The Trail Went Cold
The Trail Went Cold is a weekly true crime podcast which explores baffling unsolved mysteries and cold cases. On each episode, host Robin Warder examines a new murder or missing persons case, tackling a wide variety of mysteries from different countries and time periods. After sharing all the details about each case, Robin offers his own personal analysis and theories about what happened. The podcast is produced and edited by Magill Foote and the music composed and performed by Vince Nitro.
Episodes

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 236 - Jill & Julie Hansen
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
November 15, 1986. Willow Creek, California. A fire breaks out at a mobile home belonging to the family of 16-year old twin sisters, Jill and Julie Hansen. Both girls receive shotgun blasts to the stomach and while Jill dies at the scene, Julie passes away at the hospital one month later. Since evidence implicates their 21-year old half-brother, Donny Hansen, he is charged with arson and murder and goes on trial for the crime. However, since eyewitnesses reported seeing two other unidentified men near the scene that night, this creates enough reasonable doubt for the jury to acquit Donny. Was Donny Hansen truly innocent of this crime or did he get away with murder? Could other suspects have been involved in what happened? On this week’s episode of the “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a bizarre murder case which tore an entire family apart.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/jill-and-julie-hansen/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jill_and_Julie_Hansen
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 235 - Shannon Green & David Dewayne Bell
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
July 6, 1986. Owensboro, Kentucky. 16-year old Shannon Green disappears after leaving her residence to visit a family friend. Days later, Shannon’s mother receives a phone call from someone calling himself “Dewayne”, who claims that he and Shannon ran away together to get married. Shortly thereafter, an 18-year old acquaintance of Shannon’s named David Dewayne Bell also goes missing. A man named John Reneer eventually provides the authorities with a tape of a recording in which Dewayne seemingly confesses to murder. Allegations surface that Dewayne killed Shannon and his father helped him cover the whole up, but if so, what actually happened to Dewayne? Could someone have been responsible for the disappearances of both victims? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a convoluted saga involving two unsolved missing persons cases from the same town and their alleged connection to each other.
If you have any information about the featured cases, please contact the Owensboro Police Department at (270) 687-8888.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/shannon-rena-green
https://charleyproject.org/case/david-dewayne-bell
https://www.14news.com/story/4067371/14-news-investigates-killer-confession
https://www.14news.com/story/4058011/stefanie-silvey-investigatesowensboro-mystery/
https://www.14news.com/story/4138121/stefanie-silvey-investigates-the-other-side
https://www.14news.com/story/4061386/stefanie-silvey-investigatescaught-on-tape
https://www.14news.com/story/8250791/unsolved-murders-angie-dickens-shannon-green-and-dewayne-bell/
https://echoespath.com/shannon-rena-green/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/382454414/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/381928714/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/381928739/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/381929350/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/381929358/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/382197728/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/382197748
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jul 14, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 234 - The Durham Family Murders
Wednesday Jul 14, 2021
Wednesday Jul 14, 2021
February 3, 1972. Boone, North Carolina. 51-year old Bryce Durham, his 44-year old wife Virginia, and their 18-year old son Bobby Joe are found strangled to death and drowned inside their bathroom after an apparent home invasion. Months later, four suspects with a history of burglary are arrested for their alleged roles in the murders, but the charges against them are eventually dropped due to lack of evidence. Suspicion falls upon the Durhams’ son-in-law, Troy Hall, who claims that he received a frantic phone call from Virginia while the murders were taking place, but some investigators do not believe his story. Was Troy responsible for the crime? If not, then who was and what could their motive have been? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the puzzling story of the Durham family murders.
Additional Reading:
https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/investigation-of-durham-family-s-slaying-continues/article_e16a2616-a983-11e4-9e07-bbfdbdd91c44.html
https://journalnow.com/40-year-old-unsolved-triple-murder-still-haunts-law-enforcement/article_3f04e50f-a3a2-5aed-9dfb-c0118871ac34.html
“North Carolina Murder & Mayhem” by Rick Jackson
“Haunted Watauga, North Carolina” by Tim Bullard
“The Murder Room” by Michael Capuzzo
“Detective Magazine” (October 1972)
http://www.kenrahn.com/JFK/The_critics/Whitmey/Small.html
https://horrorhistory.net/2020/02/03/unsolved-family-of-three-killed-in-home-their-heads-submerged-in-their-bathtub/
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 233 - Wallace Guidroz & Lenoria Jones
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
January 10, 1983. Tacoma, Washington. Two-year old Wallace Guidroz is reported missing by his father, Stanley Guidroz, who claims that he brought Wallace to a local park and last saw him in the company of an unidentified couple and a young girl. 28 years later, Stanley is charged with an unrelated murder and confesses that he accidentally killed Wallace and disposed of his body. However, since Stanley’s confession is supressed by the court, he does not go on trial for the crime. A search fails to turn up Wallace’s remains or any other corroborating evidence, creating uncertainty about what actually happened.
July 20, 1995. Three-year old Lenoria Jones is reported missing by her great-aunt, Berlean Williams, who claims that the girl vanished while they visited a Target department store. When investigators check the store’s security tape and find no trace of Lenoria on the surveillance footage, they begin to question Berlean’s version of events. Even though Berlean keeps changing her story, she continues to deny any involvement in Lenoria’s disappearance and there are no conclusive answers about how or why she went missing.
On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold’, we cover two cold cases involving missing children from Tacoma, Washington where suspicion has been placed on their guardian.
If you have any information about either of these cases, please contact the Tacoma Police Department at (253) 798-4721.
Join us on Saturday, July 10 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.
Download Best Fiends FREE today on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/wallace-guidroz
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/no-remains-found-in-tacoma-cold-case/
https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/justice/father-charged-son-death/index.html
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/article_dc6e7284-4db7-5f57-8fff-b482aeea9eec.html
https://mynorthwest.com/15369/tacoma-father-pleads-not-guilty-in-decades-old-murder-of-young-son/amp/
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article110445237.html
https://casetext.com/case/state-v-guidroz-11
https://charleyproject.org/case/lenoria-eleise-anne-jones
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950724&slug=2133043
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jan/21/woman-grilled-over-missing-girl-released-from/
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article27561907.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/575900869/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/535697859/
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 232 - Gary Simmons
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
October 15, 1974. Overland Park, Kansas. 32-year old businessman Gary Simmons leaves his office in order to purchase a horse from a man named Tom Dixon. Later that day, Gary provides authorization for Dixon to cash a $30,000 cheque he paid him, but Gary is never heard from again and Dixon also disappears after collecting the money. Seventeen years later, Gary’s skeletal remains are discovered inside a cave and it turns out he has been shot in the head. While Dixon is believed to be involved, he is never tracked down and investigators suspect that Gary may have been the victim of an elaborate murder plot orchestrated by an unknown third party. Could this person have also killed Tom Dixon? If so, what was the motive for this crime? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the baffling and convoluted unsolved murder of Gary Simmons.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/tom-dixon/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Simmons
https://apnews.com/article/cf426a208f5d0da2af630c490f93e17e
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-10-20/news/9110200207_1_simmons-skeleton-gary-compton
The Nevada Daily Mail (October 20, 1991)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/676554618/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/676554882/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/681960576/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/681960638/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/682154238/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/676745192/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/676745195/
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 231 - Richard Colvin Cox
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
January 14, 1950. West Point, New York. 21-year old Richard Colvin Cox, a second-year cadet at the United States Military Academy, tells his roommate that he is planning to go out to dinner with a visitor, but he does not return and is eventually reported missing. During the preceding week, Cox was visited on multiple occasions by a man whose name may have been “George” and Cox is believed to have been with him when he vanished. George’s identity is never conclusively established and over the years, a number of different theories are presented about Cox’s disappearance. Did Cox have a secret relationship with the mysterious George? Did he become the victim of foul play? Or was Cox recruited to work for the CIA and given a new identity? We shall attempt to answer these questions on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, which chronicles one of the most baffling military-themed mysteries of all time. Special thanks to listener Charles Cage for narrating the opening of this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Richard_Colvin_Cox
“Oblivion: The Mystery of West Point Cadet Richard Cox” by Harry J. Maihafer
Life Magazine (April 14, 1952)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/12/05/lost-found-a-cadets-tale/0f4340dd-a04f-43d1-8e1c-f889d5976304
West Point Magazine (Summer 2016)
https://web.archive.org/web/20100122140458/http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20100117/NEWS01/1170314
https://web.archive.org/web/20130817084438/http://articles.philly.com/1988-02-28/news/26242967_1_cadet-west-point-fbi-files
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/08/22/Shipboard-killing-suspect-arrested/9641493531200/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/635987330
https://www.newspapers.com/image/635987344
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295974590/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295974725/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295980094/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295980343/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295981998/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295983211/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295985840/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295987347/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295990105/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/295991028/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/296002329/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/296005338/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/296006520/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/296010425/
“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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jun 16, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 230 - Lynette Culver
Wednesday Jun 16, 2021
Wednesday Jun 16, 2021
May 6, 1975. Pocatello, Idaho. After leaving her school on her lunch break, 12-year old Lynette Culver vanishes without a trace and is subsequently reported missing. Nearly 14 years later, prior to his execution, notorious serial killer Ted Bundy confesses to being responsible for Lynette’s murder. While Bundy provides specific details to make many people believe his confession was genuine, Lynette’s body is never found, and in the years following her disappearance, four other girls from Pocatello wind up becoming victims of unsolved murders. Could all of these crimes somehow be connected? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be exploring the story of Lynette Culver and a number of different cold cases involving missing and murdered females, some of whom are believed to be unconfirmed victims of Ted Bundy.
If you have any information about any featured cases from Pocatello, please contact the Pocatello Police Department at (208) 234-1600.
Additional Reading:
https://charleyproject.org/case/lynette-dawn-culver
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/pocatello-police-looking-for-cold-case-connections-including-girl-supposedly-killed-by-ted-bundy/article_b64f57e7-f5eb-50a5-95b9-8de1de8308eb.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/16084165/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/19122435/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/394754911/
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-01-25-8901250256-story.html
https://www.deseret.com/1989/2/10/18794734/detectives-seek-missing-link-in-bundy-admission-he-killed-idahoan
https://www.kpvi.com/news/local_news/memorial-in-the-works-for-pocatello-serial-killer-victim-lynnette-culver/article_87dfb774-2e26-11e9-824e-0b1b63f11354.html
https://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/news/idaho/pocatellans-hope-to-memorialize-girl-allegedly-killed-by-ted-bundy/article_f6d2f47a-ed6f-5455-a432-216a53e84e23.html
https://www.idahopress.com/news/state/bench-dedicated-in-memory-of-local-girl-who-went-missing-in-1975/article_e3582b30-e784-5f74-af4d-f32181eec2d4.html
“The Bundy Secrets: Hidden Files on America’s Worst Serial Killer” by Kevin Sullivan
“The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History” (2nd Edition) by Kevin Sullivan
“The Trail of Ted Bundy: Digging Up the Untold Stories” by Kevin Sullivan
http://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/cold-case-growing-hot/article_f6c9e687-350a-5c56-806b-41d7e7f360d2.html
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/police-id-remains-of-girl-found-in-81/article_9552203c-8c34-58ae-ae31-688da4cfac04.html
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/may/16/evidence-found-at-skeletons-site/
https://www.argusobserver.com/news/family-frustrated-regarding-murder-probe/article_64ea62d2-8568-5222-b5e9-ed12911505bb.html
https://www.kpvi.com/news/oneida-co-sheriff-s-office-says-tina-anderson-and-patricia/article_cc8af20e-eb07-11e5-b742-3b6be166e0b6.html
http://www.kpvi.com/news/local_news/oneida-county-prosecutors-hands-cold-murder-case-back-to-sheriff/article_9cfe601c-3443-11e7-9869-cb4151d961f1.html
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/east-idaho-cold-cases-pocatello-teen-vanished-while-babysitting/article_0140dcc6-c67e-11e3-9baa-001a4bcf887a.html
https://www.deseret.com/2007/4/8/20011853/police-make-renewed-attempt-to-solve-e-idaho-cold-cases
https://www.deseret.com/2007/4/23/20014676/pocatello-looks-into-81-killing-of-a-teen#lori-thomas-and-ben-smith-believe-that-linda-smith-their-older-sister-was-kidnapped-and-murdered-in-1981
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/partial-skull-lost-by-local-law-enforcement-has-now-been-found/article_89a12fd4-fbe9-582d-8c8f-38173e703109.html
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1330ufid.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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Wednesday Jun 09, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 229 - Anthonette Cayedito
Wednesday Jun 09, 2021
Wednesday Jun 09, 2021
April 6, 1986. Gallup, New Mexico. The mother of nine-year old Anthonette Cayedito wakes up to discover that her daughter is missing from their home and she cannot be found anywhere. Anthonette’s sister would later claim she was abducted by two men after answering the door in the middle of the night, though she does not reveal this information until years later. There are a number of strange developments in the investigation, including a frantic phone call to the police from a girl claiming to be Anthonette and a sighting of her with a couple at a diner in Nevada, but there is also suspicion that Anthonette’s family might have known about her disappearance than they revealed. Was Anthonette Cayedito the victim of an abduction or did something else actually happen? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a controversial missing children’s case which has gone without conclusive answers for the past 35 years.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Gallup Police Department at (505) 863-9365.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Anthonette_Cayedito
https://charleyproject.org/case/anthonette-christine-cayedito
https://unsolved.com/gallery/anthonette-cayedito/
https://www.abqjournal.com/752146/holding-out-hope-for-girl-who-vanished-in-gallup-30-years-ago.html?amp=1
http://www.gallupsun.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=8777:30-years-later-abduction-of-gallup-girl-continues-to-intrigue-local-residents
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/31-years-ago-anthonette-cayedito-disappeared-n743951
https://www.newspapers.com/image/158399133/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/158350542/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/158492871/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/158546265/
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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.
“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.

Monday Jun 07, 2021
Monday Jun 07, 2021
CrimeConVersations is a brand-new true crime podcast brought to you by CrimeCon UK. As part of the lead-up to CrimeCon UK in London, Crimecon UK is bringing two true crime podcasts together to find out more about their fascination with true crime. Each episode will explore subjects such as how they got involved in true crime, the cases that have stuck in their mind and the process behind their podcast. On this particular episode, Robin Warder from “The Trail Went Cold” and Aaron from “Generation Why” will not only be talking about these subjects, but will have an in-depth discussion about the murder of 11-year old Holly Staker, who was murdered in Waukegan, Illinois on August 17, 1992. A suspect named Juan Rivera would be charged with the murder and spend 19 years in prison for the crime, but this case would turn out to be one of the most outrageous wrongful convictions you will ever hear about.
To hear more episodes of the “Generation Why” podcast, please visit their website: https://genwhypod.com
The Trail Went Cold and Generation Why are going to be appearing on podcast row at CrimeCon UK at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk

Wednesday Jun 02, 2021
The Trail Went Cold - Episode 228 - Ben Charles Padilla & John Mikel Mutantu
Wednesday Jun 02, 2021
Wednesday Jun 02, 2021
May 25, 2003. Luanda, Angola. 50-year old Ben Charles Padilla, an American citizen overseeing a rebuilding project on a Boeing 727 at Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport, is reportedly seen boarding the plane alongside a Congolese mechanic named John Mikel Mutantu. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft takes off without clearance before it vanishes without a trac and an extensive search effort fails to find it. Since neither Padilla or Mutantu seemed to have the necessary training required to fly a 727 on their own, there is speculation that they may have been hijacked or another person was behind the controls when it took off. But if so, what actually happened to the two men and the missing aircraft? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a truly bizarre aviation mystery that has left everyone puzzled for the past two decades.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the FBI at (202) 324-3000.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Angola_727_disappearance
https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-727-that-vanished-2371187/
https://charleyproject.org/case/ben-charles-padilla-jr
http://www.iasa.com.au/folders/Security_Issues/missingpadilla.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96757&page=1
https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/mystery-of-the-missing-727-plane/3471561/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/08/23/case-of-missing-jetliner-unsolved/26a09cae-fae8-4811-8a52-65555fd5c8b6/
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-06-21-0306200610-story.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3861595
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3003058.stm
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/05/29/867049.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/14/1060588523649.html
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0306/24/ltm.15.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-01-03-angola-benin-mystery_x.htm
http://www.iasa-intl.com/folders/belfast/220903/padilla.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20060310060514/https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/padilla.htm
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“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.