The Trail Went Cold - Episode 481 - Mary Cooper & Susanna Stodden

June 4, 2019. Fairview Park, Ohio. 40-year old Carnell Sledge and his 33-year old friend, Kate Brown, agree to meet up at the Rocky River Reservation in the Cleveland Metroparks and they each drive there in their respective vehicles. Within 15 minutes of their arrival, Carnell and Kate are both fatally shot in the head near a park bench and the perpetrator manages to flee the scene without anyone seeing or hearing anything. Investigators look into the backgrounds of both victims to see if anyone had a motive to harm them, but are unable to turn up any evidence to implicate anyone and the crime remains unsolved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling double homicide known as the “Park Bench Murders”. Additional Reading: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Kate_Brown_and_Nell_Sledge https://unsolved.com/gallery/park-bench-murders/ https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/06/parents-of-homicide-victim-carnell-sledge-did-not-know-woman-killed-with-him.html https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/06/parents-of-homicide-victim-carnell-sledge-did-not-know-woman-killed-with-him.html https://www.clevescene.com/news/four-years-later-officials-report-no-progress-in-metroparks-double-homicide-cold-case-but-fresh-hope-comes-with-national-coverage-42872823/ https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/they-didnt-deserve-to-die-this-way-sister-hopes-unsolved-mysteries-episode-can-help-find-sisters-killer https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/10/03/murder-metroparks-new-dark-side-podcast-goes-inside-unsolved-fairview-park-killings/ https://www.cleveland19.com/2025/06/04/trace-dna-found-metroparks-double-murder-scene-could-lead-suspect/ https://www.cleveland19.com/2025/05/30/possible-connection-between-5-year-old-double-murder-west-park-murder-suicide-metroparks/ https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/crime/cold-cases/families-kate-brown-carnell-sledge-statement-cleveland-metroparks-police-update-double-homicide-investigation/95-16545e66-98a0-4e17-9220-4c69d5b7b12e https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/1fweqc9/ama_im_jeff_a_friend_of_carnell_sledge_here_to/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 26, 1988. Jackson, Mississippi. After getting into an argument with her mother, seven-year old Daffany Tullos leaves her grandparents’ residence and is last seen walking down the street by neighbours before she disappears. Suspicion turns towards Ernest Lee Epps, the boyfriend of Daffany’s mother, who was charged with sexual battery for allegedly molesting Daffany and released from jail on bond the same day she went missing. However, there is no evidence to implicate Ernest and even though a shirt belonging to Daffany is found in a neighbour’s yard a year-and-a-half later, no trace of her is ever found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a missing children’s case which has gone unsolved for nearly 38 years. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Jackson Police Department at (601) 960-1234. Additional Reading: https://charleyproject.org/case/daffany-sherika-tullos https://www.newspapers.com/image/184041774/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/184088100/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/181320487/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/1039872199/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/183694584/ https://www.wlbt.com/story/11276708/jackson-police-re-open-cold-case-from-1988/ https://www.wlbt.com/story/36360572/3-on-your-side-investigates-the-disappearance-of-daffany-tullos/ https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/07/26/30-years-later-daffany-tullos-family-still-believes-she-found/807547002/ https://www.wjtv.com/news/in-depth-reports/missing-daffany-tullos-last-seen-in-jackson-in-1988/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

December 13, 1976. Fairfield, Maine. The daughter of 31-year old Pauline Rourke kisses her sleeping mother goodbye before leaving for school, but when she returns home later that day, Pauline has vanished without a trace. Suspicion turns towards Pauline’s live-in friend, Albert Pat Cochran, who frequently fought with her and had developed an odd obsession with the recent murder of another woman from the area named Janet Baxter. Two decades later, Pat is charged and convicted of Janet’s murder, but even though he is suspected of being responsible for Pauline’s disappearance, there is not enough evidence to implicate him and Pauline is never found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore an unsolved missing persons case involving a victim who has not been seen in nearly 50 years. If you happen to have any information about this case, please contact the Maine State Police at (207) 624-7143. Additional Reading: https://charleyproject.org/case/pauline-rourke https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/investigation-traffic/major-crime-units/unsolved/missing-persons/rourke-pauline https://www.newspapers.com/image/849371494/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/856346628/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/665025806/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/855868439/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/856276259/ https://www.centralmaine.com/2017/06/28/man-serving-life-sentence-for-oakland-womans-murder-dies-at-hospital/ https://www.fosters.com/story/news/2017/06/29/police-link-recently-deceased-killer-to-1976-disappearance/20405251007/ https://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/30/a-daughters-enduring-lament-her-remains-are-out-there/ https://www.wabi.tv/content/news/State-Police-Searching-Smithfield-Area-Wells-For-Remains-Of-Missing-Woman-444463513.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/1147332553/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/309356419/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/829806532/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/830077499/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

July 29, 1965. Gothenburg, Sweden. After meeting together at a café, 21-year old Jan Olof Dahlsjo, 22-year old Gay Roger Karlsson and 16-year old Kjell-Ake Johansson all climb into a Volvo belonging to Jan Olof’s brother, but the three men and the car soon vanish without a trace. That very same day, 18-year old Hubner “Hymme” Lundquist also disappears after travelling from his family’s cottage in Torekov to Gothenburg Central Station. There is speculation that the two cases might be connected to each other, as well as a bank robbery which also took place in Gothenburg that same afternoon, but this is never conclusively proven and none of the four missing victims are ever found. For the first time ever, “The Trail Went Cold” will be travelling to Sweden to explore a mystery known as “The Dahlsjo Case”. Be sure to check out the podcast, "Global True Crime", on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlsj%C3%B6_Case https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/589089 https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/6220069 https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/6226177 https://www.land.se/allmant/dahlsjofallet-4-pojkar-forsvann-gatan-olost-efter-50-ar https://www.expressen.se/gt/pojkarna-har-varit-forsvunna--i-50-ar/ https://gamlagoteborg.se/2017/04/02/dahlsjofallet/ https://gamlagoteborg.se/2017/04/02/grodmansranet/ https://www.expressen.se/gt/han-bryter-tystnaden-om-ranet--efter-50-ar/ https://audioboom.com/posts/6908628-the-dahlsjo-disappearance “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

May 29, 2011. Florence, Kentucky. After missing their morning church service, 74-year old Bill Stephenson and his 74-year old wife, Peggy Stephenson, are found murdered inside their condo. Their causes of death are listed as blunt force trauma and sharp force trauma and while few details about the crime scene are released to the public, it’s reported that the victims’ bodies and a number of items in the condo were moved around and staged in a specific fashion in order to send some sort of message. It’s believed that the killer remained at the scene for hours after committing the murders and even though an unidentified DNA profile is found there, it is never matched to anyone and the crime remains unsolved. July 30, 2011. Norwalk, Iowa. A fire breaks out at the rural home of 79-year old Bill Wood and his 72-year old wife, Kay Wood, and burns their residence to the ground. After the fire is put out, Bill’s charred body is found at the scene and it turned out he was shot to death, but there is no sign of Kay anywhere and the couple’s pick-up truck is missing. The abandoned truck is soon found 170 miles away in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Kansas City, Missouri. While witnesses report having seen a white middle-aged man near the truck, he cannot be identified and Kay is never found. if you have any information about the murders of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, please contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at (859) 334-8496. if you have any about the Bill and Kay Wood case, please contact the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at (515) 961-1122 or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (641) 342-6263. Additional Reading: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bill_and_Peggy_Stephenson https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/46-Condo-Killings-.pdf?x36184 https://www.fox19.com/story/14747764/sheriffs-investigate-elderly-couples-death/ https://www.wlwt.com/article/police-have-killer-s-dna-determined-time-of-death-in-couple-s-slaying/3524741 https://www.fox19.com/story/25638081/bill-peggy-stephenson-couples-murder-remains-unsolved/ https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/cold-cases-dna-but-no-suspect-in-stephenson-double-murder-in-florence https://www.wlwt.com/article/daughter-still-pleading-for-answers-in-nky-couples-brutal-slaying/20878864 https://www.cincinnati.com/story/accused/2020/08/26/backstory-stephenson-slayings-too-bizarre-believe-detective-says/3436127001/ https://www.fox19.com/2021/05/27/investigators-revealing-new-information-year-anniversary-couples-murder-approaches/ https://www.boonecountyky.org/government_administration/county_government/sheriff/stephenson_murder_case.php https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2020/09/25/no-justice-decade-later-in-stephenson-murders https://www.the-sun.com/news/9303347/stephenson-murders-linked-delphi-snapchat-richard-allen/ https://charleyproject.org/case/kaidena-lozelle-wood https://www.newspapers.com/image/131607884/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/108751813/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/108766031/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/132317102/ https://www.kcci.com/article/mystery-behind-couple-s-death-disappearance-continues/6895215 https://who13.com/news/four-year-anniversary-of-unsolved-warren-county-murder-mystery/ https://www.kcci.com/article/5-years-later-investigators-narrow-search-in-deadly-mystery-1/6922131 https://kdsm17.com/news/local/seven-years-later-mysterious-homicide-and-missing-person-case-remains-unsolved “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.