The Final Trace

OdieStew Productions

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.

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20 episodes
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Avg 41 min
English

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S2 · E63
Tuesday · 44 min
Missing: Sneha Philip
📍 Lower Manhattan, New York | September 10, 2001 🎙️ Chapter 63 | The Final Trace of Sneha Anne Philip On the evening of September 10th, 2001, 31-year-old physician Dr. Sneha Anne Philip was captured on surveillance shopping at a department store just blocks from her apartment. It would be the last confirmed trace of her. Hours later, the world changed. In the chaos of September 11th, Sneha’s disappearance became tangled with one of the darkest days in American history. A mysterious figure caught on surveillance. Shopping bags that were never found. Thirteen missing hours. And two very different possibilities for when—and how—Sneha vanished. A court would eventually decide what happened to her. But more than twenty-five years later, one question remains: Where did Sneha go after 7:18 p.m.? This is The Final Trace of Sneha Anne Philip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 · E62
September 8 · 50 min
Missing: Lauren Spierer
📍 Bloomington, Indiana | June 3, 2011 🎙️ Chapter 62 | The Final Trace of Lauren Spierer For hours, Lauren Spierer’s movements through Bloomington can be pieced together almost minute by minute. Until suddenly… they can’t. In the early morning hours of June 3, 2011, the 20-year-old Indiana University student vanished. Her phone and shoes were left behind. Her apartment was only a few blocks away. And according to the last person known to be with her, Lauren walked into the darkness around 4:30 a.m. She has never been seen again. Fifteen years later, we retrace Lauren’s final night, the people who were with her, the conflicting accounts, the searches, the theories, and newer reporting that raises an unsettling question about the timeline itself: SOURCES AND OTHER READINGS: Shawn Cohen — College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight (2024) Sourcebooks – College Girl, Missing That’s the book we used for the newer reporting in the episode, including Cohen’s investigation of Lauren’s final hours. It was published by Sourcebooks on May 28, 2024. Deep-Dive Feature: To read the definitive, comprehensive breakdown of the night she vanished and the local impact, see the longform investigation The Lauren Spierer Mystery, Unraveled by Indianapolis Monthly. [1] Official Case Website: To submit information, review the interactive timeline, or support the family's ongoing mission, visit the Find Lauren Official Website. [1] Family Social Updates: Read direct statements from Lauren's parents, Robert and Charlene Spierer, on the Lauren Spierer Family Updates Page. Local Journalism: Review the local reporting on the timeline and recent tip volume published via WRTV Indianapolis. [1] The Baseline Timeline: Review the standard timeline, including her movements through Kilroy's, Smallwood Plaza, and 11th & College Avenue, on Wikipedia's Lauren Spierer Case Profile. Local Reporting Chronology: You can track the local investigative path and community response through the WTHR News Archives and follow the search developments detailed by the Fox 59 Case Investigation Guide. Franklin Crawford's Passing: To double-check the exact location and natural causes ruling regarding the death of "Road Dog" near the dumpster on June 6, 2011, you can reference the local context in the B Square Bulletin Archive. Shawn Cohen's Private Investigator Insights: For an overview of the private files, the suspicious 4:00 a.m. phone calls targeting cars, and why there is zero independent evidence she left the complex, check out the summary page for his New York Times bestseller, College Girl, Missing, at Goodreads. The Mike Beth Reality & Complete Fact Check: To verify the exact details regarding Mike Beth writing his paper during the all-nighter, the $120,000 to $250,000 reward jumps, and the Franklin "Road Dog" Crawford timeline, you can review the extensive longform article on Indianapolis Monthly. The Fake Balcony & Architectural Verification: To verify how journalist Shawn Cohen debunked Jay Rosenbaum’s "balcony sighting" by proving it was just a narrow, decorative architectural ledge blocked by trees, check out the case review on Fox 59 News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 · E61
September 1 · 41 min
Solved: Jayna Murray
📍 Bethesda, Maryland | March 11, 2011 🎙️ Chapter 61 | The Final Trace of Jayna Murray On a Friday night in one of Bethesda’s busiest shopping districts, two coworkers returned to the Lululemon store where they worked. By morning, 30-year-old Jayna Murray was dead. Her coworker was found bound, bleeding, and alive—with a terrifying story of what had happened behind those locked doors. Police began searching for two violent men believed to be responsible. But inside the blood-soaked store, the evidence was beginning to tell a very different story. What happened that night would become one of the most shocking crimes in Bethesda history—and expose a truth no one saw coming. Not all secrets stay buried. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 · E60
August 25 · 37 min
Murdered: Bryan Haltom
📍 Spencer, Indiana | July 17, 1996 🎙️ Chapter 60 | The Final Trace of Bryan Haltom Just after midnight, 18-year-old Bryan Haltom was driving his red Trans Am through the quiet streets of Spencer, Indiana, when an encounter with another car followed him onto U.S. 231. Minutes later, Bryan was dead. The other driver vanished into the night. What initially appeared to be a senseless act of road rage would soon raise questions that have lingered for three decades. A disputed timeline, strange rumors, and the possibility that Bryan's encounter with a stranger wasn't random at all. Thirty years later, no one has been arrested. And someone may still know.. Who killed Bryan Haltom? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 18 · 40 min
Mysterious Death: Erin Valenti
📍 San Jose, California | October 2019 🎙️ Chapter 14 Revisited | Mysterious Death: Erin Valenti We’ve told Erin Valenti’s story before. But we’ve never told it like this. After first covering Erin’s strange and unsettling final days, we went back—reexamining the timeline, digging deeper into the medical findings, and exploring new information and theories we never touched the first time around. Erin’s death was officially ruled natural. But the mystery of what she was experiencing in those final hours has never really gone away. “It’s all a game.” “It’s a thought experiment.” “We’re in the Matrix.” Was Erin experiencing a sudden medical crisis? What was happening inside her mind—and could her haunting final words tell us more than we realized the first time? This is Erin Valenti... revisited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 17 · 1 hr 6 min
Introducing: Our True Crime Podcast
Today, we're doing something a little different! Introducing you to one of our favorite podcast! We're handing The Final Trace feed over to our friends Cam and Jen from Our True Crime Podcast for a special feed swap! In this episode, they take us back to March 26, 1990, and the murder of Elizabeth Mackintosh: a case we had never heard before, and one we think you're going to want to hear. If you're new to Our True Crime Podcast, consider this your introduction. Cam and Jen have been telling true crime stories together for years, and there's a reason their listeners keep coming back. We love their storytelling, their chemistry, and most importantly, the people behind the microphones. So settle in, meet our friends, and join Our True Crime Podcast for the story of Elizabeth Mackintosh. And when you're finished, go give Cam and Jen a follow. because we're pretty sure this won't be the last episode of theirs you 'll want to listen to. Visit: Our True Crime Spotify for more! We'll be back next week with a brand-new chapter of The Final Trace. Until then… tell your dog I said hi. 🐾 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 · E59
August 11 · 35 min
Mysterious Disappearance: Frederick Valentich
📍 Bass Strait, Australia | October 21, 1978🎙️ Chapter 59 | The Final Trace of Frederick Valentich 🔎 Mysterious DisappearanceTwenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich took off from Melbourne for what should have been a routine flight to King Island.Less than an hour later, he contacted Melbourne Flight Service with a strange question: Was there any known traffic below 5,000 feet?There wasn’t.But Frederick c
S2 · E58
August 4 · 30 min
Mysterious Death: Michael Dean Riley
📍 Indianapolis, IN | Year: 1976🎧 Chapter 58 — The Final Trace of Michael Dean Riley A walk home.A missing college student.A discovery that raised more questions than answers.This week on The Final Trace, we revisit the 1976 case of Ball State student Michael Dean Riley. Fifty years later, investigators know how Michael died—but what happened during a Fou
S2 · E57
July 28 · 29 min
Missing: Molly Dattilo
📍Indianapolis, IN | Year: 2004🎧 Chapter 57 - The Final Trace of Molly Dattilo On the night of July 6, 2004, 23-year-old Molly Dattilo spent the evening with new acquaintances, made a phone call from a pay phone outside a Thornton's gas station in Indianapolis... and vanished.The call disconnected before a single word was spoken.More than twenty years later, investigators believe Molly was the victim of homicide, yet no one has ever be
S2 · E56
July 21 · 30 min
Missing: Mark Tomich
📍 Indianapolis, IN | Year: 1992🎧 Chapter 56 — The Final Trace of Mark Tomich 🚘 His BMW made it to work.Mark Edward Tomich didn't.On a quiet March morning in 1992, Mark left home for what should have been another ordinary day at Eli Lilly. His coworkers never saw him. His locked BMW was later found in the parking lot... but Mark had vanished.Thirty-four years later, one quest
S2 · E55
July 14 · 33 min
Missing: Prisma Reyes
📍 Dallas, TX | Year: 2019 🎧 Chapter 55 — The Final Trace of Prisma Reyes Some disappearances leave almost nothing behind.Prisma Reyes left behind hours of evidence.Surveillance cameras.Phone records.Witnesses.A timeline investigators can follow almost minute by minute.And yet... the most important piece of the puzzle is still missing. 📄
S2 · E54
July 7 · 32 min
Murdered: Jill Behrman
📍 Bloomington, Indiana | Year: 2000 🎧 Chapter 54 — The Final Trace of Jill Behrman Nineteen-year-old Jill Behrman set out on a routine morning bike ride through the rolling hills of southern Indiana.She never came home.What followed was nearly three years of searches, false confessions, dead-end leads, and a community desperate for answers.When Jill was finally found, investigators believed they had sol
S2 · E53
June 30 · 40 min
Mysterious Death: Joseph Smedley
📍 Bloomington, Indiana | Year: 2015🎧 Chapter 53 — The Final Trace of Joseph Smedley Twenty-year-old Joseph Smedley had big dreams. An Indiana University biochemistry student with plans to one day create life-saving medications, he was known for his kindness, his infectious smile, and the positive energy he brought to everyone around him.Then, in the early morning hours of September 28th, his sister received a chilling text message:&
S2 · E52
June 23 · 31 min
Mysterious Death: Mary Grimes Wallace
📍 Xenia, Ohio | Year: 1954🎧 Chapter 52 — The Final Trace of Mary Grimes Wallace On a bitter January morning, a train crew discovered the body of a woman lying on the railroad tracks outside of town.Authorities quickly identified her as thirty-two-year-old Mary Grimes Wallace.But almost immediately, the case began to unravel.There was little blood at the scene. A mysterious man was seen walking away from the tracks. And investigators questio
S2 · E51
June 16 · 30 min
Solved: Mike Sewell
📍 Brownstown, Indiana | Year: 1971 🎧 Chapter 51: The Final Trace of Mike Sewell Three teenage friends.A handmade cabin hidden along the White River.And a winter night that would haunt a small Indiana town for more than half a century.When a fire reduced the cabin to ashes, investigators identified only two victims. The third boy, 16-year-old Mike Sewell, vanished without a trace.Rumors spread.Theories took hold.And
S2 · E50
June 9 · 35 min
Mysterious Death: Kristy Kelley
📍 Boonville, Indiana | Year: 2014 🎧 Chapter 50: The Final Trace of Kristy Kelley Kristy Kelley was a 27-year-old mother of two, rebuilding her life after a divorce and looking forward to what came next.On the night of August 14, 2014, she met friends for what should have been an ordinary night out.But sometime after leaving a local VFW, Kristy vanished.For thirty-two days, her family searched.Then her SUV was dis
June 3 · 1 hr 4 min
Rouge Transmissions IV: Part II
Rogue Transmissions--the edgy, semi-annual anthology of indie podcasts--is invading your podcast feed with DUNGEONPUNK PART 2 ... a symphony of 80s nostalgia, dystopian cyberpunk, and savage swords drawn against both super sorcery & super science. Featuring an adventuring party of your indie podcast favorites! FIRST UP, Octoberpod presents "Byzantium Slab: The Shell Remember" a wraparound tale of adventure on the savage streets of the dys
June 2 · 1 hr 39 min
Rouge Transmissions IV: Part 1
Rogue Transmissions--the edgy, semi-annual anthology of indie podcasts--is invading your podcast feed with DUNGEONPUNK PART 1 ... a symphony of 80s nostalgia, dystopian cyberpunk, and savage swords drawn against both super sorcery & super science. Featuring an adventuring party of your indie podcast favorites! FIRST UP, Octoberpod presents "Byzantium Slab: Life Without A Soul" a wraparound tale of savagery & adventure
S2 · E49
May 26 · 32 min
Missing: Deanna Merryfield
📍Killeen, Texas | Year: 1990🎧 Chapter 49: The Final Trace of Deanna Merryfield Thirteen-year-old Deanna Merryfield slipped out of her grandmother’s house in the early morning hours to visit her twin sister just two miles away.By 3:30 AM, she was standing outside a bedroom window. Moments later… she climbed into a bronze-colored car with two teenage boys.She was never seen again.Labeled a runaway almost immediately, Deanna’s disappeara
S2 · E48
May 19 · 31 min
Missing: Billy Martin
📍Brazil, Indiana | Year: 1957🎧 Chapter 48: The Final Trace of Billy Martin Seven-year-old Billy Martin was playing outside his family’s home on a warm summer afternoon while his mother cleaned inside, waiting for her husband to return home from National Guard training.But sometime around 3:30 PM… Billy vanished.The last person believed to have seen him was a family friend and lodger known as “Tex” Higgins — a drifter whose story would q

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