Keystone Cold Cases

In the gripping inaugural episode of Beyond the Keystone, host Melissa takes us deep into the heart of Alabama, unraveling two haunting cases that still echo through the state. First, she explores the heartbreaking 2001 abduction and murder of 11-year-old Shannon Paulk in Prattville—a case that shocked the community and remains unsolved. Then, she turns to the tragic and perplexing 1990 Tuscaloosa...

On August 9, 1990, Donna Dickey's Thursday began like any other. The 32-year-old mother followed her usual payday routine: cashing her check, grabbing a meal from Burger King, and enjoying her food while feeding ducks at Silver Lake Park. Tragically, this would be the last time Donna followed this routine. The next morning, her strangled, half-naked body was discovered near Lower Bucks Hospital in...

Everything came to a head on May 22nd, 1992 when Betty came home and found Jack brutally murdered. It was not long before 3 arrests were made which included Betty and her twin sister Peggy. Join us as we discuss this wild case.

Welcome to our first Monthly Mood episode! Our monthly mood episode will be a different host every month gushing about what they are currently obsessed with. Anything from a true crime case, a show, a conspiracy, another podcast episode, etc. The sky's the limit...we even venture out of PA for these episodes! For our first episode of our monthly mood, Chelsea discusses the case of Tracey Nix, whic...

Join the KCC team for the conclusion of the Craig Rice case!   If you have been listening to our most recent stories you will see we have been slightly dabbling in cases that have controversies. Such as deaths ruled suicide and should have been homicide or even wrongfully convicted. Today we will touch on a wrongfully convicted case with a twist. It involves a murder that was part of a hate crime...

Who doesn’t love a good love story right? It’s really what everyone hopes for. A connection, a partner in crime, your other half if you will. But what happens when love isn’t the driving emotion. What if love is a disguise for control and obsession. When love is so “passionate” it invokes intense reactions. Reactions that are volatile and are irreversible. Today we are going to talk about the case...

If you have been listening to our most recent stories you will see we have been slightly dabbling in cases that have controversies. Such as deaths ruled suicide and should have been homicide or even wrongfully convicted. Today we will touch on a wrongfully convicted case with a twist. It involves a murder that was part of a hate crime and an innocent being charged with minimal evidence. I don’t th...

Carol Ann Dougherty was the older daughter of a “wonderful family”, a happy nine-year-old, who loved to read and frequently rode her bike to her town’s library, usually stopping at St. Mark’s Catholic Church to pray on her way home. On October 22, 1962, Carol Ann was found dead in the church’s loft, having been sexually assaulted and strangled. What monster could have committed such a heinous act...

Join KCC with the conclusion of the case of Dolores Della Penna, the 17-year-old that was horrifically murdered July 12, 1972.

In 1972, 17-year-old Dolores Della Penna, a high school student from Philadelphia, vanished just blocks from her home. Known for her kind nature and bright smile, her disappearance shocked her tight-knit community. Days later, disturbing discoveries pointed to a horrifying fate. To this day, questions linger about who was truly behind her tragic end and why justice remains elusive.

In today's episode, we discuss the case of the West Manchester John Doe. Found in 2013, the remains could have been in their resting pace for up to 20 years. The Bureau of Justice Assistance estimates that 4,400 unidentified remains are discovered annually in the United States. At any given time, there may be up to 40,000 unidentified remains across the country. It's truly heartbreaking to think a...

KCC delves into the tragic and unsolved murder of Holly Branagan, a high school senior from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. On March 28, 1979, Holly was brutally stabbed to death in her own home. The police pieced together Holly's timeline through phone calls she made that day, but despite their efforts, they have never caught her killer. Over 40 years later, the question remains: who killed Holly Branag...

Jason Andrew Knapp, a young man from York, Pennsylvania, vanished without a trace on April 12, 1998. Jason was a sophomore at Clemson University, excelling academically and involved in the ROTC program. He was last seen on Easter weekend, and his car was found a week later at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina, but Jason himself was never located. What could have happened to this accomplished...

Jennifer Higgins was an accomplished a young woman.  A field hockey star in high school, she attended Temple University on scholarship. Toward the end of her sophomore year, just ahead of summer break, Jennifer was found hanged by a necktie in her bedroom, her death ruled a suicide. But was it? Jennifer's story is one of profound sadness and unanswered questions, as her sudden death left her famil...

A young girl's skeletal remains were discovered on November 25, 1984, in a wooded area near Collom Street in Philadelphia. The remains, which included a skull, jaw, and three other bones, were found by a resident’s dog. Authorities believe the Jane Doe was a Black girl between the ages of 4 and 6, who died approximately one year before her remains were discovered. Join the KCC team as they discuss...

The holidays at the end of the year are supposed to be joyous. We celebrate traditions that run in our culture and families. Plus we celebrate another year around the sun. I know for me I personally enjoy my days off, time with family, and yummy food. In 1992 Lancaster PA suffered a horrific loss of their community. It was the Monday before Christmas and a class of 6th grade kids of Rohrerstown El...

Betty Jane McClellan was a respected and deeply religious woman from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. In March 2009, Betty and her husband, Jake McClellan, were brutally attacked in their trailer during a home invasion. While Jake survived with serious injuries, Betty tragically lost her life. Despite extensive investigations, the case remains unsolved, casting a shadow over the small community of Greene...

According to World Population review this year in PA there are 504 open missing person cases and 320 unidentified. I was astonished at that staggering number because that seems steep right? But the rate is only 3.9 per 100K which seems lower. According to NamUs most cases are resolved and the percentage that aren’t is under 1%. The people that are found were either lost, made the conscious decisio...

Noble’s name wasn’t the only thing unique about the man nor was the mystery surrounding his death.  The 82-year-old man from Greene County, Pennsylvania, was tragically murdered in 2008. Initially, it seemed like he died from a house fire, but an autopsy revealed he was actually shot before the fire was intentionally set. Who killed Noble Wine and why?

KCC delves into the baffling disappearance of Corinna Slusser, a young woman from Bloomsburg, PA, who vanished without a trace in September 2017. Join us as we uncover the events leading up to her disappearance, the extensive search efforts, and the ongoing investigation into what happened to Corinna.

In this episode, we delve into the heartbreaking story of Peter Romano, a 14-year-old boy from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, whose life was tragically cut short on Halloween night, 2023. Peter was one of three teenagers shot during a violent altercation at a shopping center on Bristol Pike. The incident, which started as a fight, escalated into a deadly shooting, leaving Peter fatally wounded and two ot...

The General Wayne Inn is a historic building located in Merion Station, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a tavern in 1704, it has undergone several name changes before being renamed in 1793 in honor of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. The inn is known for its rich history, including rumors of being haunted and its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 2005, the build...

The legend of the Black Lady of Minooka is a well-known ghost story from the Minooka neighborhood in Scranton, Pennsylvania. According to local lore, the Black Lady is the spirit of a woman who died tragically in the area. She is often described as wearing a long black dress and a veil, wandering the streets and the nearby woods. The Hotel Jermyn, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is a historic b...

The legend of the Pig Lady of Cannelton is a well-known local folklore from Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The story revolves around Barbara Davidson, an early resident of the area, who was murdered, and her body found in the crawlspace of her parents' home. Over time, the tale evolved, with some versions describing her as a headless ghost, while later versions added the eerie detail of her having a...

Graterford Prison, officially known as the State Correctional Institution – Graterford (SCI Graterford), was a maximum-security prison located in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1929 and was Pennsylvania’s largest maximum-security prison, housing around 3,500 inmates at its peak.