"She is just 17 years old and works at the store part time. And whatever happened to Tracy, it was violent. I mean, there is blood everywhere." — Brett
"My source material never brings it up again. So I don't know if he was concerned by that or if there's some context that we're missing because I'm certainly concerned about it, but I have like no idea what it means." — Ashley Flowers
"According to an article by Paul Duggan for the Washington Post, Don gives a few details about the murder, like he says the girl was working in a women's sportswear store, and he killed her in a stock room." — Brett
The episode details the brutal murder of 17-year-old Tracy Kirkpatrick at the Westridge Square Shopping Center in Frederick, Maryland, on March 15, 1989. A security guard discovered her body in the stockroom of an Eileen Ladies sportswear store. Initial investigations revealed multiple stab wounds and a single blood smear with a partial fingerprint on the back door, suggesting the killer's exit route. While the cash register contained money, Tracy's wallet and store keys were missing. The absence of forced entry and signs of struggle led investigators to suspect Tracy knew her attacker, a theory complicated by her ex-boyfriend being seen with her the night prior, though they had reportedly reconciled. Tracy's father's statement about her prior request to be picked up if she wasn't home by 11 PM added another layer of concern.
The investigation explored several leads, including a confession call received by the TV show "Confession Hotline" from a man named "Don," who provided some details fitting the crime. This caller's mention of his name raised speculation about the security guard, Donald Barnes Jr., who found the body, but police cleared him. The call was traced to a payphone in Walkersville, Maryland. Later, a psychic identified the voice from the confession call as a man named Sean, who had sent her newspaper clippings about the case. Sean lived in Walkersville but refused to cooperate with investigators, who determined he made the false confession but was not the killer. Despite the lack of a definitive suspect, police continued to re-interview individuals and, a year later, re-broadcast the confession call, generating new tips.
The case eventually led investigators to a man in Walkersville who refused to speak with them, prompting a search warrant for his DNA and fingerprints. However, subsequent lab results confirmed that all physical evidence at the scene belonged to Tracy, offering no match for any potential suspect. The podcast highlights the frustration of the family, who believe mistakes were made in the initial investigation, including missed evidence at the scene and delayed subpoenas for phone records. Despite the case going cold and extensive efforts by cold case review panels, the identity of Tracy Kirkpatrick's killer remains unknown, with authorities seeking any new information to bring closure to the family.