The Trail Went Cold

April 9, 1947. Woodward, Oklahoma. Four-year old Joan Gay Croft is taken to the local hospital after an F5 tornado devastates her hometown and takes the lives of over 100 people, including her mother. While Joan Gay and her half-sister are recovering from injuries in the basement, two men show up and take her away. They claim that they are taking Joan Gay to another hospital to see her family, but she is never seen again. Over the next several decades, there would be a number of odd developments, including an anonymous E-mailer claiming to be Joan Gay. Did Joan Gay Croft go on living her life under a new identity? If so, who were the two unidentified men who took her? Could she still be alive today? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a truly baffling mystery surrounding one of the worst tornados in history.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by Native. For 20% off your first purchase, please visit nativedeodorant.com and enter the promo code “cold” during checkout.
Additional Reading:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2557dfok.html
https://newsok.com/article/2468875/dna-test-may-solve-47-year-old-woodward-mystery-woman-believes-shes-joan-gay-croft
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/woodward-mystery-believed-solved/article_0fb79ae6-33a1-5c44-9938-f9559581419e.html
http://newsok.com/where-is-mystery-woman-connected-to-1947-woodward-tornado/article/3666941
https://newsok.com/article/2609396/woman-seeks-cousin-lost-after-tornado
https://www.enidnews.com/opinion/after-years-joan-croft-still-a-mystery/article_9eefe3d7-1ca3-5af8-a438-efe4e2d71ea9.html
http://kfor.com/2016/05/05/search-still-on-for-woodward-5-year-old-who-vanished-after-tornado-69-years-ago/
“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.

September 12, 1982. Lewiston, Idaho. 21-year old Kristina Nelson and her 18-year old stepsister, Jacqueline “Brandy” Miller, leave Kristina’s apartment, but never return. That very same night, 35-year old Steven Pearsall vanishes after being dropped off at his workplace, the Lewiston Civic Theatre, where Kristina had previously held Steven’s job as a janitor. The disappearances are believed to be connected and a year-and-a-half later, Kristina and Brandy’s remains are found at the bottom of a ravine. Investigators explore potential connections with two other cold cases which took place within the Lewis-Clark Valley: the 1979 disappearance of 12-year old Christina White and the 1981 murder of 22-year old Kristin David. They turn up a promising person of interest who seems to link these cases together, but there is not enough evidence to charge with any of the crimes. Was a serial killer responsible for the murders of all five of these victims? Join us for this year’s final Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold” which explores one of the craziest stories we’ve ever covered: the Lewis-Clark Valley Murders.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is brought to you by Away. For $20 off a suitcase, go to awaytravel.com/cold and use the promo code “Cold”
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/steven-r-pearsall
http://charleyproject.org/case/christina-lee-white
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/aug/22/lewiston-law-enforcement-gives-fresh-look-at-unsol/
https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/lewiston-clarkston-couple-create-documentary-on-late-70s-serial-killer/413396771
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/ids-cold-valley-doc-explores-unsolved-lewis-clark-murders-disappearances-you-can-only-hide-for-so-long
https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/id-shows/on-tv0/in-pursuit-with-john-walsh/articles/ava-baldwin-kathryn-baldwin-abducted-from-san-antonio-2015
https://www.altereddimensions.net/2014/lewis-clark-valley-serial-killer-lewiston-clarkson-asotin-washington-idaho-killer-remains-free
https://www.facebook.com/LCVSK/
https://vimeo.com/51442715
“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 18, 1950. Columbia, Missouri. 13-year old Janett Christman shows up at a married couple’s residence to spend the evening babysitting their child. When the couple returns home, they discover that Janett has been raped and strangled to death by an intruder, and the local sheriff’s department would report having received a phone call from Janett while she was being attacked. The investigation uncovers a promising suspect named Robert Mueller, whom Janett had also babysat for, but there is not enough evidence to make an arrest. Four years earlier, another young Columbia woman was murdered in a strikingly similar fashion and a suspect went to the gas chamber for the crime. But could an innocent man have been executed while the real killer went on to murder Janett Christman? On this week’s Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a creepy unsolved crime which inspired an infamous urban legend.
Additional Reading:
https://www.columbiatribune.com/article/20100307/News/303079884
https://web.archive.org/web/20180412110956/https://insidecolumbia.net/2015/10/01/who-killed-janett-christman/
“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.

October 31, 1988. Hidalgo County, New Mexico. 29-year old David Stone, a stock market analyst from California, is seen wandering through the desert and exhibiting strange behaviour. Two days later, David’s abandoned car is discovered next to the highway, but David himself is nowhere to be found. Search efforts uncover a number of cryptic clues David left behind to suggest he was on some sort of spiritual journey related to the New Age movement. Over three years later, David’s remains are discovered in the desert, but the exact circumstances of his death remain unknown.
May 28, 1995. Coconino County, Arizona. 28-year old Devin Williams, a long-haul truck driver from Kansas, recklessly drives semi-trailer truck into Tonto National Forest before it becomes stuck in some mud. After Devin exits the truck, witnesses see him displaying bizarre behaviour before he takes off into the woods and disappears. Devin had been in the midst of transporting a shipment from California to Kansas until he drove over 60 miles off-course for unknown reasons. Two years later, Devin’s skull is discovered near the bottom of a cliff, but no one can figure out his cause of death or why he wound up in the forest to begin with.
In this month’s first Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two odd cases in which a victim went missing after acting strangely before they were subsequently found dead.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by the app game Best Fiends. Download it for free on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/David_Stone
“The Prescott Courier” (April 14, 1992)
https://unsolved.com/gallery/devin-williams/
https://web.archive.org/web/20140817081532/http://cjonline.com/stories/051697/skull.html
https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-157772.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.

October 27, 2016. Las Vegas, Nevada. 21-year old Sydney Land and her 20-year old boyfriend, Nehemiah “Neo” Kaufmann, are found shot to death inside Sydney’s apartment. The prime suspect is an alleged pimp named Shane Valentine, who had threatened the couple and fired a bullet into the home of Neo’s mother weeks earlier. Allegations eventually emerge that whoever committed the murders might be tied to a scandal involving police corruption and sex trafficking, and that a cover-up has been orchestrated to prevent the crime from being solved. This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a convoluted case which was requested to us by Sydney’s mother, Connie Land, who is still seeking justice for her daughter’s murder.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by Native. Native makes safe, simple, effective products that people use in the bathroom everyday with trusted ingredients and trusted performance. For 20% off your first purchase, please visit nativedeodorant.com and enter the promo code “cold” during checkout.
Additional Reading:
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/who-killed-my-daughter/2019/06/07
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/nevada-supreme-court-ruling-judge-melanie-andress-tobiasson-wins-round-one/2019/05/14
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-judge-melanie-andress-tobiasson-vice-detectives-wanted-me-and-my-daughter-dead/2019/04/01
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/why-is-the-las-vegas-media-silent-on-judge-melanie-andress-tobiasson/2019/03/15
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-judges-statement-to-judicial-investigator-about-klas-tv-interview-conflicts-with-statement-made-to-the-baltimore-post-examiner/2019/03/01
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-judge-melanie-andress-tobiasson-says-she-threatened-suspect-in-unsolved-murders-then-kicked-in-his-door/2019/02/26
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/fbi-agents-behavior-during-las-vegas-corruption-probe-led-to-inquiry/2019/02/24
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-detective-calls-baltimore-post-examiner-story-on-unsolved-murders-filth-and-filled-with-lies/2019/02/21
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/exclusive-witness-claims-las-vegas-judge-melanie-andress-tobiasson-offered-her-a-bribe-to-implicate-innocent-man-in-unsolved-murder-case/2019/02/18
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/did-las-vegas-d-a-steve-wolfson-and-sheriff-joe-lombardo-cover-up-corruption/2019/02/09
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-sex-trafficker-who-is-suspect-in-unsolved-double-homicide-threatened-victims-weeks-before-the-murders/2019/02/04
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-judge-melanie-andress-tobiasson-who-exposed-police-corruption-faces-constant-retaliation/2019/01/25
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/judge-claims-fbi-refused-information-on-police-corruption-probe-after-pressure-from-lvmpd/2019/01/21
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/exclusive-affidavits-provide-insight-las-vegas-fbi-corruption-probe-las-vegas-metro-police-department/2018/05/19
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/whos-running-fbi-las-vegas-division-las-vegas-metro-police-department-fbi/2018/05/17
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-police-department-tells-fbi-stop-talking-judge-corruption/2018/05/15
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/not-special-special-prosecutor-gives-convicted-las-vegas-pimp-sweetheart-deal/2018/05/15
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/las-vegas-sex-trafficker-prison-life-may-released-amidst-police-corruption-probe/2018/05/13
https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2018/06/07/plea-deal-raises-questions-about-ties-between-cops-and-pimps/
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/oct/26/2-years-later-mother-presses-for-break-in-case-of/
http://news3lv.com/news/local/a-new-break-and-a-familiar-person-of-interest-in-young-couples-murder
“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.

January 24, 1987. Burbank, California. 35-year old Charlie Anderson, a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, returns to his suburban home with his wife and two children. He is shot to death after entering the house in what appears to be a burglary gone wrong. Over one year later, 43-year old Carol Montecalvo is shot to death inside her home, which is located only four blocks away from the Anderson residence, creating suspicion that the two crimes are connected. However, Carol’s husband, Dan Montecalvo, is eventually convicted of her murder, but maintains they were both attacked by intruders. Even though a woman named Suzan Brown confesses to being involved in both these crimes, her claims are dismissed. Was Dan Montecalvo actually responsible for his wife’s murder? Did the same person who shot Carol also kill Charlie Anderson? Or could Charlie have actually been murdered by someone he knew and trusted? We shall examine both these cases on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” and explore their possible connections.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/charlie-anderson/
https://www.dailynews.com/2007/01/29/probe-ongoing-in-cops-slaying/
http://articles.burbankleader.com/2002-01-26/news/export11305_1_burbank-police-off-duty-police-officer-tim-stehr
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-04-02/news/mn-524_1_hearing-shots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Montecalvo_case
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Montecalvo
“Final Vows: Murder, Madness and Twisted Justice in California” by Karen Kingsbury
“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 26, 1993. Dublin, Ireland. 26-year old Annie McCarrick, an American-born citizen living in Ireland, leaves her apartment to travel to the Wicklow Mountains, but never returns. Even though Annie is allegedly seen in a pub that night with an unidentified man, no trace of her is ever found. Over the course of the next five years, eight other women – 39-year old Eva Brennan, 22-year old Imelda Keenan, 21-year old Jo Jo Dullard, 17-year old Ciara Breen, 25-year old Fiona Pender, 19-year old Fiona Sinnott and 18-year old Deirdre Jacob – would vanish within a triangularly-shaped radius surrounding Dublin. This leads to speculation that some or all of the disappearances might be connected and the area becomes known as “Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle”. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we travel overseas to explore eight separate unsolved missing persons cases.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland%27s_Vanishing_Triangle
https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/irelands-vanishing-triangle-missing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_McCarrick
http://charleyproject.org/case/annie-bridget-mccarrick
“Missing: The Unsolved Cases of Ireland’s Missing Women and Children” by Barry Cummins
“Missing, Presumed” by Alan Bailey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Murphy_(criminal)
“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 19, 1984. Fernald, Ohio. 39-year old Dave Bocks shows up to work the graveyard shift at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center, a plant which processes uranium for nuclear weapons. Dave vanishes before his shift ends and evidence soon emerges that he fell into some molten liquid inside one of the plant’s furnaces. The authorities initially suspect that Dave could have committed suicide and find no evidence of foul play, but months later, the plant is implicated in a major scandal involving radioactive contamination, leading to speculation that Dave was murdered for threatening to blow the whistle on unsafe practices at his workplace. Did Dave Bocks jump or accidentally fall to his death inside a 1,300-degree furnace? Or did someone kill him and intentionally place his body in there? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles the controversial story of a plant which endangered a farming community and the unexplained death of one of its workers.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/dave-bocks/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dave_Bocks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernald_Feed_Materials_Production_Center
“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.

September 11, 2001. Tioga County, New York. 35-year old Michele Harris finishes her evening shift at her workplace, but never returns home. The following morning, Michele’s abandoned minivan is discovered on a road next to the driveway of her family’s rural property. Suspicion turns towards Michele’s estranged husband, Cal Harris, as the couple are in the midst of a heated divorce and tiny specks of blood are soon found inside their residence. Years later, Cal is charged with Michele’s murder and found guilty, but the case would undergo four trials and two overturned convictions while the defence points the finger at alternate suspects. Cal is finally acquitted of the crime in 2016, but Michele’s body is never found. Was Cal Harris actually responsible for his wife’s disappearance, or did someone else murder Michele? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is one of the most convoluted cases we’ve ever covered, chronicling a disappearance which just happened to take place only 200 miles from New York City on one of the most infamous dates in history.
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is sponsored by Native. Native makes safe, simple, effective products that people use in the bathroom everyday with trusted ingredients and trusted performance. For 20% off your first purchase, please visit nativedeodorant.com and enter the promo code “cold” during checkout.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/michele-anne-harris
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-presents-cal-harris-the-final-verdict/
https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2016/05/27/cal-harris-timeline/85036744/
https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/24/us/cal-harris-murder-trial-verdict/index.html
https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/crime/cal-harris/2017/02/14/cal-harris-accused-menacing-harassment-oneonta/97891914/
“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” is taking a break this week after a busy summer of live shows and conventions! In place of a brand new episode, please enjoy this Patreon-exclusive bonus episode from last year covering the case of Kent Heitholt. Robin covered this same case at the Ottawa Podcast Festival in August 2019.
November 1, 2001. Columbia, Missouri. Kent Heitholt, a 48-year old sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, is severely beaten and strangled to death in their parking lot. Two-and-a-half years later, investigators are led towards a young suspect named Charles Erickson, who has told people he had vivid dreams of himself and his friend, Ryan Ferguson, murdering Kent after leaving a nearby bar that night. After Charles confesses to the crime, both he and Ryan are charged with Kent’s murder and Charles’ testimony helps convict Ryan and send him to prison for 40 years. However, after Charles and another key witness recant their testimony, Ryan’s conviction is vacated and he is released from prison in 2013. Even though many feel that Charles is also innocent of the crime, he continues to remain incarcerated. If Ryan Ferguson and Charles Erickson did not murder Kent Heitholt, then who did? On this month’s bonus Patreon episode, we explore one of the most infamous wrongful conviction cases in recent memory which has yet to find a definitive resolution. 
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_W._Ferguson
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4304
http://www.freecharleserickson.org/index.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.