In August 2004, 21-year-old Katara Deboise Johnson finished her shift as an assistant manager at Taco Bell in Taylor, Texas, and drove home to her mobile home on North Dolan Street. By the following evening, her grandmother would discover her shot to death inside her bedroom.

Her car was missing. Her cell phone was gone. Hours after her death, someone answered her phone and claimed to be Katara before laughter echoed in the background and the call disconnected.

Her maroon Mitsubishi Lancer was later found abandoned at the Thorndale Community Pool in neighboring Milam County, miles from her home. No weapon was recovered. No signs of forced entry were reported. More than 50 people were interviewed. Polygraphs were administered. The Texas Rangers and Department of Public Safety assisted. Still, no arrests have been made.

In the months that followed, frustration grew. Family members publicly questioned whether enough resources were being devoted to the case. The NAACP launched its own inquiry. Katara’s sister Kenyatta revealed she had been questioned as a possible suspect, something she strongly denied. Police have never publicly named a suspect.

Years passed. Her mother died in 2012 without answers. In 2019, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation. Authorities now believe more than one person may know what happened that night, particularly how Katara’s car ended up in Thorndale.

If you have any information about the murder of Katara Debois Johnson, please contact Texas Crime Stoppers at (800) 346-3243.

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In the final installment of the Amber Hagerman series: the Amber Hagerman Taskforce disbands. Detective Jim Ford and Sgt. Mark Simpson follow leads out of state, one that has a connection to Berlin, Germany. Amber’s mother Donna Whitson, Brother Ricky. And Father Richard Hagerman struggle to come to terms with the 9-year-old’s senseless and violent death. The legacy left after the tragic death of another little girl, 7-year-old Athen Strand, adds strength to the Amber Alert system in Texas. 

If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Rene Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772. You can also submit a tip by texting 847411 and typing ArlingtonPD (no spaces) first, followed by a space and your information. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477 

If your child is struggling with the loss of a loved one and you’re in North Texas, The WARM Place provides a safe, compassionate space for grieving children and their families. Go to thewarmplace.org for more information. 

You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast  
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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and court appeal documents were used as sources for this episode.
 
#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder   


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In 1999, another abduction rocked North Texas when 6-year-old Opal Jo Jennings was snatched in broad daylight as she played with other children in a field next to her house. The similarities were striking, and police in Arlington thought they had their man. In 2007, in Tacoma Washington, a twisted child rapist was exposed when he murdered one of his victims, and his ties to Fort Worth, Texas put him on the persons of interest list in the Amber Hagerman case. The following year, police in Dickinson, Texas renew an investigation from 1990 in which the victim, left for dead, survived. In 2009, her would-be killer was identified and arrested. It’s unclear if this suspect was ever investigated for the 1996 murder of 9-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman, or if the survivor’s case was even compared at all. Part 6 of 7. 

If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Rene Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772. You can also submit a tip by texting 847411 and typing ArlingtonPD (no spaces) first, followed by a space and your information. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477 

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

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and court appeal documents were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder   

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The Amber Hagerman Taskforce searched far and wide for suspects. Whether a perpetrator was known, like a Fort Lauderdale, Florida child rapist and killer, or was yet to be apprehended, such as the monster responsible for raping and killing a 12-year-old girl in a Houston suburb, there was certainly no shortage of suspects to scrutinize. Even an obsessive tipster came on the Taskforce’s radar. But police investigating the January 13th abduction and subsequent murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman couldn’t catch a break that led to an arrest, or enough proof that actually made them believe they’d identified their guy. At least in the three cases discussed in this episode. 

If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Rene Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772. You can also submit a tip by texting 847411 and typing ArlingtonPD (no spaces) first, followed by a space and your information. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477

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

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and court appeal documents were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder   

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As the Amber Hagerman Taskforce investigated, they were attempting to leave no stone unturned. Privy to resources not usually readily available to local police jurisdictions, Detectives were utilizing science, mathematics, and old-fashioned police work in order to cover every base. It was, perhaps, the toughest investigation many of the very experienced policemen had ever worked. And it was personal. Nothing, however, seemed to pan out. Even with the identification of countless suspects, finding the evidence that nailed one of them was proving frustrating. What were they missing?
  
If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772 or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477 

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

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com  

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and the docuseries Amber: the Girl Behind the Alert were used as sources for this episode.
  
#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder   


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On the evening of Wednesday, January 17th, 1996, a cold front in North Texas brought in a major thunderstorm system. Arlington, Texas got drenched. At about 11:30 PM, when the rain stopped, a Forest Ridge Apartments resident took his small terrier out for a walk. When the dog became agitated at the creek near the complex, the man walked down to check it out. To his horror, a small, female body was in the water facedown. He knew who it was. The next couple days, the Arlington Police and the Amber Hagerman Taskforce scrambled to find out how the body got there and who might be responsible.  
 
If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Rene Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772. You can also submit a tip by texting 847411 and typing ArlingtonPD (no spaces) first, followed by a space and your information. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477 

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

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com  

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Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast  

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and the docuseries Amber: the Girl Behind the Alert were used as sources for this episode.
  
#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder   


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At about 3:18 PM on January 13th, 1996, in east Arlington, Texas, 78-year-old retired machinist and WW2 Veteran Jimmie Kevil dialed 911. He’d just witnessed a man in a pickup truck kidnap a little girl, he told the operator. The girl was 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. Police responded and a search began. Folks in the neighborhood, too, came out to look for her and the black truck her abductor drove. But there was a problem: this was Texas and black pickups were everywhere. Everyone in Arlington was hanging on to the hope that Amber would be returned unharmed, unlike the victim in the last kidnapping case in the city, the 1994 abduction of 16-year-old Lisa Rene. 

If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Rene Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772. You can also submit a tip by texting 847411 and typing ArlingtonPD, no spaces, first, followed by a space and your information. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477
  
You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast  

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com  

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and the docuseries Amber: the Girl Behind the Alert were used as sources for this episode.
  
#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder   


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When Amber Hagerman was born, her parents’ relationship was still relatively new. In spite of the many challenges her mom Donna faced, particularly after becoming a single mother, Amber and her brother Ricky were happy with strong emotional stability and love in their lives. By the time Donna was ready to give the kids’ father a chance to continue to be in their lives, she’d agreed to take part in a local television news docuseries about the struggles of being a single mom. After filming wrapped, and 100s of hours of footage had been shot, it was nearly 1996 and Amber was 9 years old. Everything was looking up for the family in this new year until the unthinkable happened. 


If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Rene Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772. You can also submit a tip by texting 847411 and typing ArlingtonPD, no spaces, first, followed by a space and your information. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477 

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

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com 

For Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.com 

Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast 

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and the docuseries Amber: the Girl Behind the Alert were used as sources for this episode. 

#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberAlert #AmberHagerman #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder 

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Within a year of the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, several vastly differing factors came together to create the Amber Plan, known today as the Amber Alert. From the idea of a concerned parent who mourned for Amber’s relatives to Amber’s family, and then from an association of radio managers to state and local authorities, the little girl’s long-lasting legacy came to fruition and subsequently saved many lives. Though the Amber Plan went off without a hitch in many regards, it got off to a rocky start in others. This is the story of the Amber Plan, the Amber Alert. 

If you have any information about the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman, please call the Arlington Police at (817)459-5772 or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, please call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at (817)469-8477 

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

Find us at https://www.gonecold.com 

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Follow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast 

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, NBC TV Cold Case Spotlight, and The United States Department of Justice Website were used as sources for this episode.
 
#JusticeForAmberHagerman #AmberHagerman #AmberAlert #Arlington #ArlingtonTX #TarrantCountyTX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #ColdCase #Kidnapping #Abduction #Unsolved #Murder #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder 


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In July 1970, the body of 26-year-old Eula Mae “Kay” Miller was discovered inside her apartment at the Hilltop Apartments in Odessa, Texas. What initially appeared quiet and undisturbed soon revealed a brutal killing, one that had gone unnoticed for days in the sweltering West Texas heat. As investigators worked backward through a shrinking window of time, they were confronted with a case already eroded by delay, decomposition, and the transient nature of a booming oilfield city.

Kay Miller was known publicly as a friendly, outgoing go-go dancer at a local club, but behind that image was a woman carrying a far more complicated life: a separated wife, a mother of four, and someone who kept her past carefully guarded. With no signs of forced entry, no murder weapon, and no clear motive, detectives were left with a maze of acquaintances, shifting witness memories, and evidence that refused to speak clearly. Despite interviewing more than 150 people and chasing countless leads, including rumors of a serial killer operating in the area, Kay’s murder remained stubbornly resistant to resolution.

More than fifty years later, the slaying of Eula “Kay” Miller remains unsolved. No arrests were ever made, and no definitive answers emerged. What’s left is a portrait of a woman whose trust may have cost her life, and a haunting reminder of how easily violence can hide in plain sight during times of rapid growth and distraction.

If you have any information about the murder of Eula Mae “Kay” Miller, please contact the Odessa Police Department Cold Case Division at (432) 335-4926.

Sources: The Odessa American, The Midland Reporter-Telegram, The Austin American-Statesman, and yourbasin.com

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After the discovery of the burnt car that belonged to millionaire Houston oilman Ed Baker, speculation was abound. Though the medical examiner finally ruled that the body found inside was indeed Edward Gerald Baker’s, some folks didn’t buy the ruling. They insisted the oilman had faked his own death and skipped country to avoid the lawsuits against his company or worse – jail time. Harris County Sheriff’s Investigators, however, didn’t really buy that. Though they seemed to believe that Ed’s death was the result of an elaborately planned suicide, they couldn’t prove it and still had to leave their minds open to the theory that the man was killed as the result of a mob hit. To this day, exactly what happened to Ed Baker remains a mystery. Part 2 of 2. 

If you have any information about Edward Gerald Baker’s case, please contact Crime Stoppers Houston at 713-222-8477. 

Inc. Magazine, The Miami Herald, The Houston Chronicle, and the television series Unsolved Mysteries were used as sources for this episode. 

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

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#WhatHappenedToEdBaker #Houston #HoustonTX #HarrisCountyTX  #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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