Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

In April of 2022, Felicia Johnson flew to Houston, Texas from San Diego, California to celebrate her 24th birthday and look for work in the area. Upon booking a client late one night, Felicia disappeared. Law enforcement, volunteers, and Texas Equusearch performed searches around the areas she was thought to possibly be, but the efforts were fruitless. Though the public strongly believed Felicia was the victim of sex trafficking, Houston Police Detectives were following leads of a different kind – leads that would uncover an aspiring serial killer was responsible for her disappearance. Eventually, Felicia’s remains were recovered, but the man who allegedly murdered her remains a fugitive from justice.

If you have any information about the murder of Felicia Johnson or the whereabouts of Chukwuebuka Chibundo Nwobodo, please contact the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division at (713) 308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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Sources: nownyc.org, nih.gov, theguardian.com, KHOU.com, ABC13.com, fox26houston.com, houstontx.gov, mctxsheriff.org, and Chukwuebuka Nwobodo arrest warrant affidavit 

#JusticeForFeliciaJohnson #Houston #HoustonTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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On September 19th, 2008, an email was sent from one executive of Plus SMS to another, relaying the message, “put a bullet in…Chris,” referring to the company’s then-CEO, Christopher Robert Tiensch. The company was under investigation and was in trouble due to the deception of shareholders and self-inflation of stocks, and Christopher Tiensch had blown the whistle on the entire thing. On Thursday, September 15th, 2011, Christopher was found floating in the Gulf of Mexico, shot to death.

If you have any information about the homicide of Christopher Tiensch, please contact the Port Aransas police department at 361-749-6241 or Texas Crime stoppers at 713-222-TIPS, that’s 713-222-8477, where you can remain completely anonymous.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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The Port Aransas South Jetty, The Austin America-Statesmen, The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, The New Zealand Herald, and Stuff.co.nz were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForChrisTiensch #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #Abduction #Kidnapping #1984 #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #HateCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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On October 9th, 1984, a mystery began in Mercedes, Texas, adding to the many others in the Rio Grande Valley. Twenty-one-year-old Kim Sue Leggett was kidnapped from her place of employment, Ross Cotton Gin. A phone call that took place literally minutes after she was taken and a ransom letter sent to Kim’s parents a few days later were virtually the only clues Mercedes Police, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigators, the Texas Rangers, and the FBI had to work with. Kim was never seen alive again; her remains never found. Her kidnapping was cold from the beginning and remains so today.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Kim Sue Leggett, please contact the Mercedes Police Department at 956-565-3102 or Texas Crime stoppers at 800-252-8477.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com

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The Mercedes Enterprise, The Brownsville Herald, The McAllen Monitor, The Sonoma Press Democrat, The Longview News-Journal, The Victoria Advocate, The Del Rio News Herald, and KRVG News were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForKimLeggett #WhereIsKimLeggett #MercedesTX #RGVTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #Abduction #Kidnapping #1984 #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #HateCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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On Thanksgiving Day in 1982, the body of Ruth Elizabeth Bettis was found in a field in rural Travis County. She was last seen leaving her place of employment, Sugar’s adult entertainment, the evening before with a mystery man. The seemingly contradicting two worlds in which she lived, that of a coed and that of a topless dancer, made the Travis County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation unusual...and difficult. Though a serial rapist and a cop were scrutinized for Elizabeth’s slaying, a lack of evidence had prevented movement on the case, and it remains unsolved today.

If you have any information about the murder of Ruth Elizabeth Bettis please call Texas Crime Stoppers at 800 252 8477.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com

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The Austin Chronicle, The Austin American Statesman, The Odessa American, Edible Austin, and UTtexas.edu were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForElizabethBettis #Austin #AustinTX #TravisCountyTX #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #HateCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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Part 2 of 2. Juan Leon Laureles was only 30 years old when he was shot execution style on the side of a small gravel road just east of Brownwood, Texas in May of 1996 – his 1988 Ford Thunderbird ablaze. Few theories have been floating around since that terrible, tragic day. The Brown County Sheriff’s department has theirs but won’t acknowledge that there might be a better one: a theory that actual makes sense and seems to better fit the known facts – that the slaying was an act of hate. But, of course, there are other plausible theories and some recent information that allows for even more speculation. Still though, with the climate of hate towards the gay and lesbian community, among other groups, in Brown County and the city of Brownwood, the possibility that Leon’s murder was a hate crime is extremely possible and plausible. Did the Sheriff’s Department investigation lag because Leon Laureles was gay? It certainly seems that way.

If you have any information on the 1996 murder of Juan Leon Laureles, please contact the Brown County Sheriff’s Office at 325-646-5510.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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The Brownwood Bulletin was used as a source for this episode. 

#JusticeForLeonLaureles #Brownwood #BrownwoodTX #BrownCountyTX #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #HateCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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Part 1 of 2.  30-year-old Juan Leon Laureles was well-loved and respected by his family and friends. So, when he was murdered execution style and his vehicle set afire, those who knew and loved him were shocked; Leon didn't live a high-risk lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination. Through the years, as his case has grown colder and colder, the Brown County Sheriff's Department's theory of a motive makes less and less sense. However, as a gay Hispanic man, Leon Laureles killed as the result of an act of hate - of bigotry - seems very plausible. For Arlene, Leon's niece who is only a couple years younger than him and was his best friend, the uncertainty and mystery surrounding what happened and why is excruciating. Much of Leon's remaining family, in fact, live with the pain every waking moment. The Brown County Sheriff's Department is no closer to solving Leon's murder than they were the day it happened, and, perhaps, it's because they refuse to see it as it is.

If you have any information about the 1996 murder of Juan Leon Laureles, please contact the Brown County Sheriff’s Office at 325-646-5510.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com

For Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.com

Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast

The Texas State Historical Association, The Austin Chronicle, The Brownwood Bulletin, and the friends and family of Leon Laureles were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForLeonLaureles #Brownwood #BrownwoodTX #BrownCountyTX #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #HateCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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In early 1986, Austin, Texas was grappling with rising crime, particularly around the condemned Booker T. Washington housing project on the east side, which had become a haven for drugs and violence due to bureaucratic neglect. Amid this, Ruth Case—a beloved nurse, student, wife, and mother of two—vanished after attending a class at Austin Community College’s Ridgeview campus nearby. Her disappearance shocked the community, especially after her car was found untouched and no immediate leads emerged. Weeks later, her purse surfaced in a nearby wooded area, and soon after, her raped and murdered body was discovered in a vacant, unlocked unit within the housing project—one supposedly searched by police earlier. The failure of that search drew criticism and led to procedural reforms, while Ruth’s tragic death underscored the urgent need to address the dangerous conditions in the area. Although several suspects were considered, no one was ever charged, and the case eventually went cold. Today, Ruth’s family continues to mourn.

If you have any information about the murder of Ruth Helene Case, please contact the Austin police Department Homicide Tip line at 512-477-3588.

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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The Austin American-Statesman was used as a source for this episode. 

#JusticeForRuthCase #Austin #ATX #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #Unsolved #ColdCase #MissingPerson #Disappearance #Vanished #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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As Patty’s family searched for her, a trial was taking place far away in Lubbock. It was a murder case with no body, but because their was blood evidence and other circumstantial evidence, it resulted in convictions. Patty Vaughan’s case arguably has more circumstantial evidence. Also, things were tense between Patty’s family and her estranged husband JR, resulting in assaults, one, perhaps, more understandable than the other. The search for Patty and the longing for justice has taken its toll on her family, and also taken a toll on former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Adrian Ramirez, who worked the case as a young crime scene technician and again as a seasoned cold case detective.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Patty Vaughan, please contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, please get help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE, or 800-799-7233. You can also text “start,” S-T-A-R-T to 88788 or visit thehotline.org

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com

For Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.com

Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast

The Wilson County News, The San Antonio News-Express, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, foxsanantonio.com, and news4sanantonio.com were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForPattyVaughan #WhereIsPattyVaughan #BexarCounty #SanAntonio #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #Unsolved #ColdCase #MissingPerson #Disappearance #Vanished #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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Part 2 of 3. After the disappearance of Patty Vaughan in the fall of 1996 under suspicious circumstances, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office was reluctant to name her husband JR a suspect, although they admitted the investigation was centered around him. The circumstances surrounding Patty’s abandoned Dodge Caravan were highly suspicious, as was the idea that she would leave her children behind. Blood evidence found in the minivan and in her Wilson County home certainly indicated foul play but still, with no body, authorities declined to make an arrest, or, it seemed, treat the case as a homicide. When a year had passed, the police were no closer to finding Patty than they were on day one.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Patty Vaughan, please contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, please get help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE, or 800-799-7233. You can also text “start,” S-T-A-R-T to 88788 or visit thehotline.org

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com

For Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.com

Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast

The Wilson County News, The San Antonio News-Express, foxsanantonio.com, and news4sanantonio.com were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForPattyVaughan #WhereIsPattyVaughan #BexarCounty #SanAntonio #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #Unsolved #ColdCase #MissingPerson #Disappearance #Vanished #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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In the fall of 1996, Patty Vaughan separated from her husband JR after more than 10 years of marriage. While she worried about her children, the separation, which was likely leading to divorce, was necessary. She ran into an old flame while attending a rodeo, and an old romance started anew. Patty was lighter – and happier – than ever. On Christmas Day, she decided it would be best for her estranged husband to come over and spend the holiday with the kids, since it was their first Christmas apart. She wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible. But things didn’t work out as she intended. After heated arguments between Patty and JR, she disappeared. But it wasn’t without a trace.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Patty Vaughan, please contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, please get help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE, or 800-799-7233. You can also text “start,” S-T-A-R-T to 88788 or visit thehotline.org

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com

For Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.com

Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast

The Wilson County News, The San Antonio News-Express, foxsanantonio.com, and news4sanantonio.com were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForPattyVaughan #WhereIsPattyVaughan #BexarCounty #SanAntonio #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #Unsolved #ColdCase #MissingPerson #Disappearance #Vanished #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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