Trace Evidence Podcast

Follow Trace Evidence: https://linktr.ee/traceevidence On Wednesday, December 21st, 1988, a timber truck driver making his way through rural Georgia made a horrifying discovery. Just off US Route 82, down at the end of a long dirt road, in a dusty turn out which doubled as an illegal dumping ground, he found the remains of an unidentified toddler wedged inside of an old television console. Investigators would later reveal that the child, described as a young black girl, was estimated to be between the ages of 3 and 4 and had likely been dead for thirty to sixty days. Whoever had dumped her in that spot had first wrapped her in a blanket, placed her inside of a duffel bag, filled that bag with concrete, and then put it inside of a metal foot locker which was also filled with concrete. It was a scene so bizarre, so disturbing, it continues to haunt the investigators who worked it. Despite their sincerest efforts, the case grew cold and the child's true identity remained illusive. Twenty-one years later, in 2009, an anonymous tipster claimed that the child might have been named Bridget, could have been from the city of Albany and might have family living in Tifton. All these years later and both little Christmas Doe's identity and that of her killer remain unknown. Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On a humid, Florida night in March of 1982, forty-one year old Charles David Hope walked out of a popular seafood restaurant and mysteriously vanished. His truck was later found parked at his real estate business with the doors locked and windows rolled up. Inside police found several personal affects but no signs of a crime. At the time it was theorized that Charles might have fled the state, perhaps to take on a new adventure, or maybe, in fear for his life. However, as decades have rolled on, other more sinister theories have risen to the surface. Might Charles have killed by drug traffickers? Could he have been hunted down by an angry husband who didn't appreciate the way the notorious flirt talked to his wife? Or, is it possible, that Charles was himself involved in illegal acts that eventually led to his disappearance? https://linktr.ee/traceevidence For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com https://www.patreon.com/traceevidence Social Media: https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/traceevidencepod Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ #truecrime #truecrimepodcast #realcrimes #disappearance #disappeared #missing #unsolved #unsolvedmysteries #evidence #investigation #missingperson #traceevidence #truecrimes #charleshope #mysterious #FloridaCrime #hernando #hernandocounty #centralflorida #gulf #trafficking #homicide

In early April of 1994, twenty-three year old Karen Denise Wells received an urgent call from a dear friend. This friend was in a bad place and was really struggling so Denise decided to make the 1,400 mile drive from Oklahoma to New Jersey to visit. Tragically, she would never return. Less than three days after embarking on her trip, Denise would mysteriously vanish. Investigators found themselves struggling to put the pieces together as almost none of the story made sense to them. It didn't take long to realize something more sinister had occurred and that Denise's own friend may have been involved. Nearly thirty years later and Denise's fate has never been determined. While details are scarce and the official timeline is full of holes there is one thing investigators agree on; someone knows exactly what happened to the bright, loving single mother who hasn't been heard from in nearly three decades. Use promo code "Trace" to save 10% on your ticket to CrimeCon in Orlando at CrimeCon.com For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com https://www.patreon.com/traceevidence Social Media: https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/traceevidencepod Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On a cold winter night in January of 2001, thirty-one year old Anthony Guy Urciuoli Jr left his family's Poughkeepsie home to go play pool with a friend. He never made it back. His family reported him missing the next day but were met with investigators who seemed disinterested and initially argued that Tony had left of his own volition. More than twenty years later, the truth of Tony's fate remains unknown. While law enforcement says they have never found evidence to show he was the victim of a crime, his family believes his disappearance must be connected to foul play; possibly over a large sum of money. The family believes their son's disappearance might be connected to an ex-girlfriend, or perhaps, a co-worker who paged Tony the night he vanished. For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com https://www.patreon.com/traceevidence Social Media: https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/traceevidencepod Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On the evening of Friday, August 16th, 1974, seventeen year old Leslie Zaret set off on a walk she'd made many times before. Leaving her best friend's home, the Queens, NY native had twenty-six blocks to cross before she'd arrive home. She never made it and less than ten hours later, her body was discovered in the playground of PS 203 - more than six miles off course from Leslie's walk. The initial investigation struggled with a lack of evidence, witnesses and suspects. Despite sincere efforts, the case grew cold. Thirty-two years later, a curious dream caused an NYPD Chief to take another look. Using new techniques and technology, they would finally identify a person of interest. However, nearly fifty years later, they still need your help to bring this monster to justice. For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com https://www.patreon.com/traceevidence Social Media: https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/traceevidencepod Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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 engraciated herself to the local community up until the day she vanished. When Barbara failed to show up for work two days in a row, her boss reported her missing. Investigators from the Taos Police Department found an absence of evidence at her apartment; nothing to suggest a crime had been commited but for the woman's absence. Unfortunately for them this lack of evidence would become the default state of the case. What happened to Barbara Holik? Was she the victim of a random crime, or perhaps a targeted one? Did she leave of her own volition, or was she forcibly abducted? Nearly thirty years later and the answers to those questions remain undiscovered. For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com https://www.patreon.com/traceevidence Social Media: https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/traceevidencepod Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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 mysteriously vanished. After failing to show up for work for two days, rangers discovered his abandoned vehicle at Edgewater Park in Cleveland, right on the shore of Lake Erie. While some believed Chief Wiley had been the victim of a crime, others theorized that perhaps the aspiring author had written his own mysterious exit. Nearly forty years later and the mystery of Chief Wiley remains. Friends and family never believed he'd have gone away by his own choice, and not one of them has heard from him since July of '85. He remains the first Chief of Police to have ever been listed by the FBI as a missing person and, all this time later, he has never been found. For more information please visit: https://www.trace-evidence.com https://www.patreon.com/traceevidence Social Media: https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/traceevidencepod Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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 returned a hit. This led investigators to a 73 year old prison inmate serving life for a murder in 1993. After confronting the man with this evidence, Gary R. Muehlberg confessed to the four murders and gave investigators details about the crimes. However, just when they thought they'd gotten all they needed from Muehlberg he dropped a surprise on them. He admitted to a fifth murder, one which he claimed occurred during the same time as the other. Muehlberg claimed to have murdered this woman and later to have left her body in a metal barrel at a local car wash. Investigators were baffled, not because of the admission, but because they were not aware of any crime which fit the description. This has left many to wonder if Victim Number 5 truly exists or if the entire story is just a sick and twisted game being played by a serial killer who doesn't have much time left.