The Trail Went Cold

March 14, 1988. Union Township, Ohio. 18-year old Scott Hilbert leaves a note on his parents’ refrigerator to say that he is borrowing the family car to go visit a friend at Ohio State University, but he never returns and vanishes without a trace. Three-and-a-half weeks later, the abandoned car is discovered 1,700 miles away on the slope of a remote canyon in Mohave County, Arizona and while some of Scott’s belongings are missing, others are scattered outside the vehicle. The odometer shows an additional 2,000 miles which cannot be accounted for and while it seems apparent that someone made a failed attempt to dispose of the car, no one knows why it wound up at this location and Scott is never found. 
February 13, 1998. Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. 20-year old Steven Mylan drives away from his family’s residence and never returns, but while there is a record of his car crossing the border into New York state the following day, no one can be certain if Steven was actually driving it. Nearly four months later, the stripped-down car is found over 3,400 kilometres away by the side of a road in Coconino County, Arizona, but there is no trace of Steven anywhere. The evidence seems to indicate that the car was abandoned at an overlook at the Grand Canyon shortly after Steven missing until some local residents stole it and drove it around for a few months, but there is no explanation for why the vehicle wound up there to begin with.
On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover a pair of baffling unsolved missing persons cases in which the victim’s car was inexplicably found over a great distance away from their home in a remote section of Arizona.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/scott-allen-hilbert
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/accused/2020/05/10/morehead-state-student-scott-hilbert-vanished-1988-murder-suspected/3046938001/?gca-cat=p&gnt-cfr=1
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/where-was-scott-hilbert-when-someone-pushed-his-car-cliff-n390281
https://www.fox19.com/2024/03/13/union-township-police-ask-help-solving-36-year-old-cold-case/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/285799751/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1068971343/
https://charleyproject.org/case/steven-vincent-mylan
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1179136035/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1180198295/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1244679682/
https://azdailysun.com/file-steven-mylan-1998/article_ddd44460-1799-59e3-9522-cb9fe3014dbc.html
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at AdvocacyCon, which is taking place at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 11-13, 2026. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAILCOLD10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.
“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.

June 4, 2019. Fairview Park, Ohio. 40-year old Carnell Sledge and his 33-year old friend, Kate Brown, agree to meet up at the Rocky River Reservation in the Cleveland Metroparks and they each drive there in their respective vehicles. Within 15 minutes of their arrival, Carnell and Kate are both fatally shot in the head near a park bench and the perpetrator manages to flee the scene without anyone seeing or hearing anything. Investigators look into the backgrounds of both victims to see if anyone had a motive to harm them, but are unable to turn up any evidence to implicate anyone and the crime remains unsolved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling double homicide known as the “Park Bench Murders”.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Kate_Brown_and_Nell_Sledge
https://unsolved.com/gallery/park-bench-murders/
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/06/parents-of-homicide-victim-carnell-sledge-did-not-know-woman-killed-with-him.html
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/06/parents-of-homicide-victim-carnell-sledge-did-not-know-woman-killed-with-him.html
https://www.clevescene.com/news/four-years-later-officials-report-no-progress-in-metroparks-double-homicide-cold-case-but-fresh-hope-comes-with-national-coverage-42872823/
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/they-didnt-deserve-to-die-this-way-sister-hopes-unsolved-mysteries-episode-can-help-find-sisters-killer
https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/10/03/murder-metroparks-new-dark-side-podcast-goes-inside-unsolved-fairview-park-killings/
https://www.cleveland19.com/2025/06/04/trace-dna-found-metroparks-double-murder-scene-could-lead-suspect/
https://www.cleveland19.com/2025/05/30/possible-connection-between-5-year-old-double-murder-west-park-murder-suicide-metroparks/
https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/crime/cold-cases/families-kate-brown-carnell-sledge-statement-cleveland-metroparks-police-update-double-homicide-investigation/95-16545e66-98a0-4e17-9220-4c69d5b7b12e
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/1fweqc9/ama_im_jeff_a_friend_of_carnell_sledge_here_to/
“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.

July 11, 2006. Snohomish County, Washington. 56-year old Mary Cooper and her 27-year old daughter, Susanna Stodden, leave their homes in Seattle in order to go hiking on the Pinnacle Lake Trail over 60 miles away. Later that day, Mary and Susanna’s bodies are found alongside the trail after they have both been shot in the head and even though some of their clothing was removed, neither of them were sexually assaulted. For years, Mary’s husband is looked at as a potential suspect before he is officially ruled out, but even though a partial male DNA profile is eventually found under Susanna’s fingernails, it has not been matched to anyone. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a double homicide known as the “Pinnacle Lake Murders” which has gone unsolved for nearly 20 years. In addition, we’ll also discuss the unsolved murders of 25-year old Patricia Dixon and her five-year old daughter, Amanda Dixon, who also lived in the Seattle area and were both shot to death inside their motel room in Anaheim, California during a vacation to Disneyland in March 1984.
If you have have any information about the murders of Mary Cooper and Susanna Stodden, please contact the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at (425) 388-3845. If you have any information about the murders of Patricia and Amanda Dixon, please contact the Anaheim Police Department at (714) 765-1900.
Additional Reading:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1031381492/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1031411442/
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Slain-hikers-were-avid-about-outdoors-1208909.php
https://www.heraldnet.com/2016/07/10/murder-case-is-cold-but-memory-still-burns/
https://www.heraldnet.com/2007/07/10/a-year-later-no-suspects-in-slaying-of-2-hikers/
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/one-mans-relentless-search-for-killer-in-its-18th-year/281-5d26dcb4-a3e5-4bcf-b8e4-dba203f30a2e
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/man-cleared-as-suspect-more-than-10-years-after-wife-daughter-murdered-on-hiking-trail
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20061013/hikerdeath13m/trail-killings-hundreds-of-tips-leading-nowhere
https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/unsolved/19-years-snohomish-county-trail-murders-unsolved-northwest-mary-cooper-susanna-stodden/281-358cebaf-b8d9-48b1-ae7c-7b1893eaa107
https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/mary-cooper-susanna-stodden-unsolved-snohomish-county-murder/281-cf04d027-bb9e-4332-8572-f528fdff87b3
https://podcasts.happyscribe.com/the-deck/mary-cooper-susanna-stodden-ace-of-hearts-washington
https://www.wta.org/news/magazine/magazine/1207.pdf
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/03/29/Suspect-sought-in-mother-and-daughter-murders-near-Disneyland/5791449384400/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/401262837/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/808583079/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1076995204/
“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.

July 26, 1988. Jackson, Mississippi. After getting into an argument with her mother, seven-year old Daffany Tullos leaves her grandparents’ residence and is last seen walking down the street by neighbours before she disappears. Suspicion turns towards Ernest Lee Epps, the boyfriend of Daffany’s mother, who was charged with sexual battery for allegedly molesting Daffany and released from jail on bond the same day she went missing. However, there is no evidence to implicate Ernest and even though a shirt belonging to Daffany is found in a neighbour’s yard a year-and-a-half later, no trace of her is ever found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a missing children’s case which has gone unsolved for nearly 38 years.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Jackson Police Department at (601) 960-1234.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/daffany-sherika-tullos
https://www.newspapers.com/image/184041774/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/184088100/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/181320487/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1039872199/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/183694584/
https://www.wlbt.com/story/11276708/jackson-police-re-open-cold-case-from-1988/
https://www.wlbt.com/story/36360572/3-on-your-side-investigates-the-disappearance-of-daffany-tullos/
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/07/26/30-years-later-daffany-tullos-family-still-believes-she-found/807547002/
https://www.wjtv.com/news/in-depth-reports/missing-daffany-tullos-last-seen-in-jackson-in-1988/
“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 13, 1976. Fairfield, Maine. The daughter of 31-year old Pauline Rourke kisses her sleeping mother goodbye before leaving for school, but when she returns home later that day, Pauline has vanished without a trace. Suspicion turns towards Pauline’s live-in friend, Albert Pat Cochran, who frequently fought with her and had developed an odd obsession with the recent murder of another woman from the area named Janet Baxter. Two decades later, Pat is charged and convicted of Janet’s murder, but even though he is suspected of being responsible for Pauline’s disappearance, there is not enough evidence to implicate him and Pauline is never found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an unsolved missing persons case involving a victim who has not been seen in nearly 50 years.
If you happen to have any information about this case, please contact the Maine State Police at (207) 624-7143.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/pauline-rourke
https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/investigation-traffic/major-crime-units/unsolved/missing-persons/rourke-pauline
https://www.newspapers.com/image/849371494/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/856346628/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/665025806/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/855868439/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/856276259/
https://www.centralmaine.com/2017/06/28/man-serving-life-sentence-for-oakland-womans-murder-dies-at-hospital/
https://www.fosters.com/story/news/2017/06/29/police-link-recently-deceased-killer-to-1976-disappearance/20405251007/
https://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/30/a-daughters-enduring-lament-her-remains-are-out-there/
https://www.wabi.tv/content/news/State-Police-Searching-Smithfield-Area-Wells-For-Remains-Of-Missing-Woman-444463513.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1147332553/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/309356419/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/829806532/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/830077499/
“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.

July 29, 1965. Gothenburg, Sweden. After meeting together at a café, 21-year old Jan Olof Dahlsjo, 22-year old Gay Roger Karlsson and 16-year old Kjell-Ake Johansson all climb into a Volvo belonging to Jan Olof’s brother, but the three men and the car soon vanish without a trace. That very same day, 18-year old Hubner “Hymme” Lundquist also disappears after travelling from his family’s cottage in Torekov to Gothenburg Central Station. There is speculation that the two cases might be connected to each other, as well as a bank robbery which also took place in Gothenburg that same afternoon, but this is never conclusively proven and none of the four missing victims are ever found. For the first time ever, “The Trail Went Cold” will be travelling to Sweden to explore a mystery known as “The Dahlsjo Case”.
Be sure to check out the podcast, "Global True Crime", on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlsj%C3%B6_Case
https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/589089
https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/6220069
https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/6226177
https://www.land.se/allmant/dahlsjofallet-4-pojkar-forsvann-gatan-olost-efter-50-ar
https://www.expressen.se/gt/pojkarna-har-varit-forsvunna--i-50-ar/
https://gamlagoteborg.se/2017/04/02/dahlsjofallet/
https://gamlagoteborg.se/2017/04/02/grodmansranet/
https://www.expressen.se/gt/han-bryter-tystnaden-om-ranet--efter-50-ar/
https://audioboom.com/posts/6908628-the-dahlsjo-disappearance
“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.

May 29, 2011. Florence, Kentucky. After missing their morning church service, 74-year old Bill Stephenson and his 74-year old wife, Peggy Stephenson, are found murdered inside their condo. Their causes of death are listed as blunt force trauma and sharp force trauma and while few details about the crime scene are released to the public, it’s reported that the victims’ bodies and a number of items in the condo were moved around and staged in a specific fashion in order to send some sort of message. It’s believed that the killer remained at the scene for hours after committing the murders and even though an unidentified DNA profile is found there, it is never matched to anyone and the crime remains unsolved.
July 30, 2011. Norwalk, Iowa. A fire breaks out at the rural home of 79-year old Bill Wood and his 72-year old wife, Kay Wood, and burns their residence to the ground. After the fire is put out, Bill’s charred body is found at the scene and it turned out he was shot to death, but there is no sign of Kay anywhere and the couple’s pick-up truck is missing. The abandoned truck is soon found 170 miles away in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Kansas City, Missouri. While witnesses report having seen a white middle-aged man near the truck, he cannot be identified and Kay is never found.
if you have any information about the murders of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, please contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at (859) 334-8496. if you have any about the Bill and Kay Wood case, please contact the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at (515) 961-1122 or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (641) 342-6263.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bill_and_Peggy_Stephenson
https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/46-Condo-Killings-.pdf?x36184
https://www.fox19.com/story/14747764/sheriffs-investigate-elderly-couples-death/
https://www.wlwt.com/article/police-have-killer-s-dna-determined-time-of-death-in-couple-s-slaying/3524741
https://www.fox19.com/story/25638081/bill-peggy-stephenson-couples-murder-remains-unsolved/
https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/cold-cases-dna-but-no-suspect-in-stephenson-double-murder-in-florence
https://www.wlwt.com/article/daughter-still-pleading-for-answers-in-nky-couples-brutal-slaying/20878864
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/accused/2020/08/26/backstory-stephenson-slayings-too-bizarre-believe-detective-says/3436127001/
https://www.fox19.com/2021/05/27/investigators-revealing-new-information-year-anniversary-couples-murder-approaches/
https://www.boonecountyky.org/government_administration/county_government/sheriff/stephenson_murder_case.php
https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2020/09/25/no-justice-decade-later-in-stephenson-murders
https://www.the-sun.com/news/9303347/stephenson-murders-linked-delphi-snapchat-richard-allen/
https://charleyproject.org/case/kaidena-lozelle-wood
https://www.newspapers.com/image/131607884/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/108751813/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/108766031/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/132317102/
https://www.kcci.com/article/mystery-behind-couple-s-death-disappearance-continues/6895215
https://who13.com/news/four-year-anniversary-of-unsolved-warren-county-murder-mystery/
https://www.kcci.com/article/5-years-later-investigators-narrow-search-in-deadly-mystery-1/6922131
https://kdsm17.com/news/local/seven-years-later-mysterious-homicide-and-missing-person-case-remains-unsolved
“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 7, 1973. Fontana, California. A CB radio operator hears a broadcast from a crying boy calling himself “Larry”, who claims that his father is dead and he needs help. Other CB operators throughout the United States start receiving broadcasts from Larry on their radios and he eventually reveals that he was involved in an accident in a remote part of New Mexico and is trapped inside an overturned pick-up truck alongside his father’s body. While Larry claims that he is using the truck’s CB radio to communicate, he fails to provide many specific details about his location or his background. Even though a massive search operation is launched, no trace of Larry or his truck can be found, leading to speculation that the whole incident was an elaborate hoax, but the mysterious broadcaster known only as “Lost Boy Larry” is never identified. To commemorate our episode’s release date of April 1, we will be doing something a little differently from the norm this week by chronicling the saga of “Lost Boy Larry”.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boy_Larry
https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/10/archives/a-scared-boys-broadcasts-set-off-search-in-new-mexico.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/158062448/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/609038354/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/294018772/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/581417783/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/398941370/
“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 14, 2000. Callahan, Florida. After picking up a prescription from a pharmacy, 51-year old Jackie Markham returns home from work, but she soon vanishes without a trace and the prescription is found on the front seat of her car inside the garage. Jackie’s boyfriend, Archie Carroll, claims she phoned him to say that a drunk man named “Richard” had unexpectedly shown up at her house, but by the time Archie drove over there to check on her, Jackie was gone. Investigators explore a number of different leads, including the possibility that Jackie was harmed by a suspected serial killer or that Archie himself could have been responsible for her disappearance, but there is no evidence of what happened. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the disappearance of Jackie Markham, which has gone unsolved for 25 years. Special thanks to listener Ryan Sheesley for narrating the opening of this episode.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 225-8984. 
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/jacquelyn-lorraine-markham
https://disappearedblog.com/jackie-markham/
https://nassauso.com/cold-cases/jacquelyn-markham-jackie/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1267470336/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1267497059/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1266249844/
https://www.news4jax.com/news/2001/10/03/suspected-serial-killer-found-hanging-in-cell/#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20Police%20say%20a%20man%20suspected,%22apologetic%22%20was%20found%20nearby
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/special-reports/cold-case-investigators-seeking-new-clues-in-13-1/288730538/
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/nassau-release-video-of-man-believed-disappearance/77-feaf8661-ec46-408d-8565-32ee47ee80ad
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/12/03/nassau-county-detectives-release-video-in-22-year-cold-case-investigation-of-missing-woman/
“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.

March 16, 1990. San Francisco County, California. 17-year old Toni Clark, who happens to be two months pregnant, leaves her cousin’s residence in Oakland to drive back to her apartment in San Bruno in her boyfriend’s Chevrolet Camaro. Shortly thereafter, the stalled Camaro is discovered on the Bay Bridge and after another motorist crashes into it, investigators conclude that Toni was likely propelled off the bridge into San Francisco Bay. However, Toni’s body is never recovered and there are a number of odd discrepancies, such as reported sightings of a black male next to the Camaro shortly before the accident and a bizarre anonymous phone call to Toni’s mother, which cause speculation that Toni was abducted. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will explore whether Toni Clark was actually the victim of a tragic accident or if something much more sinister happened. In addition, we’ll also discuss the unsolved disappearances of 28-year old Diego Garcia, 41-year old Carmen Burhans Garcia and eight-year old Barbara Burhans, who all vanished after leaving their home in Los Angeles in March 1982 before their abandoned car was discovered 250 miles away at the bottom of a gorge in the San Gabriel Mountains.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Toni Clark, please contact the San Bruno Police Department at (415) 877-8965. If you have any information about the disappearances of Diego Garcia, Carmen Burhans Garcia or Barbara Burhans, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (213) 485-3225.
Join us on Saturday, March 21 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://charleyproject.org/case/toni-danieelle-clark
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1225351368/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/779247127/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/779247141/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/461548309/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/758981652/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/696741911/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/696741925/
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/The-Other-Missing-Kids-They-quickly-faded-from-2975456.php
https://abcnews.com/Primetime/story?id=131955
https://www.newspapers.com/image/633633829/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/633633861/
https://charleyproject.org/case/diego-garcia
https://charleyproject.org/case/carmen-maria-burhans-garcia
https://charleyproject.org/case/barbara-aurora-burhans
“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.