1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,440 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:18,000 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:22,420 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages and is intended for a mature 4 00:00:22,420 --> 00:00:23,600 audience. 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:34,560 Listener discretion is advised. 6 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,640 Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing. 7 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,200 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 8 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,120 I am your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 9 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,520 And please forgive me, I am a little sick this week. 10 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,360 So I probably won't be speaking a ton this week. 11 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:53,200 You'll hear me again more at the end of the episode when I have questions for Ali after 12 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,360 I hear about the case. 13 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,880 Yeah, so this week we're going to be talking about a missing person. 14 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:07,960 His name is Myron Traylor and this takes place July 27th, 1988 in Phoenix, Arizona. 15 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:11,520 And just as a heads up, he is 13 years old when this takes place. 16 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,920 So we are talking about a kid this week. 17 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,200 So just at the top, I want to give a trigger warning. 18 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,840 We are going to be talking about violence against youth. 19 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:24,380 There is mention of drug use and then rumors of murder and assault. 20 00:01:24,380 --> 00:01:28,040 So all of those things will be mentioned throughout the podcast today. 21 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,160 But first, a little bit about Myron. 22 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,720 He was born October 1st, 1974. 23 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:40,840 And at this time in July of 1988, he is 5'5", 106 pounds. 24 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,240 He has black hair and brown eyes. 25 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,240 And he wore glasses, but not on the day he disappeared. 26 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:51,480 He also had a half inch scar on the right side of his head from a bicycle accident. 27 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,180 His family describes him as very artistic. 28 00:01:54,180 --> 00:01:57,480 His grandmother Ruthie had his art in her home. 29 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:01,840 And the Phoenix New Time reporter wrote, quote, it's better than what you would expect for 30 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,280 a sixth grader. 31 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:09,920 Myron was very active in his community, especially in his church, the Southminster Presbyterian. 32 00:02:09,920 --> 00:02:13,240 During the summer, he was attending a recreation program there. 33 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,880 And he was also part of the church choir and youth group and would attend the Wednesday 34 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:19,200 night Bible study there. 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,040 So he was very active in his church community. 36 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,040 He also had a paper route. 37 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:28,880 He was actually working his paper route to save money for a trip to Disneyland that his 38 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:30,560 church was taking. 39 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,340 He had just signed up to play baseball. 40 00:02:32,340 --> 00:02:34,560 He was going to have the number 33. 41 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,680 And his aunt, Sandra Traylor, says, quote, he was a quiet little boy. 42 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:40,320 He didn't cuss as far as I know. 43 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:41,960 And he wasn't into drugs. 44 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,960 He had so much ahead of him and so much to look forward to, end quote. 45 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,680 So on Wednesday, July 27th, 1988, this is the day that Myron disappeared. 46 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:55,100 Myron and his mother Debbie are going to walk to Myron's grandmother's house. 47 00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:58,880 And they're going there because they want to call his brother Charlie, who is spending 48 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,560 the summer with his uncle in California, and also because they needed to wash some clothes 49 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,120 and their washing machine had broken at their home. 50 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,000 And walking to their grandmother's house was something that they do a lot because Debbie 51 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:11,000 didn't have a car. 52 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:12,960 So they were very used to walking places. 53 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:19,240 But on this day in July of 1988 in Arizona, it is hot outside. 54 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,520 The weather is reported as being 106 that day. 55 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:28,320 So even later in the evening, it's around six o'clock this time, it's still really 56 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:29,320 hot out. 57 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,380 Myron lived on the 1800 block of East Nancy Lane. 58 00:03:33,380 --> 00:03:37,320 And his grandmother's house is on the 1200 block of Pecan Street. 59 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:38,960 And it's roughly a mile away. 60 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:44,920 So at around 6pm, as Myron and Debbie are walking, Myron wants to stop at OK Fish and 61 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:46,340 Chips to get a drink. 62 00:03:46,340 --> 00:03:50,040 And this is about halfway between his house and his grandmother's house. 63 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,200 Debbie says that's fine and to catch up as she continues to walk. 64 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,760 Myron is served by Lena Watt at OK Fish and Chips. 65 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:03,680 And OK Fish and Chips sits in like a business plaza, but it's just a walk-up window. 66 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:05,640 So there's no inside seating. 67 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:10,200 There's only outside seating, because again, it's Arizona, you can sit outside a lot of 68 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:11,200 the year. 69 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,240 Lena Watt remembers this interaction with Myron. 70 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:19,480 And she claims that at this time, there was nobody sitting in the restaurant tables. 71 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,400 And Myron walked up to the window and ordered a cherry soda. 72 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,920 And he stood in the shade and chugged it. 73 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,280 He then ordered a second one. 74 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:30,360 As he's leaving, she says goodbye. 75 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,720 And he waves goodbye to her. 76 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:37,520 And he's last seen headed towards the direction of Pecan Street, the way he would need to 77 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:39,380 go to his grandmother's house. 78 00:04:39,380 --> 00:04:45,560 So from OK Fish and Chips, Myron's normal route from here would be to cross 16th Street 79 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,200 to a business park opposite of OK Fish and Chips. 80 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,600 And he would cut through the parking lot there. 81 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:56,240 And next to that parking lot was a dirt field that Myron would walk across to reach Pecan 82 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:57,240 Street. 83 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,500 His grandmother's house was just down the road. 84 00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:05,280 So Myron is last seen in the parking lot of OK Fish and Chips by four witnesses. 85 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:09,980 One of the witnesses was Debbie's boyfriend at the time, Geddes Mintz. 86 00:05:09,980 --> 00:05:14,920 When Myron was last seen, he was wearing a white and red striped shirt, white shorts 87 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,940 with blueprint, and white sneakers. 88 00:05:17,940 --> 00:05:21,760 And he was carrying a cherry soda and a laundry bag. 89 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,400 Debbie reaches the grandmother's house and says Myron is right behind her. 90 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,120 But Myron doesn't show up. 91 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,880 The family immediately begins to worry. 92 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:35,040 But they think that maybe he went ahead and caught the bus to head to Bible study. 93 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:40,020 Because originally, the plan was for Myron to pick up his best friend, who lived across 94 00:05:40,020 --> 00:05:42,240 the street from his grandmother. 95 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,600 And they were going to catch the bus to go to Bible study together. 96 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,640 But it was starting to get close to the time that Bible study would have started. 97 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:54,060 So they think maybe he just went ahead and caught the bus there so he wouldn't be late. 98 00:05:54,060 --> 00:05:58,640 The Bible study got out around 930 that evening and there was no sign of Myron. 99 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,480 So the family immediately called police. 100 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:03,720 But police don't take it seriously at first. 101 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,840 They think that Myron is out with friends and he'll probably show up in a couple of 102 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:08,840 hours. 103 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:12,020 But the family is very persistent that that is unlike him. 104 00:06:12,020 --> 00:06:14,520 He would have told somebody where he is going. 105 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:21,000 Debbie also during this time rewalks the path that Myron should have taken to get to his 106 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:26,080 grandmother's house, but she doesn't see anything and there's no sign of him. 107 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,920 So the family continued to call the police. 108 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:35,620 And on Thursday, July 28th at 2 a.m., the police came to finally take a report. 109 00:06:35,620 --> 00:06:37,760 Police begin investigating. 110 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:43,600 And on Saturday, July 30th, the police say they have no evidence of foul play, but quote, 111 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,720 we haven't found anything to indicate he's a runaway. 112 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,640 And that is Sergeant Andy Anderson. 113 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,720 Police officers and church members organize a search and they pass out flyers. 114 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:59,360 It's reported that 40 people, mostly children, search the dirt fields looking for signs of 115 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:01,360 Myron but they turn up nothing. 116 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:06,680 Reverend G. Benjamin Brooks, Myron's pastor at Southminster Presbyterian, said that Myron 117 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,760 had not told him of any troubles. 118 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:10,200 He's a very quiet boy. 119 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,120 He has no problems that I'm aware of, end quote. 120 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:18,080 The next day, Sunday, the search continues with neighbors, family, and friends. 121 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,160 And the family is interviewed in the paper. 122 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,760 His mother says, quote, he's been walking back and forth to his grandmother's house 123 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:24,920 for years. 124 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:26,840 He's never disappeared before. 125 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:28,240 He's doing well in school. 126 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,240 He doesn't have any problems that he told me about, end quote. 127 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:38,160 At this time, a rumor pops up that maybe Myron ran away to California to see his brother. 128 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:42,720 But the family dismissed this idea because he doesn't have his uncle's address and he 129 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:45,260 wouldn't know how to find him or how to get there. 130 00:07:45,260 --> 00:07:47,920 So they think this is pretty impossible. 131 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:53,200 On Thursday, August 4th, this is one week Myron has been missing, police say that they 132 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:54,900 are all out of leads. 133 00:07:54,900 --> 00:08:01,060 And investigators are still unsure at this time if he's been abducted or run away. 134 00:08:01,060 --> 00:08:05,640 Investigators say, quote, the officers who took the report also became concerned even 135 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,920 though there was nothing to indicate an abduction. 136 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,460 And they checked vacant homes and fields in the area, end quote. 137 00:08:12,460 --> 00:08:14,920 And that is Sergeant Andy Anderson again. 138 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:20,320 And I just take this to mean that the officers who came at 2 a.m. to take the report, they 139 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:27,000 started to take Myron's disappearance seriously, even though there was no crime scene at that 140 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:28,000 time. 141 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:33,720 There was no indication of foul play, but something definitely seemed off about his 142 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,280 disappearance and runaway did not seem likely. 143 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:43,520 On August 19th, this is three weeks after Myron has disappeared, a $5,000 reward is 144 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,840 offered for information leading to his safe return. 145 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:52,280 And police also confirmed that Myron was last seen at OK Fish and Ships in the parking lot. 146 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,960 And officially, investigators turn away from a runaway theory and it becomes a child abduction 147 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,240 case and possible homicide. 148 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:05,920 In October of 1988, just over two months Myron has been missing, the police asked the public 149 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:07,560 for help again. 150 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:10,320 Myron had just turned 14 over the weekend. 151 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,840 He's an October 1st birthday. 152 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,080 Police are pretty frustrated by this case. 153 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,880 Sergeant Mike Hopple says, quote, In Myron's case, they have investigated it thoroughly 154 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:26,000 as though he were not a runaway and investigators have not been able to determine it one way 155 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:27,960 or another, end quote. 156 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,120 So again, there's just no sign of him. 157 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:36,800 In February of 1989, this is just shy of seven months he's been missing. 158 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:40,480 Police say he has been abducted and they knew this within the first week. 159 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,720 Police also point out two other boys that had been kidnapped in the 1980s that at this 160 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,080 time the crimes were unsolved. 161 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:53,640 The first case is Brian Blyle and he was abducted while collecting money for his newspaper route 162 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,840 on February 28th, 1981. 163 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,840 A man was arrested for this in the 90s but was ultimately acquitted mainly because they 164 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,700 never were able to find Brian's body. 165 00:10:04,700 --> 00:10:07,680 So to this day, this case remains open. 166 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:13,240 Another boy, Mitchell Amador, was four years old and was last seen playing outside of his 167 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,480 home in October of 1987. 168 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,600 Ultimately in 1991, a family friend was convicted of the murder of Mitchell. 169 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,480 So that case is closed as of today. 170 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,760 Police say, quote, The frustrating part in dealing with Myron is we've really come up 171 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:28,760 short. 172 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,880 We should be further along, but we just don't have a strong indication of what happened 173 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,400 to him, end quote. 174 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:39,160 And that is Lieutenant Wayne Polk, the Phoenix Police Department missing person detail. 175 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:45,680 So we are going to be getting into a lot of rumors over the next few years in the timeline. 176 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:52,800 Again, they're all rumors and strange occurrences, I'll say, but they all kind of come back to 177 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,540 Myron in one way or the other. 178 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:59,920 So in the spring of 1990, Myron has been missing for one and a half years. 179 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:05,480 Ruthie had answered the phone and she believed she was talking to her granddaughter who lived 180 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:06,480 in Texas. 181 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,800 But when Ruthie asked about her mom, the child hung up. 182 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:15,280 Ruthie later told police that the voice could have been Myron's and thinking back on it. 183 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:21,280 In the summer of 1990, a man called Myron's grandparents house looking for Myron. 184 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,960 When Claude said his grandson was missing, the caller hung up. 185 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:29,760 And also someone called Myron's best friends, the boy who lived across the street, to ask 186 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:35,000 how's grandma doing in reference to Ruthie, Myron's grandmother. 187 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,920 When the friend told the caller she was recovering from being in the hospital, the caller hung 188 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:39,920 up. 189 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:41,720 So a lot of hang up phone calls. 190 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:48,080 In July of 1991, this is three years now Myron has been missing, rumors reach police that 191 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:53,380 Myron was dealing drugs in Los Angeles, vowing to return to Phoenix to get revenge on his 192 00:11:53,380 --> 00:11:55,160 mom who gave him away. 193 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:57,480 Police go to LA and turn up nothing. 194 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,760 And police also say at this time that there is no evidence that Debbie had anything to 195 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:03,740 do with Myron's disappearance. 196 00:12:03,740 --> 00:12:07,880 And police reveal she passed a polygraph early into the investigation. 197 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:13,960 But the community, the family, police even are all frustrated just by the lack of information 198 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:14,960 that's coming out. 199 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:19,680 It's really just all rumors and strange hang up phone calls at this point. 200 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:24,780 The Reverend G. Benjamin Brooks says, quote, it's about time that something be discovered 201 00:12:24,780 --> 00:12:26,540 as to what happened to him. 202 00:12:26,540 --> 00:12:29,280 Three years without one piece of information. 203 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,040 That's a long, long time, end quote. 204 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,360 Police say, quote, you have to believe that some harm has happened after this long to 205 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,860 cause him to vanish off of the face of the earth. 206 00:12:38,860 --> 00:12:42,120 You have to speculate that something bad has happened, end quote. 207 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:46,520 And then this is Ruthie Myron's grandmother says, quote, I know Myron, he's gone, but 208 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,160 he didn't go by himself. 209 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,680 He would have called someone or one of his friends, end quote. 210 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:56,440 And at this time, Debbie has quit her job and relapsed into addiction. 211 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:58,400 She had moved away from her family. 212 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,760 So her family wasn't sure where she was living at this time. 213 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:07,760 But Myron's younger brother lived with their grandparents and he talked about Myron always 214 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:11,760 in present tense and as if Myron was in the next room. 215 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:17,920 In the fall of 1991, Debbie receives an unsigned letter saying that Myron's body is buried 216 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,600 on private property near 24th and Jones Avenue. 217 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:26,200 Sergeant Kevin Robinson says, this is investigated, but nothing comes of it. 218 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:32,040 In 1993, so this would be five years that Myron has been missing, a persistent caller 219 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:36,760 tells police that a well-known crack dealer was bragging about murdering and assaulting 220 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:37,760 a child. 221 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,840 The dealer had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and went to a bar near OK Fish 222 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:44,280 and Chips the night that Myron disappeared. 223 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:49,320 The dealer kidnapped, assaulted and murdered the child and buried him in his yard. 224 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:54,040 Police investigate this again and again, since it's so specific, but they can't confirm 225 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:55,040 any of the details. 226 00:13:55,040 --> 00:14:00,600 Ultimately, it turns out that this tipster was trying to get revenge on the dealer since 227 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,240 his ex-girlfriend had moved in with the dealer. 228 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,560 Sergeant John LaCarni says, quote, there's no chance he's right, end quote. 229 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:13,960 In 1997, this would be seven years Myron was missing, his grandmother passes away, but 230 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:19,740 the family continued to receive letters throughout the years talking about what had happened 231 00:14:19,740 --> 00:14:25,400 to Myron or where his body may be, and these letters are weird. 232 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:30,000 Ruthie, before she passed, originally began receiving the letters at her home. 233 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:35,720 They were always anonymous, no return address, but she did say that there was a South Texas 234 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:41,020 stamp on the envelope, but the letter says, quote, hello, I am not going to leave my name 235 00:14:41,020 --> 00:14:45,260 due to fear of what may happen to my mother who still lives in Phoenix, as what I have 236 00:14:45,260 --> 00:14:50,080 to say is the truth about some very bad soulless bastards, end quote. 237 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:58,100 In this letter, they call Myron Byron with a B, but they say that his disappearance is 238 00:14:58,100 --> 00:15:03,740 entangled with the Mexican mafia, and they ultimately point to two men who live in the 239 00:15:03,740 --> 00:15:10,480 neighborhood called Kiko and Uncle Tony and say that they are the ones that killed Myron. 240 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:15,160 The letter says, quote, now why isn't Phoenix police doing anything about it since about 241 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,140 a dozen people have come forth? 242 00:15:17,140 --> 00:15:21,760 The word on the street is that Kiko is a paid snitch working for them, end quote. 243 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,660 These letters keep coming mentioning Kiko and Uncle Tony. 244 00:15:25,660 --> 00:15:31,200 They mentioned vacant lots, and they mentioned places where chicken fights happen, all having 245 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,560 to do with Myron's disappearance. 246 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:41,000 But when Ruthie and Claude pass away and their daughter, Sandra, Myron's aunt, moves into 247 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:46,340 the home, the home that Myron was supposed to be headed to the evening he disappeared, 248 00:15:46,340 --> 00:15:51,680 the letters are no longer addressed to Ruthie, but they begin being addressed to Sandra. 249 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:57,280 So someone is at least watching the family enough to know to change who to address the 250 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:58,600 letters to. 251 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:05,120 The letters will ultimately say that these men killed Myron and fed his body to hogs, 252 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:09,760 and the letters always sign, quote, a friend, end quote. 253 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:14,320 In March of 2002, Debbie dies of cancer. 254 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:19,960 And while police say that she was not a suspect in this, her sister, Sandra, does believe 255 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,360 that she knew more than what she led on. 256 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,340 She says, quote, she knew something, end quote. 257 00:16:25,340 --> 00:16:32,040 And in May of 2002, so again, this is around 14 years Myron has been missing, police revealed 258 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:37,600 the only suspect they've ever had in the case, and that's Debbie's boyfriend, Geddes Mintz. 259 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,880 Geddes Mintz is a known cocaine dealer. 260 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:46,400 In the 1980s, he had been serving a seven-year sentence for aggravated assault, but was released 261 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,160 four months before Myron went missing. 262 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:55,600 Ultimately, he would be back in jail in March of 1989, which is seven months after Myron 263 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,040 went missing for attempted armed robbery. 264 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:03,640 And then as of today, of 2023, he is currently serving a sentence for second degree murder 265 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:10,400 after stabbing and killing his girlfriend and stabbing her mother who survived in 2009. 266 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,480 He will be released in 2043. 267 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:18,560 And he has never talked to investigators about Myron's disappearance. 268 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:24,840 But Mintz was one of the last people to see Myron in the parking lot the day that he disappeared. 269 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:29,960 Police theorize that Myron could have confronted Mintz about his drug use and him dating his 270 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:30,960 mom. 271 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:36,000 But it's also said that after Myron went missing, Mintz showed up with his arm in a sling, but 272 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,800 claimed it was from a dog bite. 273 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:43,960 Detective Bob Bernanski from the Phoenix PD, when asked what he thinks about what happened 274 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:48,080 to Myron, he says, quote, I think he's dead and I think he's buried somewhere not too 275 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,560 far from where he lived, end quote. 276 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:59,520 On Sunday, July 28, 2008, the family organized a candlelight vigil to mark the 20-year anniversary 277 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:01,120 of Myron missing. 278 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:05,500 The family is hopeful that at this point, someone will come forward that didn't want 279 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:07,280 to talk 20 years ago. 280 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:12,040 Sandra is quoted as saying, quote, it's awful living all these years without knowing. 281 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:13,580 We don't need names or anything. 282 00:18:13,580 --> 00:18:16,240 We just want to know what happened, end quote. 283 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:21,340 Police say, quote, there is no doubt in investigators' minds that somebody is out there, probably 284 00:18:21,340 --> 00:18:24,920 in the Phoenix area, that knows what happened to Myron, end quote. 285 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,120 And that's Sergeant Andy Hill of the Phoenix PD. 286 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:35,680 In October of 2016, so this would be 28 years Myron has been missing, three men come to 287 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:41,560 Sandra's door and one says, quote, my last name is Traylor and I'm here from Texas. 288 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,440 My mama told me I had a bunch of kinfolk out here. 289 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:45,440 Are you family? 290 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:46,440 End quote. 291 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:51,980 Sandra is nervous because there's three strange men on her doorstep and she's not wearing 292 00:18:51,980 --> 00:18:54,340 her glasses so she can't really see them. 293 00:18:54,340 --> 00:18:58,420 So she asked them if they will come back when other people are home. 294 00:18:58,420 --> 00:19:00,480 So the men leave, but they never come back. 295 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,920 And Sandra wonders if this could have been Myron. 296 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,720 She says, quote, I should have opened the door, right? 297 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:06,720 End quote. 298 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:11,480 But that is really all we know of what happened to Myron. 299 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:18,040 Again, police believe that somebody in Phoenix knows something about what happened to him. 300 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:23,440 And if you happen to know something about what happened to Myron in 1988, please call 301 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,880 the Phoenix police at 602-261-8042. 302 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:35,520 Again, the Phoenix police phone number is 602-261-8042. 303 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:41,980 And the sources for today's podcast come from the Arizona Republic and they really covered 304 00:19:41,980 --> 00:19:42,980 the story. 305 00:19:42,980 --> 00:19:46,940 I read over 20 articles from them about this case. 306 00:19:46,940 --> 00:19:50,820 So they really did an incredible job covering this over the years. 307 00:19:50,820 --> 00:20:00,280 The Arizona Daily Star, the Merced Sunstar, Uncovered.com, Phoenix New Times, and Wonderground.com. 308 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:01,920 So that's the story of Myron Traylor. 309 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:02,920 Wow. 310 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,480 Thank you so much for telling us about him. 311 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,320 He sounds like a really sweet kid. 312 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:09,400 Yeah. 313 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,880 Over and over again, that's just what I kept reading, that he was a good kid. 314 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:15,920 He wasn't into any trouble. 315 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,240 He just loved going to church. 316 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:19,240 That was his. 317 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:26,120 I will say though, and I know that in context maybe this doesn't matter, but even if he 318 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:32,680 was quote a bad kid, no one deserves to go missing or be murdered. 319 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,560 Even if he had been into, drug dealers are still people. 320 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,320 Yeah, of course. 321 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:47,040 So I was thinking about that as I was listening, knowing that it was written in the 80s. 322 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:54,120 Or even now, journalism, they really highlight, they try to highlight specific positives of 323 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:58,000 a person or really lay into the negatives. 324 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,920 They paint the picture or paint the narrative. 325 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:06,120 I just thought that was interesting in being a part of this podcast and reading so many 326 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:14,200 articles that have been written over expansive time periods that it never really changes 327 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,360 the way they choose to write about a person. 328 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:18,360 Yeah. 329 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:22,640 Either you're a good kid who went missing or a bad kid that ran away. 330 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:23,640 Yeah. 331 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:31,640 When you were talking about how the cops interacted with them, my first question initially, because 332 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:37,160 I haven't seen this person, was, was he a black child? 333 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:38,160 He is. 334 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:39,160 He is. 335 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:40,160 Okay. 336 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:47,360 But more often than not, when a young black child goes missing, the cop's reaction is 337 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:51,400 always like, oh, they probably just went to hang with a friend. 338 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:59,360 When the family explicitly tells you, I know my child and that is not the case. 339 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:04,160 From that moment, they seem to always get it wrong from that assumption. 340 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:09,360 That's what's heartbreaking is I've seen it and you've seen it. 341 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,920 Having an interest in true crime and cold cases. 342 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:13,920 Yeah. 343 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:16,320 You just see it over and over again. 344 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:21,240 That's usually the biggest mistake is the initial assumption and that it happens most 345 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:29,320 often with black children or BIPOC children or just marginalized people. 346 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:30,320 It's really sad. 347 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:31,320 Yeah. 348 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:36,240 The idea that black children are seen as adults. 349 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:37,240 Very cool. 350 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:38,240 Yeah. 351 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:39,440 The perception of black children. 352 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:40,440 Yeah. 353 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:45,600 I think from my most privileged standpoint, I can say is that it's heartbreaking to see 354 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,280 that happen, that that happens over and over again. 355 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:58,680 It's an institutionalized way of people seeing younger marginalized children. 356 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:03,400 I was actually very surprised with how quickly police- 357 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:09,640 That's the thing I was also going to say is that this also seemed like a rare case because 358 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:15,360 quickly after it started to pick up pace and they seemed to care quite a bit more in other 359 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:19,240 cases that we have both talked about and not on the podcast. 360 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:20,240 Totally. 361 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:21,240 Yeah. 362 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:26,580 That was actually when I started researching this case and I saw he was a young missing 363 00:23:26,580 --> 00:23:28,640 black child from the 80s. 364 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:33,760 I initially assumed, okay, police probably thought he was a runaway for a while and didn't 365 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:41,600 look into it, but the family was able to get police out there by 2 a.m. to take a report 366 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:46,560 where, we have talked about families where that took days to happen. 367 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:47,560 Yeah. 368 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:51,920 I had the double, almost double take where I was like, oh no, it's happening again. 369 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,320 I was like, wait, maybe it's not. 370 00:23:54,320 --> 00:24:00,600 Yeah, and of course we don't always know what investigators have and haven't done until 371 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,680 the case is closed. 372 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,960 Unfortunately, for us, we don't get access to all of that once. 373 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:07,960 Exactly. 374 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,520 We only get what's out there. 375 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:15,480 We can't truly know what the police did or didn't do in this case, especially very early 376 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:22,800 on in this critical first few hours, but I was surprised at how quickly they came out 377 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:28,280 and that the officers at the scene became concerned when they were taking the report, 378 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:35,640 even though there wasn't a scene or a lot of witnesses saying they had seen him be kidnapped. 379 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,760 They were like, something is wrong here. 380 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:38,760 Something is wrong. 381 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:39,760 Yeah. 382 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,360 This young child didn't just walk away. 383 00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:45,000 What do you think? 384 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:53,760 I'm very curious about the mother's ex-boyfriend because based off of his record, which I was 385 00:24:53,760 --> 00:25:01,880 able to look up and see everything, his crimes did get more violent. 386 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:08,560 It would seem to track, it would not surprise me if he, in this small break of time he was 387 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:16,120 out of prison, committed a crime, especially a violent crime considering he has a history 388 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:17,200 of it. 389 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:24,240 In 2009, he murdered his then-girlfriend and tried to murder her mother. 390 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:31,000 I will say too that it seemed like as time progressed, as distance was made from his 391 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:39,680 initial disappearance, it seems like, and I think this happens with most cases, the 392 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:46,200 detail and information and what might have happened became more muddled. 393 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:52,880 As more years passed, someone was like, oh, maybe this fact or this line of information. 394 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:57,840 It seems like they kind of got braided and confused together. 395 00:25:57,840 --> 00:25:58,840 Yeah. 396 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,240 There were a lot of rumors in this case. 397 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:07,520 Rumors that were being almost said as factual and then being pulled in as part of the timeline 398 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,600 of stuff that may have happened. 399 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,800 It sounded confusing towards the end. 400 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:14,800 Yeah. 401 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,560 It really is. 402 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:24,480 Police are kind of working under this idea that he was abducted and probably murdered 403 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:28,480 the night he disappeared, if not shortly thereafter. 404 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:35,640 But then the family has these strange occurrences, like the phone call or the multiple phone 405 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:40,440 calls of people either looking for him or maybe it was him. 406 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:41,440 Oh my God. 407 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,720 When you started talking about that, I was like, the stranger. 408 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:45,240 How they write to the house. 409 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:46,240 Oh, the watcher? 410 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:47,240 The watcher, yeah. 411 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:48,240 Yeah. 412 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:49,240 I actually did. 413 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:53,440 Then the letter, is that- The letters, yeah. 414 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,420 I don't know if that person was genuinely trying to be helpful or if they're just somebody 415 00:26:57,420 --> 00:27:05,160 who wants to wreak havoc on a family that's already going through a lot, which is fucked. 416 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:11,880 Sometimes people are unwell and it could have been a lot of things. 417 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:19,720 But the thing that really creeped me out or made me like, oh, this is yucky, is when the 418 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:24,680 person writing the letters, because they were persistent with their letter writing to Ruthie, 419 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,920 but when Ruthie died and Sandra moved in, they were like, okay, to Sandra. 420 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:28,920 Sandra, Sandra, Sandra. 421 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:35,480 So it's like somebody that was at least in the know with enough of the family was keeping 422 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:36,480 an eye- Close enough. 423 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:37,480 Yeah. 424 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:41,640 Either close to the family or watching the family or keeping an eye on the family. 425 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,080 But somebody was like, I'm following you. 426 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:45,080 That's what's scary. 427 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:46,080 Yeah. 428 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:51,640 Then I don't blame Sandra at all for these three men showing up and her being like, no, 429 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,320 you're not coming into my house. 430 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:55,320 Absolutely not. 431 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:56,320 100%. 432 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,760 I don't care what your mama said about you having family up here. 433 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:00,760 Come back later. 434 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,920 And the fact they didn't- If three random men ever show up at my door, 435 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,320 your door, the door will never be opened. 436 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,800 That's like cold hard fact. 437 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,840 I'm not opening the door if three random men come to my door. 438 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:13,840 Yeah. 439 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:14,840 They're saying they're family. 440 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:15,840 Yeah. 441 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:16,840 Like- I don't know you. 442 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:17,840 Yeah. 443 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,600 And then when they didn't come back, I'm like, oh, that's a little icky. 444 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:26,520 So yeah, I feel really bad for this family because I feel like they've had to endure 445 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:32,760 so many rumors, which I can't even imagine how that tugs at your emotions of like, he's 446 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,720 alive, he's not. 447 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,480 I can't even imagine. 448 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:46,200 So my heart really goes out to this family and just having to deal with stuff that could 449 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,640 not even be related because it's like that all just takes away from the main focus, which 450 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:51,200 is getting him home. 451 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:58,480 And maybe people with good intentions who are like, I heard this thing that maybe got 452 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:02,340 warped through the grapevine, but I heard this thing. 453 00:29:02,340 --> 00:29:03,340 Maybe it's true. 454 00:29:03,340 --> 00:29:04,340 So they go to the police with that. 455 00:29:04,340 --> 00:29:08,520 Like that is- I think that should be encouraged to go for it if you have heard something. 456 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:14,660 But the person who was just making up this dealer, because his ex-girlfriend had moved 457 00:29:14,660 --> 00:29:18,220 in with the dealer, so he was trying to get him arrested for this murder, that just takes 458 00:29:18,220 --> 00:29:25,560 away resources and time and plays with the family's emotions that they might get answers, 459 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:27,640 might not be what they want. 460 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,920 That's just so shitty. 461 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:30,920 Don't do that. 462 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:37,040 Again, if you know anything or have heard anything, we do encourage that if you have 463 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:43,640 heard anything, please call the Phoenix police at 602-261-8042. 464 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:50,520 But other than that, you can follow us on Instagram at Cold and Missing, where we will 465 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,760 be posting the graphics Eli makes. 466 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:59,680 The update new throughout the week of just basically everything that Ali covered and 467 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:04,240 a little bit more in-depth descriptions of what those things are. 468 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:07,240 Yeah, lots of pictures from the case. 469 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:13,560 And while you're there, the link in our bio, it has- we mentioned this last week, but the 470 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:21,400 GoFundMe for Faith, Tito J. Garcia-Quintanilla's wife, who's trying to raise money for a private 471 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,680 investigator to look into her husband's disappearance. 472 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,400 We talked about Tito in December recently. 473 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:28,580 Please go there. 474 00:30:28,580 --> 00:30:34,880 If you're unable to share or if you're unable to support financially, share in your communities 475 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:36,420 a lot. 476 00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:38,960 This family means so much to us and we really want- 477 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:44,400 Even just posting it on your story, it gets another, however many followers you have who 478 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,560 look through your story, it has eyes on it. 479 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:52,840 It does so much to just share. 480 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,760 It's totally cool if you can't donate, but if you feel inclined, please share it. 481 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,400 It's really helpful when you do. 482 00:30:58,400 --> 00:30:59,880 Yeah, so please share that. 483 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:04,280 You can find the link to that in the link in our bio on Instagram. 484 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:09,120 While you're in your podcast app, if you could go ahead and give us a five-star review if 485 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:14,560 you think we are so worthy of it or a thumbs up, a like. 486 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:16,440 You know what the metrics are. 487 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:21,000 If you're an Apple podcast, leaving us a written review, they go up on our fridge and we love 488 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:22,880 them, all of them. 489 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:28,680 Also, if you like what we're doing here and you want more of it, you can give us a little 490 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:31,200 tip at buy us a coffee. 491 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,760 Again, that's in the link in our bio on Instagram. 492 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:39,280 So if you feel so inclined, we've had people do that in the past for us and wow, you are 493 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,160 prayed for regularly in this home. 494 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:42,720 So thank you again. 495 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,960 If you have supported in the past or even thought about it, thank you. 496 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,960 I know inflation is high. 497 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:49,960 Money is tight. 498 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:54,240 So if you've been able to spare $5 our way, wow, you're a hero. 499 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:59,640 It's really helped us step up our recording quality and honestly, we're able to spend 500 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:06,320 more time dedicating our energy to this. 501 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:09,360 The generosity from the listeners is really helpful. 502 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:10,760 So thank you. 503 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:11,760 Thank you. 504 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,120 But that's all I have. 505 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:16,120 Thank you, Al. 506 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:17,120 Yeah. 507 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:19,120 Appreciate all your hard work as always. 508 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,400 So have a good week and stay safe, y'all. 509 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:34,280 Stay safe, y'all.