Episodios

  • Brush Girl: The Murder of April Dawn Lacy

    Brush Girl: The Murder of April Dawn Lacy
    Oct 6 2025
    In October 1996, a rancher in rural Wise County, Texas, stumbled on a body hidden in a brush pile. For over two years she was known only as “Brush Girl,” a Jane Doe with no name, no identity, and no justice. Eventually, persistence and forensic artistry revealed her true identity: 14-year-old April Dawn Lacy from Oklahoma City.

    April’s story is one of poverty, addiction, instability, and systemic failure — a child caught between parents lost to alcohol and drugs, shuffled between motels and friends’ homes, desperate for stability. Five days after storming out of a seedy motel room following a fight with her mother, she was dead. Strangled. Dumped. Forgotten by many, but not by all.

    This episode follows April’s life, disappearance, discovery, and identification, and examines how her murder fits into a chilling pattern of killings along interstates in Texas and Oklahoma — crimes later tied to long-haul truckers like John Robert Williams, the so-called “Big Rig Killer.”

    Nearly three decades later, April’s grave still bears no headstone. Her case remains unsolved. But her story is more than a case number — it is a call for justice, and a reminder of the children who slip through the cracks.

    If you have any information regarding the 1996 murder of April Dawn Lacy, please contact the Wise County Sheriff’s Office at (940) 627-5971.

    Sources: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Houston Chronicle, The Daily Oklahoman, The Bryan-College Station Eagle, The Tyler Morning Telegraph

    You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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    #JusticeForAprilDawnLacy #WiseCountyTX #TX #Texas #OklahomaCity #Oklahoma #OK #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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    31 m
  • The Murders of Mary Hooper and Emmett Lynch

    The Murders of Mary Hooper and Emmett Lynch
    Sep 29 2025
    In October 1987, a visiting nurse walked into a Tyler, Texas duplex and discovered a scene of unimaginable violence. Fifty-seven-year-old Mary Hooper, confined to a wheelchair after a long battle with illness, had been bludgeoned to death. Just steps away, her longtime partner, sixty-two-year-old Emmett Lynch, was found beaten in the bathroom. Nothing in the home appeared disturbed. Valuables remained untouched. The only thing missing was Emmett’s car—a gray 1977 Ford LTD he cherished and would never have willingly sold.

    When the car turned up more than 1,000 miles away in Prescott, Arizona, so did two suspects: Terry and Kathryn McMahan, former neighbors of the victims. What followed was one of the most expensive capital murder trials in Smith County history—filled with contradictions, unanswered questions, and ultimately, an acquittal.

    Decades later, the murders of Mary Hooper and Emmett Lynch remain unsolved. This episode explores the crime scene, the investigation that stretched across state lines, and the courtroom drama that left a grieving community with no justice.

    If you have any information about the murders of Mary Hooper and Emmett Lynch, please contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or Tyler / Smith County Crime-Stoppers at 903-597-2833. Sources:

    The Tyler Morning Telegraph, The Tyler Courier-Times, cityoftyler.org, KETK.com

    You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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    #JusticeForMaryAndEmmett #TylerTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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    29 m
  • The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 3: Running Out of Road

    The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 3: Running Out of Road
    Sep 22 2025
    Most disappearances leave echoes—missing persons flyers, TV reports, police pleas for tips. But when James Robert “Jimmy” Farenthold vanished in the spring of 1989, there was only silence. No bulletin. No headlines. No public outcry. Just absence.

    Jimmy wasn’t just anyone. He was the youngest son of one of Texas’s most prominent dynasties, a family bound by oil, politics, and power. But behind the legacy was a private story of grief and dysfunction. Jimmy had been born a twin—and when his brother Vincent died suddenly, Jimmy became the “one who lived,” carrying scars that shaped the rest of his life.

    Charming yet reckless, Jimmy drifted through addiction, rehab programs, and cities across the South. In April 1989, he promised a fresh start. Bags packed, ticket in hand, he was set to enter a Florida treatment program. Instead, he disappeared. His car, his passport, even his clothes—left behind.

    What followed was not the frantic search you’d expect for the son of a famous family. Instead, his disappearance became another fracture inside an already divided household. A father chasing rumors. A mother haunted by silence. A family dynasty unraveling.

    Part 3 of 3 of our series follows Jimmy’s apparent final days, the dead ends that followed, and the generational weight of a name built on both power and tragedy.

    If you have information about the disappearance of James Robert “Jimmy” Farenthold, please contact the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-8939.

    Sources: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, The Port Aransas South Jetty, The Houston Chronicle, The San Antonio Express-News, Texas Monthly, Texas Observer, texashistory.unt.edu, The Los Angeles Times, The University of Texas School of Law – Frances Tarlton “Sissy” Farenthold Archives Project

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    #WhereIsJimmyFarenthold #CorpusChristi #CCTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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    31 m
  • The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 2: The Death of Randy

    The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 2: The Death of Randy
    Sep 18 2025
    On June 6, 1972, the Gulf of Mexico gave back one of its secrets. The body of Randolph “Randy” Farenthold, 32 years old, oil money in his veins, and gambling smoke in his lungs, washed ashore on Mustang Island. His hands were bound, his body chained, his skull fractured. The brutal murder of the South Texas “sportsman” triggered one of the most intensive investigations in Nueces County history, pulling in local lawmen, Texas Rangers, and even the FBI.

    But this was no simple killing. Randy had been scheduled to testify in a federal fraud case against men tied to shady financial schemes, leaving investigators to question whether his death was a mob-style hit meant to silence him. His movements in the final hours were traced from Corpus Christi’s nightlife to the waters he loved, yet every lead pointed to a tangle of gambling debts, betrayals, and organized crime connections.

    Though suspects were named and one man, Bruce Lusk Bass III, eventually indicted and convicted, Randy’s murder remains clouded by unanswered questions. His violent end became one more curse in a dynasty already fractured by addiction, politics, and loss.

    Randy’s death was only the beginning. Seventeen years later, the family would face another devastating silence—the disappearance of his younger brother, James Robert “Jimmy” Farenthold.

    If you have any information about the disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold, please contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-8939.

    Sources: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, The Port Aransas South Jetty, The Houston Chronicle, The San Antonio Express-News, Texas Monthly, Texas Observer, texashistory.unt.edu, The Los Angeles Times

    You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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    #WhereIsJimmyFarenthold #CorpusChristi #CCTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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    26 m
  • The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 1: Oil, Power, and Secrets

    The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 1: Oil, Power, and Secrets
    Sep 15 2025
    Texas dynasties are remembered for oil, ranching, and politics. Their names are carved into courthouses and campuses—but behind the polished legacy of the Farenthold family lies a darker story. In this first part of our multi-episode series, we trace the family’s rise from European aristocracy and South Texas oil wealth into political power, before unraveling the tragedies that shadowed their name.

    From the sudden death of a child to the brutal gangland-style murder of 32-year-old Randy Farenthold, this episode examines the intersections of privilege, politics, and violence. As Frances “Sissy” Farenthold’s political star rose on reform and civil rights, her family life was shattered by a killing that sent shockwaves through Corpus Christi society.

    But Randy’s murder was only the beginning. Another son, Jimmy, would one day vanish—without obituary, without a police report, without answers. Just silence.

    This is Part One of Three of The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold: Oil, Power, and Secrets.

    If you have any information about the disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold, please contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-8939.

    Sources: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, The Port Aransas South Jetty, The Houston Chronicle, The San Antonio Express-News, Texas Monthly, Texas Observer, texashistory.unt.edu, The Los Angeles Times,

    You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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    #WhereIsJimmyFarenthold #CorpusChristi #CCTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles

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    34 m
  • The Murder of Sheila Renae Finch

    The Murder of Sheila Renae Finch
    Sep 8 2025
    In October of 1989, ten-year-old Sheila Renae Finch left her grandmother’s home in South Waco, Texas, for what should have been a quick trip. She rode her pink-and-white bicycle to a corner grocery store to use the payphone and call her aunt for a ride to school. She made the call, hung up, and started the short ride home.

    Sheila never made it back.

    Two days later, her body was discovered on the banks of Lake Waco’s Speegleville Park.

    The search for Sheila, the discovery of her body, and the haunting details revealed by her autopsy gripped Waco. Investigators pursued every lead, recovering her bicycle from a nearby creek, circulating a composite sketch of a possible suspect, and eventually arresting a man named Anthony Torres. But the case against him collapsed under the weight of shaky eyewitness accounts and the absence of physical evidence.

    If you have any information about the murder of Sheila Renae Finch, please contact the Waco Police Department at (254) 750-7500, or search Waco Cold Cases on your web browser, look for Sheila’s case, and fill out the tip form.

    Sources: The Waco Citizen, The Waco Tribune-Herald, KCENtv.com, KWTX.com, waco-texas.com/Departments/Police-Department/Cold-Cases/CC80s

    You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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    #JusticeForSheilaFinch #Waco #WTX #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles


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    30 m
  • The Disappearance of Maegan Hembree

    The Disappearance of Maegan Hembree
    Sep 2 2025
    On a cold night in February 2013, 30-year-old Maegan Hembree left her home in Smyer, Texas, and set out for Lubbock. She never arrived. Days later, her red Saturn turned up at a Lubbock apartment complex — but Maegan was nowhere to be found. The man last seen with her, Michael Todd Ramsey, was eventually sentenced to 80 years in prison on unrelated charges. He remains a person of interest in Maegan’s disappearance but has never been charged. Over the years, Maegan’s family has held vigils, organized searches, and begged Ramsey to come forward. Investigators found a drop of blood in her car, but not enough evidence to prosecute. Eleven years later, Maegan’s family is still waiting for answers.

    If you have information about the disappearance of Maegan Hembree, contact the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office at 806-775-1494 or Crime Line at 806-741-1000. Callers can remain anonymous, and a reward of up to $10,000 is available.

    Sources: The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal archives, KCBD & EverythingLubbock.com reports, Dateline NBC, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, Hockley County Sheriff’s Office

    #MaeganHembree #JusticeForMaeganHembree #FindMaegan #Lubbock #Smyer #MissingPersons #ColdCase #TexasCrime #PodcastCommunity #CrimeJunkie #ColdCaseFiles #CrimePodcast #JusticeMatters #DoYouKnowSomething #CrimeAwareness

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    30 m
  • The Abduction and Murder of Bradley Eugene Gilbert

    The Abduction and Murder of Bradley Eugene Gilbert
    Aug 25 2025
    On November 10, 1984, six-year-old Bradley Eugene Gilbert was playing outside his aunt’s home in Chillicothe, Texas, with his three-year-old brother Jason. By early afternoon, Jason came running back to the house crying. Bradley had told him to run. When Jason turned back, his brother was gone. The search for Bradley was immediate and massive. Hundreds of volunteers joined law enforcement, Texas Rangers, and the FBI. Flyers, bloodhounds, hypnosis sessions, and even national campaigns followed. Bradley’s photo appeared on milk cartons and before movies in theaters across the country. Leads spanned from Amarillo to Florida, from New York to Oklahoma. For 141 days, Chillicothe searched and hoped. Then, in April 1985, the case changed from a missing person to the thing everyone feared: a homicide. Nearly four decades later, Bradley Gilbert’s murder remains unsolved.

    If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Bradley Eugene Gilbert, please call the Hardeman County Sheriff’s office at (940) 663-5374, or Texas Crime Stoppers at 800-252-8477. _______________________________________________________________________________

    You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast

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    Sources: The Abilene Reporter-News, The Wichita Falls Times Record-News, The Quanah Tribune-Chief, The Bryan-College Station Eagle, The Houston Chronicle, dps.texas.gov, texomashomepage.com

    #JusticeForBradleyGilbert #TrueCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #UnsolvedCase #ColdCase #CrimePodcast #TexasTrueCrime #TexasHistory #HardemanCounty #ChillicotheTX #PeaseRiver #MissingChildren #NeverForget #ChildAbduction #1980sCases #TrueCrimePodcast #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #GoneCold

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    34 m