Trace Evidence

Barbara Holik fell in love with the American west. Drawn to New Mexico, she emigrated to the states in late 1989 and ultimately settled in Taos. There she established herself as an artist, selling hand crafter jewelry and finely painted pottery. She made friends, delved deep into the history of the region and often led tours through the towns and surrounding wildernes. She was a popular woman who...

In January of 1982, Melvin Wiley was appointed Chief of Police in Hinckley Township, Ohio. With a law enforcement career spanning nearly twenty years and a background in military intelligence, Mel was considered by most the be a prime candidate for the position. For more than three years, they had no reason to question that choice. Then on a warm summer afternoon in July of 1985, Chief Wiley myste...

On a cool, September afternoon in Burbank, California, thirty-six year old Tom Roche dropped off his girlfriend, Barbara Rondeau, at her office. Promising to return for lunch later that afternoon, Barbara would never see her partner of sixteen years ever again. Six days after filing a missing person's report, Barbara received a grotesque letter in the mail. In it, the writer claimed to have murder...

On a cool Tuesday night in January of 2006, forty-three year old Dori Ann Myers left her Fort Pierce, FL home to play poker in a local tournament. Arriving late, she missed her chance to get a seat at the table and went off to spend the night elsewhere. Dori then stopped in at the St. Lucie Inn where she was seen speaking with two unidentified men, allegedly US Marines who were injured while servi...

Between 1990 and 1991, four unsolved homicides occurred in and around the city of St. Louis. Robyn Mihan, Brenda Pruitt, Sandy Little and Donna Reitmeyer had been murdered, kept for some period of time and then disposed of by an unknown predator referred to as the "Package Killer." More than thirty years later, in the winter of 2022, DNA analysis of evidence found at one of the scene finally retur...

Eighteen year old Diana Braungardt was smart, funny, caring and popular. She performed well in school, worked a part time job and had just enrolled in modeling classes as high school graduation approached. Then, she vanished. After finishing a shift at a local discount department store, Diana clocked out and stepped out into the parking lot. She never made it home and her parents found her car, st...

Sponsored by: Magic Mind! Visit MagicMind.co/TraceEvidence for 56% off your subscription using the code TRACEEVIDENCE | Nom Nom Now! Visit TryNom.com/Trace for 50% off your no-risk two week trial! In this week's episode, we kick of a new year of Trace Evidence by taking a look back at 2022 and answering listener questions about the show, the cases, the host and everything in between! Let's kick of...

On a cold winter morning in January of 2017, fifty-eight year old Robert Baron was reported missing from Old Forge, Pennsylvania. A lifelong resident and pillar of the community, Robert owned the highly popular pizza restaurant Ghigiarelli's which has been a borough fixture since the 1920's.  On the morning of Thursday, January 26th, Robert's son Bobby arrived at the restaurant to find the doors l...

Seventy-six year old Syble Brumley was a kind, caring and beloved member of her community. A widow for more than twenty-years, she continued living in the home she'd shared with her late husband while attending to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Until one April night in 1997 when she mysteriously vanished. Investigators found obvious signs of foul play; the door to Syble's hom...

On a bitterly cold winter night in January of 1985, twenty-one year old Leichia M. Reilly left her family home to visit a popular, local nightspot. She never made it home and early the next morning, her parents reported her missing. Investigators tracked down everyone who had been at the bar that night and found several witnesses who stated that they saw Leichia leaving at approximately 3am in the...

On a cool Wednesday morning in September of 1990, three roadside workers discovered the badly decomposed remains of an unidentified female. Murdered via strangulation, her body was dumped just over a guardrail along I-40 in Hillsborough, North Carolina at the New Hope Road Church exit. The victim was partially dressed, nude from the waist down other than a pair of white, anklet socks with clean bo...

On a cold, November afternoon in 1996, twenty-nine year old Richard Bendele left his mother's home to do a little hunting where his recently deceased father used to take him. Hours later, Richard called his mother in a panic. He couldn't get his truck started and due to the darkness, he couldn't give specific directions to where he was. Planning to mark the road, to make finding him easier, Richar...

Twenty-seven year old mother of three, Kelly Wright Sims was heading out for a night on the town. Alongside her boyfriend, Sims planned to participate in a darts tournament at a local bar. Sometime after arriving, however, the couple argued and split up, going their separate ways. Kelly ended up meeting with different friends, had a few drinks and took a trip. When pulling back into town, she requ...

In Episode 129, Trace Evidence features the case of the Fort Myers 8. In March of 2007, the skeletal remains of 8 unidentified men were found in a wooded lot in southwest, Florida. Investigators managed to identify three of the victims, but the remaining names were unknown. A few years earlier, in nearby Charlotte County, investigators discovered the remains of several men. Some of the bodies were...

Thirty-six year old Paresh Patel was on top of the world. Smart, rich and powerful, Patel was the owner of three separate clubs on Austin's famous Sixth Street. Outside of his own clubs, Patel was tied into several others run by friends and business associates. Many loved Paresh and called him a great person and a smart businessman; others believed he was corrupt and went out of his way to try and...

On Christmas night, 1992, Boaz, Alabama resident Peggy Reaves Mock left the home she shared with her mother for a night of drinks and celebration with friends. She never made it home, and for months following her disappearance, investigators didn't have a single clue. Then, in March, several of Peggy's personal affects were discovered discarded at the sight of a burned down club that was once a to...

In May of 2008, the body of twenty year old Irina Yarmolenko was discovered along the shore of the Catawba River, in North Carolina. Initially, investigators were baffled as they found Irina with three ligatures tied around her neck. Hoping to locate witnesses in the area who had seen or heard something, detectives began canvassing. They quickly came upon thirty-nine year old Mark Carver, fishing...

October 29th, 1982 -- Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Twenty year old Angela Gray Hamby had a big day planned with her mother. Together, the two women were set to head out on an all day shopping trip where they'd hit all the clothing stores, share lunch and just be together. Sadly, however, Angela never made it to the store that day. At approximately 9:30am, Angela headed out to run some errands. She...

In episode 200 of Trace Evidence we examine one of the most shocking, disturbing and haunting murders in Texas history -- The Shocking Murder of Betty Williams. Odessa Texas, 1961. Seventeen year old Betty Williams goes missing from her bedroom sometime during the night. At first investigators don't believe there's any reason to worry, it's not uncommon for seventeen year old's to sneak out or run...

Episode 200 - Q&A Special. In this week's episode, as we prepare for the release of episode 200, host Steven Pacheco answers listener submitted questions covering everything you want to know from details about case, creation of the show and overall views of podcasting and true crime in general. FB: https://www.facebook.com/TraceEvidencePod/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ TW: h...

February 11th, 1988 - twelve year old Jie Zhao Li walks out of her family's Honolulu home to sell tickets for a school fundraiser. She never makes it back home. Within hours she's reported missing and investigators begin massive searches trying to track down the little girl or anyone who may have seen her. Soon witnesses come forward but their stories lead detectives in different directions. Some...

This weeks episode takes a look at three major updates regarding cases previously covered on Trace Evidence.  First we examine the details surrounding Annandale Jane Doe who, after twenty-five years, has positively been identified as Joyce Marilyn Meyer Sommers. Then we turn towards the release of new information and the announcement that investigators have narrowed their suspect pool down to one...

On a cool spring morning in May of 1984, fourteen year old Laura Ann Parker went off to Lindenhurst High School and never came home. While her parents pressed the police, and even the FBI, to track down the missing teen, their concerns were written off as it was ruled that Laura had chosen to runaway. For four long months James and Patricia Parker investigated for themselves. They gave out their h...

Nineteen year old Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Barkley arrived for a normal day of work at the pipe furniture store in Pinellas Park, Florida on Friday, May 29th, 1981. Less than three hours later she had mysteriously vanished. There were no signs of a struggle, no indications of where Bobbie may have gone. Left behind were her purse and her cigarettes; the only things missing were Bobbie and her 1973 Pl...

On a warm, lazy Sunday afternoon, nineteen year old Pamela Tinsley decided to take a ride down to one of her favorite Oklahoma City spots -- Lake Overholser. She'd had a rough few weeks and really needed a break from the hectic rat race of life. She never could have imagined that she wouldn't make it back home. According to friends at the Lake that day, Pam accepted an offer from a man she didn't...