February 14, 1982. Coconino County, Arizona. The decomposing body of a young woman is found in a remote area alongside Interstate 40 and while her exact cause of death cannot be determined, she is believed to be the victim of a homicide. Since all attempts to identify her are unsuccessful, she becomes a Jane Doe and earns the nickname “Valentine Sally”. 39 years later, Valentine Sally is identified as 17-year old Carolyn Eaton, who had run away from her home in Missouri over one month earlier. Shortly before her death, Carolyn was seen at a truck stop with an older man and while he is suspected of being her killer, the man is never identified. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic story of a Jane Doe who got her name back after four decades, but whose murder remains unsolved.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Squad at (928) 226-5033.

Additional Reading:

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

https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Carolyn_Eaton

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/585ufaz.html

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/flagstaff/dna-match-helps-identify-body-known-as-valentine-sally-found-near-flagstaff-in-1982

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/flagstaff/dna-match-helps-identify-body-known-as-valentine-sally-found-near-flagstaff-in-1982

https://www.12news.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/we-can-finally-put-her-to-rest-valentine-sally-identified-as-st-louis-runaway/75-eacd087c-2d78-41a3-a9eb-ba627af2b466

https://www.newspapers.com/image/321077118/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/632666989/

https://charleyproject.org/case/sharon-baldeagle

https://charleyproject.org/case/charlotte-june-kinsey

“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 doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl 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 going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.com.

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas on August 25-27, 2023. To get a 15 % discount on the purchase of tickets, please our specialized promo code, “TRAIL”, by visiting https://truecrimepodcastfestival.com.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.