The Cold Case Collective

Donna Lemon - Unsolved Murder - Case Spotlight - CS-0023

It was the summer of 1973, and 20 year old Donna Lemon was making the most of it like any true Montanan before the snow starts to fall again in just a few short months. The eldest of two daughters with an avid outdoorsman for a father, Donna was very active. She rock climbed with her father and went fishing, camping, skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and horseback riding. She had just attended the Ennis Rodeo on the 3rd and the 4th of July, and was supposed to meet with a friend at 4pm on the 5th to go horseback riding. She never arrived at her friend’s house. Her friend rang the alarm bell instantly and drove around looking for her, to no avail. Two days later, her green 1969 Ford Mustang would be spotted in a parking lot in Idaho Falls. Two days after that, her body would be discovered in the grass on the bank of the Snake River, approximately 1.5 miles from where her car was left.  Family, friends, and officials all believed it had to be someone she knew. Over fifty years have passed since the tragic death of Donna Lemon and the question of who and why still linger. Do you have a piece of the puzzle?   We are discussing the case of Donna Lemon and invite you to join in on the conversation. Comment below with your thoughts, questions, and theories. Follow, like, and share to help extend the reach of her case. As long as we can keep her name and face visible, the more likely it is that it will end up in front of someone with a nudge for them to come forward with information that might just provide some answers.    ____________________________   Have Information? Please contact the Bonneville County Sheriff at 208-529-1375 or  Idaho's Cold Case Tip Line - 1-844-847-4040.   ____________________________   📌 Subscribe for deep-dive true crime investigations 💬 Comment with your thoughts or theories 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss future cases

Mikelle Biggs - Missing Person - Case Spotlight - CS-0022

It wasn’t residual Christmas carols that 11-year-old Mikelle Biggs was hoping to hear on the evening of January 2nd, 1999, as she rode her younger sister’s new bike. It was the sound of the ice cream truck she was hoping for when she stayed out after her friends and sister started for home. In the time it took for her sister to go inside and come back out looking for her, approximately 90 seconds, Mikelle disappeared. There is a suspect, but he has never confessed to what happened to Mikelle. This is the story of the vanishing of Mikelle.    We are discussing the cases of Mikelle Biggs and invite you to join in on the conversation. Comment below with your thoughts, questions, and theories. Follow, like, and share to help extend the reach of her case. As long as we can keep her name and face visible, the more likely it is that it will end up in front of someone with a nudge for them to come forward with information that might just provide some answers.    ____________________________   Have Information? Call the Mesa Police Department: (480) 644-4048   ____________________________   📌 Subscribe for deep-dive true crime investigations 💬 Comment with your thoughts or theories 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss future cases

William "Billy" Smolinski - Missing Person - Case Spotlight - CS-0021

August 24, 2004. For most people in Waterbury, Connecticut, it was an ordinary summer day. But for the Smolinski family, it marked the beginning of a nightmare that has never ended. Thirty-one-year-old Billy Smolinski was making plans for the future. He was working, spending time with friends and family, and navigating changes in his personal life. According to those closest to him, he wasn't a man preparing to disappear. Yet sometime after telling a neighbor he would be away for a few days to check out a car he wanted to buy, Billy vanished without a trace. His truck was left behind. His wallet was left behind. His keys were left behind. Even his dog, Harley, whom he asked someone to watch, was never picked up. As the days passed, Billy's family became convinced that something terrible had happened. Investigators would eventually come to believe the same thing. Over the years, authorities searched forests, rivers, quarries, and remote properties. Witnesses were interviewed. Tips were chased across Connecticut. Potential suspects were scrutinized. New leads surfaced, only to lead investigators back to the same haunting question. What happened to Billy Smolinski? And how can a man seemingly vanish into thin air, leaving behind almost everything he owned? In this episode, we'll examine Billy's final known movements, the evidence investigators uncovered, the people who became central figures in the investigation, and the unanswered questions that continue to surround one of Connecticut's most enduring mysteries. This is the disappearance of William "Billy" Smolinski Jr. We are discussing the cases of Billy Smolinski and invite you to join in on the conversation. Comment below with your thoughts, questions, and theories. Follow, like, and share to help extend the reach of his case. As long as we can keep his name and face visible, the more likely it is that it will end up in front of someone with a nudge for them to come forward with information that might just provide some answers.    ____________________________   Have Information? Call the Waterbury Police Department at 203-574-6941 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 203-755-1234.   ____________________________   📌 Subscribe for deep-dive true crime investigations 💬 Comment with your thoughts or theories 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss future cases

Josiah Reed - Missing Person - Case Spotlight - CS-0020

One night, three generations, the trajectory of three lives unequivocally altered. In the early hours of June 24th, 2024, in Phenix City, Alabama, a 6-month-old child went missing, his mother died of an overdose, and was discovered in a house that had been burned down a few hours later, and his grandmother has since been charged with manslaughter in the death of her daughter. Hanna Brooke Fretwell’s life was lost that day; her mother is sitting in jail for contributing to her death, and her son, Josiah James Reed, went missing. Do you know what happened to baby Josiah?   We are discussing the cases of Josiah Reed and invite you to join in on the conversation. Comment below with your thoughts, questions, and theories. Follow, like, and share to help extend the reach of his case. As long as we can keep his name and face visible, the more likely it is that it will end up in front of someone with a nudge for them to come forward with information that might just provide some answers.    ____________________________   Have Information? If you have information concerning this case, please contact: Phenix City Police - (334) 448-2800   ____________________________   📌 Subscribe for deep-dive true crime investigations 💬 Comment with your thoughts or theories 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss future cases

Brian Vargo - Missing Person - Case Spotlight - CS-0019

Brian Thomas Vargo was 20 years old when he vanished in 1976. A promising college student searching for direction, he left Texas for Colorado and was never seen again. Nearly five decades later, the mystery remains unsolved.   We are discussing the cases of Brian Vargo and invite you to join in on the conversation. Comment below with your thoughts, questions, and theories. Follow, like, and share to help extend the reach of his case. As long as we can keep his name and face visible, the more likely it is that it will end up in front of someone with a nudge for them to come forward with information that might just provide some answers.    ____________________________   Have Information? Contact the Missing Person Unit of the Austin Police Department:  (512) 974-5250, apdmissingpersons@austintexas.gov ____________________________   📌 Subscribe for deep-dive true crime investigations 💬 Comment with your thoughts or theories 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss future cases