The Slaying of Carolyn Kolas

The Slaying of Carolyn Kolas

Author: TTC Productions March 23, 2026 Duration: 29:41
On May 27, 1995, 41-year-old Carolyn Kolas left her Midland home for one of her regular morning walks and never returned. A few hours later, her body was found in an alley off West Ohio Avenue, just blocks from home. She had been brutally attacked in a case that shocked Midland, not only for its violence, but because Carolyn had been taken while doing something so ordinary and so familiar. It left an entire neighborhood unsettled.

Carolyn was a wife, a mother of two, a student, and a woman in the middle of changing her life. After serious health concerns, she had quit smoking, lost a significant amount of weight, and committed herself to a strict walking routine while working toward becoming a certified nurse’s aide. But as investigators searched for the person who killed her, the case grew more complicated. Early attention focused on the possibility of a stranger attack. Later, police publicly identified her husband, Daniel Kolas, as their prime suspect. Still, despite reward offers, grand jury review, and years of unanswered questions, no one was ever charged.

Three decades later, Carolyn Kolas’s murder remains unsolved, a case shaped by missing evidence, shifting suspicion, and the lingering hope that someone, somewhere, still holds the piece that could finally bring answers.

If you have any information about the murder of Carolyn Glynn Kolas, please contact Midland Crime Stoppers at (432)694-8477.

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

#JusticeForCarolynKolas #Midland #MidlandCounty #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…