The Trail Went Cold

Latest Episodes:

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 252 - The Jamison Family Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

October 8, 2009. Latimer County, Oklahoma. 44-year old Bobby Jamison, his 40-year old wife, Sherilynn Jamison, and their six-year old daughter, Madyson Jamison, leave their home to go look at a plot of land in a remote mountainous area, but never return. Eight days later, their abandoned pick-up truck is discovered on a dirt road located thirty miles from their residence, but even though the family’s dog and many of their personal items are locked inside the truck and a bag containing $32,000 is hidden under the driver’s seat, the Jamisons are missing. In November 2013, the skeletal remains of Bobby, Sherilynn and Madyson are discovered in a wooded area less than three miles from where their truck had been parked, but since the authorities are unable to determine an exact cause of death, no one knows what actually happened to them. Were the Jamisons killed by an outside party? Could have they have orchestrated a murder-suicide? Did they simply wander off and succumb to the elements? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a truly baffling case involving the disappearance and death of a family which has yet to find a conclusive resolution. Special thanks to listener Jenny Kapur for narrating the opening of this episode.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office at (918) 465-2161.

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Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamison_family_deaths

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/jamison-family-mystery

https://oklahoman.com/article/3909260/jamison-family-was-threatened-by-relative-before-vanishing-records-show

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/found-remains-could-belong-to-missing-oklahoma-family/article_b1c70d73-fac2-5bb0-a61c-979e7acdf58f.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/skeletal-remains-found-by-hunters-in-okla-could-belong-to-jamison-family-missing-since-2009/

https://okcfox.com/archive/missing-family-mystery-expands-thanks-to-video-and-anonymous-tipster

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/medical-examiner-identifies-remains-found-near-kinta-as-jamison-family/article_ca25e42d-69b5-5d66-a6f7-4bb7f5ca4551.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20130921095012/http://charleyproject.org/cases/j/jamison_bobby.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20130921090902/http://charleyproject.org/cases/j/jamison_sherilynn.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20130921075818/http://charleyproject.org/cases/j/jamison_madyson.html

https://guardianlv.com/2013/11/missing-oklahoma-family-demons-and-drugs/

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/mother-believes-religious-cult-is-responsible-for-familys-disappearance-in-latimer-county/article_b13f7c0e-51f3-11e3-af14-0019bb30f31a.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 now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl 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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 251 - Sandra Kay Baker Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

May 25, 2000. Mercer County, Pennsylvania. After last being seen at a convenience store, 46-year old Sandra Kay Baker supposedly phones her fiancée, Billy Crea Jr., to say that she is in danger and cannot return home, but she is never heard from again. Five years later, Billy is named as a suspect in Sandy’s disappearance after a private detective he had once hired named Clifford Aley is charged with lying to law enforcement. Aley reveals that he heard Billy confess to Sandy’s murder, but there are a number of credibility issues with his story, so without a body or any other corroborating evidence, no charges are ever filed against Billy. Was Sandra Kay Baker murdered by her spouse? If so, did Clifford Aley have direct involvement in the crime? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a controversial missing persons case which has yet to reach a conclusive resolution after two decades.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (724) 662-4200.

Listen and follow along to Toxic: The Britney Spears Story on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Pandora or wherever you find your podcasts.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/sandra-kay-baker

“Who Killed? Pittsburgh, Pa” by Jack Swint

https://www.post-gazette.com/uncategorized/2008/02/09/Missing-woman-declared-dead-after-7-years/stories/200802090129

http://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/children-seek-ruling-of-sandra-baker-s-death/article_4dbdde34-1c0a-5a89-a089-cfc6ad40cd8b.html

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/suspected-killer-is-dead/article_d3f95f57-e47d-544e-bcc4-9f494dfaa540.html

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/private-eye-aley-waives-hearing-on-threat-charges/article_34aace7f-57b5-538b-ac43-9e6bb411a0ba.html

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/update-aley-pleads-guilty-to-federal-gun-charges/article_9e6f2176-2ef1-5659-9499-413cbcea8d9d.html

https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/judge-finds-new-castle-private-investigator-guilty-of-lying-to-cops/article_196c7429-85f1-51bc-a8f1-425241d0f5a7.html

https://www.newspapers.com/image/96571682/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/96571696/

“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 250 - Moses Lall & Lila Buerattan Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

June 15, 1994. Loxahatchee, Florida. 31-year old Moses Lall and his 36-year old aunt, Lila Buerattan, are discovered to be missing from their ranch, where they run a business breeding and selling exotic birds. They were last heard from eleven days earlier and one of their employees, Daljeet “Hari” Gobin, had reportedly shared a story about seeing them get abducted at gunpoint by two men. Investigators soon learn that Gobin was picked up by police in Georgia while driving Moses’ van and using his driver’s licence, but he jumps bail and disappears before he can be questioned and is never tracked down. Did Hari Gobin actually witness Moses and Lila get kidnapped or was he personally responsible for their disappearances? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an unsolved cold case involving three missing people – two victims and one person of interest – who have not been heard from in three decades.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department at (561) 688-3000.

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Additional Reading:

http://charleyproject.org/case/bhagwaniala-lall

http://charleyproject.org/case/lilawattie-buerattan

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Moses_Lall_and_Lila_Buerattan

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-06-23-9406230087-story.html

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-07-14-9407140043-story.html

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-07-20-9407200102-story.html

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-07-21-9407210019-story.html

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-08-10-9408100015-story.html

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1995-05-21-9505240230-story.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.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 249 - Sarah Saganitso Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

June 12, 1987. Flagstaff, Arizona. After finishing her shift at the Flagstaff Medical Center, 40-year old Navajo woman Sarah Saganitso never returns home and her nude body is found in a nearby wooded area the following day. Her exact cause of death is asphyxiation via suffocation and there appear to be bite marks around her left breast. Nearly two months later, a suspect named George Abney is charged with the murder after making a confession, but he maintains that it was coerced. At trial, Abney’s defence team alleges that the crime is a ritualistic killing linked to witchcraft which may have been committed by a Navajo “skin-walker” and the jury ends up finding Abney “not guilty”. Was George Abney actually responsible for the murder of Sarah Saganitso? Or was the real killer a practitioner of Navajo witchcraft? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a bizarre case which may be the only documented murder trial in which the crime was blamed on a “skin-walker”.

Additional Reading:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/516638192/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515977717/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/516635285/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515953068/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515965652/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/121259318/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/121255817/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/121776105/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/121264554/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515964099/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515966377/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/516636809/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515942316/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/515950740/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/121028439/

Download Best Fiends FREE today on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

“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 248 - Susan Walsh Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

July 16, 1996. Nutley, New Jersey. 36-year old Susan Walsh leaves her son in the care of her estranged husband and says she needs to step out to make some phone calls, but she never returns to her apartment and is not heard from again. At the time, Susan had been working as a freelance journalist and an exotic dancer, but was also struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. The investigation into Susan’s disappearance explores a number of different angles – including Russian mobsters, underground vampire clubs, and an obsessive stalker – and even looks into the possibility that she ran away voluntarily, but there are no conclusive answers. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover a perplexing missing persons case which has remained unsolved for the past 25 years.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Nutley Police Department at (973) 284-4940.

Join us on Saturday, October 23 at 8:00pm ET for an online streaming marathon where we will be watching classic Halloween-themed segments from “Unsolved Mysteries”. You can enter our screening room by clicking on this link.

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Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Walsh_(missing_person)

http://unsolved.com/gallery/susan-walsh

https://charleyproject.org/case/susan-walsh

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/07/grace.coldcase.walsh/index.html

https://nypost.com/2006/07/16/96-stripper-vanish-clue/

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/missing-presumed-undead-1361187.html

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/55/transcript

https://www.newspapers.com/image/499180925/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/504730820/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/504730887/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/697534130/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/697534106

“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 247 - Charles Walton Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

February 14, 1945. Lower Quinton, England. 74-year old farm labourer Charles Walton leaves his home in order to spending the day slashing hedges on the slopes of Meon Hill. Later that evening, Charles’ body is discovered next to the hedgerow and he has been beaten with his walking stick, had his throat slashed with a billhook, and been stabbed with a pitchfork. While the original investigation turns up a potential suspect, there is not enough evidence to implicate him, but as the years go on, Charles’ death becomes surrounded with stories involving witchcraft and the occult. Was Charles Walton’s murder some sort of ritualistic killing? If not, what could the actual motive have been? On this month’s first Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an infamous unsolved cold case from the United Kingdom which has been clouded by sensationalistic urban legends.

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Follow “Over My Dead Body” on Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listening right now to hear “Season 3: Fox Lake”. Or you can listen early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in the Wondery App.

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Walton_(murder_victim)

“The Case That Foiled Fabian: Murder and Witchcraft in Rural England” by Simon Read

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8662635.stm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/weird-warwickshire/1945-witchcraft-murder.shtml

https://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/articles/2006/06/26/weird_witchcraft_murder_feature.shtml

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/gory-valentines-day-murder-remains-12600398

http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/charles.htm

“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 246 - Yasmin Acree Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

January 15, 2008. Chicago, Illinois. 15-year old Yasmin Acree is seen going to bed in the basement of her residence, but she is discovered to be missing the following day and there are signs of a break-in on the exterior basement door. Over one year later, Jimmie Terrell Smith, who had previously lived in the upstairs apartment at Yasmin’s residence, is charged with a series of sex crimes and mentions of Smith’s name are found in Yasmin’s diary. Even though Smith claims to have knowledge of what happened to Yasmin, this information is never substantiated and no conclusive evidence links him to the disappearance. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we chronicle the sad story of a teenage girl who endured an abusive childhood before she vanished without explanation.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Chicago Police Department at (312) 746-8365.

Thanks, Shudder. To try Shudder free for 30 days, go to shudder.com and use code the promo code “COLD“.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/yasmin-rayon-acree

https://abc7chicago.com/yasmin-acree-missing-disapperance-teen/5853809/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-park/ct-xpm-2014-02-25-ct-yasmin-acree-mother-death-met-0227-20140226-story.html

https://www.newspapers.com/image/234539188/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/232575738/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/232589349/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/233010367/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/233010579

https://www.newspapers.com/image/233010509

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160316/englewood/man-pleads-guilty-violently-raping-young-girls-after-years-of-delays/

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170926/englewood/jimmie-smith-serial-rapist-sentencing-kidnapping-abduction-2009

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2019/10/24/20931275/convicted-rapist-jimmie-smith-guilty-murder-hire-plot-linn-papa-judge-prosecutor

“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 245 - Crystal Champagne Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

July 19, 1996. Westwego, Louisiana. After leaving her apartment to walk to a supermarket, 14-year old Crystal Champagne fails to return and is found strangled to death in a wooded area the following evening. When Crystal’s 22-year old step-cousin, Damon Thibodeaux, is interrogated by police, he confesses to her murder and is subsequently convicted and sentenced to death. However, Damon maintains that his confession was coerced and none of the physical evidence from the crime matches him, so after 16 years of incarceration, Damon’s conviction is vacated and he is released from death row. But who was actually responsible for the death of Crystal Champagne? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic story of an horrific murder which led to a wrongful conviction. Special thanks to listener Anne King for narrating the opening of this episode.

Additional Reading:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/damon-thibodeaux-last-chance/

https://innocenceproject.org/cases/damon-thibodeaux/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/la-supreme-court/1325303.html

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4004

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/07/dna-testing-frees-man-death-row

https://www.startribune.com/life-after-death-row-damon-thibodeaux-s-resurrection/318969021/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/louisiana-death-row-inmate-damon-thibodeaux-is-exonerated-with-dna-evidence/2012/09/28/26e30012-0997-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html

https://www.startribune.com/damon-thibodeaux-escaped-death-row-for-a-crime-he-didn-t-commit-but-died-of-covid-19/600096179/

Download Best Fiends FREE today on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

“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 244 - Richard Lancelyn Green Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

March 27, 2004. London, England. 50-year old Richard Lancelyn Green, considered to be the world’s foremost scholar on Sherlock Holmes, is discovered dead on top of his bed inside his flat. His cause of death is determined to be asphyxiation, as he was garrotted with a shoelace which was tightened around his neck with a wooden spoon. Prior to his death, Lancelyn Green told people his life was in danger over a dispute involving a collection of rare documents from author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but since there is no definitive evidence pointing towards homicide or suicide, the coroner returns an open verdict on his death. Was Richard Lancelyn Green the victim of foul play or did he intentionally stage a very unusual and elaborate suicide? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the unexplained death of a Sherlock Holmes expert which resembles a scene from a fictional murder mystery.

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lancelyn_Green

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/12/13/mysterious-circumstances

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/may/23/books.booksnews

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1478814/Case-of-the-Sherlock-Holmes-fanatic-who-killed-himself-but-made-it-look-like-murder.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3653645.stm

https://www.smh.com.au/world/hint-of-murder-in-suicide-of-expert-on-conan-doyle-20041213-gdkays.html

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%60Perfect+mystery%27+of+writer%27s+death+plot%3B+Claim+on+Sherlock+Holmes…-a0126061909

Be sure to check out our promo for the serialized true crime podcast, “Tapes from the Darkside”. Each season, they take one case and investigate in-depth using primary audio from 911 calls, police interrogations and interviews, court proceedings, and any other relevant source they can find.

“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 243 - Jamie Santos & Rebecca Young Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

October 28, 1991. Wheeling, Illinois. A 911 dispatcher receives an anonymous call from a payphone by a man asking for medical attention for a woman. When paramedics arrive at the address the caller provides, they discover the unconscious body of 27-year old exotic dancer Jamie Santos on her bedroom floor and it turns out she has been suffocated with a pillow. There is ambiguity about whether the caller was Jamie’s killer or an innocent bystander who found her body, but he cannot be identified and Jamie’s murder is never solved.

May 1, 1991. Palm Beach County, Florida. The Miami Police Department receives a 911 call from a Spanish-speaking man calling himself “Antonio”, who claims he had witnessed the brutal murder of an African-American woman in a remote sugar can field one week earlier. When police check out the location Antonio described, they find the decomposed body of 26-year old Rebecca Young, who was fatally attacked with a machete. Even though investigators eventually turn up a promising suspect, they lack the evidence to make an arrest and the mysterious “Antonio” is never tracked down.

On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two separate unsolved murders which were reported by anonymous 911 callers.

If you have any information about the murder of Jamie Santos, please contact the Wheeling Police Department at (847) 459-2632. If you have any information about the murder of Rebecca Young, please contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at (561) 688-3000.

Thanks to Manly Bands. Get 21% off your Manly Band for a limited time and get a free silicone ring at manlybands.com/cold.

Thanks to ReadySlim. For a limited time, save 25% on your first 28 Day Detox Tea Kit order plus a free collapsible water bottle, at readyslim.com/COLD.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolved.com/gallery/jamie-santos/

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jamie_Santos

https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8409252/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-11-01-9104080336-story.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-05-15-9202130130-story.html

https://unsolved.com/gallery/rebecca-young/

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Rebecca_Young

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1991-05-06-9102250177-story.html

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1992-11-11-9202280959-story.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.