Cold Case Files – “NCIS / Exhuming The Past”
Podcast: Cold Case Files (A&E / PodcastOne)
Date: May 5, 2026
Host/Narrator: Marisa Pinson
Episode Overview
This episode of Cold Case Files features two extraordinary investigations:
- The decades-old disappearance and murder of Ensign Andrew Muns aboard a U.S. Navy ship during the Vietnam War era, culminating in a confession more than 30 years later following creative detective work by NCIS.
- The 1981 murder of college student Susan Shumake in Carbondale, Illinois—originally attributed to a local serial killer, until modern DNA techniques exhumed the truth and delivered closure nearly 25 years after the crime.
The show delves deep into how relentless family members, cold case detectives, and advances in forensic science managed to bring resolution, belated justice, and peace to the victims’ loved ones.
Case 1: The Disappearance of Ensign Andrew Muns (Arlington National Cemetery, 1968–2005)
Introduction and Background
- Mary Lou Taylor visits her brother’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery, reflecting on decades longing for answers ([01:41]).
- Andy Muns, disbursing officer on the USS Kakapon, disappears in the Philippines in 1968; $8,600 is missing from the ship’s safe.
Notable Quote
"From 1968 to 2000, we had no answers whatsoever. We just had a lot of suspicions and questions."
– Mary Lou Taylor ([02:26])
Initial Investigation and Suspicions (1968)
- Special Agent Ray McGady (Naval Investigative Service) is assigned to search for Muns ([02:43]), investigating whether Muns deserted or was a victim.
- Ship's crew, including Michael Le Brun (Muns’ subordinate), interviewed. Le Brun’s “midnight scuba diving” theory is met with suspicion ([05:10]).
- The Navy officially declares Muns a deserter, devastating the family and leaving them stigmatized ([05:50]).
Notable Quotes
"He was officially labeled a deserter... actually looking for him in regards to a larceny."
– Mary Lou Taylor ([05:50])
"That probably is the hardest thing for me to swallow, is that this man died believing that his son was wrongly accused and that no one had shown otherwise."
– Ray McGady ([06:27])
Cold Case Revival (1998–99): The Family’s Relentless Advocacy
- In 1998, Mary Lou Taylor contacts NCIS Agent Pete Hughes, reigniting the case ([07:20]).
- The family’s unresolved grief centers on Andy’s "deserter" status and lack of honorable recognition ([07:55]).
- Hughes, moved by Mary Lou’s persistence, reviews the original files and immediately finds Michael Le Brun’s statements odd ([09:40]).
Notable Quotes
"It meant a lot to me that you would let me talk, that you actually were listening to every detail."
– Mary Lou Taylor ([07:55])
"That flag was a great symbol to me of Andy's honor... because I thought he deserved a flag at his memorial service."
– Mary Lou Taylor ([09:10])
Breakthrough: Interrogating Le Brun (1999–2000)
- Le Brun, now in Kansas, is re-interviewed; NCIS agents use a relaxed, retrospective approach ([11:04]).
- Le Brun starts speaking in hypotheticals, hinting at an altercation and accidental death ([11:34]).
- Detectives escalate the pressure, recreating the original ship office in the interrogation room to overwhelm Le Brun ([13:23]).
- Legal strategy is employed—Le Brun is convinced if the act was manslaughter, he cannot be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations ([14:20]). He confesses, believing he’ll evade prosecution ([20:07]).
Notable Quotes
"It was spontaneous. I'm here to tell you there was no premeditation. All right? It was spontaneous."
– Michael Le Brun ([20:07])
"I'd like to think that you didn't plan this out. But you know what? There's indications to me that you might have, that you're a pretty selfish, cold SOB."
– Pete Hughes ([15:06])
Key Segment
- Le Brun’s Detailed Confession and Reenactment ([21:20]–[22:59])—Le Brun describes struggling with Muns, panicking, and hiding the body/money in the ship’s muck tank, later flushed to sea.
Confrontation with the Family and Aftermath
- Mary Lou faces her brother's killer; Le Brun asks for forgiveness and a hug, which she refuses ([22:59], [24:10]).
- "It felt like I was supposed to say, there, there, that's okay. But it's not okay. He killed my brother."
– Mary Lou Taylor ([23:13])
- Legal struggles ensue over admissibility of the confession ([25:18]).
- Ultimately, following a series of appeals, Le Brun pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter and receives a four-year sentence ([28:09]).
Resolution and Justice ([28:34]–[29:46])
- Andy’s family is finally granted a full military honors burial and the long-denied flag ([28:47]).
- Mary Lou expresses gratitude for the investigators, saying:
"I got two brothers when I lost just one... this whole process has been a gift because I feel like they cared so much about Andy and about his honor that they're part of my family."
([28:47])
Case 2: The Susan Shumake Case (Carbondale, IL, 1981–2006)
The Crime and First Investigation
- 1981: Susan Shoemake is found raped and murdered near the SIU campus ([29:46]–[32:10]).
- Two suspects quickly emerge: serial offender John Paul Phillips and parolee Daniel Wolason.
- John Paul Phillips is the main focus for years due to his proximity, criminal history, and prior convictions ([33:10]–[37:20]).
- Daniel Wolason is also investigated, flees, but is found in prison for unrelated charges ([34:27]–[36:23]).
Notable Quotes
“Her murder shook the campus. And little did I know that 23 years later, I would arrest her killer.”
– Sgt. Paul Echols ([30:09])
The Cold Case and DNA Exhumation (2001–2004)
- With the case unsolved, Paul Echols (now a police sergeant) reopens the file, focusing on possible DNA evidence ([41:54]–[43:19]).
- Phillips’ body is exhumed in 2001; DNA does not match the profile from the crime scene ([43:32]).
Notable Moment
"They compared it to the unknown male profile in the Susan Chumake case and found that the two did not match. So we essentially eliminated John Paul Phillips."
– Paul Echols ([43:32])
New Focus, New Suspect: Daniel Wolason
- Echols revisits Wolason, now living in Detroit ([44:03]).
- Detectives obtain Wolason’s DNA surreptitiously, via cigarette butts from a sold car ([45:13]–[46:07]).
- Lab confirms a conclusive match ([46:07]–[46:31]).
Notable Quote
"I have the same DNA profile."
– Paul Echols ([46:07])
Resolution and Reflections
- Wolason is arrested, tried, and convicted of first-degree murder in March 2006—nearly 25 years after the crime ([46:41]–[47:35]).
- He receives a 40-year sentence but is eligible for parole after 18 years, a point that outrages the victim’s family ([47:54]–[48:35]).
- Wolason dies in prison in 2024 ([48:35]).
Notable Quotes
"You have to ask yourself, what is a woman's life worth? ... Is that what your life is worth?"
– John Shoemake ([48:14])
"Susan Shumake was just barely 21 years of age when she died. It's been almost 25 years since her murder. Daniel Woolison will spend less time in prison than Susan was alive and less time than she has been dead. And that's really unfair."
– Michael Websick, prosecutor ([47:54])
Memorable Moments & Quotes
- Mary Lou Taylor’s unwavering advocacy, which ultimately overturns her brother’s official stain of desertion and brings justice.
- Le Brun’s confession, blending relief, guilt, and legal maneuvering.
- Exhumation of a suspect’s body for DNA—the painstaking and literal exhuming of the past to clear a long-accused man.
- Family closure—even when sentences or justice are imperfect, families express gratitude for simply knowing the truth.
Key Timestamps
-
Andy Muns Case
- Mary Lou at the grave: [01:41]
- Agent McGady’s investigation: [02:43]
- Suspicious statements from Le Brun: [05:10], [10:16]
- 1998 cold case reopening: [07:20]
- NCIS interrogation/confession: [13:23]–[22:59]
- Mary Lou confronts Le Brun: [22:59]–[24:13]
- Legal battle & resolution: [25:18]–[28:09]
- Final burial & family tribute: [28:47]
-
Susan Shumake Case
- Crime details: [29:46]–[32:10]
- Early suspects: [33:10]–[37:20]
- DNA exhumation of Phillips: [43:19]–[43:42]
- Obtaining Wolason DNA: [45:13]–[46:07]
- DNA match & arrest: [46:31]–[46:59]
- Trial, sentencing, reflection: [47:03]–[48:35]
Tone & Style
The episode is investigative yet personal, mixing technical details with family voices and emotional reflections. The narrative honors the persistence of investigators and survivors, using direct testimony to heighten authenticity and empathy.
Conclusion
This episode of Cold Case Files underscores how dogged investigation, advances in forensic science, and family advocacy can—despite the passage of decades—bring truth, accountability, and some measure of peace, even as it reveals the limitations and imperfections that haunt criminal justice.
Notable Closer:
"I got two brothers when I lost just one... this whole process has been a gift because I feel like they cared so much about Andy and about his honor that they're part of my family." — Mary Lou Taylor ([28:47])
