{"podcast":{"title":"Cold Case Files","slug":"cold-case-files-889639","podcast_index_feed_id":889639,"rss_url":"https://rss.pdrl.fm/ae0c22/podcastone.com/podcast?categoryID2=1119","website_url":"https://art19.com/shows/cold-case-files","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/4a/90/1a/13/4a901a13-f6fa-4a41-994c-4ec10364ef39/068ed52494c8b335791761c490dd5cf185fb7de067474e41119e3f4a9be50d1a2b274b1a40795c5307d764dd50e7bbd70f2d253d00ffc3f927103977ae5e2a0e.jpeg","author":"A&E / PodcastOne","episode_count":754,"summary":"Based on the iconic, Emmy-nominated series on A&E, this show explores some of the most difficult-to-solve murders, which stymied investigators and went cold, sometimes for decades. In fact, one-third of all murders in America remain open. But thanks to dogged investigators and breakthroughs in forensic technology, these cases become part of the rare 1% of cold cases that are ever solved. Cold Case Files is narrated by Marisa Pinson.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-14T06:20:41.139210+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-case-files-889639"},"episode":{"title":"Man in the Shadows / The Hitchhiker","slug":"man-in-the-shadows-the-hitchhiker","published_at":"2026-03-24T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-case-files-889639/man-in-the-shadows-the-hitchhiker","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-case-files-889639","url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/prfx.byspotify.com/e/claritaspod.com/measure/arttrk.com/p/PDPN1/pscrb.fm/rss/p/rss.art19.com/episodes/b0c6b50f-780c-4347-a8b3-175385073cd6.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/prfx.byspotify.com/e/claritaspod.com/measure/arttrk.com/p/PDPN1/pscrb.fm/rss/p/rss.art19.com/episodes/b0c6b50f-780c-4347-a8b3-175385073cd6.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"A DNA backlog failure allowed a prolific serial rapist to continue terrorizing Ohio for years. Investigators also use a single cigarette butt to solve a decades-old murder involving a mysterious hitchhiker.","meta_description":"Explore how DNA backlogs and a discarded cigarette butt helped solve two chilling cold cases in Ohio and California.","key_points":["Failure mode: A three-year DNA processing backlog allowed Robert Patton to remain at large and commit dozens of additional assaults","Main idea: Forensic evidence like a single cigarette butt can provide the breakthrough needed to solve decades-old homicides","Practical takeaway: Interrogators used the leverage of parole hearings to secure a confession from a suspect in a 1975 murder","Main idea: DNA profiling is only as effective as the database indexing and processing speed of local law enforcement","Failure mode: Traumatic events can prevent victims from providing detailed physical descriptions, complicating early investigations"],"chapters":[{"start_ms":60000,"title":"The Linden Area Attacks","summary":"A survivor recounts a violent home invasion in Columbus, Ohio, marking the start of a series of targeted sexual assaults."},{"start_ms":450000,"title":"The DNA Breakthrough","summary":"Investigators link multiple crime scenes through DNA analysis, despite significant challenges with witness descriptions."},{"start_ms":1250000,"title":"The Confession of Robert Patton","summary":"After a massive backlog in DNA testing, a suspect voluntarily confesses to a 17-year spree of sexual assaults."},{"start_ms":1900000,"title":"The Hitchhiker's Murder","summary":"Detectives revisit the unsolved 1975 murder of Jerry Sullivan, searching for any new forensic leads."},{"start_ms":2300000,"title":"Leveraging the Parole Board","summary":"Investigators use the threat of parole denial to pressure a suspect into revealing details about a long-cold homicide."},{"start_ms":2520000,"title":"The Cigarette Butt Evidence","summary":"A microscopic piece of trace evidence leads to the identification and confession of a killer decades after the crime."}],"topics":["Cold Cases","DNA Forensics","Serial Rapist","Criminal Investigation","Homicide","Ohio Crime","Police Interrogation","Forensic Science"],"duration_seconds":2713,"processing_state":"processed","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cold-case-files-889639/episodes/man-in-the-shadows-the-hitchhiker/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-case-files-889639/man-in-the-shadows-the-hitchhiker.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}