Trace Evidence

Twenty-one year old Denise Porch was enjoying life. She'd just celebrated her first wedding anniversary, got a promotion at work and picked up tickets to see a concert. Then one hot, summer day, she mysteriously vanished from right outside her own apartment.There were witnesses, though they didn't see what happened, just Denise speaking with an unidentified man. Police searched, but never found a shred of physical evidence and with clues in short supply they never made much headway.Then, after a long ten years, the arrest and conviction of a notorious killer lead investigators to wonder if Denise had been one of his victims, or if perhaps, her case was connected to several others that had occurred in the area.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/denise-porchBecome a supporter

During the pre-dawn hours of Friday, October 27th, 2006, Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey Mitchell initiated a traffic stop on a white van with no plates. Over the course of the next seven minutes a violent struggle would begin. Deputy Mitchell was shot and killed, he was just thirty-eight years old.Investigators scoured the area in search of the white van but when they discovered it, it did not hold the answers they'd hoped but instead a larger, more confusing mystery. The van, found parked in a river, had two bodies inside. Soon investigators began to wonder, had Deputy Mitchell been killed because he'd stopped a killer in the process of dumping bodies or, was it possible, someone known to the two victims had killed the Deputy and then them.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time"  Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/"Echoes of Time" Kevin Ma

Thirty-five year old Kathryn Adam had made a decision: she was taking her sixteen year old daughter, leaving her husband and starting a new life. It wouldn't be easy, but she was determined to make it work. Then, just when things seemed to be falling into place the unimaginable happened.On April 29th, 1993, Kathryn left for work in the early morning hours. She never returned, vanishing along with her van. When her daughter reported her missing, police traced her steps to a storage unit where she kept supplies for her job. There they found a pool of blood and signs of a struggle. Not long after, her van was found abandoned a few miles away. It was caked with mud and there was blood inside.Was Kathryn Adam the victim of a random crime or did someone who knew her, and her schedule, lie in wait that early morning with a gun and murderous intent?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Att

Twenty-seven year old Paul Featherman and twenty year old Nancy Baugh were living their dream on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Just before summer, on June 2nd, unknown perpetrators entered their rented home near Hanalei Bay. Paul was killed instantly, but Nancy's fate was unknown. Police would ultimately determine after witnessing her boyfriend's murder, she had been abducted by the killers.For thirty-four years the mystery of Nancy's abduction haunted two families. Then, in the winter of 2012 after massive flooding hammered the island, Nancy's remains were discovered. It was ultimately found that she had likely been killed the same night as Paul and her remains had been concealed just miles from the crime scene.Over the years, there have been many rumors about who may have been responsible. For some, it must have had to do with the influx of drug traffickers in the late 1970's, for others it was likely someone the couple knew and trusted. Yet beyond those two theories, there is the one people are too afraid

In this short update episode we will discuss the news that the Sumter County Does have finally been identified. James Paul Freund, thirty years old, was known as "Jock Doe" for forty-five years. Pamela Mae Buckley, twenty-five, was known as "Jane Doe."James and Pamela were found, brutally murdered, on Locklair Road in Sumter County, South Carolina, on August 9th, 1976. Now that their identities have been discovered, perhaps soon, their killer will also be identified.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/trace-evidence--3207798/support.

Sixty-four year old Nita Mayo loved going on long drives, exploring the countryside and finding new sites to see. Throughout her life she had an adventurous spirit and a zest for life but during one trip in August of 2005 she would mysteriously vanish.Two days passed before investigators discovered Nita's vehicle, left behind at Donnell's vista, a beautiful but dangerous overlook situated on California's highway 108 which cut through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. While police believed the location of the vehicle would lead to Nita and that she may be lost in the wilderness, her family believed something far more sinister had occurred.Despite multiple searches spanning several years, not a single trace of Nita was ever located. Eventually investigators were forced to admit that Nita was likely not anywhere near Donnell's vista. There was no evidence of foul play, but several disappearances from the same area would soon lead many to wonder if the mother and grandmother may have fallen victim to someone during he

Thirty-three year old Julie Bell Davis was making strides. Married to the love of her life, mother of two beautiful children and now breaking her own sales records at work. Everything was looking up until it was all destroyed in a moment of madness.On the evening of August 28th, 1997, Julie was working out of her Des Moines office. She'd recently gotten approval to move locations to a high rise building downtown. That night, she was packing up when an unknown killer entered the office and struck.From the very beginning the investigation was almost cold with police acknowledging they had few clues. What they did know, however, was that whoever had committed the crime was no beginner and knew how to cover their tracks. Over the course of the next six months, three more murders occurred and some bore striking similarities to Julie's.Years later, police would capture a serial killer, tying him to some of those murders but the question still lingers: was Julie Bell Davis one of his victims or is it possible her ki

In the early morning hours of Monday, January 20th, 1997, twenty-eight year old Robin Trivisonno was looking for a ride. Asking around to friends in the bar she previously worked at, no one was able to help. Then a mysterious man approached and the two walked out together. Neither has ever been seen again.Investigators faced a tough case; few clues, no major leads and their main person of interest was unidentified. While witnesses were able to give extremely detailed descriptions, no one knew his name, where he was from or what he was driving. The case went cold almost immediately.After four long months, several pieces of evidence were found in an unexpected place leading investigators to wonder if they had been there all along or if Robin's abductor might have planted them. Twenty-four years later, family and investigators are still hoping to find the truth and discover what happened to the twenty-eight year old mother of three.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courte

Eighteen year old Jennifer Pentilla was driven to help others. Fresh out of high school she traveled to Mexico on a mission trip to paint churches and assist the local community. When an opportunity arose to go back, she leapt at it.What was supposed to be a group bike trip from San Diego, down into Mexico, fell through but Jennifer was undeterred and even if she had to go alone, she was set on making the trip. In October of 1991, she set off on her own and for a time the trip was going well.However, on October 17th she made her last call home and mysteriously disappeared from Deming, New Mexico. Over a year later, most of her belongings were found in the desert not far from the town of Hatch. Thirty years later, the question remains, what became of Jennifer Pentilla?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: ht

Twelve year old Heather Kullorn was looking forward to spending a week with family friends but what she imagined to be a fun week would instead become a nightmare. During the early morning hours of July 15th, 1999, Heather mysteriously vanished.What police had imagined to be a straight forward search for a child quickly became a chaotic situation filled with inconsistencies, lies and evidence that showed Heather was in dire trouble. The discovery of a drug lab aroused their suspicions and soon Heather's case was deemed a violent abduction.While investigators initially considered the crime random, the further they dug, the more the sinister reality came into view. It seemed apparent that the child had likely been taken not by a stranger, but by someone she knew and trusted. Did she see something she shouldn't have and someone moved to silence her or was there something else going on beneath the surface?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin Mac

Twenty-two year old Jenna Nielsen had picked up a job delivering newspapers in the early morning hours. The mother of two wanted to help support the family she'd started with her husband, Tim. Eight months pregnant with their third child, a boy to be named Ethen, Jenna would soon be taking time off to be with her new baby.Tragically, what should have been a time of celebration would become a period of mourning and grief which has never ended. In the early morning hours of June 14th, 2007, Jenna and her unborn son were brutally murdered.For the past thirteen years investigators, and her family, have struggled to discover her killer's identity and see justice served. Still, to this day, the question lingers: was Jenna the victim of a random crime or is it possible she could have been killed by someone she knew?***Episode includes an update regarding an arrest made in the 2010 Disappearance of Unique Harris, covered in Episode 30.***Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Court

Thirty-eight year old Sandra Sollie was finally going to become a mother. In the Spring of 1994 she was seven months pregnant and eagerly anticipating the arrival of her son, whom she'd named Brandon Michael.While her family was planning for the excitement of a baby shower they instead would face the pain of loss and unknowing. On May 23rd, Sandra mysteriously vanished leaving behind few clues. Sandra wasn't reported missing until June 5th so investigators were already two weeks behind.At the same time, a massive search was underway for a missing four year old, Kali Poulton, who had vanished on the same day. The difference between the investigations was startling and Sandra's family felt she did not receive the attention she deserved.What happened to Sandra Sollie? Was this a random crime or, perhaps, one perpetrated by someone she knew and trusted?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons

Over the course of one week in New York City in 1985, a violent and brutal killer wielding an axe took the lives of two women: 85 year old Janet Scott and 58 year old Ruth Potdevin. Both women were killed in hotels within days of each other, less than a half mile apart.While the crimes themselves were grisly enough, the killer went further by leaving a gruesome puzzle behind at each scene. While the NYPD believed they would capture the assailant, his wrath disappeared just as mysteriously as it had originally materialized.Did he finish what he aimed to do or did he simply move on to kill again, evading police once more?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/nycBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/trace-evidence--3207798/support.

Eighty-six year old Patrick Carnes was making the two thousand mile drive from Toledo, Ohio to Reno, Nevada. Joined by his beloved dog, Lucky, he was set to return home by Thursday, April 14th, 2011. Unfortunately, while he was making good time, Patrick would never get home.After being stopped by a trooper at 9pm on the 13th, Patrick mysteriously vanished. He had planned to stop off in Elko that night, a town just fifty miles away. Whether or not he ever made it to Elko is unknown, but just nine hours later his car was found abandoned more than one hundred and fifty miles away.Initially it was believed Patrick may have gotten lost and wandered into the darkness of the desert but when investigators realized his car had been found in the same location as that of a woman who went missing five years earlier foul play quickly came into view.Was Patrick Carnes the victim of a random crime or could his disappearance be linked to another unsolved case?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial Me

In late January, 2002, twenty-three year old Bobby Zajac, twenty-six year old Erin Golla and twenty-nine year old James Springer Jr were preparing to leave the AMF Broadway Bowling Lanes in Littleton, Colorado, when they were seized upon by an armed individual.After robbing the safe, the thief turned into a cold blooded killer, executing all three with a handgun. Moments later he casually walked out of the building, smirking to a witness waiting to pick up Erin before driving off into obscurity.For nearly twenty years police and the families have sought justice, though it has remained elusive. Was this a random robbery gone wrong? A planned attack? Was one of the victims an intended target or could this horrible crime be linked to another series of murders that happened just two months later?Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/li

Eighteen year old Anita Knutson had just completed her freshman semester at Minot State University in North Dakota. Living in an apartment with a roommate, Anita was working two jobs and excited about summer break.However, over the first weekend in June of 2007, Anita's family couldn't get in touch with her which was extremely out of character. After several attempts, Anita's father Gordon made the one hour drive to check on her. There he would make a horrifying discovery.Anita had been murdered, that much was clear, but who could have been responsible was a far more complex question involving a sordid cast of characters from a guy with an unrequited crush, a contentious roommate, the maintenance man, a group of construction workers and others.Despite being in possession of both DNA and fingerprints, police have yet to name an official suspect and while the case grows cold, a grieving family and frustrated community have begun to wonder if justice will ever be served.UPDATED: July, 2025 - Nichole Rice, Anita'

Twenty-seven year old Susan Taraskiewicz had been working for Northwest Airlines out of Logan Airport, in Boston, for five years. After suffering through a harsh assortment of sexual harassment and threats of physical violence she managed to do something no woman had before her; she was promoted to the position of Equipment Service Crew Chief. Unfortunately while she was excited by her new position she also began to receive more aggressive harassment and threats.On the weekend of September 12th and 13th, 1992, Su was working overnight. At approximately 1am on the 13th, she volunteered to go out and pick up lunch for her crew however she would never return. Rather than report her absence, her co-workers clocked her back in and later claimed to be covering for her. Su failed to show up for work for her next shift and on the very morning her parents went to file a missing person's report her body was discovered.Su had been brutally beaten and stabbed before being stuffed in the trunk of her own car. While police

In October of 1984, nine year old Christine Jessop vanished from the streets of Queensville, Ontario, Canada. Months later, her remains were recovered more than fifty kilometers from her home. Police searched for her killer and eventually narrowed their suspects down to one man.However, that man, was later cleared of any involvement through the use of DNA despite having been taken to court twice, and convicted once. In the years since, no suspect has ever been named but now, thanks to DNA and genealogy research, Christine's killer has finally been identified.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/christine-jessopBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/trace-evidence--3207798/support.

Forty-one year old Leah Rowlands was starting a new life. She moved to the small town of Cozad, Nebraska where her boyfriend lived. She had been married previously, from which she had two sons, but had fled from what she described as a very abusive relationship.Now in Cozad, she was putting the pieces back together. She had just been promoted to manager at the Amoco station where she worked. However, while her first day under her new position should have been a good one, Leah would be brutally murdered in a bizarre robbery.While police theorized that the crime may have been random, Leah's brother argued that it may have been an organized hit, funded by Leah's own ex-husband.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/leah-rowlandsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.sprea

Fifty-five year old Donald Smith was set to embark on a cross-country road trip. Along the way he planned to visit several family members, but just a day into the trip he was joined by a mysterious companion.Don showed up in Springfield, Idaho, tracking down his daughter, Brenda. When Don arrived, he was drunk and behaving erratically. Frustrated, Brenda told her father to sober up and contact her the next day. Just twenty-four hours later, Don was murdered.Three days later, his vehicle was involved in an accident in Denver. The driver fled from the scene, never to be seen again. When police arrived they found a blood soaked car jack handle and the hunt for a killer began.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/donald-smithBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker