The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 154 - The Walker Family Murders

December 19, 1959. Osprey, Florida. After spending the day running errands and visiting a family friend, 25-year old Cliff Walker, his 24-year old wife Christine, and their two children, three-year old Jimmie and 23-month old Debbie, head back to their rural home in separate vehicles. The following morning, the family’s bodies are discovered inside their house. They were each shot in the head before Debbie was drowned in the bathtub and Christine has also been sexually assaulted. Over the next several decades, investigators would look at a number of different suspects, but two of the most promising turn out to be Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who were responsible for the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas one month earlier, a crime which became the subject of the iconic book, “In Cold Blood”. However, DNA testing on the deceased killers turns out to be inconclusive and there is no evidence to conclusively implicate anyone. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” covers the harrowing murders of an entire family which have remained unsolved for 60 years. Special thanks to listener Alanna LaForce for providing the opening narration for this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_family_murders
“In Colder Blood” by J.T. Hunter
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20051218/unsolved
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20051219/the-suspects-a-litany-of-names-and-clues
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20051220/a-last-hope-dna-could-crack-the-case
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20121209/what-if-in-cold-blood-got-it-wrong-about-walker-murders
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20121209/what-in-cold-blood-said
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20130813/no-dna-link-between-walker-murders-in-cold-blood-killers
“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 153 - Katrina Ploy

December 17, 2006. Sydney, Australia. After spending the day with her family, 25-year old Katrina Ploy drives away from her parents’ house. Hours later, Katrina’s abandoned car and some of her possessions are found next to an oceanside cliff known as “The Gap”, but Katrina herself is missing. Katrina’s body is found floating in Sydney Harbour on Christmas Day, but since she has no noticeable injuries, the evidence suggests she did not fall off the cliff and entered the water at another location. An investigation reveals lot of complications in Katrina’s personal life, including a secret relationship with a former biker, sexual harassment at her workplace, and rumours about her being linked to powerful figures from organized crime. In the end, a coronial inquest fails to turn up any conclusive answers about what caused Katrina’s death or who might have been responsible. Join us as we travel down under to explore a baffling Australian mystery on this week’s holiday-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
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 it FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is also sponsored by Away Luggage. To learn more, go to awaytravel.com/cold. Plus, order by the end of the day on December 15 to get free ground shipping with guaranteed free delivery by December 20. Only Applicable if you live in the U.S., EU, UK, Canada or Australia.
Additional Reading:
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/can_you_help_us/rewards/100000_reward/murder_of_katrina_ploy
https://amp.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mystery-meeting-may-hold-clue-to-murder-of-katrina-ploy/news-story/e90bb0e4114a10bb5bef75f7055c9e89
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-06/cliff-suicide-coroner-delivers-open-finding/935070
https://www.smh.com.au/national/death-at-the-gap-she-was-harassed-20070125-gdpbnc.html
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/ex-bikie-wont-talk-to-cops-about-death/news-story/a9cf556d51f431ebb77686314f4e4385
https://www.smh.com.au/national/gap-death-woman-had-wanted-to-die-20100803-1149y.html
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-03/cliff-death-coroner-issues-warrant-for-ex-boyfriend/930586
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/hitman-linked-to-sydney-suicide-probe/news-story/42de32ce5ddf73d43644fc8ad69ea1e0
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/five-key-suspects-in-bizarre-gap-murder-case/news-story/28c6f3e522726be191c69e6ec9392643?sv=32c6650a304da0466b92a82196e07f5c
“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 152 - Melvin Horst

December 27, 1928. Orrville, Ohio. Four-year old Melvin Horst leaves his home to play in the neighbourhood with friends, but never returns and a search of the area fails to turn up any trace of him. Over the course of the next two years, a number of different suspects would be arrested after allegations surface that Melvin’s disappearance was a revenge scheme orchestrated by local bootleggers because his uncle was the town marshal and rigidly enforced Prohibition. Two suspects are convicted of Melvin’s presumed abduction before their sentences are overturned while two other men make questionable confessions which cannot be backed up by evidence. Was Melvin Horst actually abducted by criminals who were involving in bootlegging? If so, could he have been passed around and raised under a new identity somewhere? On this week’s episode of the “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover the oldest unsolved missing children’s case in the history of Ohio, a crazy story which captured the entire nation’s attention when it happened.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by Native. For 20% off your first purchase, please visit nativedeodorant.com and enter the promo code “cold” during checkout.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/melvin-charles-horst
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/07/a-missing-child-can-never-be-forgotten-police-surviving-sister-seek-answers-in-1928-disappearance-of-orrville-boy.html
http://strangec.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-lost-boy-mystery-of-melvin-horst.html
“Unsolved Murders & Disappearances in Northeast Ohio” by Jane Ann Turzillo
“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 151 - The Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre

February 10, 1990. Las Cruces, New Mexico. A pair of armed gunmen enter a bowling alley called the Las Cruces Bowl and bring everyone inside into the manager’s office. After stealing money from the safe, the assailants fire several bullets into seven people before fleeing the scene. Three of the victims – 33-year old Ida Holguin, 34-year old Stephanie Senac, and her 12-year old daughter, Melissia Repass – manage to survive the shooting, but the four other victims – 13-year old Amy Houser, 26-year old Steven Teran, his six-year old stepdaughter Paula Holguin, and his two-year old daughter Valerie Teran – wind up dead. While the crime generates a lot of publicity, the two perpetrators are never found or identified, and there is a lot debate about whether robbery was actually the true motive for this crime. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores the “Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre”, one of the most horrific and senseless crimes ever featured on the podcast. Special thanks to listener Rob Polanco for providing the opening narration for this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Cruces_bowling_alley_massacre
https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/05/us/bowling-alley-massacre-anniversary/index.html
https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/30-years-later-bowling-alley-massacre-still-unsolved/5523494/
https://unsolved.com/gallery/bowling-alley-murder/
http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2016/02/09/bowl-alley-massacre-case-remains-unsolved-26-years-later/80089278/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-mexico-murders-still-a-mystery-after-21-years#ixzz1wBH3crfh
“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 150 - Amy Billig

March 5, 1974. Coconut Grove, Florida. 17-year old Amy Billig phones her father from her home and arranges to meet him at his workplace in order to borrow money to have lunch with friends. Amy is last hitchhiking next to a highway, but she never shows up to meet her father or her friends and is subsequently reported missing. After being informed that Amy was abducted by a gang of bikers, her mother, Susan Billig, spends the next several years attempting to track her down and even encounters a biker who claims to have bought and owned Amy for a time. The Billig family also has to endure two decades’ worth of harassing phone calls from another man who claims to have kidnapped Amy, but even after the caller is identified and arrested, no trace of Amy is ever found. Was Amy Billig actually abducted and held captive by bikers? Was the tormenting caller responsible for Amy’s disappearance? Or could an unknown third party have murdered her instead? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles one of the most convoluted missing persons cases we’ve ever covered, which has still not found a conclusive resolution after 45 years.
Additional Reading:
“Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig” by Greg Aunapu and Susan Billig
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Billig
http://charleyproject.org/case/amy-billig
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/03/us/the-night-caller-21-years-of-unspeakable-grief.html
http://people.com/archive/the-night-caller-vol-45-no-8/
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1998-02-26-9802250754-story.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article226721904.html
“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 149 - Robert Hoagland

July 28, 2013. Newtown, Connecticut. 50-year old Robert “Hoagy” Hoagland is last seen mowing the lawn outside his house. The following day, his wife, Lori, returns from a trip to Turkey, but Hoagy fails to pick her up at the airport as scheduled. When Lori returns home, she discovers that her husband is missing and that his vehicle and all of his personal possessions have been left behind. Investigators explore the possibility that Hoagy’s disappearance might be connected to drug addiction issues involving his son, Max, and a recent confrontation Hoagy had with some of Max’s criminal associates. However, they also cannot rule out the idea that Hoagy disappeared voluntarily, as he had once run away from his family on a previous occasion. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a truly perplexing missing persons case in which there is no conclusive evidence to suggest what happened.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Robert_Hoagland
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Newtown-Man-Missing-for-Nearly-a-Year-268545472.html
https://www.newstimes.com/policereports/article/Newtown-man-s-disappearance-featured-on-TV-show-7954415.php
https://www.newstimes.com/policereports/article/Man-s-disappearance-still-a-riddle-4757047.php
https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Six-months-after-Newtown-man-s-disappearance-no-5218083.php#photo-5843666
http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Newtown-man-s-disappearance-troubles-loved-ones-a-5677519.php
“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 148 - Joan Gay Croft

April 9, 1947. Woodward, Oklahoma. Four-year old Joan Gay Croft is taken to the local hospital after an F5 tornado devastates her hometown and takes the lives of over 100 people, including her mother. While Joan Gay and her half-sister are recovering from injuries in the basement, two men show up and take her away. They claim that they are taking Joan Gay to another hospital to see her family, but she is never seen again. Over the next several decades, there would be a number of odd developments, including an anonymous E-mailer claiming to be Joan Gay. Did Joan Gay Croft go on living her life under a new identity? If so, who were the two unidentified men who took her? Could she still be alive today? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a truly baffling mystery surrounding one of the worst tornados in history.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by Native. For 20% off your first purchase, please visit nativedeodorant.com and enter the promo code “cold” during checkout.
Additional Reading:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2557dfok.html
https://newsok.com/article/2468875/dna-test-may-solve-47-year-old-woodward-mystery-woman-believes-shes-joan-gay-croft
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/woodward-mystery-believed-solved/article_0fb79ae6-33a1-5c44-9938-f9559581419e.html
http://newsok.com/where-is-mystery-woman-connected-to-1947-woodward-tornado/article/3666941
https://newsok.com/article/2609396/woman-seeks-cousin-lost-after-tornado
https://www.enidnews.com/opinion/after-years-joan-croft-still-a-mystery/article_9eefe3d7-1ca3-5af8-a438-efe4e2d71ea9.html
http://kfor.com/2016/05/05/search-still-on-for-woodward-5-year-old-who-vanished-after-tornado-69-years-ago/
“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 147 - The Lewis Clark Valley Murders

September 12, 1982. Lewiston, Idaho. 21-year old Kristina Nelson and her 18-year old stepsister, Jacqueline “Brandy” Miller, leave Kristina’s apartment, but never return. That very same night, 35-year old Steven Pearsall vanishes after being dropped off at his workplace, the Lewiston Civic Theatre, where Kristina had previously held Steven’s job as a janitor. The disappearances are believed to be connected and a year-and-a-half later, Kristina and Brandy’s remains are found at the bottom of a ravine. Investigators explore potential connections with two other cold cases which took place within the Lewis-Clark Valley: the 1979 disappearance of 12-year old Christina White and the 1981 murder of 22-year old Kristin David. They turn up a promising person of interest who seems to link these cases together, but there is not enough evidence to charge with any of the crimes. Was a serial killer responsible for the murders of all five of these victims? Join us for this year’s final Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold” which explores one of the craziest stories we’ve ever covered: the Lewis-Clark Valley Murders.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is brought to you by Away. For $20 off a suitcase, go to awaytravel.com/cold and use the promo code “Cold”
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/steven-r-pearsall
http://charleyproject.org/case/christina-lee-white
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/aug/22/lewiston-law-enforcement-gives-fresh-look-at-unsol/
https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/lewiston-clarkston-couple-create-documentary-on-late-70s-serial-killer/413396771
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/ids-cold-valley-doc-explores-unsolved-lewis-clark-murders-disappearances-you-can-only-hide-for-so-long
https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/id-shows/on-tv0/in-pursuit-with-john-walsh/articles/ava-baldwin-kathryn-baldwin-abducted-from-san-antonio-2015
https://www.altereddimensions.net/2014/lewis-clark-valley-serial-killer-lewiston-clarkson-asotin-washington-idaho-killer-remains-free
https://www.facebook.com/LCVSK/
https://vimeo.com/51442715
“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 146 - Janett Christman

March 18, 1950. Columbia, Missouri. 13-year old Janett Christman shows up at a married couple’s residence to spend the evening babysitting their child. When the couple returns home, they discover that Janett has been raped and strangled to death by an intruder, and the local sheriff’s department would report having received a phone call from Janett while she was being attacked. The investigation uncovers a promising suspect named Robert Mueller, whom Janett had also babysat for, but there is not enough evidence to make an arrest. Four years earlier, another young Columbia woman was murdered in a strikingly similar fashion and a suspect went to the gas chamber for the crime. But could an innocent man have been executed while the real killer went on to murder Janett Christman? On this week’s Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a creepy unsolved crime which inspired an infamous urban legend.
Additional Reading:
https://www.columbiatribune.com/article/20100307/News/303079884
https://web.archive.org/web/20180412110956/https://insidecolumbia.net/2015/10/01/who-killed-janett-christman/
“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 145 - David Stone & Devin Williams

October 31, 1988. Hidalgo County, New Mexico. 29-year old David Stone, a stock market analyst from California, is seen wandering through the desert and exhibiting strange behaviour. Two days later, David’s abandoned car is discovered next to the highway, but David himself is nowhere to be found. Search efforts uncover a number of cryptic clues David left behind to suggest he was on some sort of spiritual journey related to the New Age movement. Over three years later, David’s remains are discovered in the desert, but the exact circumstances of his death remain unknown.
May 28, 1995. Coconino County, Arizona. 28-year old Devin Williams, a long-haul truck driver from Kansas, recklessly drives semi-trailer truck into Tonto National Forest before it becomes stuck in some mud. After Devin exits the truck, witnesses see him displaying bizarre behaviour before he takes off into the woods and disappears. Devin had been in the midst of transporting a shipment from California to Kansas until he drove over 60 miles off-course for unknown reasons. Two years later, Devin’s skull is discovered near the bottom of a cliff, but no one can figure out his cause of death or why he wound up in the forest to begin with.
In this month’s first Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two odd cases in which a victim went missing after acting strangely before they were subsequently found dead.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by the app game Best Fiends. Download it for free on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/David_Stone
“The Prescott Courier” (April 14, 1992)
https://unsolved.com/gallery/devin-williams/
https://web.archive.org/web/20140817081532/http://cjonline.com/stories/051697/skull.html
https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-157772.html
“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.