Cold Case Files - Man's Best Friend

Episode Date: May 21, 2024

A 911 call for a house on fire leads to the discovery of a dead body in the home and the remains of the occupants dog in a shed outback. 6 years after the case had gone cold, DNA evidence from man’s best friend gives investigators the proof they need. Hydrow: Head over to Hydrow.com and use code COLDCASE to save up to five hundred dollars! Progressive: Progressive.com  Rosetta Stone: Cold Case Files listeners can get Rosetta Stone’s lifetime membership for 50% off when you go to RosettaStone.com/coldcase Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at Shopify.com/coldcase and take your retail business to the next level today! ZocDoc: Check out Zocdoc.com/CCF and download the Zocdoc app for free!

Hi, it's Kellyanne Conway. And I'm David Plouffe, and we have some surprising news. We're teaming up for a brand new podcast, The Campaign Managers. I know what you're thinking. Why would Plouffe and Kellyanne do this? Because frankly, Kellyanne, we disagree on just about every issue,

except about what it takes to win a presidential campaign. Kellyanne ran Donald Trump's campaign. I ran Barack Obama's campaign. We understand things like early vote. We understand how to leverage an opportunity and how to play defense when you've made a mistake. 2024 is an election like none other. And David Plouffe and I are going to take you

behind the scenes like no one else can. We're going to lean into our one-of-a-kind experiences, really educate our listeners about what to keep an eye on, and discuss the current strategies and tactics that both campaigns are deploying on the campaign trail. We're going to disagree. We're going to dissent, but we're going to deliver. You won't want to miss this unique pairing. Join us by listening to the campaign managers with Kellyanne Conway and David Plouffe.

The first episode is out May 22nd, available wherever you get your podcasts. This program contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. From A&E, this is northeast of Vancouver, in the shadow of the Monashee Mountain Range, sits the town of Vernon, British Columbia. At a little after 7 p.m. on Friday, the local fire department takes a 911 call. 911 emergency, do you need a police fire or ambulance? There's been a fire in Dan Schroeder's house

By the time firefighters arrive, the blaze actually has put itself out Fire inspector Daniel Lemieux works the scene The interesting thing was that the heat from that fire Caused a copper water line overhead to separate And water sprayed out of the water line And put the fire out In the cellar, Lem and put the fire out. In the cellar, Lemieux finds the fire's point of origin.

Nearby, he discovers a burnt match, strong evidence of arson. Whoever set that fire was trying to destroy whatever evidence was there and make it very difficult for the fire investigators. Upstairs, they discover the reason why. Amidst the debris, they find the home's occupant, 81-year-old Dan Schrader, apparently beaten to death before the fire ever started. At the scene was Corporal Wayne Leatherdale of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The victim's lying on a bed in the living room. He was covered with a sleeping bag. There was some obvious injuries to his head. The one that we feel that actually killed him was just above the, I believe it was the left side in the temple area of the skull. In a shed outside, police find a second body. This one not human. Following some footprints outside, they also found the victim's dog, Chico,

who had been killed and left in a plastic bag in the shed. As police sift through the ashes, they also get a glimpse of Dan Schrader's life, one at the end of its cycle. One edged in loneliness. Daniel Schrader was a pensioner. He was handicapped in that he basically spent most of his time in a wheelchair to get around. The residence was a little bit unkept and he probably could have used more help in that regard. For over 20 years, Dan Schrader had called this bungalow home. Living alone with a dog, the 81-year-old had become an easy mark for the neighborhood's predators. Chief among them, 33-year-old Billy Faulkner, a local with a long arrest record. There were records of a lot of altercations, picking fights, being drunk, cruelty to animals,

rolling old people in the park for money. Right away I thought it was Billy. Right away. Josie Cesari was one of Dan Schrader's closest friends. She also knew more than she wanted of Billy Faulkner. They always fought. Because Billy fights with everybody. He wanted alcohol from people. He'd take their food, he'd steal.

And he was just plain violent. On the night Schrader was killed, Josie paid him a visit. She tells police while she was there, Faulkner stopped by. He said to me he was coming in to sit down and I said no you're not and he was sort of standing like that and I pushed him on his shoulder back and I just slammed the door closed. According to Cesari, that night Schrader lay flat on his bed foretelling of his own demise and who would do the deed. He said that Billy, then he said it was Billy was coming,

and he was going to kill him. He was threatening to kill him. Detectives wonder if Billy Faulkner, a small-time hustler, has possibly graduated to murder. As they work the crime scene, the case against him begins to take shape. Within the hour, homicide investigators process the Schrader crime scene. Lying next to the body, they find what appears to be the murder weapon, a hammer splattered

with blood. Nearby they discover a red baseball cap. An officer recognizes it as belonging to Faulkner. They track their suspect across town to his mother's house. Billy always had a habit of going back to his mother's home when he was down and out. They asked me if Billy was around, and I said no. I says, why? What's going on? And they says, well, they said we just want to talk to him about something. Pat Faulkner tells police her son changed clothes at her house

and then left behind a pair of jeans. They asked me where his pants were, and I said, well, they're in the garbage because, you know, that's where they should have been really anyway. They seized the jeans at that time, and they noticed the jeans had bloodstains on them. A pair of jeans stained with blood. Threats leveled against the victim shortly before his death,

and the suspect's baseball hat found a few feet from the corpse. The case against Faulkner is laying out nicely. Investigators decide to give their suspect an opportunity to explain why he should not be charged with murder. The next day at the Vernon Police Department, police bring Faulkner in for questioning. From the beginning, there are problems. You know exactly what happened in that house. And you know exactly what happened with Dan.

No, I don't know. You sure do know. You know exactly what you were doing and what happened. Billy, his mind was not very clear. You could see, you could get him to a point, and then it just seemed like it went blank on him. Whether he was blanking it out or whether it was just the way he was because of all the alcohol and everything else he consumed, we're not sure.

Why aren't you trying to do something for yourself today? Because if I didn't murder somebody else, then... Faulkner's incoherence makes it difficult to construct a case against him. Detectives turn to the suspect's

bloodstained genes. In 1991, DNA testing is not yet available. Serology tests to determine blood types are conducted. The results are inconclusive. Then the case suffers a second blow in the form of the pathologist's report. At the time, he didn't really want to give a time of death, but some pressure was put to bear on him, and he kind of gave a time that was relied on somewhat. The report estimates Schrader's time of death as sometime between noon and 2 p.m. on the day of the fire. Billy Faulkner was at his mother's house during that time period. Suddenly, a murder

investigation is fresh out of suspects. Now, we have to satisfy Crown Council in British Columbia that there's enough evidence there to facilitate a conviction. In this case, back in 1991, and for the period afterwards, there wasn't enough evidence at the time. With Faulkner out of the picture and no fresh leads, the pace of the investigation slows. Eventually, the case goes cold, but not forgotten. The only thing that really motivated

me was the fact that I knew we still had this blood evidence that may come into play somewhere down the road. The possibility was still there to maybe place him at the crime scene. Watson and Holmes, Cagney and Lacey, the Hardy Boys. What about the perfect partners when it comes to growing your business? That's you and Shopify. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the launch your online shop stage to the first real life store stage, all the way to the did we just hit a million dollars stage? Shopify is there to help you grow. Whether you're selling sleuthing supplies or marketing mystery merch, Shopify helps you sell everywhere from their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system. Wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered.

Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the internet's best converting checkout, up to 36% better compared to other leading e-commerce platforms, and sell more with less effort thanks to Shopify Magic, your AI-powered all-star. The best thing about Shopify is no matter how big you want to grow, Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S. and Shopify is the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and millions of other entrepreneurs of every size across 175 countries. Plus, Shopify has extensive help. Resources are there to support your success every

step of the way because businesses that grow, grow with Shopify. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash cold case, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash cold case now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. Shopify.com slash coldcase. My daughter has been learning Spanish at school and showing off all the new words she's learned. To help her continue practicing, I've been taking Spanish lessons on Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone is the most trusted language learning program available on desktop or as an app

that truly immerses you in the language you wanna learn. It's been a trusted expert for 30 years with millions of users and 25 languages offered. The immersion helps you pick up the language quickly and the process is so intuitive. It helps you pick up a language naturally, first with words, then phrases, then sentences, and is designed for long-term retention.

It's been great learning new words and phrases to help my daughter with her own lessons. As you're learning and practicing, the built-in true accent feature gives you feedback on your pronunciation. It's like having a personal trainer for your accent and it's convenient. There are desktop and app options with an audio companion and even the ability to download lessons offline so you can practice anywhere. On top of all that, the Lifetime membership has all 25 languages for any and all trips and language needs you may have throughout your life. That's lifetime access to all 25 language courses Rosetta Stone

offers for 50% off a steal. Don't put off learning that new language. There's no better time than right now to get started. For a very limited time, Cold Case Files listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off. Visit www.rosettastone.com slash cold case. That's 50% off unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your life. Redeem your 50% off at www.rosettastone.com slash cold case today. I've just come back from vacation with my family in Florida. And before I left, I wanted to look and feel my best for the trip. Getting in shape was so much easier with the hydro rower. It's my go-to for the ultimate full body workout. It works 86% of your muscles. I'm talking arms, legs, and core, and it only takes 20 minutes. I mean, it's designed by rowers. You

know, it's going to get the job done all in 20 minutes. Rowing on my hydro is a breeze on my body. Super low impact, which means minimal risk of injury. Every workout leaves me feeling fantastic. All hydro workouts are led by Olympians and world-class athletes. They're top tier coaches. No matter your fitness level, whether you're an athlete or just starting out, they've got you covered. And what's really cool.

Hydro workouts are filmed all over the world outside, not stuck in some studio. I have two children, which means I don't always have a lot of free time. So for me, the best thing about Hydro is how convenient it is. I can hop on for just 20 minutes while the kids are playing, and it makes a huge difference in my day. After a workout, I have more energy for the rest of the day, and it really boosts my mood. And Hydro ships for free with a 30-day risk-free trial and a one-year warranty. So you have nothing to lose by trying it for yourself. Be your best by joining the growing rowing community

at Hydro. Head over to hydro.com and use code coldcase to save up to $775 off your Hydro. That's H-Y-D-R-O-W.com, code coldcase, to save up to $775. Hydro dot com code coldcase. It's January 1997 in Vernon, British Columbia. It's been six years since firefighters first answered a call at 4106 26th Street.

Inside the home, they found a fire already extinguished and a body. 81-year-old Dan Schrader beaten to death sometime before the fire started. In a shed outside, they found Schrader's dog also beaten to death. In 1991, the investigation centered on a local man, Billy Faulkner. That suspect, however, offered a solid alibi for the time period during which police believe Schrader was killed. Six years later, cold case detectives wonder if that time period established by the original pathology report might not be an error.

It seemed very clear that, and from reading the reports in the fall, that that really wasn't taken into account at the time. The amount of heat that reading the reports in the fall, that that really wasn't taken into account at the time. The amount of heat that would have been in the house, how long the house would have been superheated, and how that would have affected the body temperature. Coroners typically determine time of death by measuring the rate at which a body cools. Leatherdale believes the fire in Dan Trader's house might have artificially raised the temperature of his body. If that factor had not been accounted for, it could conceivably have thrown off the time of death by hours. When we went back and spoke to the coroner, the substitute coroner at the time, who had taken the body temperature, he readily admitted that no, that wasn't a consideration

and would have a great effect on the time of death. The coroner's revised findings tie Schrader's death to the time the fire started in his house. That time, however, is unknown since the blaze suppressed itself before firefighters arrived. Cold case detectives returned to a video of the crime scene in the hopes of pinning down the exact time the fire in Dan Trader's house was set. It's February 13th, 1997 at RCMP Forensic Laboratory. Annette Lith is a forensic imaging technologist for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She's asked to review the video of the crime scene,

and specifically a starburst clock on the wall. After viewing the videocassette, I grabbed a number of frames, and this is the frame that was grabbed from four minutes into the video. In this case, what was interesting was the clocks. We had to determine if we could tell if the clocks were stopped. If Lith can determine this clock had stopped, it will give cold case detectives an exact time that the power went out in Dan Schrader's house and therefore pinpoint the time of the fire.

What we have here is on the left-hand side, we have the video frame that was grabbed from four minutes into the video. And on the right over here, we have a video frame that was grabbed 30 minutes into the video cassette, and it's a close-up of the Starburst clock. And as you can see, it would appear the hands of the clock have not changed.

The time on the clock reads 6-12. This evidence, coupled with the coroner's revised report, puts Dan Schrader's time of death at around 6 a.m. on the morning of January 18, 1991, almost six hours earlier than previously thought. At a time period for which Billy Faulkner has no good alibi, he once again becomes a focus of the investigation. To build their case against Faulkner, cold case detectives return to their best piece of physical evidence, a pair of the suspect's genes stained with blood and found in the garbage outside his home. In 1991, serology tests on the genes were inconclusive. In 1997, the detectives believed DNA can give them a definitive answer.

I kept in contact with the lab and he said, yes, we have this system down and we're going to do an examination, a re-examination on the evidence that we had forged with him. DNA establishes that the blood on Faulkner's clothing belongs to Daniel Schrader. Faulkner, however, had lived in Schrader's house prior to the old man's death, a fact the suspect could use to explain away the blood. It gave some form of excuse or some doubt to the accused where they could have said, well, Dan cut himself on opening up a tin can and some blood got on my jeans and that's how his blood got there. Cold case detectives need more before they can charge Faulkner. They return to the DNA reports submitted on the genes. Buried in the test results, they notice an oddity.

There was also a foreign specimen, which appeared to be more than likely the dog blood or canine blood. Dog blood intermingled on Faulkner's genes with the victim's. Detectives take this information to California, in a DNA lab that specializes in animals. Just outside Sacramento sits the Zujin Lab, the cutting edge in DNA testing on non-human blood. There's a particular kind of genetic marker that you need to use when you're testing animals instead of humans. And we had developed these markers not so much for forensics as for testing purebred dogs for the dog registry organizations like the American Cattle Club.

In 1991, detectives had taken blood samples from Schrader's dog Chico as part of their original investigation. Six years later, their foresight allows cold case detectives to compare Chico's blood against the unknown animal blood on Faulkner's jeans. The result is a perfect match. The chance that the blood on the suspect's jeans had come from a dog other than the dog that was the victim in this crime was about 1 in 300 billion. It's pretty convincing. Detectives believe the mixture of dog and human blood on Faulkner's jeans will be all but impossible to explain away. At the time, it was a big, big lift because I said, yes, we've got him now.

We have the evidence to proceed with a charge against him. With the animal blood and the fact that it did compare to the victim's dog, it drove it over the threshold and was enough to delay the criminal charge. The team returns to Vernon, British Columbia, and a final piece of evidence that completes the forensic picture. Are you that one friend in the friend group that loves to treat yourself? It's okay, honestly, we all do it. You know, you get a pedicure and opt for the extra 10-minute foot massage with green tea infused lotion, or refuse to make coffee at home

because that fancy coffee shop is right downstairs. Well, if you treat yourself to the top options with everything in life, why settle when finding a doctor? It's your health after all. Enter ZocDoc, the place where you can find and book tens of thousands of top tier doctors, all with verified patient reviews. With ZocDoc, you've got more options than you know. ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare highly rated in-network doctors near you and instantly book appointments with them online. Once you find the doctor you want, you can book them immediately. No more waiting awkwardly on hold with the receptionist. And these doctors all have verified reviews from actual real patients. You can filter specifically for ones

who take your insurance, are located near you, and treat basically any condition you're searching for. The typical wait time to see a doctor booked on ZocDoc is between just 24 and 72 hours. That's it. You can even score same-day appointments. I recently needed to make a dermatologist appointment just for an annual checkup, and I used ZocDoc to find a highly rated dermatologist that took my insurance and was able to book an appointment online in a matter of minutes. I loved seeing that I could see real reviews from real patients, so I knew that I was in excellent hands. Go to ZocDoc.com slash CCF and download the ZocDoc app for free. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C dot com slash CCF. ZocDoc.com slash CCF. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Hey, Cold Case Files listeners. Whether you love true crime or comedies, celebrity interviews, news, or even motivational

speakers, you call the shots on what's in your podcast queue, right? And guess what? Now you can call the shots on your auto insurance too. Enter the Name Your Price tool from Progressive. The Name Your Price tool puts you in charge of your auto insurance by working just the way it sounds. You tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance. Then they'll show you a variety of coverages that fit within your budget, giving you options. Now that's something you'll want to press play on. It's easy to start a quote, and you'll be able to choose the best option for you, fast. It's just one of the

many ways you can save with Progressive Insurance. Quote today at Progressive.com to try the Name Your Price tool for yourself and join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company & Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Stream your favorite drama movies and TV shows on Pluto TV. All for free. Watch all your favorite crime dramas like CSI and Blue Bloods or your favorite action dramas

like Breaking Bad on Stories by AMC or The Walking Dead Universe. Plus, Pluto TV has hundreds of drama movies and TV shows. Download Pluto TV on all your favorite devices for free. Pluto TV, stream now, pay never. In 1991, the killing ground inside Dan Trader's house

measured approximately 12 feet by 6. The walls and floor were covered in a mixture of dog and human blood. To complete their cold case, detectives turned to an examination of these bloodstained patterns, hoping they will provide the how and why of the murder. There was blood splatter evidence in and around the victim's wheelchair that he'd been sitting in. There was blood splatter on the fireplace. Later it was determined that some of that blood splatter was from injuries that the dog sustained. Blood splatter analysis takes Chico out from the shed where his body was found and

into his master's house the night of the attack. Cold case detectives think they know why. My own theory was that somehow the dog came into play, possibly yapping at Billy, and Billy got upset with the dog and ended up doing the dog in, and then Schrader got upset and Billy carried on from there, but that's just one theory. Josephine Cesare's experience backs up this theory. If you looked like you were going to attack Dan in any way, even in fun, we did it many times just to see what Chico would do. She would go in between you and the wheelchair. She would be there to protect Dan. In September of 1997, Billy Faulkner pleads guilty to manslaughter and is

sentenced to a maximum term of 10 years. Six years after the fact, a case of murder is finally cleared thanks to DNA technology and man's best friend, who led cold case detectives to his master's killer. Chico saved him so many times, and then Chico's the one that brings the killer. You know, that's what I... Like, I can just see that dog.

You know, it was like he gave his life for his master, but solved it in the end for him. Cold Case Files is hosted by Marissa Pinson, produced by Jeff DeRay, and distributed by Podcast One. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and hosted by Bill Curtis. Check out more Cold Case Files at anetv.com. Stream your favorite drama movies and TV shows on Pluto TV, all for free.

Watch all your favorite crime dramas like CSI and Blue Bloods, or your favorite action dramas like Breaking Bad on Stories by AMC or The Walking Dead Universe. Plus, Pluto TV has hundreds of drama movies and TV shows. Download Pluto TV on all your favorite devices for free. Pluto TV.

Stream now. Pay never.