The Trail Went Cold

May 14, 2008. Marshall, Minnesota. The parents of 19-year old Brandon Swanson receive a late-night phone call from their son, who claims that his car has become stuck in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. The Swansons leave to go pick Brandon up, but have trouble finding him. At one point, Brandon’s father hears him shout a swear word over the phone before the call abruptly cuts off, and there is no answer to repeated attempts to phone him back. Even though his abandoned car is eventually found on a rural road, Brandon himself is never heard from again. What happened to Brandon Swanson, and what could have prompted his final reaction during his final phone call? In our latest Halloween-themed extended minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we tackle one of the scariest, most baffling missing persons cases of the past decade. Special thanks to Joe from Thinking Sideways Podcast for popping in to share a theory. Be sure to check out their episode about this case. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Brandon_Swanson http://charleyproject.org/case/brandon-victor-swanson https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/User:Jeff_Hasse/Missing_Person_Case_Study_--_Brandon_Swanson http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/18/grace.coldcase.swanson/index.html Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

October 27, 2007. Grand Forks, North Dakota. 38-year old Joel Lovelien and his fiancée attend a Halloween party at a local bar. When Joel takes a moment to step outside, he is beaten to death in the parking lot. The investigation leads to a suspect named Travis Stay, who was so intoxicated that night that he cannot even remember what happened. Travis goes on trial for Joel’s murder, but his defence team manages to generate reasonable doubt by diverting attention towards a group of costumed suspects from a party bus. Did Travis Stay commit this crime or have others managed to get away with it? We look at both sides of this case in another Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Special thanks to listener Scott Owings for providing the opening narration for today's episode. Additional Reading: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/halloween-murder-mystery-who-killed-man-hockey-costume-f8C11470596 http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/2086041-taxi-driver-tells-jurors-ride-travis-stay http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/2086010-party-bus-riders-testify-lovelien-murder-trial Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

October 31, 1986. Long Beach, New York. Chaim Weiss, a 15-year old Orthodox Jewish rabbinical student, returns to his dormitory after attending Shabbat services at his yeshiva high school. The following morning, Chaim’s body is found on his dorm room floor. At some point during the night, an unknown individual entered his room and brutally murdered him while he slept. Police conduct an extensive investigation and interview students and faculty members from the yeshiva, but are unable to uncover a solid suspect or any discernible motive for Chaim’s murder. We examine a very perplexing cold case on this month’s first Halloween-themed minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/chaim-weiss/ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/chaim-weiss-brutally-murdered-1986-article-1.2417684 http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/investigation-continues-1986-halloween-murder-article-1.2417285 Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

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. Please take a moment to complete a listener survey on behalf of our sponsors. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. 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/ Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. 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. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. 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. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

May 15, 1930. Chicago, Illinois. After a newspaper ad seeks assistance for the poverty-stricken family of two-year old Mary Agnes Moroney, a woman calling herself Julia Otis shows up at their home to help. She offers to take Mary Agnes shopping to buy her new clothes, but they never return. 22 years later, a woman named Mary McClelland comes forward after suspecting she might be Mary Agnes and experts conclude that she is probably the missing child. However, after Mary McClelland passes away in 2005, DNA testing shows no genetic connection between her and the Moroney family. So what happened to the real Mary Agnes Moroney? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” features the oldest cold case we’ve ever covered, which has gone from solved to unsolved again over the course of several decades. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Agnes_Moroney http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/moroney_mary.html LIFE Magazine (Sep. 22, 1952) Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

November 30, 1990. Parma, Ohio. 41-year old Elaine Johnson vanishes without explanation from her apartment complex. She leaves behind her car and wallet, along with clothes in the laundry room dryer, and is officially reported missing three days later. A series of strange cryptic notes are found in Elaine’s apartment, leading to much speculation about her mental state at the time she went missing. However, suspicion also mounts against Elaine’s boyfriend, who changes his story about the last time he saw her. Did Elaine Johnson disappear voluntarily or did she meet with foul play? We explore each possible scenario on this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Special thanks to Elaine’s daughter, Jodi, whose Facebook page, “Missing Person Elaine Benich Johnson”, is the source for much of the information on this minisode. Additional Reading: http://charleyproject.org/case/elaine-johnson https://www.cleveland.com/parmasunpost/2011/11/parma_police_seeking_informati.html Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

December 4, 1982. Boise, Idaho. A stranger enters the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and takes his own life by swallowing a cyanide capsule. He carries a suicide note signed “William L. Toomey”, but this turns out to be a false name and the man is never identified. Years later, investigators explore a theory that Toomey’s suicide might be connected to the murders of two Catholic priests, Father Patrick Ryan and Father Benjamin Carrier. To further complicate matters, a suspect was arrested for Father Ryan’s murder only weeks before Toomey’s death, even though the evidence strongly suggested he was innocent of the crime. Who was the mysterious “William L. Toomey” and what compelled him to take his own life? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is a very deep rabbit hole which explores multiple cold cases involving the Catholic Church and the possibility that they are related. Additional Reading: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/William_L._Toomey https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2005-06-17/275319/ http://podles.org/case-studies/Rev-Patrick-Ryan-Case-Study-page1.htm http://kyma.dgt.me/father-benjamin-j-carriers-murder-remains-unsolved/ Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

April 4, 1991. Clinton, Missouri. While driving home, 20-year old Angela Hammond stops at a phone booth to call her fiancee, Rob Shafer, and describes a suspicious-looking man in a pickup truck in the parking lot. Rob suddenly hears Angela scream and drives into town to check on her. He passes by a pick-up truck and sees Angela struggling with an unidentified man, but after attempting a pursuit, the transmission on Rob’s truck gives out and this is the last anyone ever sees of Angela. But who was Angela Hammond’s kidnapper and could this person have been responsible for other unsolved crimes which took place in the area during this time period? On this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we chronicle one of the most terrifying unsolved abductions you’ll ever hear about. Additional Reading: http://www.unsolved.com/gallery/angela-hammond http://charleyproject.org/case/angela-marie-hammond "Missing or Murdered in Missouri: Unsolved and Solved Cases" by Barbara Kemm-Highton Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

December 27, 1993. Lockhart, Texas. The body of 38-year old Latricia White is discovered in her bed after having been shot six times. Latricia’s live-in boyfriend, Lee “Dub” Wackerhagen, has vanished from their home, alongside his nine-year son, Chance. Three days later, Dub’s abandoned pick-up truck is discovered, containing many of his personal items and blood which does not belong to Latricia. Since Dub was known for having a volatile temper, he becomes the prime suspect in the murder and a warrant is issued for his arrest. However, over two decades later, the authorities announce that new evidence suggests Latricia, Dub and Chance were all victims of foul play. But who could have been responsible? Today’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” examines a baffling unsolved case which was voted on by our listeners in a Facebook poll. Also, please check out the Charley Project profile pages for Lee “Dub” Wackerhagen and Chance Wackerhagen for more information. Additional Reading: http://unsolved.com/gallery/chance-wackerhagen/ http://archive.caller.com/news/local/crime/dps-looking-for-suspects-in-1993-murder-missing-persons-case-involving-kingsville-boy-33386e34-526b--380185871.html http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Investigators-reopen-1993-Texas-murder-disappearance-case-379961121.html Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 13, 2007. Nannup, Australia. 27-year old Chantelle McDougall lives with her six-year old daughter, Leela, Leela’s 45-year old father, Simon Kadwell, and their 40-year old friend, Tony Popic. Chantelle tells her parents that they are all taking a trip to Brazil together, but the group never returns and no paper trail can be found to suggest they left the country. It turns out that Simon Kadwell has been living under a stolen identity for years and is the leader of a doomsday cult called The Truth Fellowship. Did Simon convince his family to disappear with him in order to prepare for an impending apocalypse… or could something far more sinister have happened? This week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold” chronicles the story of a bizarre cult and four people who seemingly vanished into thin air. Additional Reading: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/baffling-mystery-of-a-cult-and-a-wa-family-who-vanished-10-years-ago/news-story/a941ec7b534905e59c7ec6f6b2997e36 http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/fate-of-australian-doomsday-internet-cult-family-from-nannup-western-australia-remains-mystery/news-story/838f1baa6a6d069e3033df8b57ce88ee http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/police-say-new-lead-on-disappearance-of-family/4884546 Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

October 14, 1965. Atlanta, Georgia. After having dinner with a friend, 25-year old bank secretary Mary Shotwell Little vanishes without explanation. The following day, her abandoned vehicle is discovered with traces of blood and Mary’s neatly folded undergarments inside. Mary’s gasoline card is also used at two separate service stations in North Carolina by a woman matching her description and two unidentified male companions. The case would contain a number of bizarre developments, including an odd kidnapping story from a prison inmate, allegations of a scandal at Mary’s workplace, and the subsequent unsolved murder of the woman who took over Mary’s job. Was Mary Shotwell Little abducted and murdered… or could she have actually staged her own disappearance? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” is undoubtedly one of the strangest, most convoluted missing persons cases we’ve ever covered. This episode also contains a promo for "The Fall Line", a new investigative true crime podcast on the disappearances of Jeannette and Dannette Milbrook. Additional Reading: http://charleyproject.org/case/mary-shotwell-little http://www.buckhead.net/history/mystery/msl_a.html http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1102670/posts http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article9204080.html http://maryshotwelllittle.blogspot.ca/2010/06/mary-shotwell-little-and-diane-shields.html Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

February 25, 2014. Perranporth, England. The nude body of an unidentified male is discovered after washing up on Perranporth Beach. The victim has a sock stuffed in his mouth, which has been tied in place by headphones. He is soon identified as Alan Jeal, a 64-year old loner from the town of Wadebridge. Investigators use CCTV footage to track Alan’s movements on the night before he was found and learn that he travelled to two other nearby towns before he went to Perranporth. The footage opens up a lot of perplexing questions, but no answers about how Alan wound up dead. Did Alan commit a very bizarre suicide or was he a victim of foul play? We look at both angles on this week’s minisode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Special thanks to Casper for supporting our podcast. In order to save $50 on a mattress, please visit http://www.casper.com/cold and enter the promo code “cold”. Additional Reading: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-27505054 http://www.cornwalllive.com/police-reveal-information-case-wadebridge-man/story-21119561-detail/story.html http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-26674176 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-27678525 Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.