The Deck

What began as a normal April day in 2021 ended in heartache for the family of 20-year-old Cody Woodson when the college student was gunned down in the streets just outside of his apartment in an attack that police now believe was not meant for him.

Tonya Teske was a free-spirited 18-year-old who chose to live her life on the open road by hitchhiking around the mountain west. On August 13, 1997, she was last seen in Montana at a truck stop before her body was discovered two days later on the side of a highway in Idaho.

When 16-year-old Gregory vanished from a bus stop in September 2005, his family immediately knew something wasn’t right. A few days later, a terrifying discovery would prove that their worst fears were right and send police on a desperate search for answers that now, even 18 years later, has yet to end.

It was a warm Saturday evening in 1984 when 39-year-old Barbara disappeared from the streets of Washington, D.C. Almost 40 years later, the blatant missteps in the early days of the investigation still haunt her case… and may be what stands in the way of it being solved.

Sheree Allen was last seen alive at the (former) Colonial Motel in downtown Salt Lake City on January 23, 2005. The next night, her body was found in a dumpster in West Valley City, Utah wrapped in trash bags. There have been several viable leads in the case, but none have ever resulted in charges or arrests.

Ivory was just 17 years old when she vanished while on her way home in Utica, New York. Despite a slow start to the investigation, investigators have tried to make up for lost time, spending years putting together the pieces that point toward the people responsible — people who refuse to talk, even 19 years later.

Sylvia Baker, 28, went downstairs on July 17th, 1982 to take out the trash. Sylvia never returned to her apartment, where her two young kids were watching TV. When she was found the next day, nude and bound with pieces of her own clothing, her family remained in a state of shock as police worked to track down her killers. Over 40 years later, no one’s been held accountable for Sylvia’s murder, but a DNA match and other clues have investigators closer than ever to the truth.

One Friday afternoon in 1994, 35-year-old Lawrence O’Connell seemingly vanished into thin air after leaving his workplace, and a disturbing discovery the following day left everyone with more questions than answers.

Aaron Lamont Smalls, also known as Peanut, was only 25 years old when his body was found in York County, Virginia, in 2001. In the search for his killer, investigators uncovered several key pieces of evidence and received a mountain of tips. But despite their efforts, the case slowly turned cold.

Keyru was a kindhearted, family-oriented 24-year-old who was visiting relatives in Denver, Colorado, when he was brutally gunned down for seemingly no reason. For more than a decade, Keyru’s friends and family have waited in agony for the monster who snuffed out his bright light to be brought to justice.

When James Walker III is shot to death at a house party in 2017, investigators kicked off a search for the people responsible. But despite a large number of witnesses, no one would talk and with a lack of physical evidence the case quickly hit a dead end.

After Sherry Black’s vicious murder, police had her killer’s DNA, but no suspects or motive. It would take nearly a decade – and a dogged investigator – to crack this unsolved case.

In November of 2010, the community of South Salt Lake was shocked by the vicious murder of Sherry Black, a beloved great-grandmother. Investigators chased leads and interviewed suspects, utilizing every resource at their disposal to learn who could have committed such a brutal crime – and why. But those answers...and justice...would remain elusive for nearly a decade.

Introducing The Deck Investigates. Our card this season is Darlene Hulse, the 4 of Hearts from Indiana.

In 1982, Deana Patnode, a vibrant 23-year-old, disappeared from a Minnesota bar without a trace. Decades later, a deck of cold case playing cards would ultimately lead to some closure in her case — but leave everyone with far more questions than answers.

Joseph Pellicci was a father of three and a successful restaurateur when he was abducted and shot to death in 1973. Everyone in Stamford, Connecticut seems to know who’s responsible. The real mystery is...why hasn’t anyone ever been charged with his murder?

In December 1998, 20-year-old Cassandra disappeared from Wichita, Kansas, only for her body to be found months later on the side of a dirt road in rural Sedgwick County. For more than 20 years, investigators have struggled to make movement in the case, as the one person they think has the answers refuses to cooperate.

In 1984, 18-year-old Desiree Michaud was violently killed in a motel room in southeastern Connecticut. For nearly 40 years, her murder has haunted the community and stumped investigators as they’ve chased down every promising lead that’s come knocking on their door but have yet to find the answers they need to crack the case.

In 2013, 25-year-old Kyle Byrtus was found murdered on the side of the road. For the past nearly ten years, his mother has spent her days fighting for justice — and recently, she learned that justice may not be as far out of reach as once thought.

In the 18 years since Oakey “Al” Kite was found brutally murdered in his home, investigators have tried to track down a mystery man who they believed was responsible. But they were left stumped at every turn. Now with new technology available, investigators are hopeful they might finally find this cold-blooded killer.

When Oakey “Al” Kite is brutally murdered in his own home in the spring of 2004, investigators rushed to find his killer. But when they finally identified a suspect, he seemed to vanish without a trace.

In 2002, 29-year-old Jennifer vanished without a trace after getting into a heated argument with her live-in girlfriend. For nearly two decades, Jennifer’s disappearance has puzzled investigators, because even though they think they know who’s responsible, they’ve struggled to come up with answers to the two remaining questions in her case: what happened, and where is Jennifer?

When 19-year-old Timothy Blair’s body was found on the side of road in 2005, investigators launched into action to find his killer, but their investigation quickly turned cold despite the discovery of DNA evidence and the cooperation of his family. Seventeen years later, Timothy’s mother persists in her search for justice despite the investigation being put on hold and overshadowed by a whirlwind of rumors that have only led to dead ends.

One winter evening in 2017, 53-year-old Willie Troy Price Sr. was minding his own business inside his South Carolina home when suddenly a group of cowards shot into the house then fled without a trace. Willie’s senseless death has puzzled investigators for years as they’ve struggled to find anyone who might’ve had it out for him, leaving them with one nagging question: was Willie the intended target?

In 2006, central Phoenix was shaken after a beloved member of the community was killed while he was minding his own business, hanging out with his friends. For 16 years, Phoenix police have attempted to hunt down the killers, only to hit dead ends at every turn. But they have far from given up hope because they know there are people in the community who hold the answers to the questions that have haunted the city since 2006: who killed Jermaine and why?

In 2017, 17-year-old Maggie Long went missing in rural Park County, Colorado, only to be found hours later as the victim of the most brutal murder the area had ever seen. For the past five years, Maggie’s horrific murder has weighed on law enforcement in the small community as they’ve struggled to get any answers to the nagging questions surrounding her case.

In June 1974, 17-year-old Catherine Sjoberg was enjoying all the festivities of prom night when a heated argument with her boyfriend at the post-prom dance sent her storming off into the cool summer night, never to be seen or heard from again. For nearly 50 years, law enforcement in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, have been haunted by Cathy’s disappearance as they’ve tried to find answers to the nagging question still weighing on the community today: how does someone vanish into thin air?

On a snowy December night in 1990, 25-year-old Donna Ingersoll stormed outside and disappeared into the night after a heated argument with her boyfriend, leaving behind several important belongings and a twisted web of mysteries investigators have spent decades trying to untangle.For more than 30 years, Donna’s disappearance has weighed on the small town of Wabasha, Minnesota, as the passage of time has produced more questions than answers. But some recent developments have present-day investigators questioning everything they thought they knew about the case — and believing they’re closer than ever to cracking it.

In the spring of 1999, 42-year-old Dale Williams seemed to vanish into thin air inspiring an investigation that would span four law enforcement agencies and more than 20 years. To this day, there’s been no sign of the devoted father and husband, who left behind a legacy of kindness in his tight-knit small town in Colorado, and who investigators are determined to track down as new theories emerge from decades of rumors and dead ends.

Fourteen-year-old Kellie Poppleton was brutally assaulted and murdered on December 2, 1983, and for almost 40 years, calls for justice have gone unanswered. But now, with advancements in DNA forensics, detectives are more hopeful than ever that they might be able to find their killer. They hope that the renewed interest in this case will give them the final piece of the puzzle and to bring the family the justice that is so long overdue.

In the early morning hours of February 7, 1992, a 79-year-old woman was brutally murdered in the Charlotte, North Carolina, apartment where she’d lived for two decades. Viola Pendergrass — who neighbors called “ma” and was revered as the matriarch of her own sprawling family — was found stabbed to death in her bedroom. Her murder divided a once close-knit family and has stumped police for 30 years.

Rachel Hurley, a whip-smart eighth grader on the verge of young-adulthood, spent the afternoon of St. Patrick’s Day 1990 out on a boat with friends. She was last seen headed down the beach on her way to meet her mother at a pick-up spot ... but she never made it. That evening, following a frantic search, her body was found in a nearby wooded area. The specter of the 14-year-old’s inexplicable murder has lingered over the coastal South Florida beach town of Jupiter for more than three decades.

Joyce “Tina” Gallegos is believed to have been murdered sometime around August 11, 1982. Ten days after being reported missing on August 11, a fisherman spotted her body on a sandbar in Utah’s Ogden River. A month after Tina’s body was found, a construction worker just outside of Ogden discovered another body —this one wrapped in plastic and left in a ditch. Law enforcement have long suspected Tina and Gabby’s cases are linked, and a recent discovery has solidified that suspicion for good.

On September 13, 2020, 17-year-old high school basketball star Valincio Hill was gunned down while standing on his own front porch in Wichita, Kansas, while hanging out with his family. For the past two years, Valincio’s murder has haunted the community of Wichita as police try to get answers from one of the only people who may have the answers they need: the man believed to be the intended target.

One July morning in 2007, 19-year-old Brian Sullivan made some calls to a friend, grabbed a hot breakfast from a local fast-food joint, then vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. For 15 years, Brian’s disappearance has haunted the greater Rochester, New York, area — and although investigators know beyond a reasonable doubt who was responsible, they haven’t been able to answer the one question left looming over their heads: where is Brian?

When 20-year-old Dana Ramm’s body was found on the shoulder of Andrade Road, the Bay Area mourned her passing and wondered if a killer was lurking in the shadows. Dana disappeared forever while waiting for two friends, Tracy and Cody, at a Bay Area gas station one night in December 1986. Even though Dana’s body was identified the day after she disappeared, it’s been almost 36 years since she was slain, and police still haven’t thawed her cold case. The clock is ticking, but investigators are hopeful that they’ll one day give closure to Dana’s friends and family.

In April 1999, U.S. Army veteran Roberta Johnson was joyfully anticipating some major milestones for her family, including the imminent birth of her son who was due any day as well as watching her then-17-year-old daughter, Arkeisha, collect her high school diploma at graduation in coming weeks. But on April 26th, Roberta’s body was found in a shallow grave off a dirt road. Investigators think one man may hold the answers to her murder ... except he hasn’t been willing to talk for over two decades.

James Winston III, a 35-year-old father of six, was waiting for a friend to come over in the wee morning hours of February 16, 2020, when two unknown individuals barged into his apartment and shot him to death. There are many questions still swirling around James’ homicide that leave detectives stumped, but there’s one thing those closest to the case are confident about: James knew his killers.

James Rowe, 60, and his roommates, married couple John and Nancy Spivey, 33 and 37 respectively, spent their last night alive, January 9th, 1991, hosting friends for drinks and card games at their apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida. The three were found bludgeoned to death the following morning. After 31 years, their killer — or killers — continues to elude investigators, with just a handful of tips having come in over years.

When a Jewish activist and philanthropist didn’t show up for dinner, his friends and girlfriend didn’t know what to expect. In a matter of minutes, their lives would change forever. Strangled to death in his Phoenix real-estate practice’s office in September 2008, Irving Shuman’s family, co-workers and religious community were baffled. It’s been almost 15 years since Irving’s death, and investigators are still hoping for the tip that’ll break this case wide open.

In November 1980, 13-year-old Frankie Harvey was shot and left to die in a gravel pit in Wrentham, Massachusetts. The Rhode Island girl had vanished on Thanksgiving and while her family was waiting for her to show back up, police in Massachusetts were trying to figure out who she was. Ballistics testing later showed that her murder was connected to the murder of Frank Cannon in Pawtucket, Rhode Island … but no real investigation involving both cases has been done until now.

After days of searching for 14-year-old Jenny Lin’s killer, detectives received some promising tips that left everyone hopeful they’d solve one of the most disturbing murders Alameda County had ever seen.

In 1994, the brutal murder of a 14-year-old inside her parents' safe suburban house left a community shaken to its core, because not only had a bright and talented life been suddenly snuffed out, but police struggled to find a motive. And the more clues they uncovered, the more investigators realized the nightmare they were dealing with: Jenny Lin’s murder was more than a crime of opportunity —it had been carefully planned. For nearly 30 years, Jenny’s murder has weighed on Alameda County and terrorized detectives as they’ve pondered the same question over and over since 1994: why Jenny?

On the morning of June 24, 1975, Marjorie Fithian and her 18-month-old son were supposed to be taking a bus from Denver to Greeley, Colorado. However, just hours after Marjorie was seen waiting for the bus in Denver, she was found with her son alongside a dirt road in rural Colorado — she had been shot in the head. For nearly 50 years, detectives in Colorado have been trying to solve her murder. Theories surrounding her gruesome and mysterious death range from a possible serial killer to drug conspiracies, but no leads have ever panned out. This case is one that has haunted everyone who has worked on it over the years, and investigators are desperate to solve it.

Donna Tattersall was 24 when she disappeared from the Pawtucket, Rhode Island’s Firehouse Lounge in the early hours of April 22, 1979. That morning, her body was in a nearby parking lot just a few hours after a witness saw a man carry her out of the bar. While many believed police had captured Donna’s killer when their main suspect was tried for her murder, his acquittal prompted Pawtucket residents to believe a killer was still lurking in their midst.

When Elaine Runyan called her three children in for lunch on August 26, 1982, only two came running. Her youngest, 3-year-old Rachael was missing. One month later, in a discovery that shook the Sunset, UT community to its core, little Rachael Runyan’s body was found. Despite witnesses, an extensive investigation, and relentless efforts by the family, the case went cold and has stayed that way for over 40 years. That is, until recently.

On the afternoon of December 3rd, 2010, police in Phoenix, Arizona found the bodies of friends Melissa Mason and Nicole Glass, both 27, in the home they shared. Both women, who were killed in different parts of the house, had been strangled. What’s more, Melissa was eight weeks pregnant. Investigators quickly exhausted forensic leads and have yet to arrive at a motive for the triple homicide more than a decade later.

On a quiet summer night in 1999, a 48-year-old man disappeared after what appeared to be a normal night out with friends in the sleepy town of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Darwin Vest, known to many as “spiderman” thanks to his unparalleled knowledge of spiders, left a local bar around 1 a.m. on June 3, 1999 — then seemingly vanished into thin air. For more than two decades, his case has haunted the residents of Idaho Falls as theories surrounding his case range from a tragic fall into the nearby river to something far more sinister.

In November 1978, 25-year-old Anthony “Tony” Adams was found viciously murdered in his Salt Lake City apartment. For more than 40 years, Tony’s case has remained unsolved, but not for lack of theories about what might have led up to his slaying. Was Tony targeted for his political beliefs, his sexuality, or his race? Was he the victim of a random robbery? Was this a bar pick-up gone horribly wrong? These are the questions police and community members have pondered over the past four decades that have never been answered.

In the spring of 1992, 16-year-old Shannon Aumock had run away from her group home just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. A chronic runaway and member of the foster system since she was 3 years old, Shannon wasn’t reported missing and eventually was legally relinquished from Child Protective Services’ care. One month after her disappearance, on May 27, 1992, the search for another missing local girl would uncover a body that wouldn’t be identified for nearly 20 years. For more than two decades, Shannon’s case has kept police on their toes as they navigated her tragic life and a cluster of similar cases in the area to continue to try and uncover the person and reasoning behind her even more tragic end.

Nicole "Nikki" Silvers was last seen on April 9th, 2014 around 3 a.m. walking into a house in Longmont, Colorado where she had been temporarily living. The 16-year-old has not been seen or heard from since. If you know anything about Nikki’s whereabouts, or what happened to her, please call the Weld County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Office at 970-400-2827.

In February 1978, a 26-year-old mother of two disappeared from her rural Indiana home the day she was scheduled to move to Iowa with her new husband. Months later, she was found strangled to death in the trunk of her own car in Ohio. For more than forty years, Mary Beth “Pixie” Grismore’s case has haunted law enforcement as they sift through the unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance and murder. Although the case has been ice cold for years, police are hopeful that the tip they need to bring new life to the investigation is right around the corner.

On August 21, 2004, 54-year-old Dorothy Kajpust was staying at a friend’s mobile home in eastern Idaho as a temporary living arrangement when, suddenly, in the early morning hours of that Saturday, an unknown individual entered the home and brutally assaulted Dorothy, leaving her for dead. Five days later, Dorothy passed away in the hospital without regaining consciousness. For nearly two decades, Dorothy’s case has remained unsolved, and the mystery surrounding her death is still just as puzzling for detectives today as it was in 2004.

When a 30-year-old man with disabilities is brutally murdered, stuffed into the trunk of his car, and set on fire, law enforcement in Southwest Florida is left in horror and with few clues to follow. For 29 years the crime has gone unsolved but now could be the season of justice for David Comparetto.

In October 2016, a 26-year-old restaurant hostess in Charlotte, North Carolina, was walking home after a night out with friends when she was gunned down on a sidewalk about half a mile from her house. For years, detectives have explored every possible avenue trying to bring her killer to justice, but with no eyewitnesses and very little evidence, the case grows colder with each passing day. Now, law enforcement is providing new details to the public about Kétie Jones’ case in hopes that someone with information will come forward and justice can finally be served.

On May 14, 1983, 5-year-old Bobby Joe Fritz asked his sister to walk him back home after playing a game of kickball with the neighborhood kids in the Wisconsin village of Campbellsport. After walking him toward their house and watching as he made it to the end of their driveway, his sister waved goodbye and returned to kickball — and that was the last confirmed sighting of Bobby Joe. For nearly four decades, police in Wisconsin have been trying to figure out how Bobby Joe seemingly vanished into thin air.

Recently divorced and living on her own in a new city, 27-year-old Owachige Osceola’s life was in a season of transition before she was killed in the bedroom of her Norman, Oklahoma apartment in September 2013. While the medical examiner who performed her autopsy concluded her cause and manner of death were “undetermined,” a detective who remains on the case today insists a killer has been allowed to walk free for nearly a decade.

Dail Dinwiddie, 23, was enjoying a night out with friends after a U2 concert in September 1992 when she disappeared. Dail was last seen leaving a bar in the popular Five Points neighborhood in the early morning hours, after getting separated from her friends. She’s never been seen or heard from since.

James “Jim” Foote was out for a fun night of karaoke in November 2004 when he was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Office Pub in Fort Myers, Florida. His case , which lacked witnesses or evidence, went unsolved for years until the card with his story on it landed in the hands of the right people who’d been incarcerated with his killer.

On October 29, 1995, a young mother of two was seen arguing with the driver of a car she was in before she was pushed out of the door and dragged 4-and-a-half miles dangling out of the vehicle. For nearly 30 years, Leah Ulbrich’s case has haunted police in Hartford, Connecticut, but recent breakthroughs in the investigation could mean they’re closer than ever to getting her murder solved.

In 1980, when Randy Leach was 20 years old, he decided to take a break from college to hitchhike through the American west. It was supposed to be a journey of self-discovery and a way for the Wisconsin man to learn about different religions and ways of life, and it was exactly that … until Leach disappeared from a dairy farm in Idaho.

The last time anyone saw Cindy Elias alive was in 1977 when she was enjoying a night out with friends in the small mining town of Virginia, Minnesota. After she was unable to find a ride home, she decided to hitchhike. Her body was found hours later, discarded in a logging field. For 45 years, investigators in northern Minnesota have been trying to solve her murder.

Shelton Sanders was last seen at a house in Columbia, South Carolina, not far from where he worked and went to school. Sanders was helping organize plans for a friend’s bachelor party the night he went missing. The last man to see him alive was later charged with his murder, but it ended in a hung jury. Today, Sanders’ family members just want to know where his body is, to give him a proper burial.

Ann Kline, a loving daughter, wife and teacher, was grading papers in the middle of the afternoon in January 1973 when someone stabbed her repeatedly in the hallway outside her Evansville, Indiana classroom, and left her to die. Detectives have worked for 50 years trying to solve her murder, and today they’re working a lead that could actually close the case for good.

A Wisconsin couple known for their sweet dispositions and hardworking nature were found murdered in a barn near their junkyard in 1988. Bizarre rumors about the murders of Edward and Frances Cizauskas have swirled around for decades, and detectives believe they’re closer than ever to solving the case.

Natasha Warren, a young mom of two boys, was on her way to work in August 2008 when she got a flat tire and had to pull over. Natasha went to a nearby gas station to call her fiancé for help, but he didn’t answer. Sometime after Natasha returned to her car on the side of the highway she was murdered. Police are still looking for her killer today.

Donna Lemon was having a normal summer in 1973, working in Bozeman, Montana and hanging out with friends, until one day she never showed up to ride horses with one of her friends. Lemon, 20, was found stabbed to death on the banks of the Snake River in Idaho. After almost 50 years … detectives are still actively working this cold case.

LeeAnna Warner, affectionately known as Beaner, was five years old when she disappeared in broad daylight within a two block radius of her family’s Chisholm, Minnesota home. She’s never been seen or heard from in 18 years.

R&B radio fans in Dayton, Ohio knew Kelly Dee Wilson as her on air name Nikki Brooks. When Wilson turned up murdered in her apartment after her show in March 2000, the community was shocked.

Rebecca Harvey, an 18-year-old with plans to marry her boyfriend Steven Hendricks, was found dead in a house fire in rural southern Indiana in 1988. Investigators said she was doused with gasoline and set on fire before her killer took off. Steven Hendricks hasn’t been seen since.

Silene Eaddy, who sometimes asked people to call her Erica, was known for her sharp wit. She was last seen walking away from her adoptive mother’s home in Columbia, South Carolina in 2004. Her body was found later, having been beaten and burned and left in the woods.

The bodies of Stewart Simmons and Margaret Walden were found in the fall of 1982 on the banks of the San Juan River, right where Colorado meets New Mexico. For years they went unidentified, and were even buried without names to mark their graves. When a Colorado detective decided to find out who they were, he would go on to find out even more … uncovering their names, their stories and the likely truth behind their murders, decades after they were killed.

The mission for The Deck is to shine a new light on the cases within the cold case playing card decks to hopefully help detectives bring long awaited justice to victims and their loved ones. We have set up a grant under Season of Justice to offer help to those who are out there in the world trying to get these cases solved. Please visit SeasonOfJustice.org to submit an application if you’re an entity that needs funding to create or continue printing editions of these decks or maybe in need of a financial grant to submit DNA in a homicide case.

The last time Raquel Ramirez’s family saw her, she was sound asleep at home on the couch. For 37 years her family has waited to find out how and why she ended up murdered and left under a highway overpass.

Linda Smith was asleep in her bed in Pocatello, Idaho when she awoke to a man in her bedroom. The man took her, carrying her out through the living room where her little brother Ben was sleeping, and into his van in the back alley. Ben, who was 9 at the time, tried to run after them but was shoved down. He hasn’t seen his sister since, and witnessing her abduction has haunted him for decades.

For years, some law enforcement agencies have replaced the faces of traditional playing card decks with images of missing and murdered people and distributed those cards in prisons hoping inmates would come forward with information needed to crack these cold cases wide open. Now, audiochuck is dealing you in. Each week, we will be working with investigators and family members to bring you the details of some of the coldest cases from around the country in hopes that someone listening can finally bring these victims the justice they deserve.