The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 58 - The Mathis Family Murders

September 8, 1981. Mount Vernon, South Dakota. 30-year old John Mathis contacts police to inform them that he has been shot in the arm after a struggle with a masked attacker on his farm. When police arrive, they discover that John’s wife, LaDonna Mathis, and their two children, four-year old Brian and two-year old Patrick, have been shot to death. While John claims the masked attacker was responsible, investigators find a number of discrepancies in his story. John is eventually charged with murdering his wife and two sons, but when he goes on trial, the jury acquits him. Were LaDonna, Brian and Patrick actually killed by an unknown assailant? Or did John Mathis get away with the murder of his family? We examine both sides of this harrowing and controversial case on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
Additional Reading:
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/crime-and-courts/1538088-mathis-murders-30-years-later-some-authorities-remain-convinced-john
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/crime-and-courts/1538125-surviving-mathis-child-says-father-innocent-murders
http://rapidcityjournal.com/twenty-years-later-mathis-case-still-unsolved/article_299e6074-bda0-5dc0-aa19-1eb0ab8f0728.html
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/09/09/Survivor-of-multiple-slaying-making-sense-sheriff-says/8257368856000/
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing on podcast row at CrimeCon 2018 from May 4th-6th at the Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville. Listeners can receive a 10% discount on their ticket purchase by using the code “TTWC”.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 57 - Patrick Sean Kelly

May 5, 1996. Tijuana, Mexico. A young man is struck by a motorcycle while running across the highway and dies in hospital six days later. Three weeks pass before he is identified as Patrick Sean Kelly, a 22-year old Canadian film student who had gone missing from the University of Southern California. There are a number of suspicious discrepancies to suggest there is more to Patrick’s death than a simple accident, as his ATM card is used and his vehicle is driven after he is hospitalized. The evidence also shows that Patrick may have travelled to Mexico with another young man, but this person is never identified. What compelled Patrick to make this trip? If he travelled with someone else, what happened to them? Was Patrick’s death really caused by the motorcycle accident, or did the local authorities orchestrate a cover-up? These are just some of the unanswered questions in this week’s baffling episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, which chronicles an unexplained death which turned into a nightmare of jurisdictional red tape.
Additional Reading:
http://unsolved.com/gallery/patrick-sean-kelly/
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Patrick_Kelly
http://articles.latimes.com/1996-07-22/news/mn-26754_1_terri-kelly
https://web.archive.org/web/20041224153241/http://www.thepacc.org:80/Kelly.html
We would like to thank our sponsor, Winc, for support this week’s episode. To receive a $20 credit and free shipping on 4 bottles of wine on your first order, go to trywinc.com/cold.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing on podcast row at CrimeCon 2018 from May 4th-6th at the Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville. Listeners can receive a 10% discount on their ticket purchase by using the code “TTWC”.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 56 - Mary Marrs Cawein

July 5, 1965. Lexington, Kentucky. After a night of heavy drinking with her husband and another couple, 39-year old Mary Marrs Cawein returns home. When morning hits, Mary is found dead in her bedroom chair and an autopsy would reveal she was murdered after ingesting carbolic acid. Suspicion immediately falls upon Mary’s husband, Dr. Madison Cawein, who had conducted affairs with two other women during their marriage. However, the case is further complicated by strange actions from Madison’s former mistress and the jealous husband of his current mistress, causing them to also become potential suspects. So who was actually responsible for the death of Mary Marrs Cawein? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” almost resembles a soap opera, as we chronicle a very bizarre whodunit which has been dubbed the “Carbolic Acid Cocktail Murder”.
Thanks to HelloFresh for supporting our podcast. Go to www.HelloFresh.com and use the code cold30 to get $30 off your first week of deliveries.
Additional Reading:
http://www.kyforward.com/mary-cawein’s-murderer-was-‘clever’-smart-and—so-far—has-eluded-justice-for-46-years/
http://www.kyforward.com/part-two-mary-cawein’s-unsolved-murder-has-all-the-juicy-elements-of-a-mystery-novel/
http://www.kyforward.com/mary-cawein’s-murderer-was-‘clever’-smart-and—so-far—has-eluded-justice-for-46-years/
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/justice-story-hed-article-1.2456294
The Reading Eagle (Sep. 4, 1966)
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 55 - Gary Grant Jr.

January 12, 1984. Atlantic City, New Jersey. Seven-year old Gary Grant Jr., the son of a local police detective, leaves his home after telling his mother he is meeting someone for an appointment. Two days later, Gary’s body is discovered in a vacant lot after he has been bludgeoned to death with a pipe. A 12-year old friend of Gary’s named Carl “Boo” Mason soon confesses to the murder and is charged with the crime, but since Boo has a mental disability and a low IQ, his confession is thrown out and the charges are dropped. Over the next three decades, Gary’s father would be taunted by cryptic graffiti and also uncover a recording of an anonymous 911 caller confessing to the crime. Was Boo Mason involved in the murder of Gary Grant Jr. or was someone else responsible? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we examine the incredibly tragic unsolved murder of a police officer’s son.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Zola. Zola is reinventing the wedding registry and planning process to make the happiest moment in couples’ lives even happier. To sign up with Zola and receive a $50 credit towards your registry, visit zola.com/cold.
This episode is also brought to you by Aaptiv. Aaptiv produces audio-based workouts created by certified personal trainers available through a mobile app. New members get 50% off an annual membership, so please visit aaptiv.com/COLD.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/gary-grant-jr/
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/audiotape-offers-clue-in-gary-grant-jr-s-atlantic-city/article_284556fe-adc6-11e5-b17b-7b445d3715ea.html
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/atlantic_city/retired-a-c-officer-goes-online-to-find-son-s/article_a8b09dfc-93c8-5552-a1ce-bd7d2d5887f6.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/30/long-forgotten-tape-could-provide-clue-in-1984-cold-case-murder-new-jersey-boy.html
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 54 - Kelly Dae Wilson

January 5, 1992. Gilmer, Texas. After finishing the night shift at a local video store, 17-year old Kelly Dae Wilson vanishes without explanation and her car is found in the parking lot with one of its tires slashed. Two years later, eight suspects, one of them a police officer investigating the case, are indicted for Kelly’s abduction and murder and accused of being members of a Satanic cult. However, after the Satanic cult story is completely debunked, the charges against the suspects are dropped, but the exact circumstances of Kelly Dae Wilson’s disappearance remain unknown. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we chronicle an unsolved missing persons case whose investigation was derailed by a truly outrageous epidemic of “Satanic Panic”.
This episode is brought to you by Aaptiv. Aaptiv produces audio-based workouts created by certified personal trainers available through a mobile app. New members get 50% off an annual membership, so please visit aaptiv.com/COLD.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Kelly_Dae_Wilson
http://charleyproject.org/case/kelly-dae-wilson
http://findingkellydaewilson20yearslater.webstarts.com
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-06-07/features/9406070116_1_murdering-poice-blotter-kelly-wilson
http://gilmermirror.com/bookmark/17031413-Kelly-Wilson-case-remains-unsolved
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 53 - Ronald Hughes

November 27, 1970. Ventura County, California. While representing Leslie Van Houten during the Manson Family’s murder trial, 35-year old attorney Ronald Hughes leaves to go on a camping trip. He never returns and his decomposed body is found wedged between two boulders in a gorge four months later. While the actual cause of death cannot be determined, rumours circulate about foul play, as Charles Manson had grown angry at Hughes and allegedly threatened him. Was Ronald Hughes’ death nothing more than a tragic accident, or was he an unconfirmed murder victim of the Manson Family? The first “Trail Went Cold” episode of 2018 chronicles the unexplained death of an aspiring attorney whose first and last case turned out to be one of the most famous murder trials of all time. Special thanks to listener Andrew Dodge for providing the opening narration for today’s episode.
This episode is brought to you by Aaptiv. Aaptiv produces audio-based workouts created by certified personal trainers available through a mobile app. New members get 50% off an annual membership, so please visit aaptiv.com/COLD.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Hughes
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/01/local/la-me-manson-tapes-20120601/2
http://www.famous-trials.com/manson/250-keyfigures
“Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders” by Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 52 - Patricia Meehan & Morris Davis

April 20, 1989. Circle, Montana. While driving on the wrong side of a rural highway, 37-year old Patricia Meehan gets into a collision with another car. After staring blankly at the vehicle’s driver, Patricia walks out onto the prairie and disappears. During the next few months, there would be numerous sightings of a disoriented-woman resembling Patricia. This leads to speculation that the trauma of the car crash caused Patricia to develop amnesia and forget who she was, but she is ultimately never found.
April 5, 1985. Great Falls, Montana. After an order is placed to a pizza parlour from a residential house, 23-year old driver Morris Davis delivers the pizza to that address. Morris is fatally shot eight times and his delivery wallet is stolen. It would turn out the house was vacant and that the killer had broken inside to wait for Morris to arrive. The case would feature some odd twists and turns, including an unlikely series of events involving the potential murder weapon, but the identity of Morris’ killer remains unknown.
For this year’s final episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be doing a special double feature and chronicling two cold cases from Montana which were featured on “Unsolved Mysteries”.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Zola. Zola is reinventing the wedding registry and planning process to make the happiest moment in couples’ lives even happier. To sign up with Zola and receive a $50 credit towards your registry, visit zola.com/cold and use the promo code “cold” at checkout.
This episode is also brought to you by Aaptiv. Aaptiv produces audio-based workouts created by certified personal trainers available through a mobile app. New members get 50% off an annual membership, so please visit aaptiv.com/COLD.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Patricia_Meehan
http://charleyproject.org/case/patricia-bernadette-meehan
https://unsolved.com/gallery/patricia-meehan/
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19900902&slug=1091004
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Morris_Davis
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2016/05/06/sister-slain-teen-forgave-killer-death-prison/84047018/
https://billingsgazette.com/morris-davis-jr/article_1ec72c7b-3708-57ad-b29a-6b8c00d91af7.html
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 51 - The Hatbox Baby

Christmas Eve 1931. Superior, Arizona. While driving through the desert, a couple named Ed and Julia Stewart experience a flat tire and pull over to a remote spot. They soon discover an abandoned newborn baby girl inside a hatbox and turn her over to the authorities. While the story of the “Hatbox Baby” becomes a media sensation, the child’s family cannot be located, so she is adopted out to a couple, whose identities are kept secret from the public. Over 50 years later, a woman named Sharon Elliott is shocked to learn that she was the mysterious Hatbox Baby. Even though Sharon attempts to uncover the truth about her past and finds some promising leads, she does not receive any conclusive answers about the identity of her family or how she wound up in the desert. Was the discovery of the Hatbox Baby a genuine Christmas miracle, or an elaborate set-up orchestrated to protect someone? For our final Christmas-themed of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be shying away from violent crime and chronicling a much more unique mystery than usual. Special thanks to listener Jonathan Burroughs for providing the opening narration for today’s episode.
Also, a big thanks to Esther Gamez for providing us with another terrific piece of cover art for this episode. Be sure to check out Esther’s Facebook and Tumblr pages to see more of her artwork.
We would like to thank Sock Club for sponsoring the Trail Went Cold. To earn 15 % off your next order of socks, visit sockclub.com/cold and use the discount code “cold”.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/The_Hatbox_Baby
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2011/12/19/20111219hatbox-baby-mystery-still-lingers.html
Spokane Chronicle (Dec. 26, 1988)
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 50 - Kevin Showalter

Christmas Eve, 1973. New London, Connecticut. While changing a tire, 20-year old Kevin Showalter is struck by a passing vehicle and killed in a hit-and-run. When the local police botch the investigation and make no effort to solve the case, Kevin’s mother is forced to fight for answers on her own. Years later, a grand jury investigation is launched and the town’s former mayor is named as the probable driver of the vehicle. However, further complications ensue when another man comes forward and confesses to the crime, creating debate about who was actually responsible for Kevin’s death. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” will be examining what is perhaps the most extensive and controversial hit-and-run case in the history of the United States, which has still not found a conclusive resolution after four decades.
We would like to thank Sock Club for sponsoring the Trail Went Cold. To earn 15 % off your next order of socks, visit sockclub.com/cold and use the discount code “cold”.
Additional Reading:
http://people.com/archive/a-mothers-anguish-kept-alive-a-sons-memory-and-her-lonely-search-for-his-hit-and-run-killer-vol-10-no-3/
http://articles.courant.com/2005-12-12/news/0512120514_1_grand-jury-mr-hansen-case
http://cooljustice.blogspot.ca/2013/02/this-is-what-grand-jury-report-looks.html
http://cooljustice.blogspot.ca/2016/09/hit-and-run-chronology-grand-jury.html
The Day (Dec. 25, 1983)
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 49 - Donna Branion

December 22, 1967. Chicago, Illinois. After leaving work and picking up his son from school, Dr. John Branion, a prominent African-American physician who treated Martin Luther King Jr., returns home to discover that his wife, Donna Branion, has been shot to death. Police become suspicious of Dr. Branion’s behaviour and eventually charge him with the murder after discovering that the likely murder weapon, a Walther PPK, and four shells are missing from his home. Even though Branion appears to have a solid alibi and his defense team argues there was not enough time for him to commit the crime, he is found guilty at trial. While free on bond to appeal the verdict, Branion flees the country, but is recaptured years later and dies in 1990. However, questions remain about the validity of the original conviction. Was Donna Branion actually murdered by her husband? Was an innocent man wrongfully convicted? Or is the real answer a lot more complex? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” examines a very controversial murder case which is still debated 50 years later.
We would like to thank Sock Club for sponsoring the Trail Went Cold. To earn 15 % off your next order of socks, visit sockclub.com/cold and use the discount code “cold”.
Additional Reading:
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/John_Branion
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-08-25/features/9103030674_1_prominent-chicago-police-cmdr-apartment
http://law.jrank.org/pages/3172/John-Marshall-Branion-Trial-1968.html
https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1970/41622-6.html
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/855/1256/372355/
“The Doctor, The Murder, The Mystery” by Barbara D’Amato
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.