Trace Evidence

Twenty-seven year old David Cox had served four years in the Marine Corps and was now living with his girlfriend back in his home state of Massachusetts. While the transition had been a struggle, things were beginning to look up.

The release of the film "A Few Good Men" impacted David strongly as it was closely based on an incident in which he had been involved during his time as a Marine stationed at Guantanamo Bay. David was angry, feeling that he and his fellow Marines had been mis-represented and depicted as murderers.

On the morning of January 5th, David was eagerly awaiting a call about a job. When his girlfriend called home at noon, there was no answer. She called again an hour later, but again there was no answer. Upon arriving home she found David gone, his keys in the ignition of his truck and no sign or indication of where he could have went.

For three months David was missing until a man canoeing down the Charles River discovered his remains. He had been shot four times and left in the wilderness, more than half a mile from the nearest road. Twenty-five years later and question still remains: Who murdered David Cox?

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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/david-cox

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Thirty-five year old Deanne Hastings was finally putting her life back together. After a long battle with bi-polar, a divorce and time spent in an in-patient treatment facility she was back on the rise. She was in love, enrolled in school, looking forward to the future and excited to establish stronger relationships with her children.

Living with her fiance, Mike Tibbets, in Spokane, Washington, life just seemed to be back on the right track. However, on the night of November 3rd, 2015, Mike returned home to an empty house. He found a note from Deanne explaining that she'd be running to the store and she'd be back soon. She didn't return and as hours passed, Mike began trying to track her down.

Deanne's car was found in a parking lot, locked up. He purse and cell phone were inside, though her license and credit cards were not. Over the course of the next thirty-six hours, Mike will stake out the car, print up fliers, try to track his fiancee down and run into multiple people who believe they'd seen her. When all else fails, Mike files a report with the Spokane Police Department and the search begins.

The investigation raises many questions about Deanne's mental state at the time of her disappearance, but also the people she was known to have spent her last known hours with, including two men who tell a bizarre story about where they last saw Deanne, and how they came into possession of her credit cards and license.

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this heartbreaking story.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/deanne-hastings

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Fifty-nine year old Ray Gricar had worked as the Centre County District Attorney for nearly twenty years. Having given most of his life to law, he decided that this would be his last term and in January of 2006 he was set to retire... but Ray would go missing nine months before his last day in office.

On April 15th, 2005 Ray decided to skip work and to go for a drive down to Lewisburg, a quiet little town some fifty miles away. He had been there often, and enjoyed visiting the local antique stores. On this particular day, though, Ray never came back.

After being out of contact for twelve hours, Ray's girlfriend, Patty, contacted police who immediately began searching for Ray. Nothing would be found until the next day when his vehicle was discovered in a parking lot in Lewisburg. The car smelled of smoke, and there were cigarette butts outside, but Ray was not a smoker.

The deeper law enforcement probed into the case, the more questions they had. When they discovered that Ray's county issued laptop was missing, and he'd been google searching on how to destroy a hard drive, their interest was piqued. When his laptop was discovered in the Susquehanna river, without its hard drive, investigators were baffled. What was so important that the drive needed to be destroyed?

In the years following, many theories came forward. Could Ray have taken his own life? Was it murder, either by someone he'd sent to prison or perhaps a trusted friend? Or, did Ray choose to leave his life behind, fleeing the country in hopes of avoiding some yet to be discovered issue?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he explores all of the chaos and confusion surrounding this sad and confounding disappearance.

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For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/ray-gricar

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Twenty-six year old Paula Sladewski was making plans. After several attempts at a modeling career, leading to some success, she wanted to get back in the game and see what could happen. She hoped to start moving on her plan after she returned from her New Years Eve trip, but unfortunately, Paula would never make it back.

Along with her boyfriend, Kevin, Paula flew to Miami, Florida to see a New Year's Eve concert, after which the couple planned to spend a few days on south beach before heading home. They'd had their problems in the past, but somehow, the couple had always found their way through it. The concert went well, and things were moving smoothly until the morning of January 3rd, 2010.
Paula and Kevin attended Club Space, a nightlife hotspot in North Miami. After a few hours of drinking and dancing, Kevin tried to get Paula to leave but she wanted to stay. Kevin was ultimately thrown out of the club and took a cab back to their hotel room. Paula exited shortly after, was engaged in conversation by a man and disappeared.

When Kevin awoke and found Paula missing, he began trying to find her, spoke to police and even hired a private investigator. Police didn't seem overly concerned about a young woman who had been missing for only a few hours. When Sunday night came, police had their hands full with a terrible crime scene: someone had been placed in a dumpster and burned so severely that the individual was completely unrecognizable.

While police tried to solve their murder case, and Kevin tried to locate Paula, neither side knew that they were working on the same case.

Who murdered Paula Sladewski and burned the beautiful young woman beyond recognition? Join host Steven Pacheco as he explores this disturbing and haunting case.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/paula-sladewski

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Twenty-eight Niqui McCown was a loving mother and sister. She was eagerly anticipating her upcoming wedding in August of 2001. However, just three weeks before she was to be married, on July 22nd, Niqui went to a local laundromat and was never seen again.

In the weeks following her disappearance, Niqui's fiance became a person of interest, and then the father of her daughter and, finally a former co-worker with a violent streak. Despite theories and suspicions, no evidence could be found to pin the crime on any particular person.

Three months later, Niqui's vehicle was discovered abandoned in a parking lot and through investigation, law enforcement was able to make connections between her disappearance and one of the person's of interest, who would later become the subject of an unrelated homicide investigation. However, before police can move in, a shocking twist brings the entire investigation to a halt.

What happened to Niqui McCown and will we ever know the truth?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this heartbreaking case and tries to sort through all of the chaos and confusion.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/niqui-mccown

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Thirty-two year old Brandy Hanna had recently gotten out of a six year long relationship. Having lived with her fiancé, Ray McAdams, she couldn't help but develop feelings for a friend, Zeke Lankford. The situation became complicated and ultimately Brandy moved out, choosing to find an apartment to rent with Zeke.

Just weeks after leaving Ray, Zeke told Brandy that he was leaving her. The young woman was now living alone, in an apartment in a bad part of town that her mother, Donna, didn't want her staying in. Brandy decided to use this alone time to put her head straight and figure out what she wanted to do.

On Friday, May 20th, 2005, Brandy worked the morning shift at Alex's restaurant. When her mother arrived that afternoon, she headed home and planned to go out to the beach for the weekend. Brandy would never make it to the beach and instead would vanish under bizarre circumstances.

The investigation would find a witness who described the man and vehicle who had arrived to pick up Brandy the night she disappeared. The only problem was the vehicle and description fit two men: Zeke Lankford and Ray McAdams.

For the next fourteen years, the investigation will grow cold and heat up. Lies will be uncovered and alibis destroyed. A suspect will die prematurely and another will admit to trying to frame him. A dedicated investigator will uncover a shoe believed to have belonged to Brandy and charges will be filed for obstruction of justice, and yet, all these years later, the truth of what happened to Brandy remains concealed.

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this difficult and heartbreaking case.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/brandy-hanna

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Thirty-six year old Susan Walsh wanted, more than anything, to be a journalist. She'd put herself through college by dancing in bars and adult clubs. It had been a rough road, and Susan struggled with addiction but when she got married and had her son, everything changed.

Working alongside an acclaimed journalist, Susan was finally getting into the world she wished to explore. Assisting in the writing of an expose, and later a book, about sex workers, Susan operated as a spy, using her connections and infiltrating clubs. Unfortunately, this closeness to the scene slowly drew her back in and soon, she was off the wagon and dancing.

In July of 1996, Susan asked her now estranged husband, Mark, to watch their son David while she walked down the street to use a payphone. Susan was never seen again, and her disappearance launched an investigation that scoured Northern New Jersey and Manhattan. The list of possible suspects was endless from obsessed clients, stalking ex-boyfriends, Russian mafia associates and even so-called 'Vampires.'

What happened to Susan Walsh that hot summer day, and why for more than twenty-three years have the answers eluded authorities? Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this heartbreaking and baffling case.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/susan-walsh

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Twenty-four year old Amy Wroe Bechtel was putting the future together. Along with her husband, Steve, they had moved to the picturesque town of Lander, Wyoming and in the Summer of 1997, they had just closed on the purchase of their first house.

On July 24th, both had the day off from work and while Steve planned to go rock climbing, Amy was going to run errands and then go running, her favorite activity. This day though, it was partially work as she was mapping out the path of a 10k she was organizing. Amy drove up into the Shoshone National Park and never returned.

Steve returned home and after waiting for hours, grew worried and called the Sheriff's Department. Amy's car was discovered parked on the side of the road but there was no sign of the young woman. Amy's disappearance kicked off a massive search and rescue effort but after days of searching and yielding no results, investigators began looking at her husband.

Over the next twenty-two years many theories would develop, Steve's connection to investigators and his in-laws would be severed and a convicted killer would become a possible suspect. Join host Steven Pacheco as he asks what happened to Amy Wroe Bechtel on July 24th, 1997?

This week's episode brought to you by Zola.com . Visit Zola.com/Trace for $50 off your wedding registry today.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Source: https://www.trace-evidence.com/amy-bechtel

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Twenty-four year old Mitrice Richardson wasn't making sense. She was sending cryptic text messages and indecipherable social media posts. Her mother was concerned, and on September 16th, 2009, she received a call explaining that Mitrice had been arrested in Malibu.

After speaking with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Mitrice's mother was told her daughter wouldn't be released until the morning. With plans of picking her up the next day, her mother went to sleep. When she awoke, she was startled to discover Mitrice had been released and now, no one knew where she was.

Over the course of the next year the anger between the family and Sheriff's department continued to grow as lies were uncovered and Mitrice's family felt the Sheriff's department was conducting a coverup. On August 9th, 2010, eleven months after she disappeared, Mitrice's body was recovered down a remote Canyon some six miles from the Sheriff's station. The discovery sadly confirmed that Mitrice had died, but the question of how would become the center of a firestorm of controversy.

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines the details of this deeply tragic and confusing case.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/mitrice-richardson

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Celebrating the holiday season by answering listener questions.

For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com
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Social Media:
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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/trace-evidence--3207798/support.