The Murder of Myrtle Anne Etheridge

The Murder of Myrtle Anne Etheridge

Author: TTC Productions April 20, 2026 Duration: 31:32
In 1971, 19-year-old Myrtle Anne Etheridge vanished from her Plano apartment complex while doing laundry; barefoot, in the cold, and gone within minutes. Days later, her body was found in a remote drainage area, bound and stabbed, left in a place meant to hide her. Her killer has never been identified.

Four years later and a thousand miles away, her cousin, Paula Diane Etheridge, disappeared under eerily similar circumstances. Also last seen doing laundry, Paula was abducted in broad daylight in Okeechobee, Florida. Witnesses later described seeing a violent struggle inside a moving car.

Unlike Anne’s, Paula’s case didn’t stay unsolved.

Investigators quickly focused on David Ross Delap, a local man with a violent past who moved in the same circles as Paula. After hours of questioning and mounting evidence, Delap led authorities to Paula’s body. He was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death not once, but twice.

Two women from the same family and the same generation.

Both taken while doing something routine.

One case solved and one case forgotten by the public.

If you have any information about the murder of Myrtle Anne Etheridge, please contact the Plano Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit at (972) 941-2148.

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

#JusticeForMyrtleAnneEtheridge #Plano #Dallas #TX #Texas #TrueCrime #TexasTrueCrime #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #Podcast #ColdCase #Unsolved #MissingPerson #Missing #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #UnsolvedMysteries #Homicide #CrimeStories #PodcastRecommendations #CrimeJunkie #MysteryPodcast

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 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…
The Disappearance of Kathleen Ranft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 t…
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…