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
The Murder of Linda Jane Phillips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:16
In August 1970, 26-year-old schoolteacher Linda Jane Phillips, daughter of Kaufman County School Superintendent Jimmy Phillips, vanished while driving home from a Dallas wedding party. Two days later, her mutilated body…
The Abduction and Murder of Jennifer Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:17
In the early hours of June 23, 1985, fourteen-year-old Jennifer Leigh Day opened Preston Road Donuts in North Dallas for her usual Sunday shift. She brewed the coffee, stocked the shelves, and rang up her last customer a…
The Torso Murders Part 3: Fort Bend County & Room 636 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:17
In June 1964, a Fort Bend County farmer discovered a headless, handless torso in a roadside ditch — a killing so cleanly done that investigators said only someone trained in anatomy could have done it. Sheriff “Tiny” Gas…
The Torso Murders Part 2: San Jacinto County [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:47
Three years after a suitcase containing a man’s torso surfaced in the Rio Grande near El Paso, another horror emerged—this time in the pine woods of East Texas. On February 3, 1962, two brothers seining minnows in a road…
The Torso Murders Part 1: El Paso County [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:53
In June of 1959, a fisherman on the Rio Grande west of El Paso pulled a black suitcase from the slow, muddy current near Montoya, Texas. Inside was a headless, handless torso — mutilated, skinned, and wrapped in the prev…
Brush Girl: The Murder of April Dawn Lacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:41
In October 1996, a rancher in rural Wise County, Texas, stumbled on a body hidden in a brush pile. For over two years she was known only as “Brush Girl,” a Jane Doe with no name, no identity, and no justice. Eventually,…
The Murders of Mary Hooper and Emmett Lynch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:35
In October 1987, a visiting nurse walked into a Tyler, Texas duplex and discovered a scene of unimaginable violence. Fifty-seven-year-old Mary Hooper, confined to a wheelchair after a long battle with illness, had been b…
The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 3: Running Out of Road [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:45
Most disappearances leave echoes—missing persons flyers, TV reports, police pleas for tips. But when James Robert “Jimmy” Farenthold vanished in the spring of 1989, there was only silence. No bulletin. No headlines. No p…
The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 2: The Death of Randy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:33
On June 6, 1972, the Gulf of Mexico gave back one of its secrets. The body of Randolph “Randy” Farenthold, 32 years old, oil money in his veins, and gambling smoke in his lungs, washed ashore on Mustang Island. His hands…
The Disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold Part 1: Oil, Power, and Secrets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:34
Texas dynasties are remembered for oil, ranching, and politics. Their names are carved into courthouses and campuses—but behind the polished legacy of the Farenthold family lies a darker story. In this first part of our…