The Trail Went Cold

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 345 - Gary McCullough and Lena Chapin

May 11, 1999. Barry County, Missouri. 34-year old Gary McCullough vanishes from his farm and his abandoned pick-up truck is found on a rural road five days later. Suspicion is directed towards Gary’s wife, Sandy, who was having an affair with another man named Kristopher Klemp and the couple immediately move in together before they get married. In 2006, Sandy’s 20-year old daughter, Lena Chapin, disappears and is not officially reported missing for years. Since Lena had previously made a tape-recorded confession that Sandy killed Gary and she helped her mother dispose of his body and cover up the crime, investigators believe that Sandy may have also gotten rid of Lena, but since no trace of Lena or Gary can be found, no charges are ever filed. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover the shocking story of two unsolved missing persons cases which took place nearly seven years apart from each other and are likely connected.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Gary McCullough, please contact the Barry County Sheriff’s Office at (417) 847-3121. If you have any information on the disappearance of Lena Chapin, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at (573) 729-3241.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Lena_Chapin
https://unsolved.com/gallery/missing-witness/
http://charleyproject.org/case/liehnia-may-chapin
https://charleyproject.org/case/gary-g-mccullough
https://www.newspapers.com/image/662732108/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/662732205/
https://www.thesalemnewsonline.com/news/local_news/article_0a03aaf2-d453-11e5-8f33-331b77b7d700.html
https://www.thesalemnewsonline.com/news/article_5c50244a-da37-11e5-9200-33fc9d2ba192.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20211021151348/https://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/2329323.html
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/true-crime/unsolved-mysteries-lena-chapin-what-happened/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 344 - Jim Rice and Mark Groezinger

July 20, 1986. Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 66-year old Jim Rice phones his daughter to let her know that he will be traveling to California to undergo shoulder surgery the following week, but he never arrives and no one ever hears from him again. Jim’s common-law wife, Astarte Davis-Rice, initially claims that he took off to Australia with another woman, but evidence soon emerges that Astarte has committed fraud to seize control of Jim’s estate. Astarte eventually winds up serving prison time for these offenses, but while the authorities suspect that she killed Jim and disposed of his body, there is not enough evidence to file murder charges and no trace of him is ever found.
April 7, 1984. Golden, Colorado. The body of 29-year old Mark Groezinger is found inside his parked car on Lookout Mountain and he has been shot several times with a .38-caliber weapon. Mark’s wife, Judy Groezinger, comes under suspicion once investigators discover that she purchased a .38 in the days prior to the murder and stands to benefit from a substantial life insurance policy on her husband. Even though there are a number of discrepancies in Judy’s story and circumstantial evidence pointing to the involvement of multiple conspirators in a murder-for-hire plot, no one is ever charged with killing Mark.
On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two cold cases featured on “Unsolved Mysteries” in which a male victim was suspected of being murdered by his spouse.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jim_Rice
https://www.newspapers.com/image/271995772/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/268114772/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/895925589/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/736959308/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/738811599/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/311363305/
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/43/41/552777/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/457368620/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/575843469/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-05-me-woman5-story.html
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-canb-4_06-ap-04113/pdf/USCOURTS-canb-4_06-ap-04113-0.pdf
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Mark_Groezinger
https://unsolved.com/gallery/mark-groezinger/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 343 - The Austin Yogurt Shop Murders (Part 2)

December 6, 1991. Austin, Texas. After responding to a fire at a local yogurt shop, the authorities discover the burned nude bodies of four victims who have all been shot in the head: 17-year old employees Eliza Thomas and Jennifer Harbison; Jennifer’s 15-year old sister, Sarah Harbison; and Sarah’s 13-year old friend, Amy Ayers. Nearly eight years later, investigators arrest four suspects for the murders and while the charges against two of them are eventually dropped, the other two – Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott – had confessed to the crime, so they wind up being convicted at their respective trials. However, both men’s convictions are overturned due to civil rights violations and forensic testing reveals the presence of DNA on the victims which does not match any of the alleged perpetrators. In 2009, the charges against the two defendants are dismissed and they are released from prison, but there are no conclusive answers about who actually committed the crime. Last week, in Part One of our series on the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders, 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.
If have any information about this case, please contact the Austin Police Department at (512) 472-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Austin_yogurt_shop_killings
“Who Killed These Girls? The Unsolved Murders That Rocked a Texas Town” by Beverly Lowry
“Murdered Innocents” by Corey Mitchell
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/innocence-lost-the-yogurt-shop-murders-09-01-2010/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yogurt-shop-murders-are-two-never-identified-customers-key-to-solving-austin-texas-case/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-yogurt-shop-murders-austin-texas-families-investigators-haunted-by-unsolved-case/
https://www.statesman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/11/30/yogurt-shop-murders-austin-cold-case-photos/8798254002/
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3622
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3658
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 342 - The Austin Yogurt Shop Murders (Part 1)

December 6, 1991. Austin, Texas. After responding to a fire at a local yogurt shop, the authorities discover the burned nude bodies of four victims who have all been shot in the head: 17-year old employees Eliza Thomas and Jennifer Harbison; Jennifer’s 15-year old sister, Sarah Harbison; and Sarah’s 13-year old friend, Amy Ayers. Nearly eight years later, investigators arrest four suspects for the murders and while the charges against two of them are eventually dropped, the other two – Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott – had confessed to the crime, so they wind up being convicted at their respective trials. However, both men’s convictions are overturned due to civil rights violations and forensic testing reveals the presence of DNA on the victims which does not match any of the alleged perpetrators. In 2009, the charges against the two defendants are dismissed and they are released from prison, but there are no conclusive answers about who actually committed the crime. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” will be releasing the first part of a special two-part episode about one of our most highly requested cases: the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders. Special thanks to listener Melissa Lovell for narrating the opening of this episode.
If have any information about this case, please contact the Austin Police Department at (512) 472-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Austin_yogurt_shop_killings
“Who Killed These Girls? The Unsolved Murders That Rocked a Texas Town” by Beverly Lowry
“Murdered Innocents” by Corey Mitchell
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/innocence-lost-the-yogurt-shop-murders-09-01-2010/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yogurt-shop-murders-are-two-never-identified-customers-key-to-solving-austin-texas-case/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-yogurt-shop-murders-austin-texas-families-investigators-haunted-by-unsolved-case/
https://www.statesman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/11/30/yogurt-shop-murders-austin-cold-case-photos/8798254002/
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3622
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3658
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is brought to you by HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/50wentcold and use code “50wentcold” for 50% off plus free shipping.
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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 341 - Carol Ann Cole

January 28, 1981. Bossier Parish, Louisiana. The decomposed body of a young woman is discovered in the woods next to a remote logging road. The victim has been stabbed nine times, but since she cannot be identified, she becomes known as “Bossier Doe”. 34 years later, Bossier Doe is finally identified as 17-year old Carol Ann Cole, a Michigan resident who had run away from Texas a few months before she was killed. Suspicion turns towards John Chesson, the man who reported the discovery of Carol Ann’s body to the police, as his daughter was certain that Carol Ann had stayed at their family’s residence prior to her death and Chesson would go to prison for murdering another person several years later. Did John Chesson kill Carol Ann Cole or was someone else responsible? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore another tragic story about a Jane Doe who remained unidentified for three decades, but her murder is still unsolved.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Bossier Parrish Sheriff’s Office at (318) 965-2203.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Carol_Cole
https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/bossier-doe-cold-case-murder-victim-identified-as-17-year-old-carol-ann-cole/article_f02bad87-9d2b-59c1-8b48-538e315d6537.html
http://www.ktbs.com/story/28637008/louisiana-woman-says-her-father-killed-bossier-doe-carol-ann-cole
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2015/02/detectives_turn_to_new_bethany.html
http://www.ktbs.com/story/28556845/investigators-had-bossier-does-name-when-investigation-began-in-1981
https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/homicide-detectives-refocus-on-the-man-who-found-body-of-bossier-doe-34-years-ago/article_6a060611-17d5-5f8a-bcfb-3638a447bbd0.html
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/03/louisiana_police_credit_facebo.html
https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2015/04/hold_family_of_carol_ann_cole.html
https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2017/11/03/many-questions-surround-cold-case-bossier-murder/821180001/
https://truecrimedaily.com/2015/11/30/murder-victim-identified-34-years-later-killer-remains-at-large/
https://web.archive.org/web/20150630222118/http://interactives.woodtv.com/photomojo/gallery/20176/361786/bossier-doe-laid-to-rest-/bossier-doe-laid-to-rest/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/517415417/
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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 340 - The Lost Boys of Hannibal

May 10, 1967. Hannibal, Missouri. 13-year old Joey Hoag, his 11-year old brother Billy Hoag, and their 14-year old friend Craig Dowell leave their homes to explore some caves, but never return. Even though a massive search effort is conducted of all the caves in the area, they fail to turn up any trace of the boys or evidence of what happened to them. Over the years, there is speculation that a construction project caused Joey, Billy and Craig to become trapped in a cave or that they may have been abducted and murdered by an unknown third party, but there is no conclusive evidence to support any scenario. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic unsolved disappearance of three children who have become known as “The Lost Boys of Hannibal”.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Hannibal Police Department at (573) 221-0987.
Additional Reading:
“The Lost Boys Hannibal: Inside America’s Largest Cave Search” by John Wingate
https://charleyproject.org/case/joel-hoag
https://charleyproject.org/case/william-hoag
https://charleyproject.org/case/edwin-craig-dowell
https://www.hannibal.net/archive/article/45-years-missing/article_5162c8af-6be6-5bb1-87ca-1d70fb968204.html
https://www.hannibal.net/archive/article/new-book-suggests-serial-killers-involvement-in-missing-boys-case/article_d172b27c-4f97-5011-981a-933565939cac.html
https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/after-45-years-mystery-surrounding-missing-boys-remains/article_9989615f-21c9-53b0-8a32-e296941d7bf3.html
https://fox2now.com/news/true-crime/where-are-hannibals-lost-boys-a-cave-and-55-years-of-questions/
https://www.hannibal.net/lost-boys-of-hannibal-podcast-spurs-new-discoveries/article_13a79550-b8d7-11eb-9f10-3b6f2e91ceb3.html
https://khqa.com/news/local/new-leads-in-search-for-lost-boys-of-hannibal
https://www.komu.com/news/the-story-of-three-boys-lost-in-hannibal-cave-remains-a-mystery/article_c038b2f8-7de6-591f-8357-d8ce76f5ddc8.html
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2021-05-19/a-half-century-since-they-disappeared-the-lost-boys-of-hannibal-still-prompt-questions
“Lost Boys of Hannibal” Podcast
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is brought to you by HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/50wentcold and use code “50wentcold” for 50% off plus free shipping.
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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 339 - Charles Horvath

May 26, 1989. Kelowna, British Columbia. While taking a lengthy backpacking trip through Canada, 20-year old British national Charles Horvath cashes a cheque at a bank, but soon vanishes without a trace. After not hearing from him for several months, Charles’ mother, Denise Allan, travels to Kelowna to perform a search and learns that Charles was staying at a local campground until he abruptly disappeared and left his personal belongings behind. Over the years, there are a number of leads, including an anonymous note which states that Charles was killed at a party before his body was dumped in a lake, but no evidence is found to indicate what happened to him. Did Charles Horvath become a victim of foul play? If not, what actually caused his disappearance? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover an unsolved missing persons case involving a victim who vanished while travelling through our podcast’s home country of Canada.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Kelowna detachment of the RCMP at (250) 762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Charles_Horvath-Allan
https://unsolved.com/gallery/charles-horvath/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Charles_Horvath
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/mother-spends-40000-pounds-trying-to-trace-son-1556520.html
https://globalnews.ca/news/71198/search-for-missing-son-brings-mother-back-to-kelowna/
http://globalnews.ca/news/1169821/still-no-sign-of-charles-horvath-25-years-later/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/charles-horvath-allan-s-mother-makes-last-effort-in-search-of-answers-for-missing-son-1.3076705
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/u-k-mom-has-new-hope-of-finding-out-what-happened-to-her-son-30-years-after-he-disappeared-in-b-c-1.5705896
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/we-re-still-searching-for-answers-mother-determined-to-solve-30-year-old-case-of-missing-son-1.4846262
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-30-year-search-for-the-u-k-s-most-famous-missing-son
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/incredible-choir-bound-together-heartache-7919460
https://www.kamloopsbcnow.com/watercooler/news/news/Kelowna/GoFundMe_started_in_last_ditch_effort_to_find_Charles_Horvath_who_disappeared_without_a_trace_in_Kelowna_34_years_ago/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/504855528/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/494974095/
https://crimeblogger1983.blogspot.com/2019/04/murdered-in-canada-karoly-charles-john.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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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 338 - Jay Given

May 15, 1981. East Chicago, Indiana. Jay Given, a 51-year old attorney and political operative, attends a political fundraiser at the local Elks Club, but is fatally shot through the back of the head while exiting through the building’s front doors. While a shell casing and a slug are collected from the crime scene and placed in an evidence drawer at the police station, it is later discovered that the items have been tampered with. The investigation turns towards the town’s deputy police chief, John Cardona, who attended the fundraiser, owned a similar firearm to the murder weapon, and had a motive to kill Jay. While a grand jury investigation takes place, the authorities ultimately believe that the evidence against Cardona is not strong enough to file charges. Was John Cardona actually responsible for the murder of Jay Given? Was a cover-up orchestrated to ensure the perpetrator would never be prosecuted? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an unsolved case from a town where corruption and political maneuvering were rampant.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the East Chicago Police Department at (219) 391-8400.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/jay-given/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jay_Given
https://www.newspapers.com/image/308658111/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/106140600/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/309766663/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/388778975/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/311086169/.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/309837677/
https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/son-dreams-of-avenging-murder/article_8928eaea-91b2-5ade-bd43-a8a85b152080.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/305742484/
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3b61f9a5-12d7-5160-a7f5-b9f32d78f6b6.html
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/shot-in-the-back-of-the-head-years-later-given/article_69d3e520-1bec-5c0c-a153-be79ea15817c.html
https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/nwitimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/11/211d7431-998d-5eb0-9a93-3530e69fd973/5d10f295695ee.pdf.pdf
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is brought to you by HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/wentcold16 and use code “wentcold16” for 16 free meals plus free shipping.
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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 337 - Carolyn Eaton

February 14, 1982. Coconino County, Arizona. The decomposing body of a young woman is found in a remote area alongside Interstate 40 and while her exact cause of death cannot be determined, she is believed to be the victim of a homicide. Since all attempts to identify her are unsuccessful, she becomes a Jane Doe and earns the nickname “Valentine Sally”. 39 years later, Valentine Sally is identified as 17-year old Carolyn Eaton, who had run away from her home in Missouri over one month earlier. Shortly before her death, Carolyn was seen at a truck stop with an older man and while he is suspected of being her killer, the man is never identified. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic story of a Jane Doe who got her name back after four decades, but whose murder remains unsolved.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Squad at (928) 226-5033.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Carolyn_Eaton
https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Carolyn_Eaton
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/585ufaz.html
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/flagstaff/dna-match-helps-identify-body-known-as-valentine-sally-found-near-flagstaff-in-1982
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/flagstaff/dna-match-helps-identify-body-known-as-valentine-sally-found-near-flagstaff-in-1982
https://www.12news.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/we-can-finally-put-her-to-rest-valentine-sally-identified-as-st-louis-runaway/75-eacd087c-2d78-41a3-a9eb-ba627af2b466
https://www.newspapers.com/image/321077118/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/632666989/
https://charleyproject.org/case/sharon-baldeagle
https://charleyproject.org/case/charlotte-june-kinsey
“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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 336 - Omar Laparra

May 30, 2009. Miami, Florida. While spending the evening partying at a nightclub, 21-year old Omar Laparra becomes very intoxicated and after leaving the club at closing time, he never returns home. Three days later, Omar’s dismembered remains are found in multiple garbage bags on the shores of Biscayne Bay. Investigators look into a number of different leads, including an individual who used Omar’s stolen cell phone following his disappearance and an eyewitness sighting of Omar’s unconscious body being placed into a vehicle by two unidentified men, but the crime is never solved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the gruesome murder of Omar Lappara, one of our two featured cases in which a dismembered victim was found in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Our second case covers the 1985 murder of 27-year old Nilsa Padilla and subsequent disappearance of her two-year old daughter, Alicia Padilla. Special thanks to listener Maria Chachere for narrating the opening of this week’s episode.
If you have any information about the murder of Omar Lappara, please contact the Miami-Dade & The Florida Keys Crime Stoppers Tipline at (305) 471-TIPS (8477). If you have any information about the disappearance about the current whereabouts of Jorge Walter Nunez, the disappearance of Alicia Padilla or the identity of “Tommy Torso”, please contact the Miami-Dade & Police Department at (305) 471-2400.
Additional Reading:
“The First 48” Episode: Body of Evidence
https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-canadian-porn-actor-linked-unsolved-miami-murder/story?id=16536675
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/miami-police-investigate-magnotta-in-cold-case-1.1145625
https://www.newspapers.com/image/658016675/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/658223081/
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/south-florida-womans-remains-identified-decades-after-she-was-murdered-and-dismembered/1919038/
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-cold-case-murder-solved-with-recovered-memories-6392020?showFullText=true
https://charleyproject.org/case/alicia-guzman-padilla
http://www.doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase2348.html
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3023umfl.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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please 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.