Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

In January 1989, 43-year-old Thomas Charles Hammerton was found stabbed to death on a quiet street in Houston’s Hyde Park neighborhood, near the city’s Montrose district. Hammerton had moved to Houston from Youngstown, Ohio, seeking a place where he could live more openly and freely in one of the city’s most vibrant LGBTQ+ communities.But his murder came at a time when organized skinhead groups and hate-motivated violence were spreading across the United States. In Houston, reports of harassment and attacks by neo-Nazi skinheads had already begun to surface in Montrose and surrounding neighborhoods.Investigators eventually identified a self-described skinhead as a prime suspect during a narcotics raid that uncovered drugs and multiple knives believed to be consistent with the weapon used in the killing. Despite the discovery, no homicide charges were ever filed.Nearly four decades later, the murder of Thomas Charles Hammerton remains unsolved.If you have any information about the murder of Thomas Charles Hammerton, please call Texas Crime Stoppers at (800) 252-8477.You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcastFind us at https://www.gonecold.comFor Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.comFollow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast#JusticeForThomasHammerton #Houston #HarrisCounty #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #MissingPerson #Missing #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

In February 1999, fifteen-year-old Sonya Christene Wallace left her mother’s home in Rockdale, Texas to walk four blocks to the post office. She left around 5:30 p.m.She never came back.Initially labeled a runaway by local authorities, Sonya’s disappearance received little urgency. Her family insisted that something was wrong. Weeks passed without answers.On March 14, 1999, a rancher discovered the body of a teenage girl beneath a bridge in southeastern Williamson County, close to the Lee County line. The remains were badly decomposed. DNA testing later confirmed it was Sonya Wallace.Her death was ruled a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head.Investigators believed Sonya was killed elsewhere and her body transported to the creek bed where she was found, approximately 25 miles from where she disappeared. Evidence collected included her clothing and soda bottles from the scene. Detectives stated early on they believed Sonya likely knew her killer.A previous case involving two young men who had been arrested months earlier in connection with inappropriate contact with Sonya surfaced during the investigation. One was incarcerated at the time of her death. The other had been released from jail just eleven days before she vanished. No arrests were ever made in Sonya’s murder.Over the years, investigators conducted between 150 and 200 interviews. Crime Stoppers rewards were offered. Sonya’s father created a website dedicated to her memory, hoping someone would come forward.In 2017, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office established a Cold Case Unit. Sonya’s case was reopened and reexamined from the beginning. Detectives retested evidence using modern DNA techniques and reinterviewed hundreds of people connected to her life. Investigators now believe she may have been planning to meet someone the night she disappeared, and they have stated there is no evidence she ever reached the post office.More than two and a half decades later, Sonya Wallace’s murder remains unsolved.If you have information about the murder of Sonya Christene Wallace, please call the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit at (512) 943-5204.You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcastFind us at https://www.gonecold.comFor Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.comFollow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast#JusticeForSonyaWallace #Rockdale #MilamCounty #WilliamsonCounty #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #MissingPerson #Missing #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

On Christmas Eve 2015, 71-year-old Schertz businessman Henry Manuel Gutierrez, Jr. was found shot multiple times inside his home along FM 3009, near the yard of his company, Bexar Waste. His son discovered him seated in a recliner, partially covered by a blanket, in what investigators described as an execution-style killing.Henry was in the midst of negotiating the multimillion-dollar sale of Bexar Waste to Republic Services at the time of his death. His estate was valued at approximately $14.6 million. An active civil lawsuit alleging a handshake agreement over future sale proceeds added financial tension to an already complex landscape.The home appeared rummaged through. Missing items included cash, his wallet, several Christmas gift cards, a distinctive sterling silver ring, and his white Ford Expedition, later recovered in San Marcos without usable forensic evidence. Some of the stolen gift cards surfaced in Houston days later.Investigators collected shell casings, an unknown fingerprint, and DNA, but no public forensic link has tied any suspect to the crime. Questions arose about the early handling of the scene and the delayed involvement of the Texas Rangers.Over the years, police interviewed roughly 100 individuals connected to Henry’s business and personal life. Persons of interest have been identified but not publicly named.In 2022, the case was officially designated a cold case. In 2024, authorities announced a new person of interest developed through renewed investigation efforts. As of the tenth anniversary in 2025, no arrests have been made, and a reward remains active.If you have any information about the murder of Henry Manuel Gutierrez Jr., please call the Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers at (877) 403-8477.You can support gone cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcastFind us at https://www.gonecold.comFor Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.comFollow gone cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast#JusticeForHenryGutierrezJr #Schertz #GuadalupeCounty #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #MissingPerson #Missing #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

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.You can support Gone Cold and listen to the show ad-free at https://patreon.com/gonecoldpodcast Find us at https://www.gonecold.comFor Gone Cold merch, visit https://gonecold.dashery.comFollow Gone Cold on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Search @gonecoldpodcast at all or just click https://linknbio.com/gonecoldpodcast#JusticeForKataraJohnson #Taylor #WilliamsonCounty #WilCo #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #MissingPerson #Missing #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

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 Get your GIRL SCOUT COOKIES here: https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/alice241168You 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 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 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

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 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 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

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 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 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.