January 12, 1994. Albuquerque, New Mexico. After dropping off a friend at a restaurant, 16-year old Jonathan Francia is carjacked and abducted from the parking lot in his mother’s Chevrolet Camaro. Five days later, the burned-out vehicle is discovered in the Arizona desert nearly 300 miles away and Jonathan’s charred remains are inside the trunk. A suspect named Paul Richardson is soon arrested and confesses that he committed the crime alongside an unidentified drifter known only as “Jason”. Paul fatally hangs himself in his jail cell and while his wife, Trena Richardson, is later indicted after admitting to involvement in the murder, the charges wind up being dismissed after her confession is thrown out. Since the mysterious “Jason” is never identified or tracked down, no one is ever convicted of Jonathan’s murder and the truth about what happened remains murky. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a brutal and frustrating crime which has yet to receive a conclusive resolution after three decades.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolved.com/gallery/jonathan-francia/

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jonathan_Francia

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157704267/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157723443/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157723595/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/504605131/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157829019/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157832047/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157832212/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157917634/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/157917832/

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 406 - Jonathan Francia