The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 416 - Nonnie Dotson

November 19, 2006. Littleton, Colorado. First Lieutenant Nonnie Dotson, a 33-year old nurse with the United States Air Force, has travelled from San Antonio, Texas to Colorado with her infant daughter and is saying with her brother, Tony Dotson. Nonnie leaves Tony’s residence in order to presumably travel to a nearby shopping center, but she never returns. Even though police track Nonnie’s cell phone signal and her scent to a nearby field, no trace of her can be found. Investigators explore a number of different angles, including the possibility that Nonnie was harmed by a stalker, the estranged father of her child, and even her own brother, but she remains a missing person. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling unsolved disappearance in which the victim seemingly vanished into thin air.
if you have any information about this case, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at (303) 271-5612.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/nonnie-ann-dotson
https://www.crimelibrary.org/criminal_mind/forensics/nonnie_dotson/1_index.html
https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ng/date/2011-03-23/segment/01
https://www.denverpost.com/2006/12/06/ex-beau-of-missing-nurse-quizzed/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/case-of-missing-air-force-nurse-grows-cold/
https://www.denverpost.com/2007/11/27/missing-moms-trail-goes-cold/
https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/something-happened-to-her-family-wants-answers-10-years-after-single-moms-disappearance/73-437111811
https://kdvr.com/news/colorado-cold-cases/cold-case-have-you-seen-this-woman-missing-since-2006/
https://www.denverpost.com/2014/01/17/man-gets-96-to-life-in-break-in-sexual-assault/
https://www.westword.com/news/rapist-tony-dotson-guilty-in-murder-for-hire-bid-against-victimand-sister-is-still-missing-6283026
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.
“The Trail Went Cold” is 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 415 - Barbara Jean Horn, Part 2

July 12, 1988. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four-year old Barbara Jean Horn disappears from the front yard of her home before her nude body is discovered inside a cardboard box resting on a curb in the same neighbourhood. Nearly four years later, a suspect named Walter Ogrod, who had lived across the street from Barbara Jean’s residence, is arrested after he confesses to her murder and after two trials, he is convicted and sentenced to death. However, Walter claims his confession was coerced by corrupt police detectives and there are numerous allegations of misconduct and serious issues with his conviction. In 2020, after a new review is performed of the case, Walter’s conviction is overturned. While he is finally released from death row and fully exonerated, no one else is charged with the crime. Last week, in Part One of our series about the murder of Barbara Jean Horn, we shared the basic facts about the case. This week, in Part Two, we will attempt to analyze and break down this crime by sharing all the different theories about what happened, as well as explore some other wrong conviction cases which took place in Philadelphia during this time period and involved the same law enforcement figures who put Walter Ogrod in prison.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tip line at (215) 686-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
"The Trails of Walter Ogrod: The Shocking Murder, So-Called Confessions and Notorious Snitch That Sent a Man to Death Row" by Thomas Lowenstein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Ogrod_case
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Barbara_Jean_Horn
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5752
https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-CIU-Walter-Ogrod-Expert-Reports-2020-02-28.pdf
https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-Answer-to-Walter-Ogrod-Amended-PCRA-Petition-2020-02-28.pdf
https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-innocent-death-row-larry-krasner-philadelphia-20200605.html
https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-murder-conviction-overturned-philadelphia-larry-krasner-20200610.html
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/will_bunch/walter-ogrod-death-row-stories-hln-larry-krasner-dna-testing-philadelphia-20180405.html
https://www.newsweek.com/pennsylvania-court-orders-death-row-inmate-tested-coronavirus-1493628
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/after-2-decades-on-death-row-wrongfully-convicted-man-will-be-set-free/2421261/
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/barbara-jean-horn-murder-philadelphia-walter-ogrod/
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.
“The Trail Went Cold” is 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 414 - Barbara Jean Horn, Part 1

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

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

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 413 - Alicia Showalter Reynolds

March 2, 1996. Culpepper County, Virginia. After leaving her home in Baltimore, Maryland in order to drive to Charlottesville, 25-year old Alicia Showalter Reynolds goes missing and her abandoned car is found alongside U.S. Route 29. Eyewitnesses report having seen Alicia speaking with an unidentified man in a pick-up truck and it becomes apparent that he may have tricked Alicia into pulling over before abducting her. Two months later, Alicia’s body is discovered in a remote field and while it is theorized that she fell prey to a killer known as the “Route 29 Stalker”, no one is ever charged with her murder. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the death of Alicia Showalter Reynolds, a crime which has had some compelling suspects over the years, but remains unsolved.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Virginia State Police Culpepper Division at 1-800-572-2260 or the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 1-888-300-0156.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/alicia-showalter/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Alicia_Showalter_Reynolds
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/05/09/culpeper-body-is-that-of-md-woman/b7b731e7-0d2f-4389-9a8c-40bb178e60c2/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/11/16/their-name-linked-to-stalker-larry-breedens-bear-a-burden/8f991bdb-3940-48cd-a3a1-1ef188dcbd2e/?utm_term=.c800767169fd
https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1997/rt9703/970302/03030076.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_persons_cases_along_U.S._Route_29_in_Virginia
https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/police-continue-to-search-for-alicia-reynolds-killer/article_645eff83-4236-5969-afd3-3ef583a5dd9d.html
https://www.29news.com/2021/05/07/family-alicia-showalter-reynolds-still-looking-answers-years-after-her-death/
https://dailyprogress.com/news/community/madisonnews/police-continue-to-investigate-showalter-reynolds-homicide/article_d857aa78-da96-11ee-a14a-0b1ad05a8707.html
https://pix11.com/news/suspect-sketch-in-1996-virginia-murder-looks-like-accused-gilgo-killer-victims-family-says/
https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2024/03/01/state-police-continue-to-investigate-the-disappearance-and-homicide-of-alicia-showalter-reynolds/
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 412 - Update, Part 6

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

The Trail Went Cold - Bonus Episode - True Crime Convos

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

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 411 - Q&A

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

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 410 - Cody James & Gary Harker

December 18, 1979. Moline, Illinois. 30-year old Cody James and 30-year old Gary Harker leave Gary’s woodcarving shop in Cody’s pick-up truck in order to make a delivery and collect some money, but they never return and the truck is later found abandoned across the state line in Davenport, Iowa. Four months after the disappearances, the pick-up is sold off at a police auction, but the new owners are shocked to discover Cody and Gary’s bodies concealed beneath some debris in the truck bed and it turns out both men have been bludgeoned to death. It is theorized that the crime was drug-related and even though photographs of two potential suspects are provided to investigators decades later, no one is ever charged with the murders. For our final holiday-themed episode of 2024, “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles a shocking double homicide which has remained unsolved for 45 years.
Additional Reading:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/338695963/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/132294466/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/305885059/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/338686918/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/305875824/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/306038136/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/308122207/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/308122229/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/308435558/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/308435566/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/548370305/
“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 409 - Kenneth Dungee and "Debbie"

December 23, 1988. Orange County, North Carolina. A quartet of friends – 19-year old Kenneth Dungee, 17-year old Kenneth Newkirk, 17-year old Levern Allen and 17-year old Darius Bannerman – leave their homes in Greensboro in order to drive to Raleigh to go Christmas shopping. While travelling down Interstate 40, their car is violently run off the road by a blue Monte Carlo containing a white man and a white woman. Kenneth Dungee is killed in the crash and while his three friends survive, Levern has his right leg amputated. Since the four young men were black, it is speculated that the occupants of the Monte Carlo may have committed a hate crime, but they cannot be identified. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a shocking hit-and-run murder was has remained unsolved for 36 years. In addition, we will also be covering the unsolved 1990 abduction, assault and attempted murder of a woman known only as “Debbie”, another crime which took place along the interstates of North Carolina and was committed by an assailant who has never been identified.
Join us on Saturday, December 14 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://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Kenneth_Dungee
https://unsolved.com/gallery/greensboro-hit-and-run
https://greensboro.com/unsolved-mysteries-generates-300-calls/article_73f2546a-b7e2-5d91-baea-2057e5539e12.html
https://greensboro.com/highway-ramming-death-still-unsolved/article_ca088d5c-8526-55a2-8ef9-c34e255089ae.html
https://greensboro.com/hit-and-run-still-lingers-for-victims/article_98dcb974-a1fe-5152-b28d-82dc81c18a21.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/655391766/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/655996666/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/655985511/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/625632837/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Debbie
https://unsolved.com/gallery/shotgun-survivor/
https://greensboro.com/officers-search-for-rapist/article_d2e03e5e-35ad-56a4-a14b-013cc1ec1646.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/655996954/
https://greensboro.com/family-boosts-reward-in-kidnap-case/article_3c7615dc-413f-56bf-849f-0d884b5fb26f.html
https://greensboro.com/first-survival-then-success-it-s-like-god-gave-me/article_5de2143b-73c7-5e33-8533-3bfb79950b28.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.