Home
Categories
EXPLORE
True Crime
Comedy
Society & Culture
Business
Sports
History
TV & Film
About Us
Contact Us
Copyright
© 2024 PodJoint
00:00 / 00:00
Sign in

or

Don't have an account?
Sign up
Forgot password
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/a0/a3/91/a0a39147-e082-1d8f-9a57-227138ce0a23/mza_15350815683756636758.jpg/600x600bb.jpg
The Final Trace
OdieStew Productions
29 episodes
5 days ago
The Final Trace is a true crime podcast digging into chilling disappearances, cold cases, and mysteries that still leave us searching for answers. Hosted by Hopper Dailey & Mckenzie, each chapter steps into final moments, overlooked clues, and theories that linger. Every story is a chapter - not the whole book. Just one page of someones story... the page where everything changed. From strange sightings to unsettling truths, we follow the clues wherever they lead. New Chapters every True Crime Tuesday.
Show more...
True Crime
RSS
All content for The Final Trace is the property of OdieStew Productions and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The Final Trace is a true crime podcast digging into chilling disappearances, cold cases, and mysteries that still leave us searching for answers. Hosted by Hopper Dailey & Mckenzie, each chapter steps into final moments, overlooked clues, and theories that linger. Every story is a chapter - not the whole book. Just one page of someones story... the page where everything changed. From strange sightings to unsettling truths, we follow the clues wherever they lead. New Chapters every True Crime Tuesday.
Show more...
True Crime
Episodes (20/29)
The Final Trace
Murdered: Paul Logan

📍Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England


🎧 Chapter 26: The Final Trace of Paul Logan


On a cold December night, Paul Logan was lured to Blue House Farm — and murdered.
More than three decades later, his case remains unsolved.

Police investigated numerous suspects, arresting ten men at one point, yet no charges were ever filed. Some people spoke poorly of Paul, others defended him, and the truth became harder to separate from rumor. What’s clear is that this was not a random act — it was planned, targeted, and followed by years of unanswered questions.

In this episode, we step away from speculation and focus on what can be confirmed: the timeline, the investigation, and the chapter of Paul Logan’s life that ended at Blue House Farm.



.

Unsolved Murders (Paul Logan case page)
Supports: timeline, location (Blue House Farm), unsolved status
👉 https://www.unsolved-murders.co.uk/murder-content.php?key=673&termRef=Paul+Logan

British Murders – Paul Logan
Supports: murder described as planned/targeted, large-scale investigation
👉 https://www.britishmurders.com/paullogan/

ITV News – Family still seeking justice
Supports: family statements, long-term impact, lack of resolution
👉 https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2018-12-23/ongoing-anguish-for-the-family-of-paul-logan-twenty-five-years-have-passed-and-we-still-have-no-answers-and-no-justice

Crime Immortal / Crime Immemorial – Paul Logan
Supports: lured to location, premeditation language
👉 https://crimeimmemorial.com/2024/08/28/paul-logan/

🔗 Primary Case Summaries & Reporting

🔗 Reddit (Community Discussion / Speculation — clearly label as such)

r/UnresolvedMysteries – Paul Logan thread
Supports:
• public perception that Paul was disliked by some
• discussion of suspects and alleged grudges
⚠️ Speculation, not official findings
👉 https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8zmun/two_days_before_christmas_paul_logan_was_lured_to/

YouTube – Paul Logan case summary
Supports: general overview and recap
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyJm7AlwEh8

🔗 Video Overview

Show more...
2 hours ago
21 minutes

The Final Trace
Missing: Trevor Deely

📍 Dublin, Ireland


🎧 Chapter 25: The Final Trace of Trevor Deely


What should have been a routine walk home turned into one of Ireland’s most enduring mysteries.
After leaving a work Christmas party in the early hours of December 8th, 2000, Trevor Deely made an unexpected stop at his office — where CCTV captured him speaking to a hooded stranger moments before he disappeared forever.

With a taxi strike, a violent storm, and a baffling change of route, investigators were left with little more than a handful of camera frames and a voicemail no one thought to save.

25 years later, the question remains:
Where did Trevor go after that last sighting?



🔗 Primary Sources & ReportingGarda Crimecall (CCTV, Timeline, Official Appeal)

  • https://www.garda.ie/en/crime-prevention/crimecall-on-rte/crimecall-episodes/2018/november-19/missing-person-trevor-deely.html

  • Disappearance Timeline & CCTV Breakdown:
    https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/trevor-deely-the-search-ends-and-continues-1.3230396

  • Siblings Describe the Case & Searches:
    https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/trevor-deely-s-siblings-describe-horrendous-dig-in-chapelizod-1.3314000

  • 2023 Update: Man in CCTV Identified & Ruled Out
    https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/12/06/trevor-deely-disappearance-garda-investigation-identifies-man-caught-on-cctv/

  • https://www.thejournal.ie/cctv-trevor-deely-3328673-Apr2017/

  • https://www.thejournal.ie/trevor-deely-footage-3328863-Apr2017/

  • https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/closest-friends-of-missing-trevor-want-end-to-familys-15-year-ordeal/34271730.html

  • Garda appeal confirming the man in black seen at ATM:
    https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/missing-man-trevor-deely-gardai-appealing-for-man-in-security-camera-footage-to-come-forward/35596407.html

  • https://www.image.ie/editorial/trevor-deely-19-years-later-detectives-hope-crack-case-kildare-man-vanished-166832

  • https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2017/0419/868851-trevor-deely-investigation/

  • https://morbidology.com/what-happened-to-trevor-deely/

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Trevor_Deely

(Helpful overview; double-check against primary sources)

  • https://unresolved.me/trevor-deely


Show more...
1 week ago
29 minutes 39 seconds

The Final Trace
Vanished: The Sodder Children

📍 Fayetteville, West Virginia


🎧 Chapter 24: The Final Trace of The Sodder Children


The case began with a fire… but it never ended there.
Five siblings vanished from their beds on Christmas Eve, leaving behind a burned home, a dozen unanswered questions, and parents who refused to believe the official explanation. The trucks wouldn’t start. The phone line was cut. A ladder went missing. And the fire chief’s report only deepened suspicion.
In the years that followed, the Sodders uncovered a trail of eerie clues: rumors of a buried “heart,” bones that didn’t belong to their children, stories of a woman who may have seen them alive, and a photograph mailed from Kentucky that looked unmistakably like Louis.


This is the haunting legacy of a mystery that never cooled—one where every detail seems deliberate, every silence suspicious, and every Christmas afterward carried the weight of five empty chairs.


🔗 SOURCE MATERIAL — & READINGS

  • Smithsonian Magazine — “The Children Who Went Up in Smoke”
    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-children-who-went-up-in-smoke-172429802/

  • West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly (1998) — Full Sodder Case Analysis (PDF)
    https://www.wvculture.org/history/wvhs/wvhs1504.pdf

  • Wikipedia: Disappearance of the Sodder Children
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder_children_disappearance

  • The Doe Network — Missing Children Case File
    https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2106dfwv.html

  • Legends of America — Sodder Children Fire
    https://www.legendsofamerica.com/missing-sodder-children/

  • American Hauntings Ink — “The Sodder Children Mystery”
    https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/sodder

  • Lost n’ Found Blogs — “The Sodder Children: Nightmare Noel”
    https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/the-sodder-children-nightmare-noel

  • Famous Trials (UMKC Law) — Sodder Children Overview
    https://famous-trials.com/sodderchildren/337-sodderhome

  • West Virginia Archives & History — Fayette County / Historic Fire Materials
    https://wvculture.org/west-virginia-history/

  • Hushed Up History — Sodder Children
    https://husheduphistory.com/post/176093625553/up-in-smoke-the-tragedy-of-the-sodder-children

  • Investigation Discovery (ID) — Case Mention in Specials
    (No single episode link; ID references the Sodder case across multiple “Unsolved” compilations.)
    https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/



Show more...
2 weeks ago
33 minutes 10 seconds

The Final Trace
Murdered: The Blount Family

📍Lake Worth, Texas.


🎧 Chapter 23: The Final Trace of The Blount Family


A briefcase.
A knock at the door.
A Thanksgiving night turned to fire and chaos.

The 1985 bombing of the Blount family remains one of Texas’s most haunting unsolved mysteries — a case built on rumors, shattered evidence, and a suspect who walked free after ten years on death row.

Was it revenge? A mistake? Or something darker?
The truth still hides in the smoke.


Sources & Readings:

  • “12-year probe into briefcase blast at Texas home finally yields an arrest” — Deseret News. Deseret News
    https://www.deseret.com/1997/12/6/19349732/12-year-probe-into-briefcase-blast-at-texas-home-finally-yields-an-arrest/

  • “Michael Roy Toney” — Wikipedia entry. Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Roy_Toney

  • “Inmate on death row for Fort Worth bombing freed” — Chron.com / Associated Press. Chron
    https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Inmate-on-death-row-for-Fort-Worth-bombing-freed-1737069.php

  • “Death penalty news — Texas” — TCADP (Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty). TCADP
    https://tcadp.org/2008/11/24/death-penalty-news-texas-252/

Show more...
3 weeks ago
22 minutes 10 seconds

The Final Trace
Mysterious Death: Tommy Burkett

📍Herdon, Virginia.


🎧 Chapter 22: The Final Trace of Tommy Burkett

When 21-year-old Tommy Burkett was found dead, police told his parents the story was simple: suicide.

But nothing about the scene felt simple.

Or believable.

His sweater was torn.

His ear was bruised and bloody.

There were signs of a struggle, blood on the stairs, and footprints leading toward a ravine where witnesses saw an ambulance stop before responders ever arrived at the house.

Even the gun in Tommy's lap was in a position that shouldn't have fired.

Crucial evidence disappeared - piece by piece.

Autopsy photos went missing.

Clothing was destroyed.

Reports conflicted.

And every attempt by the family to ask questions was met with silence or resistance.

For years, Tommy's parents tried to uncover what really happened inside their home that day... and why so many details were ignored, erased, or rewritten.

This is the story of a case that never made sense - and a family who refused to let their son vanish into a narrative that didn't belong to him.


Sources

• The Roanoke Times — “Was It Suicide — Or Murder?” (1993)

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1993/rt9306/930614/06140290.htm

• The Washington Post — “Piecing Together the Truth” (2002)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/08/04/piecing-together-the-truth/68eb06e6-4b74-45f8-a10b-ca371c5b1ed8/

• CG Crime – Substack Investigation (2021)

https://cgcrime.substack.com/p/why-hasnt-this-case-been-reopened-the-death-of-tommy-burkett-a453330da581

• Unsolved Mysteries Wiki – Case Summary

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_Burkett

• Find A Grave – Thomas Calvin “Tommy” Burkett

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71179584/thomas_calvin-burkett

Show more...
4 weeks ago
28 minutes 21 seconds

The Final Trace
Murdered: Erika Case

🎙️Episode 21: The Final Trace or Erika Case

August 1993 — Terre Haute, Indiana.
Eighteen-year-old Erika Case was house-sitting for a friend when she was found brutally murdered in her sleep.

For fifteen years, the case remained unsolved.
Rumors spread. Two teenage boys were accused. Fear gripped the town.
But the real killer was much closer than anyone imagined.

A confession years later revealed a story of guilt, silence, and betrayal —
and a haunting question that lingers to this day:
why did he do it?

🕯️ The Final Trace: Erika Case — now streaming.



Spoilers:


Sources and Readings:

  • “He Said, She Said – Cold Justice S02E05 (Erika Case, Vigo County, IN)” – Atlanta Black Star Atlanta Black Star

  • “Cold Justice – He Said, He Said (TV Episode 2014)” – IMDb IMDb

  • “Mackey pleads guilty to 1998 Indiana ‘cold case’ murder” – Vinton Today vintontoday.com

  • “Vinton man jailed for ’98 murder in Indiana; authorities say …” – Vinton Today vintontoday.com

  • “List of Cold Justice episodes – Wikipedia” (shows episode listing including Erika Case) en.wikipedia.org

    • Vinton Man Jailed for ’98 Murder in Indiana; Authorities Say … (Vinton Today) — covers the arrest of Clinton Bryan Mackey in January 2014. Vinton Today

    • Vinton Man Charged in 1998 Indiana Homicide (The Gazette) — details the murder charge stemming from the 1998 killing of Erika Case. The Gazette

    • Iowa Man Turns Himself in for 1998 Murder (Scripps News) — reports on Mackey’s self-turn in and extradition to Indiana. Scripps News

    • Mackey Pleads Guilty to 1998 Indiana ‘Cold Case’ Murder (Vinton Today) — covers Mackey’s guilty plea and sentencing in 2015. Vinton Today


Show more...
1 month ago
29 minutes 11 seconds

The Final Trace
Missing: Tyler Christensen

🎧 Episode 20: The Final Trace of Tyler Christensen
Not all disappearances are accidental.

🗓️ April 19, 2016 — 16-year-old Tyler Christensen walked out of his family’s home in Washington and vanished into the night. No phone. No note. Just the clothes on his back.

Eight days later, a driver came forward: he’d picked up a teenage hitchhiker—one who looked exactly like Tyler—who said he was headed to Olympic National Forest.

Weeks later, searchers found a backpack near the edge of the High Steel Bridge—a 420-foot drop into the gorge below. Inside? Sweatpants. Rations. Emergency blankets.
But no Tyler.

Despite search dogs, helicopters, and ground teams combing the forest, no trace of him was ever found.

This episode follows the eerie clues, the questions left behind, and the devastating aftermath—including a second heartbreaking loss in the family. Was Tyler trying to escape, meet someone, or leave a breadcrumb trail no one was meant to follow?


Sources & Readings:

  • Vanished: The Tyler Christensen Story – Synova Ink synovaink.com

  • No sign of missing Mukilteo teen three years after he disappeared – FOX 13 Seattle FOX 13 Seattle

  • The Disappearance of Tyler Christensen – The Disappeared Blog Disappeared

  • Tyler Joel Christensen – The Charley Project The Charley Project

  • Help Find Tyler (Facebook Page) facebook.com

Show more...
1 month ago
26 minutes 34 seconds

The Final Trace
Bonus : Darkcast Network Halloween Special

It’s Halloween night… and the Darkcast Network is turning out the lights.

The shows you love have gathered ’round the mic to share haunting tales, eerie encounters, and the mysteries that still keep us awake.

Grab your blanket, pour the cider—because on the dark side of podcasts… the stories never sleep. 👻


🎧 Featuring: The Final Trace, Day by Day, Book of the Dead, Pod of Terror, Missing in the PNW, Mythical True Crime, Tragedy with a View, Rainbow Crimes, The Bell Witch, Murder in the PNW and Rogue Darkness

Show more...
1 month ago
1 hour 52 minutes 5 seconds

The Final Trace
The Final Trace of Dear David - The Haunting of Adam Ellis

Episode 19: The Final Trace of Dear David - The Haunting of Adam Ellis
🕯️ Not all secrets stay buried… some crawl out of dreams.

In 2017, cartoonist Adam Ellis tweeted something that sent the internet into a frenzy:
“My apartment is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child, and he’s trying to kill me.”

What followed was a months-long digital haunting—documented in real time. Distorted photos. Cats staring at unseen forces. Footsteps in the hall. And one rule: ask him two questions, never a third.

Was it all a hoax? A viral art project?
Or… something worse?

This week, The Final Trace steps into the story that blurred the line between social media and the supernatural—and left millions wondering what was real.


  • Here’s Every Creepy Tweet Adam Ellis Has Posted About “Dear David” — Bustle
    A full chronological archive of Adam Ellis’s tweets documenting the haunting from start to finish.

  • “Dear David” Writer Who Scored Film Deal Says His Ghost Story Is True (Exclusive) — The Wrap
    Interview with Adam Ellis following his film deal, discussing his belief that the haunting was real.

  • The Unnerving Real Twitter Thread That ‘Dear David’ Is Based On — Collider
    A detailed breakdown of the thread’s timeline and its adaptation into a feature film.

  • The Bit Too Tidy Ghost Story of “Dear David” — The Awl
    A skeptical take analyzing how the thread’s structure mirrors classic horror storytelling.

  • Dear David (Wikipedia)
    Summary of the Dear David case, its viral spread, and the later film adaptation.

🧾 Source Material – The Final Trace of Dear David

Show more...
1 month ago
26 minutes 8 seconds

The Final Trace
Murdered: Chaim Weiss

Episode 18: The Final Trace of Chaim Weiss ✨

🕯️ On Halloween night, 1986, the real horror wasn’t outside… it was in his room.
When 15-year-old yeshiva student Chaim Weiss was found dead in his dorm, the scene looked less like a crime—and more like a ritual.
No forced entry. No screams. Just a body moved with care, a window opened to the cold, and a candle burning for a soul.
Decades later, the mystery still lingers inside the walls of the school… and the silence that followed says everything.


Sources & readings:

  • Wikipedia – Murder of Chaim Weiss — Overview and verified timeline of the case.

  • Unsolved Mysteries – Chaim Weiss — Details about the ritual elements, timeline, and investigative challenges.

  • LI Herald – Nassau County Police Reopens Chaim Weiss Case — Coverage on renewed police efforts and family appeals.

  • CBS News – Nassau County Police Seek Clues in Student’s 1986 Murder — Official police statements and case update.

  • Crime Immemorial – The Murder of Chaim Weiss — Summary with crime scene and theory analysis.

Show more...
1 month ago
34 minutes 34 seconds

The Final Trace
Murdered: Peter Fabiano

Episode 17: The Final Trace of Peter Fabiano

✨ New Episode — The Final Trace of Peter Fabiano

Halloween night, 1957. A doorbell rings in Los Angeles, and Peter Fabiano answers — expecting a harmless trick-or-treater. Instead, he’s met with a gunshot.What seemed like a random holiday killing soon unraveled into a tangled web of jealousy, betrayal, and a murder plot that still chills decades later.

🔪 A knock at the door.🎭 A disguise in the dark.💔 A secret that turned deadly.

Stream now — The Final Trace of Peter Fabiano.




Sources & readings:

  • ​Three’s a Crowd: The Cold-Blooded Halloween Murder of Peter Fabiano (Medium)
  • ​The Trick-or-Treat Murder (Deranged LA Crimes)
  • ​Trick or Treat Murder (LA Daily Mirror)
  • ​Murder on Halloween: The Trick-or-Treat Slaying (Crime + Investigation)
  • ​Los Angeles’s Dark, Strange History of Trick-Or-Treat Murders (CrimeReads)
  • ​The Bizarre Lesbian Murder Scandal That Rocked 1950s LA (VICE)
  • ​Tag: Joan Rabel (Deranged LA Crimes archive)
Show more...
2 months ago
25 minutes 30 seconds

The Final Trace
Mysterious Death: Annie McCann

Episode 16: The Final Trace of Annie McCann

✨ At just 16 years old, Annie McCann vanished from her safe suburban home in Virginia… only to be found dead in Baltimore days later under circumstances that defy explanation.

A missing car, a toxic substance, and a trail of unanswered questions leave her family—and investigators—wondering what really happened that Halloween weekend. Was it a runaway plan gone wrong? A chance encounter that turned fatal? Or something far darker hiding in the details?


🔗 Clickable Sources

  • ABC News – The Mysterious Death of Annie McCann and Her Parents’ Ongoing Fight to Prove What Happened ABC News

  • Mount Vernon Gazette – “Clawing Away For Information” in Mount Vernon m.mountvernongazette.com

  • Judiciary Senate Document – Letter to Baltimore Police Department about Annie McCann Senate Judiciary Committee

  • CBS News – Parents Of Va. Teen Found Dead In Baltimore Nearly A Decade Ago Fight For Answers CBS News

    • Letter from Senator Grassley to Baltimore Police Department (2016) – includes references to Annie’s autopsy report

    • Mount Vernon Gazette – Clawing Away For Information (parents struggling to obtain autopsy report, details reviewed by Dr. Michael Baden)

    • Washington Post – Parents of Annie McCann press Gov. Hogan to intervene (discusses autopsy findings, disputes, and manner of death)

Show more...
2 months ago
32 minutes 30 seconds

The Final Trace
Murdered: Zebb Quinn

Episode 15: The Final Trace of Zebb Quinn

An eighteen-year-old leaves work on an ordinary night… and is never seen again. His car is found abandoned—covered in strange markings, filled with items that weren’t his. A page from a family phone line. A story that twists through lies, suspicion, and silence. 25 years later, one man confessed just enough to save himself—but the truth about what happened to Zebb Quinn is still buried.



Sources and Readings:

  • Timeline of the disappearance of Zebb Quinn — WLOS

  • Owens pleads guilty to accessory-after-the-fact in Zebb Quinn case — WLOS

  • Zebb Quinn: Will plea deal provide answers? — WLOS

  • Owens indicted in Zebb Quinn killing — WLOS

  • Former friend calls Owens “pathological liar” — WPDE

  • “A Good Kid: The 22-year Murder Mystery of Zebb Quinn” — WLOS Documentary


Show more...
2 months ago
32 minutes 36 seconds

The Final Trace
Mysterious Death: Erin Valenti

Episode 14: The Final Trace of Erin Valenti

Erin Valenti was a rising tech CEO when her trip to California took a terrifying turn.

Her calls grew frantic—thoughts racing, words tumbling out. She spoke of the Matrix, of simulations, of reality not being real. When police reached her, she laughed it off—said she was “just joking around.” Days later, she was found dead in her car with no clear cause.

Did Erin glimpse behind the curtain of reality… or was it all in her mind?


🧵🔗Sources & Links 

1. Business Insider — How Erin Valenti Died Remains a Mystery As Family …

2. KSL.com — Family doubts Utah CEO went ‘voluntarily missing’ in San Jose

3. The Salt Lake Tribune — Utah tech CEO Erin Valenti found dead after police say she was ‘voluntarily missing’

4. Business Insider — Family of a missing 33-year-old tech CEO called off its search after police found a body inside a parked car …

  • 5. ABC4 Utah - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwIN4s10n4w





  • Show more...
    2 months ago
    29 minutes 18 seconds

    The Final Trace
    Murdered: Scott Ratigan

    Episode 13: The Final Trace of Scott Ratigan


    On a cold January afternoon in 2020, 24-year-old Scott Ratigan was found dead in his Arlington, Virginia apartment. There were no signs of forced entry. No known enemies. Just a quiet room, a few drops of blood… and the unmistakable smell of bleach.

    Surveillance footage released a year later shows a shadowy figure in black leaving the scene — face covered, walk distinctive, and backpack logo taped over. A person of interest, but still unnamed. Still free.

    Was this a random killing? A jealous rage? Or something far more calculated?

    This is one of the most baffling and eerie cases we’ve ever covered — one that still has more questions than answers. And maybe… just maybe… you’ll see something others missed.

    The Final Trace of Scott Ratigan — streaming now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.


    🔗 Want to see the building layout for yourself?

    Check out this detailed walk-through on YouTube:

    🎥 Scott Ratigan Case – AVA Ballston Building Access Route

    This video shows just how easily someone could’ve entered Scott’s building, bypassed security, and exited unseen — exactly the kind of path investigators believe the killer may have taken.



    ⸻


    🔗 Official Sources & News Coverage

    • Arlington County Police Department – Reward Announcement

    Details on the $50,000 reward offered by the Ratigan family for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

    Arlington County Police Department - Facebook

    • Arlington County Police Department – Press Release

    Official statement seeking public assistance in the ongoing investigation.

    Police Continue to Seek Information in Ballston Homicide

    • ARLnow – Five-Year Anniversary Coverage

    Comprehensive article discussing the case’s status five years later.

    Five years after unsolved Ballston homicide, police renew requests for tips

    • WTOP News – Reward Increase Report

    Coverage on the Ratigan family’s decision to increase the reward amount.

    Family of Ballston man increases reward to $50k for information that leads to arrest in his death 

    • Patch – Case Overview

    Article summarizing the case details and ongoing investigation.

    Ballston Homicide Unsolved 5 Years Later; Family Offers $50K Reward


    ⸻


    🎥 Visual Resources

    • YouTube – Building Access Walkthrough

    A detailed video analysis showing how someone could navigate the AVA Ballston building, potentially mirroring the suspect’s path.

    Scott Ratigan Case – AVA Ballston Building Access Route

    • Arlington County Police Department – Surveillance Footage

    Released footage of the person of interest in the case.

    BREAKING: Police Release Surveillance Video of ‘Person of Interest’ in Ballston Murder 


    ⸻


    🧵 Community Discussions & Analysis

    • Reddit – Unsolved Mysteries Thread

    Community discussion exploring various theories and details about the case.

    The unsolved murder of Scott Ratigan : r/UnsolvedMysteries

    • Medium – True Crime Weekly Article

    An in-depth article analyzing the case and its complexities.

    Unsolved: Who Killed Scott Ratigan in Arlington?


    Show more...
    3 months ago
    33 minutes 27 seconds

    The Final Trace
    Missing: Georgia Smith

    Episode 12: The Final Trace of Georgia Smith


    On June 30, 1999, seventy-six-year-old Georgia Smith left her son’s home in Champlin, Minnesota, driving her dark blue Mercedes to her family’s lakeside cabin in Wisconsin. She never arrived. No wreck. No goodbye call. Just silence.

    Eight months later, a woman walked into a Walmart carrying a bizarre, cryptic letter that mentioned Georgia—but offered no answers. To this day, Georgia’s car, her letter, and her final moments remain a mystery.


    Sources & Further Reading

    • Charley Project – Georgia Ann Clock Smith

    Comprehensive profile with Georgia’s personal details, timeline, and disappearance context.

    • Doe Network – Case 2642DFMN

    Concise case summary including date, location, vehicle, and key facts.

    • NamUs – Case MP334

    The official federal missing-person record for Georgia Smith.

    • The Deck Podcast – Georgia Smith (8 of Hearts, Minnesota)

    Narrative podcast episode exploring Georgia’s disappearance, with context from her family.

    • YouTube – Missing 23 Years: The Search for Georgia Ann Smith (Day 2)

    Video coverage following ongoing search efforts for Georgia.

    • YouTube – 23 Years Later: Search for Missing Grandma Georgia

    Additional video report revisiting her case more than two decades later.

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    28 minutes 11 seconds

    The Final Trace
    Mysterious Death: Scott Javins

    Episode Title: The Final Trace of Scott Javins

    Description:

    In the early hours of May 24, 2002, 20-year-old Indiana State University student Scott Javins left a party and vanished without a trace. His brand-new silver Honda Civic was nowhere to be found. For five long years, his family searched—until a single tip led divers to the Wabash River. But even after his car and body were recovered, the questions only got louder.

    Was it a tragic accident? Or something far darker?

    From a watch stopped at 2:33 a.m. to a haunting confession. This case leaves behind a trail of eerie clues… and a silence that still doesn’t feel like peace.


    🎧 Listen now to unravel the mystery behind one of Terre Haute’s most unsettling disappearances.



    Key Sources


    • CBS News (October 2007) | After 5 Years, Remains of Student Found — Covers the recovery of Scott Javins’ car and remains pulled from the Wabash River.  

    Link: [CBS News: After 5 Years, Remains Of Student Found]

    • WTHR (July 2002) | Four Arrested in Disappearance of ISU Student — Details early police arrests based on a tip.   

    Link: [WTHR: Four Arrested in Disappearance of ISU Student]

    • WTHR (August 2016) | Informant Accused of Lying — Outlines how the woman who falsely implicated four individuals later admitted to lying, leading to dropped charges.  

    Link: [WTHR: Informant Accused of Lying]

    • Footprints at the rivers edge https://footprintsattheriversedge.blogspot.com/2008/10/052402-scott-javins-20-terre-haute-in.html?m=1


    • Indiana Daily Student (October 2007) | Missing Student — Includes a photograph of the recovery scene with state police and the overturned vehicle.  

    Link: [Indiana Daily Student: Missing Student]


    Show more...
    3 months ago
    36 minutes 36 seconds

    The Final Trace
    Vanished: Julie Mott

    📍 Episode Description – The Final Trace of Julie Mott


    Julie Mott was only 25 when she passed away from complications of cystic fibrosis. Her funeral was held on what should have been her birthday — a final goodbye, surrounded by friends, family, and peace.


    But the next morning… her casket was empty.


    No forced entry. No tripped alarms. No sign of who came or went.


    In this episode, we follow the chilling mystery of Julie Mott — from the sealed casket that was breached, to the $8 million lawsuit that exposed a disturbing pattern inside one of Texas’s largest funeral homes. And we uncover the haunting connection to two more women who were mishandled by the very same funeral home years later.


    This isn’t just a story of grief.

    It’s a story of what can happen when death isn’t the end…

    but the beginning of a deeper mystery.


    The Final Trace is part of DarkCastNetwork.com


    📰 Articles & Reports:

    1. People Magazine – “Julie Mott’s Body Stolen from Casket Following Funeral in Texas”

    🔗 people.com

    2. KSAT News – “Sharlotte Mott: ’We never had a chance to grieve properly’”

    🔗 ksat.com

    3. KSAT News – “Funeral home owner testifies in missing body trial”

    🔗 ksat.com

    4. Spectrum Local News – “Jury awards family of Julie Mott $8M in missing body case”

    🔗 spectrumlocalnews.com

    5. MySanAntonio – “Jury awards $8M to parents of woman whose body vanished from San Antonio funeral home”

    🔗 mysanantonio.com

    6. San Antonio Express-News – “2 years after disappearance of S.A. woman’s body, no answers”

    🔗 expressnews.com

    7. MySanAntonio – “Records: New developments emerge in case of Julie Mott”

    🔗 mysanantonio.com

    8. Reddit /r/UnresolvedMysteries – Julie Mott’s remains still missing (discussion with linked sources)

    🔗 reddit.com

    9. KENS5 – “Family seeks $10M from funeral home over missing daughter’s body”

    🔗 kens5.com

    10. ABC13 Eyewitness News – “Texas family sues funeral home after daughter’s body disappears”

    🔗 abc13.com

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    26 minutes 44 seconds

    The Final Trace
    Disappeared: Granger Taylor

    On a stormy night in 1980, Granger Taylor — a mechanical genius from Duncan, British Columbia — left his family a handwritten note.

    It said he was boarding a spaceship for a 42-month interstellar journey.


    That night, he ate one last meal, said goodbye to a friend, and drove off into the rain.

    He was never seen again.


    Some believe Granger’s story ended in the woods.

    Others insist his trace didn’t end on Earth at all… but far beyond the stars.


    The Final Trace of Granger Taylor.


    ⸻


    🔗 Sources & Further Reading

    • CBC News – The mysterious disappearance of Granger Taylor

    • Capital Daily – The Man Who Vanished Into Space

    • Times Colonist – Family recalls Duncan man who vanished 40 years ago

    • Vice – The Man Who Built a Spaceship and Disappeared

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    23 minutes 38 seconds

    The Final Trace
    Murdered: The Gumi Baby

    The Final Trace of the Gumi Baby


    In Gumi, a seemingly ordinary life held an unimaginable secret.


    In early 2021, police discovered the mummified remains of a 3-year-old girl—starved and forgotten—for approximately six months,—inside a Gumi apartment. She had been sleeping on a mattress amid dusty chaos and isolation. No one had reported her missing.


    In a chilling twist: the woman arrested initially—22-year-old Kim—was not the child’s biological mother. DNA testing revealed with 99.9999% certainty that the real mother was someone no one expected.


    In this episode, we unravel how a child’s death went entirely unseen—even by the people closest to her. No posters. No investigation. No outcry.


    Tagline: “Some disappearances aren’t loud. They’re forgotten.”


    Episode Title: The Final Trace of the Gumi Baby




    📚 Sources Used in This Episode

    1. 📰 Yonhap News / K-VIBE – Police fail to uncover truth about mysterious disappearance of baby girl

    🔗 https://m.korean-vibe.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=179560802219678

    2. 📰 Yonhap News / K-VIBE – Woman indicted over death of daughter, disappearance of granddaughter

    🔗 https://m.korean-vibe.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=179571901806054

    3. 📰 KBS WORLD – Mother of Toddler Switched at Birth in Gumi Case Sentenced to 8 Years

    🔗 https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=163619

    4. 📰 The Korea Times – “Grandmother” was real mother of 3-year-old found dead in empty house

    🔗 https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/03/251_305464.html

    Show more...
    4 months ago
    28 minutes 40 seconds

    The Final Trace
    The Final Trace is a true crime podcast digging into chilling disappearances, cold cases, and mysteries that still leave us searching for answers. Hosted by Hopper Dailey & Mckenzie, each chapter steps into final moments, overlooked clues, and theories that linger. Every story is a chapter - not the whole book. Just one page of someones story... the page where everything changed. From strange sightings to unsettling truths, we follow the clues wherever they lead. New Chapters every True Crime Tuesday.