The Trail Went Cold

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

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 “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.

September 20, 1994. Oak Grove, Kentucky. 22-year old Candy Belt and 18-year old Gloria Ross are found dead at the massage parlour where they work, as they have both been shot in the head and had their throats slashed. It turns out the business was a front for a brothel and suspicion is directed towards a local police officer named Ed Carter, who is alleged to have been involved in a dispute with the massage parlour’s owner. Nineteen years later, Carter and two other suspects are charged for their roles in the murders, but since DNA evidence from the crime scene does not match any of them, they all wind up being acquitted at trial. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a brutal double homicide surrounded by scandal and allegations of police corruption which is often referred to as “The Kentucky Bordello Murders”. Special thanks to listener Samantha Hope Cannon for narrating the opening of this episode. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/candy-belt-gloria-ross/ https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Candy_Belt_and_Gloria_Ross http://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1106-a-town-under-trial https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/08/31/kentucky-soap-opera-unleashed-after-double-slaying-at-brothel/2d0b9d30-bddd-42e2-80ff-c5a5f5c6e61a/?utm_term=.8f32871c91dc http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/21/justice/kentucky-prostitute-murders-cold-case/ http://wkms.org/post/jury-acquits-3-men-1994-west-kentucky-brothel-murder-trial http://www.kentuckynewera.com/web/article_998c8520-7536-11e6-837f-ff6be70258b9.html http://www.kentuckynewera.com/web/news/article_c4f5a69a-24af-11e3-a451-0019bb2963f4.html https://www.kentuckynewera.com/ep/news/article_e71cdd80-92a4-11e7-b33e-37e40271aa58.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 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.

June 16, 2009. Rosses Point, Ireland. The body of a man who appears to be in his late fifties or early sixties is found washed up on a beach and his cause of death is believed to be acute cardiac arrest. Four days earlier, the man had arrived in the nearby town of Sligo and checked into a hotel under the name “Peter Bergmann”, but it turns out this name was fake and he carries no identification. Investigators believe that he travelled to Ireland from another country and use CCTV footage to track his movements in the days prior to his death. They theorize that he spent time gradually disposing of items which might have provided a clue to his identity, but no one ever comes forward who recognizes this man. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a unique mystery involving an unidentified decent known as “Peter Bergmann”. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bergmann_case https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/the-unsolved-mystery-of-peter-bergmann-1.3923308 https://www.vice.com/en/article/8xwkdg/peter-bergmann-case-crime-sligo http://www.irishcentral.com/news/The-man-who-went-to-Ireland-to-disappear-VIDEO.html https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/inverness/2410021/north-forensic-artist-provides-assistance-in-bid-to-solve-11-year-mystery-of-peter-bergmann/ https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/mystery-mans-last-surprise-27570679.html https://www.lemonde.fr/m-moyen-format/article/2015/03/12/l-homme-qui-voulait-effacer-sa-vie_4592522_4497271.html “The Last Days of Peter Bergmann” Documentary “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 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.

May 10, 1941. Carolina Beach, North Carolina. 36-year old Leila Bryan and her three-year old daughter, Mary Rachel Bryan, leave their home in the family car in order to drive to a nearby store, but never return. After they are reported missing, an extensive search fails to turn up any trace of them or their car, but Leila’s family suspects that her husband, E.C. Bryan, might be responsible for the disappearances. Decades later, investigators perform a dig under the concrete foundation of E.C.’s former residence, but fail to turn up anything, so Leila and Mary Rachel remain missing persons. At the request of Leila’s great grand-niece, this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” will be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the baffling unsolved disappearance of a mother and daughter. If you have any information about this case, please contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at (919) 662-4500. Join us on Saturday, May 15 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/lelia-lewis-bryan https://charleyproject.org/case/mary-rachel-bryan https://ncmissingpersons.org/mary-rachel-bryan/ https://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081113/News/605097408 https://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090106/News/605093045 https://www.wral.com/nc-wanted-75-years-later-questions-remain-in-case-of-missing-mother-daughter/15890760/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/kp4k2j/left_to_buy_a_bra_and_was_never_seen_or_heard/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/3uv7si/left_to_buy_a_bra_and_was_never_seen_or_heard/ “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.

March 18, 2000. Whatcom County, Washington. A damaged Jeep belonging to 23-year old Leah Roberts is found at the bottom of an embankment next to a remote highway. Nine days earlier, Leah had left her home in North Carolina to take a cross-country road trip, but even though all of her personal possessions are left behind at the accident scene, Leah herself is missing. The investigation eventually uncovers evidence to suggest that the accident might have been staged and the Jeep was unoccupied when it went down the embankment. Further complications are also caused by strange anonymous phone call, as well as a reported eyewitness sighting of Leah with an unidentified man at a shopping mall restaurant. Was Leah Roberts actually inside her vehicle when it crashed or did she fall victim to an unknown third party? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores an unsolved missing persons case involving a road trip which turned into a baffling mystery. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office at (360) 676-6650. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Leah_Roberts http://unsolved.com/archives/leah-roberts http://charleyproject.org/case/leah-toby-roberts https://www.whatcomcounty.us/292/Missing-Leah-Roberts https://people.com/archive/the-searcher-vol-64-no-5/ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/25/lkl.01.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 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.

May 31, 1995. Goderich, Ontario. After leaving her school, 16-year old Mistie Murray fails to return home and is subsequently reported missing. Even though there are several eyewitness sightings placing Mistie at numerous locations in the weeks following her disappearance, police focus their attention on her adoptive father, Steve Murray. Over three months later, Steve is arrested for Mistie’s murder after he is accused using his boat to dump her body in Lake Huron. However, since there is virtually no evidence against Steve, he winds up being acquitted when he goes on trial. Did Steve suffer the dubious distinction of being prosecuted for a nonexistent murder? If Mistie was not a victim of foul play and ran away of her own accord, what ultimately happened to her? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore one of the most bizarre and controversial missing persons cases in Canadian history. If you have any information about this case, please contact ChildFind at 1-800-387-7962. Additional Reading: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1221dfon.html https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/lfp-archives-the-enduring-mistie-murray-mystery https://everything2.com/title/Mistie+Murray https://www.newspapers.com/image/514104024/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/505921065/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/504440201/ https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/dad-once-accused-in-teen-daughter-mistie-murrays-vanishing-dies-at-68 http://www.fact.on.ca/news/news0006/np000606.htm “Damaged Angels” by Bonnie Buxton https://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=115&entryid=56bc805a8f94ac2b21c4fe0e “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.

August 12, 1992. Panama City Beach, Florida. After leaving her home in Georgia on a vacation with her two children, 36-year old Pamela June Ray arrives at a beachfront motel during the early morning hours and parks in front of the office. Pamela’s children are sleeping in the back seat, but when they wake up a few hours later, they learn that their mother has vanished and a patrol officer reports having seen Pamela in the company of an unidentified man shortly before she went missing. Years later, a convicted killer named Mark Riebe confesses to the murders of over a dozen woman, including Pamela, but he later recants all of his confessions. Was Riebe actually responsible for Pamela June Ray’s disappearance? If so, what happened to her remains? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” explores a disturbing missing persons case which has yet to find a resolution after nearly 30 years. Special thanks to Dr. Ashley Wellman for narrating the opening of this episode. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Panama City Beach Police Department at (850) 233-5000. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Thanks, BetterHelp. Get 10 % off your first month at betterhelp.com/trail. This coming Thursday, April 22, from 7:00-8:00 PM Central Time, Robin will be giving a virtual presentation at the Lombard Historical Society about the 1966 disappearance of the Indiana Dunes Women. The event is free and in order to view the presentation, please register at this website. Additional Reading: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Pamela_June_Ray http://charleyproject.org/case/pamela-june-ray https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/pamela-june-ray-no-vacancy https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/mark-riebe-sins-of-the-father https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20190706/looking-for-answers-in-pamela-june-rays-1992-disappearance https://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/years-ago-this-week-georgia-mother-disappeared-her-children-slept/bHDWApPaVO3tfhZgA3xobO/ https://www.newsherald.com/news/20190317/unsolved-bay-county-disappearance-of-pamela-ray “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.

September 4, 1964. Great Falls, Montana. 43-year old Jim Arrotta and his 35-year old wife, Lois Arrotta, are found stabbed to death inside a grocery store where Jim works as the manager. Since the couple’s children last saw them at their home when they went to bed the previous night, investigators theorize that Jim and Lois were lured to the store and killed during a botched robbery. Over 37 years later, Alan Reavley, a former employee who had been fired from the grocery store for theft, is charged with the murders. However, since the case against Alan is shaky and no physical evidence links him up to the crime, he winds up being acquitted at trial. Did Alan Reavley get away with the murders of Jim and Lois Arrotta, or was someone else was responsible? We will explore both sides of a very controversial murder case 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 Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends! Additional Reading: https://billingsgazette.com/jim-and-lois-arrotta-great-falls/article_48f8cbcb-cce3-5ad8-9199-e376140a7a60.html https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/09/04/years-later-arrotta-murders-still-shock-great-falls/15054583/ https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/09/07/double-murder-trial-riveted-great-falls/15233469/ https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/reavley-found-not-guilty-of-40-year-old-great-falls-murders/article_a806538a-4cc3-5f70-ace2-d067a54ddc91.html https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/daughter-of-slain-couple-testifies/article_3a08cd3d-9ca1-5a91-b7c0-972d1625f163.html https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/chance-finds-man-at-same-place-as-alleged-slayer-of-his-brother/article_0780bf37-0e87-578a-bb91-05cf203d2df1.html https://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/article_a8d75928-1b5e-5aad-af47-b5aaa775b434.html https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mt-supreme-court/1246029.html https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2004/may/25/woman-admits-taking-rings-from-ex-client/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/243621834/ “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.

April 13, 1976. Jessup, Maryland. Ralph Sigler, a 47-year old Chief Warrant Officer with the United States Army, is found dead inside a motel room after an apparent suicide in which he electrocuted himself. For the past decade, Ralph had been working as a counterintelligence agent who provided classified information to spies from the Soviet Union, but since he had fallen under suspicion for failing several polygraph tests, the Army concludes that Ralph elected to take his own life. However, Ralph’s family discovers a number of discrepancies, including some unexplained injuries on his body, to make them suspect Ralph was tortured before someone murdered him. Was Ralph Sigler’s death an elaborate suicide or was he a victim of foul play? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a controversial Cold War-era mystery involving spies and espionage. Additional Reading: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Ralph_Sigler https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/02/08/an-agents-suicide/24147cde-632c-4d11-97e2-f0517315db42/ https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/485/185/1377158/ https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/28/world/failings-reported-at-fbi-and-cia.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/435314686/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/434670125/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/434670936/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/434671715/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/434672452/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/161100945/ “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.