May 30, 1968. Mead, Colorado. After leaving a party being held at his fiancee’s residence, 18-year old Leroy Drieth is killed when his car crashes into a tree. Prior to the crash, Leon had reportedly made a statement that he was going to kill himself, so his death is ruled to be a suicide. Decades later, Leroy’s sister learns some incriminating information about an altercation which supposedly took place at the party between Leroy and some of Patty’s family members. After Leroy’s body is exhumed, an autopsy uncovers a pair of knife wounds on his neck and while his cause of death is officially changed from “suicide” to “undetermined”, there are still no conclusive answers about how Leroy was killed.

October 18, 1992. Fauquier County, Virginia. While horseback riding with a friend, 37-year old Shelly Malone is supposedly thrown to the ground before her horse stomps on her chest with such force that it ruptures her heart. While Shelly’s death is ruled to be an accident, her family notices suspicious behaviour from her friends, as well as alleged discrepancies in their story about how she was killed. After discovering small traces of blood inside her truck, Shelly’s family becomes convinced that she was murdered and that the so-called horseback riding accident was staged, but are unable to convince the authorities to reclassify her death.

On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a pair of suspicious unexplained deaths in which the victim’s loved ones were certain that foul play took place.

If you have any information about the death of Leroy Drieth, please contact the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 356-4015. If you have any information about the death of Shelly Malone, please contact the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 347-3300.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolved.com/gallery/leroy-drieth/

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Leroy_Drieth

https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/blame/foul-play-investigated-in-deaths-years-later/73-409298773

https://unsolved.com/gallery/shelly-malone/

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Shelly_Malone

Washingtonian Article (July 1993)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/05/02/the-horse-whisperers/789e4be9-ff80-4487-9524-60c4630574a2/

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

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.