The Path Went Chilly

Latest Episodes:

Jean Spangler Pt. One Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

October 7, 1949. Los Angeles, California. 26-year old actress Jean Spangler leaves her home and asks her sister-in-law to watch over her daughter. Jean says she is planning to meet with her ex-husband and spend the night working on a film shoot, but she soon vanishes without a trace. Two days later, Jean’s purse is discovered in Griffith Park, containing a cryptic note addressed to someone named “Kirk”. Since Jean had recently worked on a film starring actor Kirk Douglas, there is speculation that the note might be addressed to him, but he denies any knowledge of what happened. There are numerous theories surrounding Jean’s disappearance, including speculation about a botched abortion, rumours about her becoming involved with organized crime figures, and even a potential connection to the “Black Dahlia” murder. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we shall cover an unsolved missing persons case which has remained one of Hollywood’s most baffling mysteries.
Support the Show:
Patreon.com/julesandashley
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Spangler
http://charleyproject.org/case/jean-elizabeth-spangler
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-20-me-then20-story.html
https://www.palmspringslife.com/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-jean-spangler/
https://welkerlots.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/the-jean-spangler-premonition/“Hard Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles” by Jon Lewis “Black Dahlia Avenger: The True Story” by Steve Hodel

Misty Murray Pt. Two Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

May 31, 1995. Goderich, Ontario. After leaving her school, 16-year old Mistie Murray fails to return home and is subsequently reported missing. Even though there are several eyewitness sightings placing Mistie at numerous locations in the weeks following her disappearance, police focus their attention on her adoptive father, Steve Murray. Over three months later, Steve is arrested for Mistie’s murder after he is accused using his boat to dump her body in Lake Huron. However, since there is virtually no evidence against Steve, he winds up being acquitted when he goes on trial. Did Steve suffer the dubious distinction of being prosecuted for a nonexistent murder? If Mistie was not a victim of foul play and ran away of her own accord, what ultimately happened to her? On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore one of the most bizarre and controversial missing persons cases in Canadian history.If you have any information about this case, please contact ChildFind at 1-800-387-7962.
Support the Show:
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold
Patreon.com/julesandashley
Additional Reading:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1221dfon.html
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/lfp-archives-the-enduring-mistie-murray-mystery
https://everything2.com/title/Mistie+Murray https://www.newspapers.com/image/514104024/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/505921065/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/504440201/
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/dad-once-accused-in-teen-daughter-mistie-murrays-vanishing-dies-at-68
http://www.fact.on.ca/news/news0006/np000606.htm “Damaged Angels” by Bonnie Buxton
https://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=115&entryid=56bc805a8f94ac2b21c4fe0e

Misty Murray Pt. One Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

Patrick Mullins Pt. Two Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

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? Today on 'The Path Went Chilly', 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).
Support the show:
Patreon.com/julesandashley
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold
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

Patrick Mullins Pt. One Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Cherita Thomas Pt. Two Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

August 3, 1980. AuSable Township, Michigan. 20-year old Cherita Thomas borrows her friend’s car in order to pick up her daughter from a babysitter, but the vehicle breaks down before she arrives. Witnesses see Cherita climbing into a blue pick-up truck driven by a white male, but she is never heard from again. Jimmie Allen Nelson, the babysitter’s brother-in-law, is suspected of harming Cherita in a racially motivated hate crime, and even though Cherita’s body is not found, Nelson is charged and convicted of her murder three decades later. However, Nelson’s conviction is overturned when newly discovered evidence surfaces which reportedly implicates another suspect, so the murder charge against him is dismissed in 2014. Was Jimmie Allen Nelson actually responsible for Cherita Thomas’ disappearance? If not, then what actually happened to her? This week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly” chronicles a convoluted missing persons case which has had a number of surprising twists and turns over the past 40 years.
Support the Show:
Patreon.com/julesandashley
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/cherita-janice-thomas
http://www.iosconews.com/news/article_165d5202-3706-5394-8298-92de7a5a7925.html
https://www.macombdaily.com/news/nation-world-news/michigan-court-strikes-murder-conviction-in-case/article_d03714a2-e37b-5665-8ca4-00f7e736789c.html
https://abc7news.com/archive/7771114/
http://www.michbar.org/file/opinions/appeals/2012/082312/52533.pdf http://www.michbar.org/file/opinions/appeals/2014/022514/56526.pdf
https://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2008/20081223-c271768-41-271768-opn.html
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4394 “True Police Stories of the Strange & Unexplained” by Ingrid P. Dean

Cherita Thomas Pt. One Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Kay Hall Pt. Two Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

September 30, 1987. Northumberland County, Virginia. The body of 45-year old Kay Hall is discovered on a back road underneath her pick-up truck. She has been run over and her husband, Bob Hall, immediately becomes the prime suspect. Even though Bob stood to collect on an inheritance Kay had just received and there are issues with his alibi, there is some question about whether he would have been able to track down Kay and commit the crime during a very narrow timeframe. Years later, Bob is charged and convicted of Kay’s murder, but has his conviction overturned and after agreeing to enter an Alford plea, he is released from prison. Was Bob Hall really responsible for the murder of his wife, or was she simply the victim of a tragic accident? These episodes chronicle an “Unsolved Mysteries” segment in which there is debate about the ultimate resolution.
support the show:
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold
Patreon.com/julesandashley

Kay Hall Pt. One Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

September 30, 1987. Northumberland County, Virginia. The body of 45-year old Kay Hall is discovered on a back road underneath her pick-up truck. She has been run over and her husband, Bob Hall, immediately becomes the prime suspect. Even though Bob stood to collect on an inheritance Kay had just received and there are issues with his alibi, there is some question about whether he would have been able to track down Kay and commit the crime during a very narrow timeframe. Years later, Bob is charged and convicted of Kay’s murder, but has his conviction overturned and after agreeing to enter an Alford plea, he is released from prison. Was Bob Hall really responsible for the murder of his wife, or was she simply the victim of a tragic accident? These episodes chronicle an “Unsolved Mysteries” segment in which there is debate about the ultimate resolution.
Support the show:
Patreon.com/julesandashley
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Bob Harrod Pt. Two Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

July 27, 2009. Placentia, California. 81-year old Bob Harrod is discovered to be missing from his home and he has left his car and his eyeglasses behind. One month earlier, Bob had gotten married to Fontelle Heeter, a former spouse whom he had not seen in six decades, and she was scheduled to move in with him two days after he disappeared. Since Bob has a substantial net worth, the division of his estate causes a lot of friction between Fontelle and Bob’s daughters. There is speculation that Bob’s financial situation played a role in his disappearance, but he is never found and there is no physical evidence to indicate what happened to him. On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore the tragic case of Bob Harrod, whose life suddenly transitioned from a heartwarming love story to a baffling unsolved mystery.If you have any information about this case, please contact the Placentia Police Department at (714) 993-8164.
Support the show:
Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold
Patreon.com/julesandashley
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/robert-merle-harrod
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-feb-02-la-me-disappeared3-2010feb03-story.html
https://abc7ny.com/archive/6939639/https://people.com/crime/elderly-man-disappeared-after-marrying-high-school-sweetheart-went-missing/
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/07/30/after-4-year-search-missing-placentia-mans-wife-suspects-foul-play/
https://www.orangecoast.com/features/vanished-orange-countys-infamous-cold-cases-bob-harrod/
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/50k-reward-offered-in-2009-killing-of-placentia-man-who-vanished-after-marrying-high-school-sweetheart/
https://www.ocregister.com/two-persons-of-interest-in-2009-disappearance-of-placentia-millionaire-arrested-later-released
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/orange-county/news/2019/06/04/two-persons-of-interest-in-2009-disappearance-of-millionaire-released
https://disappearedblog.com/robert-harrod/

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected