The Path Went Chilly

April 15, 2005. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. After taking the day off work and leaving on a road trip, 59-year old Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar fails to return home and is reported missing. The following day, Ray’s abandoned car is discovered 60 miles away in the town of Lewisburg, parked across the street from an antiques mall. Over the course of the next several months, Ray’s county-issued work laptop and its hard drive are discovered in the nearby Susquehanna River, but the hard drive is too damaged to recover any data. A number of different theories are pushed forward, which include Ray disappeared voluntarily, completing suicide by jumping into the river, or becoming the victim of foul play, possibly in connection to the infamous Penn State child sex abuse scandal. However, there is no conclusive evidence pointing to any of these theories and Ray Gricar is never found.  If you have any information about this case, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (814) 355-7545. 

Support the show: 

Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Patreon.com/julesandashley

 Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gricar https://charleyproject.org/case/ray-frank-gricar
 

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/05109/490420-85.stm

 https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/04/the-hunt-for-ray-gricar-15-years-of-clues-theories-and-the-search-for-answers.html

“The Serial Killer’s Apprentice: And 12 Other Stories of Cleveland’s Most Intriguing Unsolved Crimes” by Ray Gricar

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/07/utah_detainee_isnt_gricar_but.html

https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/us/ray-gricar-missing-prosecutor/index.html

https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2015/04/ten_years_later_ray_gricars_di.html

https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/jerry-sandusky/article42806712.html

https://www.centredaily.com/news/article42828846.html

https://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/podcast-gives-new-insight-on-district-attorney-ray-gricars-disappearance-16-years-later/

https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/crime/no-answers-16-years-later-in-disappearance-of-centre-county-da-psp-says-case-still/article_8e33cc04-72d1-11eb-ab98-f30bcdaa197b.html

April 15, 2005. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. After taking the day off work and leaving on a road trip, 59-year old Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar fails to return home and is reported missing. The following day, Ray’s abandoned car is discovered 60 miles away in the town of Lewisburg, parked across the street from an antiques mall. Over the course of the next several months, Ray’s county-issued work laptop and its hard drive are discovered in the nearby Susquehanna River, but the hard drive is too damaged to recover any data. A number of different theories are pushed forward, which include Ray disappeared voluntarily, completing suicide by jumping into the river, or becoming the victim of foul play, possibly in connection to the infamous Penn State child sex abuse scandal. However, there is no conclusive evidence pointing to any of these theories and Ray Gricar is never found.  If you have any information about this case, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (814) 355-7545. 

Support the show: 

Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Patreon.com/julesandashley

 Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gricar https://charleyproject.org/case/ray-frank-gricar
 

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/05109/490420-85.stm

 https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/04/the-hunt-for-ray-gricar-15-years-of-clues-theories-and-the-search-for-answers.html

“The Serial Killer’s Apprentice: And 12 Other Stories of Cleveland’s Most Intriguing Unsolved Crimes” by Ray Gricar

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/07/utah_detainee_isnt_gricar_but.html

https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/us/ray-gricar-missing-prosecutor/index.html

https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2015/04/ten_years_later_ray_gricars_di.html

https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/jerry-sandusky/article42806712.html

https://www.centredaily.com/news/article42828846.html

https://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/podcast-gives-new-insight-on-district-attorney-ray-gricars-disappearance-16-years-later/

https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/crime/no-answers-16-years-later-in-disappearance-of-centre-county-da-psp-says-case-still/article_8e33cc04-72d1-11eb-ab98-f30bcdaa197b.html

April 15, 2005. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. After taking the day off work and leaving on a road trip, 59-year old Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar fails to return home and is reported missing. The following day, Ray’s abandoned car is discovered 60 miles away in the town of Lewisburg, parked across the street from an antiques mall. Over the course of the next several months, Ray’s county-issued work laptop and its hard drive are discovered in the nearby Susquehanna River, but the hard drive is too damaged to recover any data. A number of different theories are pushed forward, which include Ray disappeared voluntarily, completing suicide by jumping into the river, or becoming the victim of foul play, possibly in connection to the infamous Penn State child sex abuse scandal. However, there is no conclusive evidence pointing to any of these theories and Ray Gricar is never found.  If you have any information about this case, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (814) 355-7545. 

Support the show: 

Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Patreon.com/julesandashley

 Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gricar https://charleyproject.org/case/ray-frank-gricar
 

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/05109/490420-85.stm

 https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/04/the-hunt-for-ray-gricar-15-years-of-clues-theories-and-the-search-for-answers.html

“The Serial Killer’s Apprentice: And 12 Other Stories of Cleveland’s Most Intriguing Unsolved Crimes” by Ray Gricar

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/07/utah_detainee_isnt_gricar_but.html

https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/us/ray-gricar-missing-prosecutor/index.html

https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2015/04/ten_years_later_ray_gricars_di.html

https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/jerry-sandusky/article42806712.html

https://www.centredaily.com/news/article42828846.html

https://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/podcast-gives-new-insight-on-district-attorney-ray-gricars-disappearance-16-years-later/

https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/crime/no-answers-16-years-later-in-disappearance-of-centre-county-da-psp-says-case-still/article_8e33cc04-72d1-11eb-ab98-f30bcdaa197b.html

February 28, 1983. St. Louis, Missouri. The body of an African-American girl is found in the basement of an abandoned apartment building. She is believed to be between eight-to-eleven years old and has her hands tied behind her back and it turns out she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death before she was beheaded. Since the victim’s head is never recovered and she cannot be identified, she becomes known as the “St. Louis Jane Doe”. Over the years, investigators explore a number of different leads, but they are unable to determine the girl’s identity or figure out who was responsible for killing her. On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore one of the most horrific and tragic stories you’ll ever find about the murder of an unidentified decedent, who has also been known by such as names as “Little Jane Doe” and “Precious Hope”.If you have information about this case, please contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department at (314) 231-1212.

Support the Show: 

Patreon.com/julesandashley

Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Jane_Doe

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/54ufmo.html

https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/St._Louis_Jane_Doe_(1983)

“Our Precious Hope: St. Louis’ Little Jane Doe Revisited” Documentary

February 28, 1983. St. Louis, Missouri. The body of an African-American girl is found in the basement of an abandoned apartment building. She is believed to be between eight-to-eleven years old and has her hands tied behind her back and it turns out she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death before she was beheaded. Since the victim’s head is never recovered and she cannot be identified, she becomes known as the “St. Louis Jane Doe”. Over the years, investigators explore a number of different leads, but they are unable to determine the girl’s identity or figure out who was responsible for killing her. On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore one of the most horrific and tragic stories you’ll ever find about the murder of an unidentified decedent, who has also been known by such as names as “Little Jane Doe” and “Precious Hope”.If you have information about this case, please contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department at (314) 231-1212.

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Jane_Doe

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/54ufmo.html

https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/St._Louis_Jane_Doe_(1983)

“Our Precious Hope: St. Louis’ Little Jane Doe Revisited” Documentary

March 2, 1995. New Orleans, Louisiana. After leaving a restaurant with his date in the French Quarter, 25-year old Michael Gerardi is fatally gunned down by a trio of robbers. Weeks later, 16-year old Shareef Cousin is implicated in the crime and charged with first-degree murder. Even though Shareef seems to have an airtight alibi, Michael’s date identifies him as the shooter at trial. Shareef is found guilty and becomes one of the youngest people to ever be sentenced to death, but the verdict is surrounded with controversy. It turns out the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office committed egregious acts of prosecutorial misconduct, which included withholding exculpatory evidence, doctoring a tape-recorded interview, and illegally detaining defence witnesses. After nearly three years on death row, Shareef’s conviction is overturned, but Michael Gerardi’s real killers are never found. On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we chronicle a senseless murder which led to one of the most outrageous miscarriages of justice you’ll ever find.

Support the show: 

patreon.com/julesandashley

patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareef_Cousin

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3126

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,138469,00.html

March 2, 1995. New Orleans, Louisiana. After leaving a restaurant with his date in the French Quarter, 25-year old Michael Gerardi is fatally gunned down by a trio of robbers. Weeks later, 16-year old Shareef Cousin is implicated in the crime and charged with first-degree murder. Even though Shareef seems to have an airtight alibi, Michael’s date identifies him as the shooter at trial. Shareef is found guilty and becomes one of the youngest people to ever be sentenced to death, but the verdict is surrounded with controversy. It turns out the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office committed egregious acts of prosecutorial misconduct, which included withholding exculpatory evidence, doctoring a tape-recorded interview, and illegally detaining defence witnesses. After nearly three years on death row, Shareef’s conviction is overturned, but Michael Gerardi’s real killers are never found. On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we chronicle a senseless murder which led to one of the most outrageous miscarriages of justice you’ll ever find.

Support the show: 

patreon.com/julesandashley

patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareef_Cousin

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3126

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,138469,00.html

July 19, 1996. Westwego, Louisiana. After leaving her apartment to walk to a supermarket, 14-year old Crystal Champagne fails to return and is found strangled to death in a wooded area the following evening. When Crystal’s 22-year old step-cousin, Damon Thibodeaux, is interrogated by police, he confesses to her murder and is subsequently convicted and sentenced to death. However, Damon maintains that his confession was coerced and none of the physical evidence from the crime matches him, so after 16 years of incarceration, Damon’s conviction is vacated and he is released from death row. But who was actually responsible for the death of Crystal Champagne? On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore the tragic story of an horrific murder which led to a wrongful conviction. 

Patreon.com/Julesandashley

Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Additional Reading:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/damon-thibodeaux-last-chance/

https://innocenceproject.org/cases/damon-thibodeaux/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/la-supreme-court/1325303.html

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4004https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/07/dna-testing-frees-man-death-row

https://www.startribune.com/life-after-death-row-damon-thibodeaux-s-resurrection/318969021/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/louisiana-death-row-inmate-damon-thibodeaux-is-exonerated-with-dna-evidence/2012/09/28/26e30012-0997-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html

https://www.startribune.com/damon-thibodeaux-escaped-death-row-for-a-crime-he-didn-t-commit-but-died-of-covid-19/600096179/

July 19, 1996. Westwego, Louisiana. After leaving her apartment to walk to a supermarket, 14-year old Crystal Champagne fails to return and is found strangled to death in a wooded area the following evening. When Crystal’s 22-year old step-cousin, Damon Thibodeaux, is interrogated by police, he confesses to her murder and is subsequently convicted and sentenced to death. However, Damon maintains that his confession was coerced and none of the physical evidence from the crime matches him, so after 16 years of incarceration, Damon’s conviction is vacated and he is released from death row. But who was actually responsible for the death of Crystal Champagne? On this week’s episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore the tragic story of an horrific murder which led to a wrongful conviction. 

Patreon.com/Julesandashley

Patreon.com/thetrailwentcold

Additional Reading:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/damon-thibodeaux-last-chance/

https://innocenceproject.org/cases/damon-thibodeaux/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/la-supreme-court/1325303.html

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4004https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/07/dna-testing-frees-man-death-row

https://www.startribune.com/life-after-death-row-damon-thibodeaux-s-resurrection/318969021/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/louisiana-death-row-inmate-damon-thibodeaux-is-exonerated-with-dna-evidence/2012/09/28/26e30012-0997-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html

https://www.startribune.com/damon-thibodeaux-escaped-death-row-for-a-crime-he-didn-t-commit-but-died-of-covid-19/600096179/

"December 23, 1981. Burke County, North Carolina. After leaving an office Christmas party, 19-year old Rhonda Hinson begins her drive home, but her car is soon discovered in a ditch on Mineral Springs Mountain Road about a half-mile from her residence. Rhonda’s body is lying outside the vehicle and it turns out she was fatally shot by someone who fired a bullet which passed through the car’s trunk and the driver’s seat before it penetrated her heart. An eyewitness reports having seen an unidentified man near the vehicle’s driver’s side door shortly before Rhonda’s body was discovered, but he cannot be identified. Years later, new information surfaces to suggest that Rhonda’s death may have been caused by someone from her personal life, but the crime is never solved. For our next series of episodes on “The Path Went Chilly”, Jules and Robin discuss the unsolved murder of Rhonda Hinson. For more information about the case, we highly recommend you check out Larry Griffin’s extensive 89-part series of articles in The Wilkes Record:
https://thewilkesrecord.com/the-killing-of-rhonda-hinson-part-89,-the-conclusion-p1824-149.htm

We originally covered Rhonda Hinson’s murder way back on Episode#4 of “The Trail Went Cold”, but we have since learned a lot of new information about the crime which has compelled us to look at everything in a different light. On this month’s exclusive bonus episode, we present our very first edition of “The Trail Revisited” in which we will perform an all-new fresh examination into this case"