2017-09

October 24, 1961. Lincoln, Massachusetts. 30-year old housewife and mother Joan Risch vanishes from her home and the evidence at the scene suggests a violent abduction. Witnesses report seeing a bloody, disoriented woman matching Joan’s description walking down the road that day, but this woman is never found. Over one year later, evidence is uncovered to suggest Joan might have decided to stage her own disappearance. Was Joan Risch abducted, did she disappear voluntarily, or is there an altogether different explanation for what happened? We shall explore all the different angles of one of our most baffling and requested cases on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Joan_Risch
http://charleyproject.org/case/joan-carolyn-risch
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/1996/08/28/8_28_96_spatterd_blood_and_speculation/
“The Search for Joan Risch: Presented by New England’s Untold Stories”
Thanks to Winc for supporting our podcast. Get $22 and free shipping on your first order of wine at http://trywinc.com/cold.
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The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

June 4, 1999. Wasilla, Alaska. While spending the night at a friend’s house, 15-year old Michael Palmer slips out to attend a graduation party. While biking home with friends, Michael vanishes without a trace, but his bicycle and sneakers are soon discovered at separate locations. In April 2010, Michael’s older brother, Chucky, disappears while riding a snow machine in the Talkeetna Mountains. Even though his snow machine is recovered, Chucky himself is never found. This week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold” is one of the most tragic stories we’ve ever covered, as two brothers from the same family go missing under mysterious circumstances over a decade apart.
Thanks to HelloFresh for supporting our podcast. Go to www.HelloFresh.com and use the code cold30 to get $30 off your first week of deliveries.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/michael-timothy-palmer
http://charleyproject.org/case/charles-edwin-palmer-v
http://www.akfatal.net/Palmer%2006-04-97.htm
http://www.frontiersman.com/news/youth-still-missing-after-seven-years/article_4778a9bd-9231-5e38-bf8a-d2aa21a7fba1.html
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/last-brother/2010/04/16/
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

September 13, 1992. Boston, Massachusetts. While working as the ramp supervisor for Northwest Airlines at Logan International Airport, 27-year old Susan “Su” Taraskiewicz leaves in the middle of her shift to purchase food for her crew. She never returns and is not reported missing by her co-workers before she is found murdered inside the trunk of her car the following morning. One year later, Su’s mother finds her diary and is shocked to read that Su was the victim of non-stop sexual harassment at her workplace. In addition, some of her harassers would be indicted in a credit card theft ring. Could any of these revelations have played a role in Su’s death? Our latest episode of “The Trail Went Cold” has been released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Su Taraskiewicz’s unsolved murder. Special thanks to listener Casey James for providing the opening narration for today’s episode. At her request, we will also briefly discuss the unsolved murder of Donna Hart, which took place on August 8, 1968 in Dolgeville, New York.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/su-taraskiewicz/
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/09/cold_case_murder_of_susan_tara.html
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/09/14/mother-susan-taraskiewicz-still-seeking-justice-for-daughter-murdered/AJz9ePz8O0ozcxSGlmUR9J/story.html
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/13/mother_holds_hope_she_can_help_solve_daughters_killing/
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-1st-circuit/1010974.html
Thanks to Winc for supporting our podcast. Get $22 and free shipping on your first order of wine at http://trywinc.com/cold.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

May 22, 1982. Hamersville, Ohio. 46-year old appliance repairman Permon Gilbert leaves his family’s home to perform some service calls. He never returns and his nude body is found in a ditch the following day. Investigators fail to turn up any strong leads, but numerous theories surround Permon’s murder. Was his death connected to drug trafficking? Was he killed because of his brother’s recent testimony in an organized crime case? Or could his murder have been the result of a secret affair gone wrong? We explore each of these possibilities on our newest minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/permon-gilbert/
http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/year-old-murder-case-investigated/article_7fe31cc0-93ef-5368-a534-ffeb277f87d6.html
http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/murder-case-getting-fresh-attention/article_f073c630-0f73-53cd-b489-0e8fc016c46e.html
Thanks to HelloFresh for supporting our podcast. Go to www.HelloFresh.com and use the code cold30 to get $30 off your first week of deliveries.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.