Cold Case Files Podcast – "REOPENED: Devil In Disguise"

Release Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Paula Barros (A&E / PodcastOne)

Episode Overview

This gripping episode revisits the harrowing and decades-long cold case of Irene Garza, a beloved 25-year-old schoolteacher whose murder in 1960 haunted the Rio Grande Valley community. The story unpacks a web of community grief, procedural failure, religious influence, institutional cover-up, and ultimately, justice—albeit delayed. Through interviews, family reflections, and uncovering lost evidence, the episode traces how Irene’s case, long-shrouded in secrecy and collusion, was finally solved, and her killer brought to trial 57 years later.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Irene Garza’s Last Hours and Disappearance

• Setting & Community: McAllen, Texas, 1960—a predominantly Catholic, tight-knit Mexican American community.
• Disappearance: Irene left home on Holy Saturday to go to confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and never returned.
• Family's Realization: Concern rapidly escalated overnight. Irene’s father reported her missing after finding her car near the church—with no sign of struggle but some keys missing.
  • "There was still hope at that point that, you know, she would come home." —Linda Garza, 03:50
• Search & Discovery: Community involvement led to finding Irene’s mud-covered shoe, her purse, and ultimately, her body in an irrigation canal, five days after her disappearance.

2. Initial Investigation – Dead Ends and Community Shock

• Medical Findings: Autopsy determined death by asphyxiation prior to being dumped in the canal; signs also indicated sexual assault.
• Early Leads: A Kodak slide viewer found near the scene was traced to Father John Feit, a newly assigned priest at the church.
• Father John Feit’s Statement: Admitted to having seen Irene for a private confession, claimed she left after and provided an alibi—celebrated Easter masses.
• Polygraphs & Witnesses: Over 50 individuals, including Feit, underwent lie detector tests; Feit failed his, but no actionable evidence arose.

3. Painful Stagnation – Decades of Silence (1960s–1990s)

• Family Devastation: Hope waned as years passed and law enforcement interest faded.
  • "What do you pursue when every person in a law enforcement position wants it to go away?" —Linda Garza, 12:18
• Community Cover-Up: Suggestions emerged that both church and police actively suppressed the case due to social and political sensitivities.

4. The Cold Case Reopened – New Forensic Tools & Witnesses

• Technological Advances: In the 2000s, Texas Rangers reviewed the case with modern forensic methods, hoping testing would yield DNA; results remained inconclusive.
• Breakthrough Letter: A former monk, Dale Tashney, wrote to police, alleging Feit had confessed to the murder during his time in a Missouri monastery (1963).
  • "When he got there, our abbot...wanted me to do the counseling with him, and he told me that he had in fact committed murder." —Dale Tashney, 16:01

5. The Confession – Secrets, Guilt, and a Pattern Observed

• Details of the Crime: Tashney relayed how Feit confessed to gagging, binding, and assaulting Irene, then disposing of her body in the canal.
  • "He told Dale that he had locked Irene in the basement...gagged her and bound her with a long electrical cord from the Kodak slide viewer..." —Narrator, 16:16
  • "The last thing she heard was, I can't breathe. I can't breathe." —Dale Tashney, 16:59
• Patterned Behavior: Before Irene’s murder, Feit attacked another woman, America Guerra, in a church—she survived by fighting him off and later identified Feit. Church authorities suppressed the case by transferring Feit and paying fines instead of pursuing criminal charges.
• Community/Church Collusion: Evidence and testimonials showed systemic collusion to protect Feit and, by extension, the Catholic Church’s reputation during a sensitive political era (John F. Kennedy’s presidential candidacy).
  • "This letter is more than a smoking gun. This is a battalion of smoking guns." —Michael Garza (paraphrased), 30:16

6. Family’s Relentless Pursuit of Justice

• Passing the Torch: After Irene’s parents died, her cousins (notably Linda and Noemi Garza) continued to press for answers, contacting new authorities and pushing for the case to be reopened.
  • "It was time to face my childhood monsters. Time to find justice for Irene." —Linda Garza, 13:21
• Emotional Toll: The pain endured by the family—never giving up on Irene’s memory—remained at the episode’s emotional core.

7. Justice Served – A Long-Awaited Trial and Conviction

• New DA & Trial: A newly elected District Attorney revitalized efforts. With witness testimony (especially Tashney’s), failed polygraphs, and records of church and law enforcement collusion, a case was built.

  • "This was my first cold case. What led me to believe that the evidence supported that John Feit murdered Irene Garza beyond a reasonable doubt?... When he did it, where he did it, what route he took, when he did it." —Michael Garza, 27:47

• Motivations Revealed: Feit confessed to having sexual compulsions triggered by women’s high-heeled footsteps, as revealed by Tashney at trial.

  • "When a woman wears high heels on a hard floor...I become anxious about that." —Dale Tashney, 29:00

• Political and Religious Pressure: Revealed correspondence between church officials and local law enforcement underscored the extensive cover-up—a calculated effort to prevent scandal.

  • "There are political implications...this letter is more than a smoking gun..." —Narrator/Michael Garza, 30:00-31:24

• Conviction and Closure:

  • After 57 years, John Feit, now 85, was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to life. He died in prison in 2020.
  • "We did it, you know, we did it for you. You finally got [justice]." —Linda Garza, 33:00

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Irene’s Spirit:

  • "We feel like Irene was the magic in the valley and unfortunately she became the tragic in the valley." —Linda Garza, 00:12

• On Community Mobilization:

  • "People actually volunteered to help. They had people out on horseback. They had people looking." —Michael Garza, 05:15

• On Institutional Betrayal:

  • "I think a lot of people knew that there had to be collusion to suppress this case." —Linda Garza, 24:00
  • "This is a case about betrayal, murder and a cover up by a man named John Feit, who came to the valley a wolf in priest’s clothing." —Michael Garza, 31:33

• On the Conviction:

  • "It was snowing. When does it snow in Edinburgh, Texas?...I knew it was Irene...it was time for a new beginning, a new day." —Linda Garza, 32:06

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Significant Segment | |-----------|--------------------| | 00:12 | Introduction to Irene Garza and the Valley's character | | 03:50 | Family’s initial hope and the community’s reaction | | 05:29–06:43 | Discovery of Irene’s shoe and purse, false kidnap call | | 07:23–08:07 | Irene’s body found, autopsy details | | 09:20–09:44 | Kodak slide viewer linked to Father Feit | | 11:00–11:20 | Feit recounts private confession with Irene | | 12:18 | Case goes cold, family despair | | 13:21 | Next generation takes up the case | | 15:39–16:59 | Monk Dale Tashney shares Feit’s confession | | 19:59 | Feit repeatedly failed polygraphs; ignored leads | | 21:07 | Feit previously assaulted America Guerra; church handled it quietly | | 24:12 | Irene confided worries about new priest, Feit | | 25:07–25:45 | Father O'Brien admits knowledge of confession, explains silence | | 27:47–28:08 | Michael Garza outlines evidence for trial | | 29:00 | Feit’s psychological triggers described at trial | | 30:00–31:24| Collusion letter revealed; impact on JFK and local law enforcement | | 32:06–32:37| Verdict, conviction, Linda Garza's emotional response | | 32:53–33:20| Feit’s death in prison and final family closure |

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode’s tone is compassionate, persistent, and evocative—never shying from the pain endured by Irene’s family or the betrayals of trust by institutions meant to serve and protect. The speakers’ voices mix sorrow, frustration, resilience, and, finally, a measure of satisfaction as long-awaited justice is delivered.

Summary and Reflection

"REOPENED: Devil In Disguise" dissects one of Texas’s most wrenching cold cases, illuminating not just the persistence of a family in the face of immense loss, but also the stunning reach of institutional collusion and the ultimate triumph of determined investigation. Through new witnesses, forensic revisiting, and the courage to challenge religious and political power, this episode tells the story of justice, long delayed but unwaveringly sought by those who refused to forget.