Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

Sunnyside, Houston, Texas was once a community of hope and prosperity. But by the 1990s, the community was riddled with dilapidated buildings and infrastructure, poverty, and crime. Track champion, basketball all-star, and honor student Trellis “Tree” Sykes was a light in the community. Everyone in Sunnyside was proud to have her as a local. In 1994, however, someone who can only be described as a monster accosted Tree and violently ended her incredibly special and promising life. Years later, when a neighborhood rapist was identified after the city of Houston finally prioritized ending their backlog of rape kits, the cops were sure the man was responsible for Tree’s slaying. Though the case remains unsolved to this day, Houston Homicide Division Cold Case Detective Darcus Shorten recently reopened the case.

If you have any information about the murder of Trellis Tree Sykes, please contact the Houston Police Department Homicide Division’s Cold Case Squad at (713)308-3618

If you are a survivor of sexual violence and need confidential help, please call the national sexual assault hotline at (800)656-HELP or (800)656-4673. You can also visit the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network at RAINN.org

Also, visit endthebacklog.org to find out how you can help get justice for victims and survivors and take dangerous sexual offenders off the street

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

To help the family of Brittany McGlone afford a billboard, go to gofundme.com/f/billboard-ad-for-the-unsolved-murder-of-my-sister

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com. If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

#JusticeForTree #JusticeForTrellisSykes #Houston #HoustonTX #SunnysideTX #HarrisCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #UnsolvedMurder #Murder #Homicide #EndtheBacklog

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

San Antonio, Texas is known for the Alamo and the River Walk, among other things. Though the city is certainly set apart from other comparable Texas cities by the amazing culture and the interesting history, San Antonio’s violent crime rate isn’t any different. In 1988, as gang violence began to escalate, so did other terrible crimes involving juveniles, many in San Antonio’s west and southwest sides. Perhaps the most senseless and baffling homicide in the city that year, and possibly for many years before and after, was the random killing of 8-year-old Jennifer Delgado. The lack of motive and the fact that Jennifer did not know the man who murdered her at all rendered the case cold from the get-go.

Special thanks to Christopher Palmer for his help with this episode. Go to jennifersuedelgado.org to see Christopher’s great work and to donate to the cause.

If you have any information, please contact Crime Stoppers of San Antonio at (210)224-7867. You can remain anonymous.

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

To help the family of Brittany McGlone afford a billboard, go to gofundme.com/f/billboard-ad-for-the-unsolved-murder-of-my-sister

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com. If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The San Antonio Express News, The San Antonio Light, The Odessa American, KHOU.com, and the Handbook of Texas online were used as sources for this episode.

#JusticeForJenniferSueDelgado #SanAntonio #Alamo #BexarCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #UnsolvedMurder #Murder

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

In 1988, 27-year-old Carol Lee Preslar was enrolled at the University of Texas, working nights at Feather’s Lounge, and having fun with friends. She’d been back in Fort Worth for about 5 years after spending several with her sister in Utah. Carol had a lot going for her: a personality that drew folks in and hooked them, a successful boyfriend, and even a little dog named Georgie. But shortly after returning home following work and a little partying with friends, Carol was held in her apartment, tortured, and murdered. Details of the crime suggest Carol knew her killer, who also sought to demean her, but the cops couldn’t zero in on a motive, much less a viable suspect in the initial investigation. Though progress was made a decade later, and another decade after that, the case remains unsolved. Currently, Carol Lee Preslar’s murder case is being actively investigated by Fort Worth Police Cold Case detectives.

If you have any information about the horrific murder of Carol Lee Preslar in June of 1988, please contact the Fort Worth Cold Case Unit at (817)392-4307. You can also report information anonymously to Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477.

Special thanks to Susie, Jodi, and Detective Leah Wagner for their invaluable contributions to this episode.

Consider joining Laurah from The Fall Line, Sarah from Voices for Justice, Arlene, and me for a FREE special live podcast on Thursday, June 30th, 2022 at 7:30 CT to discuss Leon Laureles’s case. You can register at crowdcast.io/e/justice-for-leon

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com

If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram was used as a source for this episode.

#JusticeForCarolPreslar #FortWorth #FortWorthTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #UnsolvedMurder #Murder

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

In 1982, 20-year-old aspiring model Sherry Ellen Rowland had taken work as a graveyard shift clerk at a 7-Eleven convenience store to supplement her lifestyle in-between modeling gigs. Almost immediately upon starting her shift on November 27th, Sherry began receiving obscene phone calls. Even though a Fort Worth Police Officer began patrolling the store to make sure Sherry was okay, and that the calls were only a bad prank, an unknown assailant entered the store at some point between 2:20 and 3:50 AM, raped, and killed the 20-year-old. Though perpetrators of the incredibly large number of armed robberies ended up on the suspect list, the Fort Worth Police never found Sherry’s killer. Currently, Sherry Rowland’s case is being actively investigated by the Fort Worth Police Cold Case Unit.

If you have any information about the rape and murder of Sherry Ellen Rowland in November of 1982, please contact the Fort Worth Cold Case Unit at (817)392-4308. You can also report information to Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477.

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com
If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram was used as a source for this episode.

#JusticeForSherryRowland #FortWorth #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #UnsolvedMurder #Murder

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

Part 2 of 2. The year 1984 was the most active year in the investigation of the September of 1981 abduction of 3-year-old Ryan Nicole Burton. Leads the FBI chased seemed like a major stretch, specifically one that appeared as though it was ripped from the script of a made for television movie. But the investigation didn’t begin as it should have until almost three years after Ryan disappeared. The day after President Ronald Reagan christened the newly formed National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at a White House ceremony, a tragic discovery was made, one that changed the trajectory of the case completely. Still, years again passed until another break in the case came in the form of a confession.

If you have any information about the Ryan Nicole Burton case, please call Stephens County Crime Stoppers at (877)500-TIPS or (877)500-8477

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com

If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Abilene Reporter-News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Daily Oklahoman, The El Paso Times, The Orlando Sentinel, The Pensacola News, and BreckenridgeTexas.com were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForRyanBurton #BreckenridgeTX #StephensCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #Missing #Disappearrance #Vanished #Abduction #Kidnapping #Murder

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

In September of 1981, the missing child’s case of 3-year-old Ryan Nicole Burton shook the small town of Breckenridge, Texas. Abducted from her crib as her babysitter slept, Ryan’s disappearance spurred an immediate search by various law enforcement agencies and 1,000s of Breckenridge residents. But there was no sign of the missing little girl anywhere, not a single clue left behind by her kidnapper. Tips that included sightings were abundant, and suspects questioned, but police couldn’t catch a break in the investigation and Ryan Burton’s parents anguished with uncertainty as they grasped onto the hope that their daughter would be found alive.

If you have any information about the Ryan Nicole Burton case, please call Stephens County Crime Stoppers at (877)500-TIPS or (877)500-8477

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com

If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Abilene Reporter-News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Daily Oklahoman, The El Paso Times, The Orlando Sentinel, The Pensacola News, and BreckenridgeTexas.com were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForRyanBurton #BreckenridgeTX #StephensCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #Missing #Disappearrance #Vanished #Abduction #Kidnapping #Murder

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

In late August 1981, after celebrating his 5th birthday only several days before, Burt Woodson disappeared in Mansfield, Texas. According to his uncle and guardian, Terry Lee Woodson, the sleeping boy was in the backseat of his car as he ran into a 7-11 convenience store to get a bite to eat in the early, dark morning hours. When he got close to home, Uncle Terry claimed, he noticed Burt was no longer there. After a relatively thorough search of the areas around the Woodson home and the 7-11 were conducted, police were puzzled. For more than 3 decades, Burt’s case was forgotten in the public, until 2017 when Mansfield Police Detectives reopened the missing child’s case. An arrest came not long after, and a slap on the wrist was meted out, but Burt’s remains have never been found.

If you have any information about the location of the remains of Anthony “Burt” Woodson please contact the Mansfield Police at (817)276-4700

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

The Fort Worth Police Department still has nearly 1,000 unsolved cases dating back to 1959. You can help our diligent Cold Case Detectives by donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at http://fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

If you’d like to donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations, you can at DNAsolves.com

If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Dallas Morning News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Mansfield News-Mirror, and WFAA TV were used as sources for this episode.

#WhereIsBurtWoodson #MansfieldTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TX #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedMysteries #Missing #Murder #Disappeared

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

Carla Walker’s Killer Appeals Conviction

Last Tuesday, May 24th, 2022, I attended Glen Samuel McCurley's appeal hearing at Texas's 2nd Court of Appeals in downtown Fort Worth. Along with audio from the proceedings, this episode describes the arguments made by both McCurley's attorney and the State.

#JusticeForCarlaWalker #CarlaWalker #FortWorth #FortWorthTX #TarrantCountyTexas #Texas #TX #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Solved #DNA #Murder #UnsolvedMysteries #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TexasTrueCrime

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

At a little after 4 PM on August 21st, 1984, on the side of the road at East Loop 338 just outside Odessa, Texas city limits, a man thought he’d witnessed a hit and run involving a pedestrian and a gold Buick. But when Ector County Sheriff’s Deputy David Montgomery discovered it wasn’t a hit and run at all, rather, a woman had been stabbed and slashed repeatedly. The woman was Janet Eva Gregston, who was 7 months pregnant. When a man claiming to have ESP entered the Sheriff’s Office to tell them about his visions, he quickly became suspect number one – or the only suspect, really – and he was subsequently arrested and indicted. Doubt about his guilt, however, wasn’t only felt be his defense attorney – and the entire debacle was eerily reminiscent of another failed attempt at a murder conviction a couple years before.

If you have any information about the murder of Janet Eva Gregston, please contact Odessa Crime Stoppers at (432)333-8477.

Please donate to help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

You can donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations at DNAsolves.com If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

Please consider donating to the Fort Worth Cold Case Support Group at fwpdcoldcasesupport.org

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

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Odessa American, The Austin Chronicle, and UPI Archives were used as sources for this episode.

#JusticeForJanetGregston #Odessa #OdessaTX #EctorCountyTX #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Homicide #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

In late January of 2019, Tomball, Texas residents Liz and Sergio Barraza were scheduled to take a trip to Florida for their 5th wedding anniversary. At the last minute, Liz decided to hold a garage sale to make a little extra spending cash to take with them. As she set up for the sale on the early morning of January 25th, a mysterious figure emerged from a black pickup truck, walked over to Liz in her driveway, and fired a pistol four times at point blank range. Though Liz was alive, miraculously, she ultimately succumbed to her wounds. The Barraza’s doorbell cam and neighbors’ security cameras not only captured images of the pickup truck used in the execution, but they also captured the perpetrator. More than three years later, however, Liz’s murder remains unsolved, in spite of her family’s dogged efforts and the diligence of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

If you have any information about the murder of Elizabeth “Liz” Nuelle Barraza please contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at (713) 222-TIPS or (713) 222-8477. When you contact Crime Stoppers with information, you will be assigned a number and remain anonymous.

You can keep up with developments at WhoKilledLizBarraza.com

If you would like to donate to the fund to help the family of Leon Laureles, to find out who murdered him in cold blood, you can do that at gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

You can donate to law enforcement investigations that need funding or upload your DNA into a database used only for law enforcement investigations at DNAsolves.com
If you don’t have DNA data from a consumer testing site, you can get a kit at connect.DNAsolves.com

You can support gone cold and listen ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast
Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

WhoKilledLizBarraza.com, KHOU.com, Dateline.com, People.com, InsideEdition.com, and abc13.com were used as sources for this episode.

#JusticeForLizBarraza #WhoKilledLizBarraza #TomballTX #Houston #HarrisCountyTX #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Homicide #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.