmund’s body experiences what he believes to be a bizarre encounter with a UFO, leading to speculation that the two events might be connected. Could alien abduction have played a role in Zigmund Adamski’s death? If not, what did happen to him and how did he wind up dead at that particular location? For this month’s first Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be travelling to the United Kingdom to explore one of the strangest mysteries we’re ever covered.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Godfrey
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series2/ufo_alien_abduction_yorkshire_pennine_sighting_adamski_mystery.shtml
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/unsolved-baffling-case-missing-miner-14150127
http://www.thedefectivespodcast.uk/blog
“Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind” by Nick Redfern
“Acknowledged: A Perspective on UFOs, Aliens and Crop Circles” by Andrew Johnson
“The Book of Ghosts, UFOs and the Unexplained” by James Paton
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 195 - Curtis Pishon

July 5, 2000. Seabrook, New Hampshire. Curtis Pishon, a 40-year old former police officer suffering from multiple sclerosis, is working the graveyard shift as a factory security guard when his car suddenly catches fire. The fire department shows up to handle the situation, but less than two hours after they leave, Curtis inexplicably vanishes from the premises. Years later, a former factory worker allegedly brags about causing Curtis’ disappearance and even though it is theorized that Curtis was killed after interrupting a theft, there is no evidence to arrest anyone. Did Curtis Pishon become the victim of foul play? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the odd unsolved disappearance of a security guard who went missing during the middle of his shift.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/curtis-pishon
http://www.unsolved.com/gallery/curtis-pishon
http://findcurt.com
https://patch.com/new-hampshire/hampton-northhampton/missing-seabrook-man-case-still-haunting
http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20120629/NEWS/206290326
https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150709/news/150709069
http://www.wmur.com/article/15-years-after-man-s-disappearance-family-seeks-answers/5201660
https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-unsolved-case-file-curtis-pishon/22039680
https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/curtis-pishon-burning-questions
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 194 - Mary Jane Vangilder

March 8, 1945. Shelby, Ohio. 34-year old Mary Jane Vangilder quits her job at the Shelby Army Air Force Depot after working there for a year. Mary Jane had previously lived in West Virginia with her husband and five children, but after the couple separated, Mary Jane went off on her own to live in Ohio. Even though Mary Jane frequently wrote letters to her oldest daughter, there is no further communication from her after she leaves her job and she is never heard from again. Did Mary Jane go off to start a new life somewhere or was she was a victim of foul play? At the request of Mary Jane’s surviving family, this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” will explore a baffling 75-year old missing persons case that has become an active investigation in recent years. If you have any information about the disappearance of Mary Jane Vangilder, please contact Officer Adam Turner of the Shelby Police Department at (419) 347-2242.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends!
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/mary-jane-vangilder
https://www.register-herald.com/news/crime/the-search-for-mary-jane-vangilder-missing-since-1945/article_022e391b-0838-5ec4-8805-0aa3931ab684.html
https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/2019/08/26/body-exhumed-case-shelby-woman-who-disappeared-1945/2118728001/
https://www.richlandsource.com/news/what-happened-to-shelby-s-mary-jane-vangilder-in/article_c0afacbc-a8ce-11e9-bec2-8359e67b24db.html
https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/ohio/police-reopen-case-of-woman-missing-from-richland-county-since-1945/95-617994872
“Mysterious WV” Youtube Video Part 1
“Mysterious WV” Youtube Video Part 2
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.