Unanswered Questions: The Unsolved Murder of Austin Colson

The case of Austin Colson, whose promising life was cut short by a chilling mystery. We try to uncover the circumstances surrounding his disappearance on January 11, 2018, diving deep into Austin's story. Our investigation leads us to a man with a sketchy past and connections to Austin. Austin' story continues to be a trail of unanswered questions. We urge anyone with information to contact the Vermont State Police to bring justice for Austin and closure for his family.

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Chapters

• 1:57 The Disappearance of Austin Coulson
• 9:31 Supporting and Promoting Podcast Subscription

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:57

Welcome to Dark Crossroads Podcast, hosted by Roxanne Fletcher. This is your stop for all things true crime and paranormal. From the infamous story of the New Bedford Highway Killer to the chilling tale of the Black Eyed Children, dark Crossroads Podcast is a truly deep dive into the stories that frighten and fascinate you. All links to the show will be provided in this episode's description, and don't forget to let us know what you think of today's episode. Today, we're going to be exploring the disappearance of Austin Coulson, a young man whose life took a tragic turn in a cold January day in Vermont. It was January 11th of 2018, and around 11 am in Royalton, vermont, 19-year-old Austin Coulson stepped out of his apartment ready for what he thinks will be just another day of work. He's wearing a camouflaged jacket, a white baseball hat with his company logo on it and a pair of blue jeans. His plans for the day were to collect scrap metal from around the area, but little did anybody know that this would be the last time that he would be seen alive.

Speaker 1: 3:11

Austin was not your typical teenager. Austin played soccer, basketball and baseball at Hartford High School. His family described him as a good kid who was doing very well for himself. He had his own company, a&c Painting, and he was not afraid of hard work. When painting jobs were scarce in the winter he would turn to odd jobs like scrapping metal to make ends meet. He had a girlfriend of two years and they were planning a future together Marriage, kids, the whole nine yards. Austin was also working towards his GED, showing his determination to better himself.

Speaker 1: 3:46

But on that fateful day in January something went terribly wrong. Austin's mother and girlfriend are convinced that he didn't just walk away. It was not in his nature. They knew he planned to collect scrap metal that day, which meant that he would have needed to stop by his father's house on Route 14 and Sharon to borrow a trailer. Austin's own car, a small sedan, was not up for the job of hauling scrap metal. Here's where things start to get interesting. About two hours and 40 minutes after Austin left his apartment, his mother drove by his father's property. She noticed Austin's sedan was there, but the trailer was gone. For his mother this raised a red flag. It suggested that somebody else with a vehicle capable of towing a trailer might have picked Austin up. Days passed and then the trailer turned up, abandoned near Downer Road. It appeared to have been partially loaded with scrap metal Hoping for leads. The police released photos of the scrap to the public, but Austin's personal belongings, including his maroon cell phone, which had been turned off the day he vanished, were nowhere to be found On the surface.

Speaker 1: 4:54

Austin was a hard-working young man with multiple small businesses. His grandmother had taught him to make handmade soap and candles, which he turned into a modest side hustle. But there was another, more secretive side to Austin's entrepreneur efforts, one that likely brought in more money than all of his other ventures combined. Austin was involved in selling cocaine. This information brings us to an alleged person of interest, in this case 38-year-old Richard Whitcomb Jr from White River Junction, which was just a 25-minute drive from Austin's apartment. Richard told Austin's mother that he was supposed to meet her son on the day he disappeared. He claimed he sent Austin a message about collecting scrap metal together, something they had done before, but Austin never replied to his message. Richard's story, however, does not add up. He said he went to Manchester with a friend named Mark that day, but this turned out to be a lie. His cell phone data placed him near Sharon, contrary to all of his claims. And what about his friend Mark? He told the court that Richard had called him asking for an alibi.

Speaker 1: 5:59

Now things get even more suspicious. Just days before Richard was named as an alleged suspect, he was arrested for illegal possession of firearms. When police searched his phone, they found a safari search asking how long gunshot residue lasted before breaking down. Almost everything else on the phone had been deleted and erased. Richard, it turns out, has quite a rap sheet Drug and alcohol abuse, aggravated domestic assault, probation violations, federal gun charges and drug trafficking. But perhaps the most telling is the revelation that Richard and Austin were involved in cocaine deals together. More information about Richard has recently come to light, including the fact that, apparently, the federal firearm charges that he is currently facing derive from a cocaine deal that he was involved in along with the missing teenager, where a handgun, presumably in his possession, was used as collateral damage. In 2019, richard took a plea deal on the charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court paperwork, he was arrested for violating the conditions of his release by using meth, cocaine and marijuana. They also say he failed to report to his probation officer.

Speaker 1: 7:13

On May 23rd of 2018, more than four months after Austin's disappearance, human remains were discovered during a search in Norwich, on Beaver Meadow Road. The property where the remains were found belongs to a man named Buck Carlton and, interestingly, richard had worked on this property at one point in his past. As of the initial research for this episode, the remains have not been identified, but in a heartbreaking update they were later confirmed to be Austin's. Austin died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, according to the medical examiner at the time. Richard Whitcomb has never been charged in connection with Austin Coulson's death, and Vermont State Police say that the case is still very much open and active. So the question still remains what happened to Austin Coulson on that January day? Did a drug deal with Richard go wrong, or is there more to the story that we still don't know? Austin's family, who suspected foul play from the very beginning, finally have some closure, but many questions remain unanswered. For now, all we can do is wait. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Vermont State Police at 802-234-9933.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Alrighty, so it's that time, guys, to say goodbye, but before I do so, I just want to send a thank you to all of my listeners for your continued love and support and for sending in cases that you want covered and stories that you want read on the podcast. We truly accept all stories, including scary, paranormal and funny. Any cases you want covered or stories that you want read on the podcast, just please send them in to darkcrossroadspodcasts at gmailcom. Thank you for hanging out again today, and if you want any more information about the podcast or cases and stories that we cover, then head on over to the website at wwwdarkcrossroadspodcastcom. There you can find all of the information about the podcast, a link to our merch and also our blog covering all of the cases that we cover. You can also find us on all social media platforms.

Speaker 1: 9:31

Don't forget to like share rate review, subscribe wherever you're listening to us. You can subscribe to the podcast for bonus information. There is a link in all episodes in the notes that we'll send you to our subscription page and with that you will get bonus content, discount on future merch and a lot of extra goodies. Every single dollar that comes through donations or through our subscription goes straight into the podcast, helping fund research, and it really helps us out and keeps this podcast going. And with all of this said, please don't forget to be weird, stay different and don't trust anyone. Dark crossroads podcast is brought to you by Problem Wildlife Problem Wildlife serves all of Western Massachusetts and has been humanely protecting your house and your family from unwanted pests for over 20 years. Take back your space with an animal control service that you can trust. They are family owned, fully licensed, and are knowledgeable and dependable. To find out more about their service, simply visit their website at wwwproblemwildliferemovalcom, and their information will be included in our show notes.