Trace Evidence

On Friday, June 13th, 2008, just before 10 AM, an unknown assailant entered the Sundrop Bottling Company building in Concord, North Carolina.  Inside were three employees including office manager Donna Barnhardt as well as Darrell Noles, a local man applying for a part-time job.  During what police have called a robbery gone wrong, both Donna and Darrell were shot and killed.  The shooter then wal...

In part 2 we examine the greater conspiracy surrounding the Vanishing of Melanie Flynn.  Lexington Police Officer Bill Canan, who claimed to be using Melanie as a confidential informant for his undercover work in the drug scene is fired from his job for a multitude of reasons related to insubordination.  Canan denies any involvement in Melanie’s disappearance or in any illegal activities.  However...

On January 26th, 1977, twenty-four year old Melanie Flynn walked out from her Lexington, Kentucky job, climbed into her red, Ford Elite and drove off into the unknown.  She has never been seen again.  Immediately in the aftermath of her disappearance her father, former state senator Bobby Flynn, reached out a friend and police officer for help.  He didn't expect the response he received. The Polic...

Sixteen year old Jennifer Persia had everything going for her. She played saxophone in the school band, was on the color guard and was becoming a breakout athlete. As a freshman, she was on the varsity track team and medaled in a competition against mostly seniors. Then one quiet, Monday night, someone stole away everything she hoped to be, shattered a family and rocked a small town. On April 4th,...

On Friday, December 1st, 2017, seventeen year old Maggie Long finished up her day at school and drove home to pick up refreshments for a concert that night.  She never returned.  Hours later, firefighters and sheriff's deputies responded to a call about intruders and a fire at her family home.  There, in the scorched husk of the home, they found Maggie's body. Maggie was a beacon in her community,...

In January of 1987, seventeen year old Joseph Helt mysteriously disappeared after leaving a high school party.  When his close friend wasn't able to give him a ride, Joe had to hop in with three other guys and though they all made it home, he never did. According to his companions that night, their car got stuck in a ditch and Joe, frustrated and tired, decided to walk the five miles home in 8 deg...

In this special Q&A episode, host Steven Pacheco answers questions submitted by listeners about the show, cases and everything in between.  Following the Q&A section, we enter the 2026 preview discussing plans to return to weekly episode releases and plans beyond that.  Get involved with Trace Evidence, reach out with your ideas, questions and inspirations.   Visit Trace-Evidence.com for m...

On Saturday, November 16, 1996, thirty-six year old Sandra Jacobson and her five year old son, John, went mysteriously missing from Bismarck, ND.  After arriving late for dinner at her parents home, Sandy left to fill her gas tank and never returned.  Neither she nor John have been seen again. The following morning her car was found abandoned in a parking lot adjacent to the Missouri River, which...

On Friday, May 8th, 1981, nineteen year old Long Island native Tammy Mahoney left her Oneida, New York apartment to visit friends twenty miles away in the town of Hamilton.  She never arrived and her case was investigated as that of a missing person. Twenty years later, in May of 2001, law enforcement officials announced that witnesses had come forward stating that on the night of her disappearanc...

Trace Evidence relaunches with the story of Judy Martins.  Twenty-two year old Judy Martins was a bright and talented student attending Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.  During the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 24th, 1978, Judy donned a silly red wig and visited multiple buildings on campus to hang out and joke around with friends.   At approximately 2:30 AM she left Dunbar Hall to go...

Sunday, May 25th, 1980 -- Kokomo, Indiana.  Twenty-nine year old special education teacher Janet Shirar doesn't show up for a pre-planned family gathering and birthday party for her nephew.  After multiple calls to her apartment go unanswered, her mother, stepfather and friend arrive to check on her.  They find her car in the parking lot, the door slightly ajar and her apartment cloaked in darknes...

In this week's Case Updates, we look back on five cases previously covered which have had significant updates.  We will also cover three smaller updates in which reward money for information has been increased in hopes of stirring up new tips and leads. Case Updates: 233 - The Murder of Paul & Melody Jones 017 - The Disappearance of Brandon Lawson           Help Find Brandon Lawson FB Page    ...

As Christmas of 1995 drew near, many families in rural Ohio drew closer and felt themselves caught up in the joy and pageantry of the holiday season.  Unfortunately, for one family, the holiday would forever be associated with pain and grief, loss and doubt, a disappearance and the unknown. John and Shelly Markley were devoted and loving parents to their five children.  During a week already marke...

When thirty-four year old Sherri Holland never arrived at her north Atlanta home after a drive up from Florida, her family knew something was wrong.  More than a week later, her car was found abandoned along the side of I-75, less than thirty miles from her home.  The car was in good shape, but a nail had flattened the front tire. Days later, Sherri's beloved dogs were found less than three miles...

Twenty-eight year old Peggy Anne McGuire was last seen dropping her son off for school in Canadian, Oklahoma on the morning of Monday, November 16th, 2015.  Within hours of leaving the school, the single mother would mysterious disappear leaving behind a series of confusing clues which continue to cloud the truth. The day after her disappearance a local bar captured an unidentified individual on s...

Mary "Bobo" Shinn was a well liked, friendly and talented artist and teacher living in her native Magnolia, Arkansas.  Teaching classes out of a small art studio she purchased north of the town square, she made strong connections with many people, both children and adults, as she guided them to find their artistic abilities. On Thursday, July 20th, 1978, the twenty-five year old was supposed to ge...

In this Special Episode, we take a look back at 2024 and answer listener submitted questions about the show, specific cases and anything that you want to know.  Following the Q&A there is a short "state of the podcast" segment in which we discuss plans for 2025, new ideas for the show and different ways to get you, the listener, more involved.  Regular episodes will return next week as we ente...

In this special Update episode, we look back on six cases previously featured on Trace Evidence which have had major updates.  We begin with the case of Charles and Catherine Romer who disappeared more than forty years ago during a drive from Florida to New York.   In addition to new discoveries in that case, we'll look into new searches and developments in the disappearance of Asha Degree, the Mu...

On a cold, rainy spring night in April of 1987, seventeen year old Martha Leanne Green mysteriously vanished.  After the car she and her brother were driving ran out of gas, Leanne remained behind in the car while her brother went to get help.  Returning less than fifteen minutes later, the car was empty and Leanne has never been seen again.   Investigators determined the seventeen year old had be...

When twenty-nine year old Loy Evitts failed to return to her Kansas City, MO office job after taking a late lunch, her co-workers were concerned.  When they found her car, parked in its assigned spot, but could find no trace of the woman, that concern transformed into worry.  They quickly called her home and spoke to her husband, Don, who immediately knew something had to be wrong. The next day, K...

When thirty-two year old Shirley McAvoy didn't show up for her youngest daughter's birthday everyone knew something was wrong.  After being unable to reach her, Shirley's estranged husband, Brian, reported her missing to the Pittsfield Police Department in Maine. Initially, investigators found nothing to indicate a crime had been committed and did little other than issue a statewide bolo for Shirl...

Twenty-three year old Randy Church was a bright, talented and driven student attending Montana State University.  Majoring in electrical engineering, Randy was excited for what opportunities the future would afford.  Living off campus in Bozeman at the time, Randy picked up a part time job at a local Pizza Hut.  He quickly was promoted to the position of shift supervisor. On the evening of Saturda...

Ten year old Amber Barker was riding her bike home from a friend's house.  It wasn't a long distance, just over half a mile through neighborhood roads she was highly familiar with.  Unfortunately, she never arrived. Within hours, the Oklahoma City Police Department descended upon the neighborhood and began searching.  The next day they were joined by more than 30 FBI agents.  It was clear that som...

Two days after Christmas of 1993, thirty-eight year old nurse and mother of two, Latricia White failed to show up for work.  Hours later, her father went to her home and was devastated to find her lifeless body lying in bed.  It would later be determined she had been shot multiple times in the head as she slept. Investigators soon learned of Lee Wackerhagen, Latricia's live in boyfriend, who was n...

On a warm spring night in March of 1975, thirty-two year old John Harden completed an emergency call for a client and returned home.  Less than an hour later, he'd be shot dead in his driveway. After finishing his shower, John glanced out the window and saw his work truck engulfed in flames.  Running outside to try and snuff out the blaze, his killer got his opening and fired a single blast from h...