July 4, 1954. Bay Village, Ohio. 31-year old Marilyn Reese Sheppard is bludgeoned to death inside her bedroom and her 30-year old husband, Sam Sheppard, is injured after claiming he was attacked by an intruder. Since Sam was known for conducting extramarital affairs, police believe that he fabricated the story and was responsible for killing his wife, so he is charged with Marilyn’s murder. After being convicted at what is described as “The Trial of the Century”, Sam receives a sentence of life imprisonment, but there is great concern about the sensationalistic and biased media coverage surrounding the case. Sam spends nearly ten years in prison before his conviction is overturned and after the case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he is granted a second trial and winds up being acquitted. Decades later, Sam’s supporters attempt to posthumously exonerate him by presenting evidence that points towards another suspect, but the crime remains shrouded in mystery. To commemorate the nine-year anniversary of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be releasing our very first special three-part episode about one of the most controversial murder cases of all time. In our previous two episodes, we covered Sam Sheppard’s two criminal trials and his posthumous civil trial and this week on Part Three, we will conclude the series by analyzing and breaking down the case.

Additional Reading:

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

https://famous-trials.com/sam-sheppard/

"The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff

"Dr. Sam Sheppard on Trial: The Prosecutors and the Marilyn Sheppard Murder" by Jack DeSario and William Mason

https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sheppard/

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=300

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 4, 1954. Bay Village, Ohio. 31-year old Marilyn Reese Sheppard is bludgeoned to death inside her bedroom and her 30-year old husband, Sam Sheppard, is injured after claiming he was attacked by an intruder. Since Sam was known for conducting extramarital affairs, police believe that he fabricated the story and was responsible for killing his wife, so he is charged with Marilyn’s murder. After being convicted at what is described as “The Trial of the Century”, Sam receives a sentence of life imprisonment, but there is great concern about the sensationalistic and biased media coverage surrounding the case. Sam spends nearly ten years in prison before his conviction is overturned and after the case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he is granted a second trial and winds up being acquitted. Decades later, Sam’s supporters attempt to posthumously exonerate him by presenting evidence that points towards another suspect, but the crime remains shrouded in mystery. To commemorate the nine-year anniversary of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be releasing our very first special three-part episode about one of the most controversial murder cases of all time. On last week’s episode, we chronicled the original investigation into Marilyn Reese Sheppard’s murder and Sam Sheppard’s first trial, but this week in Part Two, we will chronicle the overturning of Sam’s conviction, his second trial, and the attempts to exonerate him at a civil trial in 2000. Part Three of this series will be released next week.

Additional Reading:

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

https://famous-trials.com/sam-sheppard/

"The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff

"Dr. Sam Sheppard on Trial: The Prosecutors and the Marilyn Sheppard Murder" by Jack DeSario and William Mason

https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sheppard/

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=300

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 4, 1954. Bay Village, Ohio. 31-year old Marilyn Reese Sheppard is bludgeoned to death inside her bedroom and her 30-year old husband, Sam Sheppard, is injured after claiming he was attacked by an intruder. Since Sam was known for conducting extramarital affairs, police believe that he fabricated the story and was responsible for killing his wife, so he is charged with Marilyn’s murder. After being convicted at what is described as “The Trial of the Century”, Sam receives a sentence of life imprisonment, but there is great concern about the sensationalistic and biased media coverage surrounding the case. Sam spends nearly ten years in prison before his conviction is overturned and after the case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he is granted a second trial and winds up being acquitted. Decades later, Sam’s supporters attempt to posthumously exonerate him by presenting evidence that points towards another suspect, but the crime remains shrouded in mystery. To commemorate the nine-year anniversary of “The Trail Went Cold”, we will be releasing our very first special three-part episode about one of the most controversial murder cases of all time. This episode will chronicle the original investigation and trial for the murder of Marilyn Reese Sheppard and Parts Two and Three will be released over the course of the next two weeks.

Join us on Saturday, February 22 at 8:00pm ET for an online streaming marathon where we will be watching classic segments from “Unsolved Mysteries”. You can enter our screening room by clicking on this link.

Additional Reading:

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

https://famous-trials.com/sam-sheppard/

"The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff

"Dr. Sam Sheppard on Trial: The Prosecutors and the Marilyn Sheppard Murder" by Jack DeSario and William Mason

https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sheppard/

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=300

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

December 7, 2003. Montgomery, Alabama. 19-year old LaQuanta Riley stops off at her mother’s residence to borrow a jacket from her brother. He sees LaQuanta leave in a dark green car being driven by an unidentified man, but she subsequently goes missing. A few weeks later, LaQuanta’s mother receives a garbled message on her answering machine from a panicked woman whom she believes is her daughter and a male voice can be heard in the background. Even though a number of leads are explored, including LaQuanta’s name showing up on an apartment rental in Georgia, no trace of her can be ever found.

June 26, 2010. Selma, Alabama. 17-year old Tarasha Benjamin leaves her mother’s home to go shopping at the Selma Flea Market, but never returns. Tarasha is seen driving an SUV which she borrowed from a friend, but later that day, the abandoned vehicle is found alongside the Cecil Jackson Bypass with a broken door handle and two windows missing. While it is suspected that Tarasha was the victim of an abduction, there are very few leads to work with and Tarasha remains a missing person.

On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore two unsolved missing persons cases involving young women from Alabama.

if you have any information about the disappearance of LaQuanta Riley, please contact the Montgomery Police Department at (334) 241-2651. If you have any information about the disappearance of Tarsha Benjamin, please contact the Selma Police Department at (334) 874-2134.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/laquanta-nachelle-riley

https://discover.hubpages.com/family/Missing-LaQuanta-Nachelle-Riley

https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2014/04/where_is_my_daughter_decade-ol.html

https://www.waka.com/2018/06/25/15-years-later-mother-of-missing-woman-still-searching-for-answers/

https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2019/05/search-continues-for-teen-who-disappeared-in-montgomery-15-years-ago-11000-reward-offered.html

https://elmoreautauganews.com/2021/02/26/missing-since-2003-officials-release-age-progressed-photo-of-laquanta-riley-today-is-her-birthday/

https://charleyproject.org/case/tarasha-benjamin

https://www.newspapers.com/image/570741799/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/570741847/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/570741897/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/570817130/

https://www.wsfa.com/story/36273263/selma-family-pushes-to-uncover-clues-in-womans-2010-disappearance/

https://www.wsfa.com/story/15670452/exclusive-missing-selma-teens-mom-finds-new-hope/

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

November 28, 2004. Nairn, Scotland. An unidentified man arrives at the front door of 30-year old Alistair Wilson and hands him an empty envelope with the name “Paul” written on it. The man shoots Alistair three times and takes the envelope back before fleeing the scene and the murder weapon is found in a nearby drain ten days later. Investigators explore a number of different theories and eventually conclude that the crime might be connected to a dispute over a decking area at a hotel pub located across the street from Alistair’s home. Police believe that at least two people were involved in the murder and have one potential suspect in mind, but the crime is never solved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore one of the most bizarre cold cases in the history of Scotland. Special thanks to listener Alison Simmonds for narrating the opening of this episode.

Additional Reading:

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

"To Catch a Killer - My Hunt for the Truth Behind the Doorstep Murder" by Peter Bleksley

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-42056011

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_doorstep_murder_alistair_wilson

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-61215644

https://www.thetimes.com/article/two-men-could-have-been-behind-unsolved-murder-of-banker-alistair-wilson-qspbcrwkq

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0r884dlgpno

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/sep/21/family-of-banker-alistair-wilson-murdered-20-years-ago-rebuke-incompetent-police-scotland

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/police-officer-in-nairn-murder-investigation-found-guilty-of-366536/

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/new-alistair-wilson-murder-evidence-34174176

https://news.sky.com/story/alistair-wilson-20th-anniversary-of-bankers-doorstep-murder-as-police-reject-callous-handling-of-unsolved-shooting-13257633

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

November 19, 2006. Littleton, Colorado. First Lieutenant Nonnie Dotson, a 33-year old nurse with the United States Air Force, has travelled from San Antonio, Texas to Colorado with her infant daughter and is saying with her brother, Tony Dotson. Nonnie leaves Tony’s residence in order to presumably travel to a nearby shopping center, but she never returns. Even though police track Nonnie’s cell phone signal and her scent to a nearby field, no trace of her can be found. Investigators explore a number of different angles, including the possibility that Nonnie was harmed by a stalker, the estranged father of her child, and even her own brother, but she remains a missing person. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling unsolved disappearance in which the victim seemingly vanished into thin air.

if you have any information about this case, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at (303) 271-5612.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/nonnie-ann-dotson

https://www.crimelibrary.org/criminal_mind/forensics/nonnie_dotson/1_index.html

https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ng/date/2011-03-23/segment/01

https://www.denverpost.com/2006/12/06/ex-beau-of-missing-nurse-quizzed/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/case-of-missing-air-force-nurse-grows-cold/

https://www.denverpost.com/2007/11/27/missing-moms-trail-goes-cold/

https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/something-happened-to-her-family-wants-answers-10-years-after-single-moms-disappearance/73-437111811

https://kdvr.com/news/colorado-cold-cases/cold-case-have-you-seen-this-woman-missing-since-2006/

https://www.denverpost.com/2014/01/17/man-gets-96-to-life-in-break-in-sexual-assault/

https://www.westword.com/news/rapist-tony-dotson-guilty-in-murder-for-hire-bid-against-victimand-sister-is-still-missing-6283026

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 12, 1988. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four-year old Barbara Jean Horn disappears from the front yard of her home before her nude body is discovered inside a cardboard box resting on a curb in the same neighbourhood. Nearly four years later, a suspect named Walter Ogrod, who had lived across the street from Barbara Jean’s residence, is arrested after he confesses to her murder and after two trials, he is convicted and sentenced to death. However, Walter claims his confession was coerced by corrupt police detectives and there are numerous allegations of misconduct and serious issues with his conviction. In 2020, after a new review is performed of the case, Walter’s conviction is overturned. While he is finally released from death row and fully exonerated, no one else is charged with the crime. Last week, in Part One of our series about the murder of Barbara Jean Horn, we shared the basic facts about the case. This week, in Part Two, we will attempt to analyze and break down this crime by sharing all the different theories about what happened, as well as explore some other wrong conviction cases which took place in Philadelphia during this time period and involved the same law enforcement figures who put Walter Ogrod in prison.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tip line at (215) 686-TIPS (8477).

Additional Reading:

"The Trails of Walter Ogrod: The Shocking Murder, So-Called Confessions and Notorious Snitch That Sent a Man to Death Row" by Thomas Lowenstein

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

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

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5752

https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-CIU-Walter-Ogrod-Expert-Reports-2020-02-28.pdf

https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-Answer-to-Walter-Ogrod-Amended-PCRA-Petition-2020-02-28.pdf

https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-innocent-death-row-larry-krasner-philadelphia-20200605.html

https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-murder-conviction-overturned-philadelphia-larry-krasner-20200610.html

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/will_bunch/walter-ogrod-death-row-stories-hln-larry-krasner-dna-testing-philadelphia-20180405.html

https://www.newsweek.com/pennsylvania-court-orders-death-row-inmate-tested-coronavirus-1493628

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/after-2-decades-on-death-row-wrongfully-convicted-man-will-be-set-free/2421261/

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/barbara-jean-horn-murder-philadelphia-walter-ogrod/

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 12, 1988. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four-year old Barbara Jean Horn disappears from the front yard of her home before her nude body is discovered inside a cardboard box resting on a curb in the same neighbourhood. Nearly four years later, a suspect named Walter Ogrod, who had lived across the street from Barbara Jean’s residence, is arrested after he confesses to her murder and after two trials. he is convicted and sentenced to death. However, Walter claims his confession was coerced by corrupt police detectives and there are numerous allegations of misconduct and serious issues with his conviction. In 2020, after a new review is performed of the case, Walter’s conviction is overturned. While he is finally released from death row and fully exonerated, no one else is charged with killing Barbara Jean Horn. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” will be releasing the first part of a special two-part episode about a very controversial child murder case which has yet to reach a conclusive resolution after more than 36 years.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tip line at (215) 686-TIPS (8477).

Additional Reading:

"The Trails of Walter Ogrod: The Shocking Murder, So-Called Confessions and Notorious Snitch That Sent a Man to Death Row" by Thomas Lowenstein

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

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

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5752

https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-CIU-Walter-Ogrod-Expert-Reports-2020-02-28.pdf

https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/PhilaDA-Answer-to-Walter-Ogrod-Amended-PCRA-Petition-2020-02-28.pdf

https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-innocent-death-row-larry-krasner-philadelphia-20200605.html

https://www.inquirer.com/news/walter-ogrod-exonerated-murder-conviction-overturned-philadelphia-larry-krasner-20200610.html

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/will_bunch/walter-ogrod-death-row-stories-hln-larry-krasner-dna-testing-philadelphia-20180405.html

https://www.newsweek.com/pennsylvania-court-orders-death-row-inmate-tested-coronavirus-1493628

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/after-2-decades-on-death-row-wrongfully-convicted-man-will-be-set-free/2421261/

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/barbara-jean-horn-murder-philadelphia-walter-ogrod/

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

If you like highly detailed and thoroughly researched podcasts, you will love “DNA: ID”. The show has over 100 episodes available to binge on right now. This is a sneak preview of Episode 122 (https://www.abjackentertainment.com/dna-id/9xglar65zhwgblh), which covers the case of Patricia Stichler.

New Years’ Day 1985 should have rung in an exciting new year for Patti Stichler and her three young daughters. Instead, in the middle of the night on January 1-2, someone slashed and stabbed Patti to death in her bedroom. Her three girls, ages 11, 9 and 6, were in their bedrooms just feet away.  The oldest, Andrea, was the one to find her mom, and also found the most significant clue the police had – the open window in the blood-stained bathroom, and the gaping curtains that had been cut away from it. A knife sheath was found right outside, but the killer eluded police for decades.  Sylvania, OH investigators focused on people Patti knew, but could not link anyone in her inner circle to the crime. Decades later, a very complex forensic genealogy analysis that required interpreting one-sided DNA matches, piercing adoption records, and a lot of luck, finally provided a name – and it was not who anyone suspected.

For all things “DNA: ID,” including past episodes, news, and more, please visit the show’s homepage (https://www.abjackentertainment.com/). “DNA: ID” is available on all major podcast apps and players; please subscribe to the show on your favorite app, so you don’t miss a single episode. An all-new season begins in January, 2025.

March 2, 1996. Culpepper County, Virginia. After leaving her home in Baltimore, Maryland in order to drive to Charlottesville, 25-year old Alicia Showalter Reynolds goes missing and her abandoned car is found alongside U.S. Route 29. Eyewitnesses report having seen Alicia speaking with an unidentified man in a pick-up truck and it becomes apparent that he may have tricked Alicia into pulling over before abducting her. Two months later, Alicia’s body is discovered in a remote field and while it is theorized that she fell prey to a killer known as the “Route 29 Stalker”, no one is ever charged with her murder. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the death of Alicia Showalter Reynolds, a crime which has had some compelling suspects over the years, but remains unsolved.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Virginia State Police Culpepper Division at 1-800-572-2260 or the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 1-888-300-0156.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolved.com/gallery/alicia-showalter/

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

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/05/09/culpeper-body-is-that-of-md-woman/b7b731e7-0d2f-4389-9a8c-40bb178e60c2/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/11/16/their-name-linked-to-stalker-larry-breedens-bear-a-burden/8f991bdb-3940-48cd-a3a1-1ef188dcbd2e/?utm_term=.c800767169fd

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1997/rt9703/970302/03030076.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_persons_cases_along_U.S._Route_29_in_Virginia

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/police-continue-to-search-for-alicia-reynolds-killer/article_645eff83-4236-5969-afd3-3ef583a5dd9d.html

https://www.29news.com/2021/05/07/family-alicia-showalter-reynolds-still-looking-answers-years-after-her-death/

https://dailyprogress.com/news/community/madisonnews/police-continue-to-investigate-showalter-reynolds-homicide/article_d857aa78-da96-11ee-a14a-0b1ad05a8707.html

https://pix11.com/news/suspect-sketch-in-1996-virginia-murder-looks-like-accused-gilgo-killer-victims-family-says/

https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2024/03/01/state-police-continue-to-investigate-the-disappearance-and-homicide-of-alicia-showalter-reynolds/

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the AdvocacyCon, taking place at the Indianapolis Marriott East in Indianapolis on March 28-30, 2025. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.

“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 produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.