The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 365 - Phylicia Thomas and Jennifer Barziloski

February 11, 2004. Lake Township, Pennsylvania. After returning home from work, 22-year old Phylicia Thomas goes missing and her boyfriend’s best friend, Steven Allen Martin, soon becomes a person of interest. Two-and-a-half years earlier, an 18-year old friend of Phylicia’s named Jennifer Barziloski had also disappeared and since Steve was the last known person to see Jennifer alive, there is speculation that the cases are connected. Over the years, rumours circulate that Phylicia may have been murdered at a party, but while Jennifer’s skull is found in a wooded area in 2010, there are no conclusive answers about how she died and Phylicia remains a missing person. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two unsolved cases involving young women who went missing under suspicious circumstances from the same area.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/phylicia-albina-thomas
https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/04/25/woman-vanishes-while-investigating-dead-friends-disappearance/
https://www.timesleader.com/archive/866402/man-linked-to-missing-women-found-hanged-in-jail-steven-martin-was-a-person-of-interest-in-the-disappearances-of-phylicia-thomas-jennifer-barziloski-police-say
https://www.poconorecord.com/story/news/crime/2010/04/12/skull-found-in-luzerne-co/51641470007/
https://www.timesleader.com/archive/866877/family-and-friends-recall-jennifer-barziloski
https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/689665/family-believes-phylicia-thomas-remains-are-on-hunlock-township-property
https://www.timesleader.com/archive/866689/mother-of-missing-woman-wants-authorities-to-search-property
https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/692490/phylicia-thomas-vigil-tonight-as-family-has-new-leads-for-missing-woman
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/renewed-hope-in-18-year-old-cold-case-of-phylicia-thomas/
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/i-team/property-search-gives-missing-girls-family-renewed-hope/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/429553259/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/529928532/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/537498320/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/408007869/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/408007933
https://www.newspapers.com/image/508494203/
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting their website.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Denver Marriott Westminster in Colorado on July 12-14, 2024. To get a 15 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL”, by visiting https://truecrimepodcastfestival.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 364 - The Lane Bryant Shooting

February 2, 2008. Tinley Park, Illinois. Police are summoned to a Lane Bryant clothing store at the Brookside Marketplace Shopping Center and discover that five victims have been fatally shot in the back room: the 42-year old store manager Rhoda McFarland, and four customers, 37-year old Connie Wolfolk, 34-year old Jennifer Bishop, 33-year old Carrie Hudek Chiuso, and 22-year old Sarah Szafranski. Even though another store employee was wounded with a bullet which grazed her neck, she winds up surviving and tells police that the shooting was committed by a black male. While the crime is suspected to be a robbery gone wrong, investigators are unable to find or identify the perpetrator or make much sense of his actions. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the Lane Bryant Shooting, a baffling crime involving five murdered victims which has somehow managed to remain unsolved for 16 years.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_Bryant_shooting
https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/16/grace.coldcase.lane.bryant/index.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-02-07-0802070622-story.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-08-02-0808010504-story.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-lane-bryant-anniversary-st-0202-20180201-story.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-lane-bryant-suspect-sketch-st-0202-20180201-story.html
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/tinley-park-lane-bryant-murders/169697/
https://abc7chicago.com/lane-bryant-shooting-murder-murders-tinley-park/11533547/
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/lane-bryant-murders-tinley-park-15th-anniversary/
https://abc7chicago.com/tinley-park-lane-bryant-murders-unsolved-crime-il/12763590/
If you would like to make a donation to “Season of Justice”, please visit our donation page at https://givebutter.com/SOJ_thetrail or text “TRAIL24” to # 53555.
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting their website.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Denver Marriott Westminster in Colorado on July 12-14, 2024. To get a 15 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL”, by visiting https://truecrimepodcastfestival.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 363 - Heidi Seeman and Erica Botello

August 4, 1990. San Antonio, Texas. While walking home from her friend’s house, eleven-year old Heidi Seeman goes missing after an apparent abduction. Nineteen days later, another San Antonio girl, seven-year old Erica Botello, is abducted from outside her apartment complex. The bodies of each victim are soon found at separate locations one day apart on the same weekend, but investigators are inclined to believe the murders are not connected. Both cases feature a number of compelling suspects, including an individual who was actively involved in the original search effort for Heidi, but there is not enough evidence to conclusively link anyone to either of these crimes. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the unsolved murders of two separate girls which traumatized the city of San Antonio.
If you have any information about the murder of Heidi Seeman, please contact the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Missing Persons Hotline at 1-800-346-3243 or the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). If you have any information on the murder of Erica Botello, please contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7273.
Additional Reading:
https://www.dps.texas.gov/apps/coldCase/Home/Details/56
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/25-years-later-the-heidi-seeman-murder-case-remains-unsolved-2459807
https://www.kens5.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/three-decades-later-1990-heidi-seeman-erica-botello-murders/273-0b1a1b93-2682-4cc6-8832-44b2e80f557f
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/crime/article/Two-San-Antonio-girls-were-abducted-and-killed-30-15461432.php
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2023/08/04/august-marks-33-years-since-disappearances-of-heidi-seeman-erica-botello/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/364695644/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/435060934/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/590352539/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/968138763/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/356824573/
San Antonio Express-News (August 20, 1995)
KSAT News Update (February 1996)
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting 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 362 - Margaret Dash, Retha Hiers, and Donyelle Johnson

June 14, 1974. Clearwater, Florida. After borrowing her daughter’s car and leaving her home, 38-year old Margaret Dash never returns and the abandoned vehicle is discovered in St. Petersburg one month later. It turns out that Margaret had been involved in an extramarital affair with a man named Cleveland Hill, who supposedly threatened to kill her. Over the next 15 years, two other Florida women – 43-year old Retha Hiers and 21-year old Donyelle Johnson – also vanish without a trace after conducting an affair with Cleveland and there are allegations that he made threats against them as well. While there is suspicion that Cleveland was responsible for all of these disappearances, there is not enough evidence to implicate him and the three missing women are never found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover a trio of unsolved missing persons cases which are linked together by the same man.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Margaret Dash, please contact the Clearwater Police Department at (727) 562-4242. If you have any information about the disappearances of Retha Hiers and Donyelle Johnson, please contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/margaret-r-dash
https://charleyproject.org/case/retha-lee-hiers
https://charleyproject.org/case/donyelle-chrishum-johnson
https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2022/08/16/where-are-3-missing-tampa-bay-women-the-answer-may-rest-with-the-devil/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/339481582
https://www.newspapers.com/image/339683584
https://www.newspapers.com/image/339674295
https://www.newspapers.com/image/870341879
https://www.newspapers.com/image/331032163
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/largo-excavation-retha-hiers/67-c7c41e55-acd0-4f2e-afbd-37262055cf9c
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting 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 361 - Jack Brown

January 11, 1984. Ypsilanti, Michigan. Two armed men enter a real estate and insurance office before one of them fires a shot into the neck of the 47-year old owner, Jack Brown. The assailants then lock the office’s other employees inside the bathroom before fleeing the scene and Jack dies in the hospital several hours later. Prior to his death, Jack had hinted that he might be involved in something which led to him being murdered, but the two perpetrators are not identified and the motive for the crime remains unclear. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling murder which resembled a professional hit and has remained unsolved for 40 years. In addition, we will also be discussing the unsolved murders of 54-year old Elizabeth Shumate, 60-year old Frances Ivey and 46-year old JoAnn Brown, a trio of real estate agents who were shot to death inside their office in Houston, Texas in August 1983.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jack_Brown
https://unsolved.com/gallery/jack-brown/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/99060743/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/99426108/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/99810146/
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/30/Priest-denied-access-to-crime-scene-for-last-rites/4372431064000/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/2019/05/29/questions-remain-in-1983-triple-homicide-police-ask-for-publics-help/
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/slideshow/Houston-s-infamous-crimes-in-August-194965.php
https://www.khou.com/article/news/investigations/missing-pieces/murders-of-3-realtors-still-unsolved-37-years-later/285-3d493018-69d6-447f-bb43-2fc49163dcd9
https://torontosun.com/news/world/crime-hunter-hurricane-and-homicide-a-deadly-cocktail
If you have any information about the murder of Jack Brown, please contact the Ypsilanti Police Department at (734) 483-9510. If you have any information on the murders of Elizabeth Shumate, Frances Ivey & JoAnn Brown please contact the Houston Police Cold Case Unit at (713) 308-3618 or the Crime Stoppers of Houston tip line at (713) 222-TIPS (8477).
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting 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 360 - Patrick Mullins

January 27, 2013. Bradenton, Florida. After taking his boat out onto the Braden River, 52-year old Patrick Mullins fails to return home and the abandoned boat is discovered several miles away in Egmont Channel the following day. Nine days after he vanished, Pat is found floating in Tampa Bay and it turns out he was fatally shot through the head and weighed down in the water with an anchor tied to a rope wrapped around his body. His official cause of death is listed as “undetermined”, but while law enforcement leans towards suicide, Pat’s loved ones notice some odd discrepancies to make them believe he was murdered. A family friend displays some suspicious behavior to suggest he might have knowledge of what happened, but there is not enough evidence to implicate him. Was Patrick Mullins the victim of foul play or was his death actually an elaborate suicide? For our first “Trail Went Cold” episode of 2024, we shall explore a controversial case which was featured on the Netflix reboot of “Unsolved Mysteries”.
If you have any information about the death of Patrick Mullins, please contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at (941) 747-3011 or Manatee County Crimestoppers at (866) 634-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Pat_Mullins
https://unsolved.com/gallery/body-in-the-bay/
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/09/01/in-boaters-death-a-river-keeps-its-secrets-close/64255908007/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/669317870/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/669317973/
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/09/25/pat-mullins-death-investigation-under-review/29201496007/
https://www.bradenton.com/living/article129187884.html
https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2018/feb/07/manatee-county-murder-patrick-mullins-reward/
https://www.mysuncoast.com/2020/01/14/cold-case-family-still-searching-answers-patrick-mullins-homicide/
https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article267853552.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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Bonus Episode - New Year New Binge

The New Year’s holiday is a celebration of new beginnings. With that in mind, we know this collaboration will introduce you to several amazing new true-crime podcasts (including “The Trail Went Cold”) that will quickly become your newest true-crime binges as we enter 2024 because, let’s face it, we know that’s exactly what you needed! With tons of episodes each, investigative curiosity, and a focus on advocacy, these podcasts will live up to the theme of our collaboration (“New Year, New Binge”) because you’ll soon find yourself falling in love with the podcasters included in these episodes. So, sit back, grab your detective caps, and let’s get this party started!
Be sure to follow all of the podcasts you enjoyed so you never miss a new episode. Podcasts are listed below in the order in which you will be introduced to them:
Crimelines  https://linktr.ee/crimelines 
Sirens: A Southern True Crime Podcast https://bit.ly/TheSirensNetwork 
Private Dicks Podcast https://linktr.ee/privatedicks
Morning Cup of Murder  www.morningcupofmurder.com
Persons Unknown  https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com 
Fresh Hell Podcast  https://freshhellpodcast.com/
Stories With Sapphire  www.storieswithsapphire.com
Travel and True Crime  https://linktr.ee/twistedtraveltruecrimepodcast
Excuse Me, That’s Illegal www.linktr.ee/excusemethatsillegal.pod
A Nefarious Nightmare  www.linktr.ee/anefariousnightmarepodcast
The Trail Went Cold https://www.trailwentcold.com
Coffee and Cases Podcast https://linktr.ee/coffeeandcases 
Teachers Talk Crime https://linktr.ee/teacherstalkcrime
True Crime Creepers https://linktr.ee/TrueCrimeCreepers

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 359 - Update, Part 4

Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured over 400 cold cases and unsolved mysteries on the podcast. A number of these cases have wound up either being solved or having major developments, so things have reached the point where we have been able to release four special “update” episodes over the past four years. On this particular episode, we’ll be discussing the surprising updates in such cases as the 1930 abduction of two-year old Mary Agnes Moroney, the 1987 murder of six-year old Jeremy Stoner, and how the investigation into the 1945 disappearance of Mary Jane Vangilder wound up leading to the unexpected identification of another decedent. These are just some of the cases we’ll be discussing in our fourth special “update” episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
Here are the links to our three previous “update” episodes: 
https://www.trailwentcold.com/2020/01/01/the-trail-went-cold-episode-155-update/
https://www.trailwentcold.com/2021/12/29/the-trail-went-cold-episode-257-update-part-2/
https://www.trailwentcold.com/2023/01/04/the-trail-went-cold-episode-310-update-part-3/
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting 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 358 - Amber Crum

December 26, 1983. Dallas, Texas. Two-year old Amber Crum is reported missing after James Britt Monroe, the live-in boyfriend of Amber’s mother, Stephanie Hughes, informs police that Amber was abducted from his parked pick-up truck while he was inside a grocery store. Weeks later, Britt is arrested on suspicion of murder after Stephanie implicates him in Amber’s death. However, when Stephanie testifies during a preliminary hearing, she recants her original story, so Britt is released from custody and a grand jury declines to indict him due to lack of evidence. In 2007, a convicted child murderer named David Elliott Penton is looked at as a person of interest in Amber’s disappearance, but there is no evidence to implicate him. Was Amber actually the victim of a stranger abduction? Or was someone close to her responsible for her disappearance? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a controversial missing children’s case which has gone without answers for 40 years. Special thanks to listener Jana Goetz for narrating the opening of this episode.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Dallas Police Department at (214) 670-4426.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/amber-nicole-crum
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Amber_Crum
https://rcccmcc.com/2019/08/11/25-txf-amber-nicole-crum/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/612293968/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/635481365/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/636825769/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/362885757/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/635327431/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/636618595/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/635327584/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/636621155/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/638092936/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/638543496/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/590301319/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/589235846/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/591052589/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Elliott_Penton
“True Crime Web” Youtube Channel
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting 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 357 - Paul Logan and Tracey Mertens

December 23, 1993. Consett, England. 25-year old delivery driver Paul Logan brings a food order from a Chinese takeaway restaurant to a remote farm, but when he arrives, the property’s owners inform him that they never placed the order. When Paul attempts to leave, he is ambushed at the farm’s gate and bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument. It becomes apparent that the takeaway order was a set-up to lure Paul to his death and that multiple people were involved. But even though rumours circulate that Paul was murdered by someone with a personal grudge against him, no one is ever charged with the crime.
December 23, 1994. Eaton, England. 31-year old Tracey Mertens is discovered on the steps of a local church with burns on 95 % of her body, so she is rushed to the hospital and passes away twelve hours later. Before her death, Tracey tells police that she was abducted from her former residence in Birmingham by two black men, who drove her to Eaton and set her on fire after pouring a can of petrol over her body. Suspicion mounts that Tracey was targeted because her spouse owed a drug debt to some dangerous people, but he denies any knowledge of what happened and Tracey’s killers are never identified.
On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we travel to the United Kingdom to cover a pair of unsolved murders which took place right before Christmas one year apart from each other.
Additional Reading:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-46658799
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/paul-logan-murder-twists-turns-22193511
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/paul-logan-murder-gossip-rumours-22195055
https://www.newspapers.com/image/802956098/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/906459675/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/804904234/
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/tracey-mertens-unsolved-christmas-murder-22500104
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/tracey-mertens-murder-anniversary-rochdale-17448505
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50890878
https://www.newspapers.com/image/857381180/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/916300456/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/918042546/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/848432231/
“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 UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting their website.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.