The Trail Went Cold

December 7, 1958. Portland, Oregon. 54-year old Kenneth Martin, his 48-year old wife Barbara and their three daughters – 14-year old Barbie, 12-year old Virginia and 10-year old Susan – leave their home in their station wagon to take a trip to the Columbia River Gorge. When the family fails to return, they are reported missing the following evening. Just under five months later, the bodies of Susan and Virginia are discovered in the Columbia River and while the rest of the family cannot be found, evidence suggests that their vehicle went off a cliff into the water. While some people believe the whole thing was tragic accident, there are other pieces of evidence that point to foul play, including the discovery of a blood-stained gun which is traced back to the Martins’ surviving son. Were the Martins the victim of an elaborate murder plot? If so, who was responsible and what could their motive have been? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores the bizarre disappearance of a family in which three of the five victims are still missing.
Additional Reading:
“Echo of Distant Water: The 1958 Disappearance of Portland’s Martin Family” by J.B. Fisher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_family_disappearance
http://charleyproject.org/case/kenneth-r-martin
http://charleyproject.org/case/barbara-jean-martin
http://charleyproject.org/case/barbara-martin
https://www.koin.com/news/martin-familys-1958-disappearance-remains-a-mystery/
“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.

February 14, 1986. Sugar Land, Texas. 43-year old insurance agent Stephen Geri phones the mother of his 33-year old wife, Marilu Geri, and asks her to visit Marilu at their house to help her prepare for a party. When Marilu’s mother arrives, she discovers that her daughter has been shot four times. Since there were troubles with the marriage and Stephen stands to collect on a substantial life insurance policy, he is viewed as a person of interest in Marilu’s death, but he also seems to have an alibi during the time period she was killed. However, there is suspicion that Stephen’s alibi might be fabricated, but since there is no direct evidence to implicate him, the crime remains unsolved. Did Stephen Geri orchestrate the murder of his wife? If not, who else could have killed Marilu? We explore both sides of this controversial case on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/marilu-geri/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Mystery-still-surrounds-Valentine-s-Day-slaying-12611859.php
https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/sugarland/news/article/Valentines-Day-murder-1986-victims-family-Marilu-12613932.php
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Texas-Rangers-unit-would-probe-unsolved-murders-2001754.php
“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 1, 1987. Chicago, Illinois. While speaking with his mother on the phone, 39-year old Charles Southern shares his plans about taking a trip to India. After not hearing from him for weeks, Charles’ parents check his house and discover he is missing, but they find what appears to be a Last Will and Testament naming a woman named Terri Hoffman as executor of Charles’ estate. Hoffman is the founder of a new religious movement Charles had joined called “Conscious Development of Body, Mind and Soul”, but they are accused of functioning like a cult and over the course of several years, a number of people associated with them would die under suspicious circumstances. Was Conscious Development responsible for Charles Southern’s disappearance? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” not only covers an unsolved missing persons case, but also explores the story of a bizarre cult and their potential culpability in several deaths. Special thanks to listener Carolina Young for providing the opening narration on this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/charles-southern/
http://charleyproject.org/case/charles-southern-jr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Hoffman
“Texas Monthly” Vol. 18, No. 5 (May 1990)
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1990/march/the-aura-of-murder/
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19900304&slug=1059149
“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 20, 1982. Kendall, Florida. A fire breaks out at the home of 30-year old Ezzat Aboul-Hosn and a badly burned body is found pinned underneath a car inside his garage. The body is tentatively identified as Ezzat and after it is determined that a leaky fuel line caused the fire, his death is ruled to be accidental. However, after Ezzat’s sister collects on a substantial life insurance policy, investigators become suspicious and eventually discover that the victim’s teeth do not match Ezzat’s dental records. Evidence suggests that Ezzat faked his death and fled to his home county of Lebanon, but he is never actually found. Did Ezzat Aboul-Hosn successfully get away with murder? If so, then who was the unidentified man killed in the fire? We shall attempt to answer these questions, as we explore one of the most bizarre stories we’ve ever covered on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download it FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Additional Reading:
The Argus-Press (Feb. 19, 1983)
The Lewiston Daily Sun (Feb. 21, 1983)
The Lakeland Ledger (March 4, 1983)
Detroit Free Press (March 4, 1983)
The Dispatch (March 5, 1983)
https://old.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/4akuak/oc_the_death_of_ezzat_aboulhosn/
“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.

February 8, 2002. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After closing up the bar she manages and drinking at various clubs in the downtown area, 33-year old Jamie Stickle drives back home to her apartment. Shortly thereafter, Jamie’s Jeep Wrangler is found engulfed in flames near her front door and her badly burned body is in the driver’s seat. Since some of Jamie’s personal items are scattered on the ground and there is a blood trail at the scene, this seems to indicate a violent attack, but investigators are unable to determine how exactly the fire started. As a result, there is not enough concrete evidence to classify Jamie’s death as a homicide and her cause of death is officially ruled to be “undetermined”. Was Jamie the victim of foul play or was she actually killed in a freak accident? If it was murder, who was responsible and what could their motive have been? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a truly perplexing cold case which has stumped investigators for the past two decades. In addition, we will also briefly discuss the brutal unsolved murder of Catherine Corkery, which took place in Pittsburgh on July 22, 1989.
Additional Reading:
https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/unsolved-murder-has-many-keys/Content?oid=1337516
http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/north-side-death-still-mourned-and-mysterious/Content?oid=1334804
https://archive.triblive.com/news/4-years-and-no-leads-in-north-side-death/
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2012/02/06/For-family-of-Jamie-Stickle-search-for-clues-to-her-death-never-ends/stories/201202060215
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/04/29/kdka-mysteries-jamie-stickle-burning-jeep/
“Who Killed… Pittsburgh, Pa?” by Jack Swint
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/dormont-brookline/unsolved-cases-catherine-corkery-afd942dd
“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 16, 1987. Denver, Colorado. After a collision with another vehicle, the unidentified driver of a pick-up truck runs away from the accident scene. Police discover that the man was registered at a local motel under the name “Larry Monroe” and the truck is registered to a 55-year old California resident named Don Smith. Five days earlier, Don had left on a road trip to visit relatives and his murdered body is eventually discovered in a remote area of Idaho. Before his death, several witnesses saw Don in the company of a man matching the description of the mysterious “Larry Monroe”, but the suspect is never found.
June 18, 1988. 40 Mile Flats, British Columbia. After leaving his home in Anchorage, Alaska on a lengthy road trip to Washington state, 23-year old Philip Fraser stops at a remote café and agrees to give a ride to a hitchhiker. The following evening, Philip’s abandoned, burned-out vehicle is discovered at a car wash in Prince George and his murdered body is found in a remote gravel pit one month later. On the same day Philip went missing, a couple had come across the hitchhiker with Philip’s car and allowed him to spend the night in their home. Evidence suggested that this man was attempting to assume Phillip’s identity, but investigators are unable to track him down.
On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover two unsolved cold cases in which the victims were murdered after picking up an unidentified hitchhiker.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download it FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Additional Reading:
https://unsolved.com/gallery/don-smith/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Donald_Smith
https://unsolved.com/gallery/philip-innes-fraser/
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Philip_Innes_Fraser
“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.

Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured over 200 unsolved cold cases on the podcast, but a decent number of these cases have either wound up being solved or had some significant developments take place. Examples include the disappearance of Pamela Butler, the murder of Jodine Serrin, the disappearance of 12-year old Jonelle Matthews, and the murder of an unidentified Jane Doe known only as “Orange Socks”. In this special “update” episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will kick off 2020 by chronicling all the major developments which have occurred in these stories over the past four years. Special thanks to actress Kaniehtiio Horn for providing the opening narration on this episode. Please check out her podcast, “A Coffee With My Ma” (https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/coffee-with-my-ma/id1372866076). This episode also contains a promo for the true crime podcast, “Already Gone” (http://www.alreadygonepodcast.com).
This episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is brought to you by HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/COLD10 and use code “COLD10” during HelloFresh’s New Year’s sale for 10 free meals including free shipping.
Additional Reading:
http://charleyproject.org/case/pamela-j-butler
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/eight-years-after-pamela-butler-disappeared-from-her-dc-home-her-killer-admits-guilt/2017/10/06/5c8134e2-aa9f-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/imprisoned-for-killing-one-woman-dc-area-man-is-charged-with-murder-in-another-womans-death/2019/10/18/d1700a2a-f1ca-11e9-89eb-ec56cd414732_story.html
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/jodine-serrin-carlsbad-cold-case-murder-suspect-david-mabrito/168412/
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190807/40-years-after-her-death-debra-jackson-of-abilene-identified-as-orange-socks
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/el-dorado-jane-doe_n_5c48cc72e4b025aa26bf852d
https://www.candgnews.com/news/judge-overwhelming-evidence-in-galloway-case-114983
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49661128
https://coloradosun.com/2019/10/01/jonelle-matthews-greeley-police-murder-cold-case-pankey/
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-andrea-kuiper-identification-20170512-htmlstory.html
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-best-reads/2018/12/23/hatbox-baby-great-arizona-mystery-new-clues-solve-sharon-elliott/2301185002/
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/08/tracy-kroh-timeline-years-of-searching-recently-an-arrest-but-will-the-mystery-finally-end.html
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/new-witness-backs-up-gardas-theory-that-trevor-deely-killed-in-row-with-gang-38755889.html
https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171218/tempest-convicted-second-time-in-1982-murder
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2019/10/19/state-attorney-rejects-death-row-inmates-dna-appeal/
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article235188057.html
https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum
https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens
https://the-record-newspaper.tumblr.com/archive
https://www.cleveland.com/crime/2019/12/newburgh-heights-police-tiffin-university-students-partner-up-to-investigate-1981-cold-case-death-of-kurt-sova.html
https://www.cbs46.com/news/exclusive-a-possible-crack-in-the-cold-cases-of-mary/article_38603214-f6c1-11e9-b397-97fdb9832a0f.html
https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-the-millbrook-twins/crime-news/disappearance-of-the-millbrook-twins-richmond
“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 19, 1959. Osprey, Florida. After spending the day running errands and visiting a family friend, 25-year old Cliff Walker, his 24-year old wife Christine, and their two children, three-year old Jimmie and 23-month old Debbie, head back to their rural home in separate vehicles. The following morning, the family’s bodies are discovered inside their house. They were each shot in the head before Debbie was drowned in the bathtub and Christine has also been sexually assaulted. Over the next several decades, investigators would look at a number of different suspects, but two of the most promising turn out to be Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who were responsible for the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas one month earlier, a crime which became the subject of the iconic book, “In Cold Blood”. However, DNA testing on the deceased killers turns out to be inconclusive and there is no evidence to conclusively implicate anyone. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” covers the harrowing murders of an entire family which have remained unsolved for 60 years. Special thanks to listener Alanna LaForce for providing the opening narration for this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_family_murders
“In Colder Blood” by J.T. Hunter
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20051218/unsolved
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20051219/the-suspects-a-litany-of-names-and-clues
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20051220/a-last-hope-dna-could-crack-the-case
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20121209/what-if-in-cold-blood-got-it-wrong-about-walker-murders
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20121209/what-in-cold-blood-said
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20130813/no-dna-link-between-walker-murders-in-cold-blood-killers
“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 17, 2006. Sydney, Australia. After spending the day with her family, 25-year old Katrina Ploy drives away from her parents’ house. Hours later, Katrina’s abandoned car and some of her possessions are found next to an oceanside cliff known as “The Gap”, but Katrina herself is missing. Katrina’s body is found floating in Sydney Harbour on Christmas Day, but since she has no noticeable injuries, the evidence suggests she did not fall off the cliff and entered the water at another location. An investigation reveals lot of complications in Katrina’s personal life, including a secret relationship with a former biker, sexual harassment at her workplace, and rumours about her being linked to powerful figures from organized crime. In the end, a coronial inquest fails to turn up any conclusive answers about what caused Katrina’s death or who might have been responsible. Join us as we travel down under to explore a baffling Australian mystery on this week’s holiday-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is brought to you by Best Fiends, a unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Download it FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
This episode of The Trail Went Cold is also sponsored by Away Luggage. To learn more, go to awaytravel.com/cold. Plus, order by the end of the day on December 15 to get free ground shipping with guaranteed free delivery by December 20. Only Applicable if you live in the U.S., EU, UK, Canada or Australia.
Additional Reading:
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/can_you_help_us/rewards/100000_reward/murder_of_katrina_ploy
https://amp.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mystery-meeting-may-hold-clue-to-murder-of-katrina-ploy/news-story/e90bb0e4114a10bb5bef75f7055c9e89
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-06/cliff-suicide-coroner-delivers-open-finding/935070
https://www.smh.com.au/national/death-at-the-gap-she-was-harassed-20070125-gdpbnc.html
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/ex-bikie-wont-talk-to-cops-about-death/news-story/a9cf556d51f431ebb77686314f4e4385
https://www.smh.com.au/national/gap-death-woman-had-wanted-to-die-20100803-1149y.html
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-03/cliff-death-coroner-issues-warrant-for-ex-boyfriend/930586
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/hitman-linked-to-sydney-suicide-probe/news-story/42de32ce5ddf73d43644fc8ad69ea1e0
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/five-key-suspects-in-bizarre-gap-murder-case/news-story/28c6f3e522726be191c69e6ec9392643?sv=32c6650a304da0466b92a82196e07f5c
“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 27, 1928. Orrville, Ohio. Four-year old Melvin Horst leaves his home to play in the neighbourhood with friends, but never returns and a search of the area fails to turn up any trace of him. Over the course of the next two years, a number of different suspects would be arrested after allegations surface that Melvin’s disappearance was a revenge scheme orchestrated by local bootleggers because his uncle was the town marshal and rigidly enforced Prohibition. Two suspects are convicted of Melvin’s presumed abduction before their sentences are overturned while two other men make questionable confessions which cannot be backed up by evidence. Was Melvin Horst actually abducted by criminals who were involving in bootlegging? If so, could he have been passed around and raised under a new identity somewhere? On this week’s episode of the “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover the oldest unsolved missing children’s case in the history of Ohio, a crazy story which captured the entire nation’s attention when it happened.
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://charleyproject.org/case/melvin-charles-horst
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/07/a-missing-child-can-never-be-forgotten-police-surviving-sister-seek-answers-in-1928-disappearance-of-orrville-boy.html
http://strangec.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-lost-boy-mystery-of-melvin-horst.html
“Unsolved Murders & Disappearances in Northeast Ohio” by Jane Ann Turzillo
“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.