Cold and Missing

Michael John Olson, a 20-year-old man who had moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, went missing on December 1st, 1979. He was last seen leaving a bar at around 4:30 am driving his maroon 1979 Grand Prix. Michael had spent the day playing golf, going to a dog track, and bar hopping with friends. Despite staying out late, his friends noted that he didn't drink much. When Michael didn't show up for wor...

Stella and JJ were roommates and close friends who lived in a working-class neighborhood in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Stella was known for her kindness and generosity towards her neighbors, while JJ was a veteran with a love for cars. On February 17, 1991, a fire broke out in their home, and the bodies of Stella and JJ were found inside. Autopsy results revealed that they had been stabbed multipl...

Christine Cole, a 10-year-old girl from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, went missing on January 6, 1988. She was last seen at a market buying gum balls and milk. Despite extensive searches and investigations, Christine's body was not found until February 28, 1988, when it was discovered near a riverbank. The autopsy revealed that she died from asphyxiation, but it was unclear whether it occurred before o...

Phyllis Berry, a 21-year-old Chickasaw woman, went missing on Halloween night in 1975 during the World Championship Chili Cook-off in Terlingua, Texas. She was last seen at a dance party and was later seen sitting by a campfire before disappearing. Despite extensive searches by the police, including ground searches and the involvement of the Texas Rangers, no trace of Phyllis has ever been found....

An early morning driver notices a brush fire in a wooded area on the outskirts of Colombia, S.C and calls for help. As firefighters respond to the call and get to work extinguishing the blaze they make the gruesome discovery of 15 year-old Silene ‘Erica’ Eaddy. She had been badly beaten, set on fire, and left for dead. In the beginning, police seemed to be closing in on the people responsible, but...

In the summer of 1984 Sherry Lynn Marler was riding into town with her stepdad after a morning of working on the family farm. When they arrive at the bank Sherry’s stepdad gives her a dollar to run across the street and get a soda while he goes inside to take care of business. What should have been a short and sweet errand quickly turns into a nightmare. When her stepdad returns to the truck 15 mi...

In 1962, fourteen year-old Larry Jo Phebus was new in North Dakota when he found himself alone on a Saturday night. His brother, who he lived with, had a double date and Larry Jo was told to stay at their hotel. When his brother returns home that evening Larry Jo is gone. Months later a farmer will find the body of a partially nude teenage boy in his field. Quickly, police realize its the missing...

During a stormy August night in Tacoma, Washington 8 year-old Ann Marie Burr got up with her crying sister. After waking her mom up to help with her little sister Ann is sent back to bed. But by 5:15am Ann had vanished without a trace from her bed. The front door and a window were open but otherwise nothing was out of place. Hundreds of people will search for Ann and they’ll never find a trace of...

The space between the bus stop and Charles and Jennifer Chia’s apartment is 100 feet. Somewhere in that 100 feet Charles and Jennifer vanish without a trace in the middle of the day on October 18th, 1989. Quickly, everyone in the city of Reno knows Charles and Jennifer’s face and name but no leads emerge. Despite the community response weeks will go by without any sign of the children. Finally, mo...

In 1993 Hang Lee was a high school senior looking for a second job to save for college and be able to continue to give money to her parents. Her friend, Nikki, told her that her boss was looking for some extra help. Nikki did think it strange that her boss- Mark Steven Wallace - was looking for help since she had never seen any customers the entire time she worked there. Hang left for the job inte...

Postulant nun Sister Robin Elam (full name: Roberta Elam) was spending time at her convent for an 8 day silent retreat. Her time was spent praying and meditating and those that knew her assumed she was also using the time to wrestle with her decision to take her vows. On June 13th, 1977 Sister Robin was sitting on the convent grounds with her prayer book when she was attacked and murdered by an un...

A hot August day in 1985 was sitting heavy that evening in the Bronx where 8 year old Equilla Hodrick was sitting with her mother on the front steps. It was in that moment that Equilla heard the song from the ice cream truck and knew it was exactly what she needed to beat the heat. She asked her mother for money but she said ‘No’. Undeterred, Equilla set off towards the truck in hopes she could st...

Chance Smith was a recent ‘Student of the Week’ for his kindergarten class and said one of his favorite things was playing outside. In December of 2003 Chance was doing just that, playing outside, while his grandfather worked on an engine nearby. His grandfather stepped inside for a minute to grab something to continue his work. A neighbor saw Chance follow the family dog into the woods. When his...

Leona Kinsey ran into a friend while grocery shopping in October of 1999 and told her that she would swing by later that evening after she met a man named ‘John’ at a different store. Leona never made it to her friends house and was never heard from again, Leona had being missing for several days when her car turned up abandoned at the store that she had told her friend she planned to meet John at...

Sarah Greenhalgh updated her facebook status at 11:00 pm on July 8th, 2012. It said “Going to be sleeping with the window wide open…:-) Now if batsh** crazy-boy would just leave me alone…will get some much needed rest because tomorrow is Monday and I got a ton of work to do”. The next morning, just after 8am, smoke is seen billowing out of Sarah’s home. When firefighters extinguish the flames they...

Jason Jolkowski was 19 years old when he seemingly vanished into thin air. Jason was called into work early on June 13th, 2001. Since his car was in the body shop he told his work that he would have to walk the 4 miles to get there. As he was getting ready to leave a coworker called back and said she would come pick him up. They agreed to meet at Benson High School which was 8 blocks from Jason’s...

In March of 1991 Luther Meshell, who used a wheelchair and crutches in his day to day, was found brutally murdered in his home. He had been stabbed in his back, chest, and had his throat cut. Several items were taken from the home- most notably his 1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88. However, the next day police find the car parked in an apartment complex. To date no suspect has ever been named in the case...

In the early morning hours of June 30th, 2014 Nefertiti ‘Neffie’ Trader made an early morning run to 7-Eleven for a pack of cigarettes, two coffees, and a loaf of bread. When she returned home around 4am a neighbor, who happened to be up, looked outside his window when Neffie’s porch light turned on. He saw Neffie being forced into the back of her own car. When Neffie’s family come to her home lat...

Earl and Clarissa Gonzales were a father daughter duo well known in their small town of Questa, New Mexico. The entire town was shocked when Earl and Clarissa were both found murdered on September 2nd, 1999. Earl had been shot in the head while he slept and Clarissa died from a ligature strangulation. Despite confidence in the beginning of the case that it would soon be solved as of 2023 the case...

On this episode of Cold and Missing we look into the baffling missing person case of Brandon Swanson. After finishing his freshman year of college Brandon spent the day celebrating with friends, but on his drive home his car got stuck in a ditch. He called his parents and told them where he was. Brandon stayed on the phone with his parents the entire time but when they arrived to where Brandon sai...

In the early morning hours of April 1, 2005 fifteen year old Aaron Dowdle was found behind a vacant warehouse beaten into a coma and stabbed. A few hours earlier Aaron’s best friend had been found in the same condition a few hours earlier and just blocks away. Both boys are rushed to the hospital and begin to recover. Tragically, Aaron will pass away from his injuries 37 days after the attack. His...

On December 20th, 2021 three year old Lina was playing with dozens of other children at the playground in her apartment complex in San Antonio, Texas. In the span of minutes Lina disappeared without a trace despite lots of parents and children nearby. Police searched every apartment in the complex and to date no sign of Lina has ever been found. Join us as Ali and Eli talk about this heartbreaking...

This week on Cold and Missing Ali and Eli look into the 2018 cold case of Kenneth Charlot. Kenneth was proud of his family and his home in Pass Christian, Mississippi reflected the love he had for all his nieces and nephews. When family couldn’t get ahold of Kenneth on Feb 1st, 2018 they knew something was immediately wrong. That evening family reported him missing after finding his home left in a...

This week on Cold and Missing Ali and Eli look into the 1983 missing person case of 2 year old Jason Cannon. Jason was playing under the watchful eye of his mother on a brisk March afternoon. Jason’s mother decided he needed a jacket and left him playing on the porch while she fetched it for him. When she returned a few minutes later Jason was gone. Within minutes the police are notified and peopl...

This week on Cold and Missing Ali and Eli to look into the 1990 cold case of Shirley McAvoy. In August of 1990 Shirley was living in Pittsfield, Maine when she disappeared. Family and friends thought that she was taking some time to herself to process her recent separation from her husband. When family and friends go to her home to winterize it for when she returned they found a large blood stain...