The Trail Went Cold

May 18, 2024. Redding, California. 39-year old Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain texts her sister from a hospital and says she is planning to drive to her mother-in-law’s house, but she soon cuts off all contact with her family and disappears. One week later, Nikki’s abandoned truck is discovered 50 miles away in a remote section of Tehama County, but searches of the area fail to find her. Prior to her disappearance, Nikki had filed domestic violence charges against her estranged husband, Tyler McCain, and they were scheduled to go to trial in the near-future. Even though Tyler and his family display suspicious behavior and provide constantly-changing and conflicting stories about the last time they saw Nikki, there is no direct evidence of foul play and Nikki cannot be found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover a recent missing persons case where the victim’s family is desperately searching for answers.
 If you happen to have any information about this case, please contact the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (530) 245-6135. You can also E-mail them at MCU@shastacounty.gov or submit tips at www.scsecretwitness.com/submit-a-tip
Additional Reading: 
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1092055923/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1093905298/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1100104152/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1102064689/
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/community-unites-in-first-large-scale-search-for-mother-of-four-nikki-saelee-mccain?fbclid=IwY2xjawFid0dleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfaKr6DjCiKnnDNDWD5yB7CMOPaCc1YCzsrxatoU983yM-MDlj3NUB-hfA_aem_O8hCrrMGyWLD8P02bLNauA
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/olinda-fire-started-one-person-individual-cited-by-cal-fire-happy-valley-anderson-shasta-county-identity-law-enforcement?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0PQFG2Rl3S482BojIv5x6TX-w-nGe_x29QmJu0HmN0xQDMMMq91Wig-mw_aem_0K63BDFK36hnyaGZ9ZIOnw
https://anewscafe.com/2024/07/13/redding/new-witness-sheds-light-on-allegations-of-domestic-violence-endured-by-missing-shasta-county-woman-nikki-saelee-mccain/
https://anewscafe.com/2024/08/09/redding/new-information-emerges-in-missing-nikki-saelee-mccain-case-as-law-enforcement-reveals-few-details/
https://nypost.com/2024/08/17/us-news/missing-mom-who-vanished-in-may-had-texted-family-to-say-she-was-leaving-abusive-husband-report/
https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/no-clues-may-disappearance-nikki-cheng-saelee-mccain-domestic-violence-rcna163307
https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/no-clues-may-disappearance-nikki-cheng-saelee-mccain-domestic-violence-rcna163307
https://shastascout.org/tyler-mccains-felony-dv-charges-dismissed-as-search-for-missing-wife-nikki-cheng-saelee-mccain-continues/
“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.

August 22, 1965. South Bend, Indiana. 49-year old Edward Banish is murdered inside his home after being stabbed seven times. Over two months earlier, Edward’s 18-year old son, Scott Banish, had gone missing after an apparent drowning accident in Lake Michigan, but eight days after his father’s murder, Scott is discovered to be alive and admits to having faked his own death. Even though Scott seems to have a solid alibi placing him over 2,500 miles away on the night of the crime, he eventually admits to killing Edward and is arrested and charged with second-degree murder. However, after Scott recants his confession, a grand jury rules that there is insufficient evidence to indict him, so the murder charges are dropped. Was Edward Banish actually stabbed to death by his son? If not, then who was actually responsible and what could their motive have been? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the bizarre story of a missing persons case which eventually evolved into an unsolved murder. Special thanks to listener Holly Dodson for narrating the opening of this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/opinion/2017/10/01/colwell-st-joseph-county-murder-case-remains-a-mystery/45809981/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/516195400/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/516199513/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515531517/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515768233/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515760968/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515761266/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515763176/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515763640/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515733969/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/515384338/
“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.
 

Listen to Murder, She Told: an award-winning true-crime podcast created by victim’s advocate, Kristen Seavey that mostly covers lesser-known unsolved cases. 
This is a preview of the episode about Ludger Belanger on “Murder, She Told”, which was originally published on November 19, 2024. 
Ludger Belanger went missing while hunting in rural Washington, Maine in 1975. Though on the surface, it seemed like he vanished without a trace, tracks in the snow led detectives to a crucial piece of evidence and into a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with two men who might know exactly where to find him 
Listen to the full episodes on Ludger Belanger: 
Apple: https://apple.co/3Oh2eJSSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/LudgerbelangerOther: https://www.murdershetold.com/connectSources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/ludger-belanger 
Quick links to find Murder, She Told: Apple: https://apple.co/42Zmd5XSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/MSTSpotifyAll others and social media: https://www.murdershetold.com/connectLink to Reeves Johnson: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/reeves-johnson-2

January 12, 1994. Albuquerque, New Mexico. After dropping off a friend at a restaurant, 16-year old Jonathan Francia is carjacked and abducted from the parking lot in his mother’s Chevrolet Camaro. Five days later, the burned-out vehicle is discovered in the Arizona desert nearly 300 miles away and Jonathan’s charred remains are inside the trunk. A suspect named Paul Richardson is soon arrested and confesses that he committed the crime alongside an unidentified drifter known only as “Jason”. Paul fatally hangs himself in his jail cell and while his wife, Trena Richardson, is later indicted after admitting to involvement in the murder, the charges wind up being dismissed after her confession is thrown out. Since the mysterious “Jason” is never identified or tracked down, no one is ever convicted of Jonathan’s murder and the truth about what happened remains murky. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a brutal and frustrating crime which has yet to receive a conclusive resolution after three decades.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/jonathan-francia/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jonathan_Francia
https://www.newspapers.com/image/157704267/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/157723443/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/157723595/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/504605131/
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https://www.newspapers.com/image/516316009/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/158405516/
“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.

August 30, 2013. Castaic, California. An overturned abandoned SUV belonging to 19-year old Bryce Laspisa is discovered at the bottom of a steep embankment near Castaic Lake, but even though most of his personal possessions have been left behind, Bryce himself is nowhere to be found. While beginning his sophomore year at Sierra College in Rocklin, Bryce had been displaying erratic behaviour and seemed to be experiencing issues with drugs and alcohol before he made the inexplicable decision to drive hundreds of miles away. During his trip, Bryce seemingly spent long periods of time just sitting inside his parked SUV, but even though he assured his parents he would eventually join them at their home in Laguna Niguel, he vanishes before he arrives. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the unsolved disappearance of Bryce Laspisa, who went missing under very bizarre circumstances.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/bryce-david-laspisa
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/bryce-laspisa-missing-person-castaic-lake/1959070/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/09/05/mystery-over-burning-body-found-where-naperville-central-grad-disappeared-2/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2015/08/28/search-continues-2-years-after-central-grad-vanished-2/
https://scvnews.com/oct-19-20-organized-search-planned-for-missing-teen/
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/one-year-after-bryce-laspisas-disappearance-parents-ask-for-acts-of-kindness/
https://www.kcra.com/article/site-being-searched-for-missing-sierra-college-student-turns-up-body/6407433
https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/bryce-david-laspisa
https://www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news/crime/bryce-laspisa-still-missing-one-decade-after-unexplained-disappearance-480422
https://i.iheart.com/v3/re/new_assets/63054d863f34185e925fcc8d/?passthrough=1
“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.

August 30, 1990. Westerville, Ohio. The mother of 22-year old Tony Lombardi returns home, assuming her son is at work. Forty-five minutes later, she claims that she hears the sound of a door closing followed by footsteps and she soon discovers Tony’s body on his bed. He has been shot through the head and a gun is lying on the floor next to him, but police rule Tony’s death to be a suicide. However, Tony’s family discovers injuries on his body to make them believe he was the victim of foul play and was possibly murdered by another man who was angry that Tony was dating his girlfriend, but his death is never reclassified.
June 30, 1991. Galesburg, Illinois. After not hearing from him for a day-and-a-half, the parents of 23-year old Danny Williams discover his dead body on a couch inside his house. He has been shot through the forehead and since a gun Danny owned is found in his lap, the police believe that his death was a suicide. Danny’s family uncover a number of suspicious discrepancies to make them believe he was murdered, including the possible presence of small traces of blood at the scene which do not match Danny’s blood type. A coroner’s jury officially list Danny’s cause of death as “uncertain”, but no conclusive evidence of foul play can be found.
On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover two suspicious suicide cases featured on “Unsolved Mysteries” involving young men who supposedly died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but their families felt differently.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/tony-lombardi/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Lombardi
https://unsolved.com/gallery/danny-williams/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Danny_Williams
https://www.newspapers.com/image/306495856/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/299581538/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/300115062/
“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.

On December 23rd, 1974, three girls from Fort Worth, Texas vanished: Rachel Trlica, Renee Wilson, and Julie Mosely. After almost 50 years, the case has become steeped in misinformation and sensationalized mythos. In their series on the Fort Worth Missing Trio, Gone Cold attempts to cut through the misconceptions and confusion surrounding Julie, Renee, and Rachel’s disappearances.
This is a preview of Gone Cold’s coverage of the case, and you can find the rest of the story by subscribing to Gone Cold – Texas True Crime wherever you listen to podcasts.
https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast

November 29, 1980. Duncan, British Columbia. 32-year old Granger Taylor drives away from his family’s farm in his pick-up truck, but never returns. Granger had developed an obsession with UFOs and claimed he started communicating with them and he leaves behind a note in which he states that he is going away on a 42-month interstellar voyage on an alien spacecraft. Five-and-half years later, human bones which are believed to belong to Granger and wreckage from his truck are found inside a crater on a nearby mountain. While it’s suspected that Granger travelled there and was killed in an explosion, there are no conclusive answers about what happened. For our final Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be tackling a UFO-themed story about the disappearance and presumed death of Granger Taylor.
Additional Reading:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-man-who-went-to-space-and-disappeared-the-story-of-granger-taylor/
https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/bcs-granger-taylor-left-a-note-saying-he-was-boarding-an-alien-spaceship
https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/episodes/spaceman
https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/mechanic-genius-restores-a-vintage-kittyhawk-plane-in-his-backyard
https://www.timescolonist.com/islander/what-happened-to-granger-taylor-4669648
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Granger_Taylor
https://www.newspapers.com/image/508870222
https://www.newspapers.com/image/508064460/
“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.

December 12, 2014. Beaver County, Pennsylvania. A severed head belonging to an elderly woman is discovered in a rural wooded area about thirty feet from the nearest road, but the rest of her remains cannot be found. The head has rubber balls inside its eye sockets and since it has been embalmed, investigators are unable to extract any DNA to make an identification, so the victim becomes known as “The Beaver County Jane Doe”. While the authorities do not believe that foul play took place, a local resident named Jay Grabner starts displaying suspicious behaviour to indicate he might have some knowledge about the head. However, all attempts to determine the Beaver County Jane Doe’s identity and the circumstances of her death are unsuccessful. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an incredibly bizarre mystery about the discovery of a severed head.
Join us on Saturday, October 26 at 8:00pm ET for an online streaming marathon where we will be watching classic segments from “Unsolved Mysteries”. You can enter our screening room by clicking on this link.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Beaver_County_Jane_Doe
https://unsolved.com/gallery/the-severed-head/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/15/the-strange-sad-quest-to-match-a-severed-embalmed-head-with-its-body/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bb82266a0128
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-bodies-head-specialreport/special-report-a-womans-severed-head-was-found-in-the-woods-who-is-she-idUSKBN1D21B4/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pennsylvania-head-idUSKBN0TX2F120151214/
https://www.goerie.com/story/news/education/2015/12/12/edinboro-university-artist-creates-new/25015300007/
https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2015/12/06/mysterious-case-embalmed-head-found/989358007/
https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2022/12/08/increased-reward-offered-for-information-on-embalmed-head-found-in-economy-beaver-county/69708414007/
https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Beaver_County_Jane_Doe
https://www.distractify.com/p/beaver-county-severed-head
“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.

November 1, 1974. North Adams, Massachusetts. After leaving a dance at a local lodge, 18-year old Kim Benoit goes missing. Two weeks later, Kim’s body is discovered at the bottom of an embankment in a remote area twelve miles away and it is determined that she was the victim of strangulation. In October 1976, 17-year old Cynthia “Rocky” Krizack goes missing after leaving her home in the nearby town of Williamstown and her body is also eventually found at the bottom of a remote embankment. Since Rocky has been strangled to death and there are similarities between the two cases, investigators look into the possibility that she was killed by the same person who murdered Kim, but both crimes remain unsolved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a pair of cold cases from the Berkshires.
If you have any information about the featured cases, please contact the Berkshire County State Police Detective Unit at (413) 499-1112. That’s (413) 499-1112. For Kim Benoit’s murder, you can also contact the North Adams Police Department at (413) 664-4944 and for Cynthia “Rocky” Krizack’s murder, you can also contact the Williamstown Police Department at (413) 458-5733.
Additional Reading:
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/author-and-former-prosecutor-links-convicted-killer-to-kim-benoit-murder/article_d942ac81-a54f-5fb4-bd9c-ea9f1a5d95bb.html
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/66509/Reward-Offered-in-Renewed-Search-for-Kim-Benoit-s-Killer.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/cold-case-reward-information-kim-benoit-death-1974/
https://www.greylockglass.com/top-left-corner-170-investigating-cold-cases-of-murder-time-can-be-your-friend/
https://www.westernmassnews.com/2022/02/22/true-crime-cynthia-krizack/
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/47000/Cold-Case-Expert-Offers-Thoughts-on-Unsolved-Local-Murders.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/544888238/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/545933562/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/545034519/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1072387675
https://www.newspapers.com/image/470976091/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/532271900/
“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” will be appearing at the Berkshire Podcast Festival, taking place in North Adams, Massachusetts on October 18-20, 2024. To get a 30 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD2024”, by visiting https://www.berkshirepodcastfestival.com/.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.