November 15, 1971. Galveston, Texas. 15-year old Debbie Ackerman and 15-year old Maria Johnson are seen climbing into a white van outside an ice cream shop, but they never return home. Days later, the girls’ bodies are found in a bayou and they are bound, nude from the waist down and have been shot to death. After several decades, a convicted murderer named Edward Harold Bell sends out letters in which he confesses to having killed Debbie and Maria. Bell also claims to be responsible for eleven murders which occurred in Texas during the 1970s and refers to the victims as “The Eleven Who Went to Heaven”, but no conclusive evidence ever links him to these crimes. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” releases the conclusion of our extensive two-part anniversary episode on the murders of eleven female victims known as “The Eleven Who Went to Heaven”: 15-year old Debbie Ackerman, 15-year old Maria Johnson, 14-year old Rhonda Renee Johnson, 13-year old Sharon Shaw, 13-year old Colette Wilson, 19-year old Gloria Gonzales, 12-year old Brooks Bracewell, 14-year old Georgia Geer, 14-year old Brenda Jones, 16-year old Kimberley Pitchford and 12-year old Suzanne Bowers.
Additional Reading:
“The Eleven” Series on the A&E Network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Harold_Bell
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Edward_Bell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Rhonda_Johnson_and_Sharon_Shaw
https://abc13.com/archive/8269239/
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Some-suspect-serial-killer-in-1971-Galveston-2078025.php
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Confessions-of-a-cold-blooded-killer-2187501.php
“Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption of the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields” by Kathryn Casey
https://nypost.com/2017/10/18/killer-who-claims-he-murdered-11-girls-may-have-lied-documentary/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-killer-s-death-leaves-unanswered-13783107.php#photo-17259855
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2019/04/22/330217/possible-serial-killer-dies-in-texas-prison/
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
“The Trail Went Cold” is doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.
“The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Tower Bridge, Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on June 10-11, 2023, as well as “Crimecon” at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on September 22-24, 2023. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD23”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk or https://www.crimecon.com.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 269 – Theodore Kampf & Patrick Rosner
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 268 – Ray Gricar
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 267 – Elizabeth Eisel & Katherine Lowery
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 266 – Jocelyn Hickenlooper
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 265 – The Alcatraz Escape (Part 2)
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 264 – The Alcatraz Escape (Part 1)
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 263 – Cassandra Rundle, Detrick Sturm & Melanie Sturm
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 262 – Jack Wheeler
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 261 – Gracie Nash & John Davis Jr.
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 260 – Kristen Modafferi
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 259 – Laurie Depies
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 258 – Shane Stewart & Sally McNelly
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 257 – Update, Part 2
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 256 – Mary Elizabeth Edens
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 255 – Colleen Wood
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 254 – Derrick Engebretson & Kurt Newton
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 253 – Kathy Page
The Trail Went Cold – Bonus Episode – Kay Hall
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 252 – The Jamison Family
The Trail Went Cold – Episode 251 – Sandra Kay Baker
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