The Disappearance of Kathleen Ranft

The Disappearance of Kathleen Ranft

Author: TTC Productions October 13, 2025 Duration: 28:52
On April 5, 1985, 29-year-old Kathleen “Kathy” Ranft finished her shift at Lippe Tire Center in Seguin, Texas, and headed into the weekend. She was in the middle of a separation, moving into a new apartment, and trying to build a fresh start for herself and her three sons. That night, Kathy was supposed to meet friends at the Country Cabaret, a small nightclub off FM 467. She never made it.

The next morning, her 1980 Chevy Citation was found in the club’s parking lot. Inside were two cigarette butts and a child’s wristwatch. Back at her apartment, her purse and makeup sat untouched, but her wallet and keys were gone. Kathy was never seen again.

In the weeks that followed, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office chased leads that led nowhere. Investigators even called in a Dallas psychic, who led deputies and reporters to dig the clay pits of Acme Brick, where Kathy’s estranged husband worked. The spectacle drew headlines but uncovered nothing.

Decades later, Kathy’s disappearance remains Guadalupe County’s most haunting cold case. With no suspects, little evidence, and only painful silence, her family has spent nearly forty years waiting for answers.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Kathleen Ranft, please contact the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office at (830) 379-1224 or Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers at (877) 403-TIPS.

Sources: The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, The Wichita Falls Times, The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, The San Antonio Express-News, KTSX.com, FoxSanAntonio.com, SeguinToday.com

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

#WhereIsKathyRanft #JusticeForKathyRanft #Seguin #SanAntonio #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #MissingPerson #Missing #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeDocs #InvestigationDiscovery #PodcastAddict #TrueCrimeFan #CriminalJustice #ForensicFiles


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

The stories that haunt a community often linger long after the headlines fade, waiting for someone to listen. Gone Cold-Texas True Crime is a podcast dedicated to those unresolved narratives, focusing specifically on the vast and complex landscape of Texas. Each episode delves into a different mystery, from long-unsolved homicides and disappearances that have left families searching for decades to other enigmatic cases that have stubbornly resisted explanation. The sheer size and diverse history of Texas provide a unique backdrop for these investigations, where details can be as sprawling as the state itself. Produced by TTC Productions, this series approaches each case with a focus on the facts and the human stories at their core, avoiding sensationalism in favor of thoughtful examination. When you listen, you’ll hear a detailed recounting of events, often including what is known about the individuals involved and the investigative paths that were followed, all while considering the questions that remain unanswered. This podcast serves as an audio record for cases that deserve renewed attention, exploring the lingering impact on communities and the hope that new information might still emerge. It’s for those drawn to the intricacies of real-life mysteries and the understanding that some of the most compelling stories are those without an ending.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Gone Cold - Texas True Crime
Podcast Episodes
Amber Hagerman Part 3: Found [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:52
On the evening of Wednesday, January 17th, 1996, a cold front in North Texas brought in a major thunderstorm system. Arlington, Texas got drenched. At about 11:30 PM, when the rain stopped, a Forest Ridge Apartments resi…
Amber Hagerman Part 2: The Search [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:20
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 opera…
Amber Hagerman Part 1: The Abduction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:17
When Amber Hagerman was born, her parents’ relationship was still relatively new. In spite of the many challenges her mom Donna faced, particularly after becoming a single mother, Amber and her brother Ricky were happy w…
Amber Hagerman Prologue: The Amber Plan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:50
Within a year of the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, several vastly differing factors came together to create the Amber Plan, known today as the Amber Alert. From the idea of a concerned parent who mou…
The Slaying of Eula “Kay” Miller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:14
In July 1970, the body of 26-year-old Eula Mae “Kay” Miller was discovered inside her apartment at the Hilltop Apartments in Odessa, Texas. What initially appeared quiet and undisturbed soon revealed a brutal killing, on…
The Mysterious Death or Disappearance of Texas Oilman Ed Baker Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:58
After the discovery of the burnt car that belonged to millionaire Houston oilman Ed Baker, speculation was abound. Though the medical examiner finally ruled that the body found inside was indeed Edward Gerald Baker’s, so…
Introducing: Below the Surface from AbJack Entertainment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:12
Below the Surface is a true crime podcast covering a variety of strange and bizarre cases with one common theme; a water connection. The show features both solved and unsolved cases, some of which are well known, while o…
The Mysterious Death or Disappearance of Texas Oilman Ed Baker Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:15
In November of 1985, rice farmers harvesting crops just north of the Texas small town of Katy found the smoldering remains of a car in one of the fields. Inside the vehicle, Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies found a badly…
No Trace: The Disappearances of Pamela and Michael Mayfield [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:00
In January of 1985, siblings Michael and Pamela Mayfield were last seen getting into a vehicle willfully on their way home from school. The six-year-old and five-year-old, respectively, were never seen again. Efforts to…
The Coldblooded Killing of Leslye Koon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:22
On January 24th, 1969, one of Gregg County, Texas’s most cold-blooded and savage murders occurred: that of 17-year-old Longview High School senior Leslye Dian Koon. The slaying prompted one of the city’s most extensive a…