
A hitchhiker is murdered, and a mysterious stack of business cards leads police on a 38-year hunt for her killer. Hers: Start your free online visit at forhers.com/COLDCASE for your personalized weight loss treatment options. Homes.com:...
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Brooke Giddings
This episode contains descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Use your best judgment. Regina Reynolds was a student at Morrisville State College in 1975. Her friends and family called her Reggie. She was well liked. On November 6, she needed to get to campus, so she started walking, hoping to hitch a ride. Around 5pm, someone stopped and asked if she needed a lift. Regina got into the car. She didn't make it to campus, though. Ever again. Regina was murdered. From A and E, this is Cold Case Files. Regina was missing for four days before her roommates called the police. Her friends told the investigator that they were suspicious when Regina missed the dinner date they had planned. Investigator Jean Rifenberg was assigned to the case.
Bill Fitzpatrick
It was unusual to have a dinner date and then not show up, especially with her boyfriend involved and the other people involved. It just didn't make sense that she would just take off. She had no reason to take off.
Brooke Giddings
The investigators began to think the worst had happened. After a week with no leads, they interviewed Regina's boyfriend, Robert McDonald, one of the last people to see her alive.
Bill Fitzpatrick
I think that's one of the things that made it so hard is because other people are looking at you too, like you might have done something. And yeah, it's difficult to go through that. You're very desperate for hope that she's going to be okay. And the longer, you know, day after day went on, it was very difficult.
Brooke Giddings
On November 19, two weeks after Regina had gone missing, her body was found 50 miles away at Otisco Lake. A fisherman was heading to the water when he found a naked body in the weeds. This is Detective Dave Paul.
Detective Dave Paul
You could tell at that particular time you're looking for a very serious killer just by the way he threw the body away. And he did throw it away, just like he would a roadkill, passed it over, made no attempt to cover her up or anything.
Brooke Giddings
Regina had been killed by a single stab wound to the heart with a large double bladed knife. Semen was found inside her body and preserved on a slide for future testing.
Detective Dave Paul
At that time, we didn't have DNA, but we did send it down to the lab to see if we could get the coding whether it was blood, A, B, whatever. And we couldn't get that done at the time. But all that would have done is knock it down to a couple million people if we got the blood typing.
Brooke Giddings
Detective Ray Salvi was part of the team of investigators focusing on the crime scene. While at the scene, he walked to the top of the nearest hill, likely the spot where the killer was when he threw the Body while standing there, something caught his eye. This is Detective Salvey.
Detective Ray Salvi
When I looked down at the scene there, I saw this plastic container, which.
Detective Dave Paul
Was similar to what a businessman would carry business cards in.
Brooke Giddings
He was right. When he opened the case, there were several business cards inside.
Detective Ray Salvi
The name on the card was Donald Sigsbee, and it had model display company.
Brooke Giddings
According to the information on the cards, Donald Sigsbee worked about 60 miles away from the crime scene, but only a few miles from where Regina had been kidnapped.
Detective Dave Paul
In my 20 years at crime scenes.
Detective Ray Salvi
I never found anything like this, you know, that was so damaging because. And certainly had the guy's name on it. And it wasn't one business card, was.
Detective Dave Paul
Four or five that were in a plastic holder.
Brooke Giddings
Multiple cards made it more likely that Donald Sigsbee had been the one to drop the case instead of one of his customers. It was likely Sigsbee was connected to Regina's murder. Either that or extremely unlucky. The investigators started at Sigsbee's business address found on the card. He wasn't there. Investigator Reifenberg then tried Sigsbee's house.
Bill Fitzpatrick
Checked by his house. His vehicle wasn't there. So we set up a surveillance post near Route 20 and 26 and waited. And after a while, he came along.
Brooke Giddings
Sigsbee was driving a dark blue van. Investigator Reifenberg shined his flashlight inside to get a better look.
Bill Fitzpatrick
I remember shining in the back of his van, and I could see what appeared to be blood in the back of the van. So naturally, you know, the wheels are turning and you're going, wow, we obviously got something here.
Brooke Giddings
Sigsbee was taken to the state police barracks and interviewed. Detective Paul asked him how his business cards ended up at the scene of a murder.
Detective Dave Paul
He wouldn't go for anything. He didn't admit to anything. We said we found the cards, and his response was, I don't know how they got there. I have no idea how they got there.
Brooke Giddings
Then investigator Reifenberg asked him if he had picked up Regina and killed her.
Bill Fitzpatrick
Denied it. Didn't know anything about it, didn't know her. Never picked up hitchhikers.
Brooke Giddings
Donald Sigsbee told the investigators that he was a carpenter and he was working in his shop alone on the night Regina disappeared. He also told them that he was a hunter and that the blood they saw in the van was from a deer. The crime lab tested the blood, and after confirming it was from a deer, they released Sigsbee from custody. This is Detective Paul.
Detective Dave Paul
Why don't you let him walk out of that room. He's won. He won that. He knows if you've got anything, you'd be arresting him.
Brooke Giddings
The next day, the detectives got a search warrant for Donald Sigsbee's office. Detective Reifenberg found a Rolodex on Sigsbee's desk, but apparently he wasn't very popular.
Bill Fitzpatrick
We were searching in his office. He had a file, index file. There was only one name in that whole index file. That was Martha Allen.
Brooke Giddings
Unfortunately, Detective Reifenberg recognized the name Martha Allen right away.
Bill Fitzpatrick
Martha Allen was a person whose body was found near Sullivan beach in a swampy area so badly decomposed, we couldn't ascertain how she died.
Brooke Giddings
Martha Allen's body had been discovered two years earlier, but it wasn't investigated as a homicide. Now, though, the detectives thought that they could possibly be dealing with a serial killer. The detectives brought Donald Sigsbee back in for questioning. When Detective Paul asked him why Martha Allen's name was in his Rolodex, he simply said, she was a customer.
Detective Dave Paul
That was his answer to that. And he said, you know, she's murdered too. And he just said, no kidding. And that was his response. He never asked one question about murdered, how or where or anything else. Just no kidding.
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Brooke Giddings
The investigators strongly suspected that Sigsbee had murdered Regina and likely Martha. Unfortunately, there was no forensic evidence tying the suspect to either case. Plus, Detective Paul wasn't having much luck getting any information from Donald Sigsbee.
Detective Dave Paul
You'd be in there for six hours and you'd be mentally exhausted after talking to him. You'd try to put little plants and traps and everything in different words, hoping that he'd lie about certain things and you'd catch him in it. You're such a guy that would talk about generalities that you couldn't put him in anything.
Brooke Giddings
The detectives decided on an unusual approach they released Sigsbee, but gave him a tape recorder. They told him to record a play by play of his daily life.
Bill Fitzpatrick
I wanted a list of his activities from the time he got up in the morning until he went home at night. And I felt if there was anything in there that I could punch a hole and I would.
Brooke Giddings
Sigsbee did as he was told and started recording December 8th, Monday morning, quarter.
Bill Fitzpatrick
After eight this weekend, Saturday, went deer hunting. Didn't get anything. Didn't even get a shot. Didn't get a shot this year.
Brooke Giddings
In one particular recording, Sigsbee talks about how his business cards could have ended up in the place where the investigators found them.
Bill Fitzpatrick
Continuing on there, but I know I've been thinking all along, somebody come in and grab them cards here in the shop. That's why I've been concentrating my thoughts.
Brooke Giddings
Who's my name?
Bill Fitzpatrick
I can't think of times and dates.
Brooke Giddings
The detectives thought the theft was unlikely, but they couldn't prove otherwise. And after listening to hours of tape recorded monologue, they weren't any closer to being able to make their case. The detectives also started to feel a little guilty. Sigsbee was a respected businessman and a father of seven children. Here's Detective Paul.
Detective Dave Paul
Everybody knew him. He lived there for generations. People thought we were nuts when we were interviewing him. Why him?
Brooke Giddings
With no witnesses, no murder weapon, and no forensic evidence, the case went cold and was boxed up and put in storage next to the case of Martha Allen. In 1999, more than 20 years after Regina was killed, a detective named David Krause took another look at the case.
Detective Ray Salvi
When you look at her photo and you think about the fact that this girl was 19 years old at the time that she was abducted and murdered, and I think you just kind of say to yourself, what a tragic waste of a life.
Brooke Giddings
He believed that the original investigators were on the right track by investigating Donald Sigsbee, Detective Kraus has something that the original investigators did not. DNA testing.
Detective Ray Salvi
The evidence was all here. It was right here at Troop D headquarters in our long term storage area. And I went through each individual item and I was at that point specifically looking for anything that might yield some DNA evidence that we could possibly match to a suspect.
Brooke Giddings
While examining the box of evidence for anything that might contain DNA, Detective Krause came across the preserved slide of the semen that was found on Regina.
Detective Ray Salvi
As soon as I saw it, I said, whoever's responsible for this crime, this is probably their DNA right there on that slide.
Brooke Giddings
The slide was sent to the crime lab. Investigators hoped that time hadn't degraded the quality of the genetic material, preventing a DNA profile from being extracted. DNA analyst Russ Goedig wasn't very encouraged by the slide in this case because.
Detective Ray Salvi
It was from a microscope slide. There was a very low amount of material on there to begin with. So we essentially had to take almost all of it in order to do our extraction. It was a single shot. Everything had to go correct in order for us to get this profile.
Brooke Giddings
Fortunately, they were able to extract a genetic profile from the sample without any issues. Cold case investigator Mike Grande was the one who got the call from the lab.
Detective Ray Salvi
It was a big moment and of course, when it arrived, actually when we got the phone call, we were thinking, that'll Sigsbee.
Brooke Giddings
The investigators had a DNA profile from the biological evidence on the victim. So the next step was for them to collect a sample from the suspect, allowing the two DNA profiles to be compared. Unfortunately, Sigsbee hadn't been cooperative with the investigators and they had no probable cause to get a warrant.
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Brooke Giddings
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Brooke Giddings
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Brooke Giddings
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Brooke Giddings
Listen to your podcasts, the investigators had to get the DNA from Sigsbee in a more creative way. They started by putting him under surveillance. Donald Sigsbee lived in the country, which made tailing him a little challenging for investigator Mike Grandy.
Detective Ray Salvi
You know, it's a lot different than surveillance. Somebody in a city situation where you can blend in, you can only follow somebody so long in a rural situation where they. They see the same car following every turn they make. So there's, I guess, some kind of an art to it.
Brooke Giddings
After three days of surveillance, with no usable evidence being discarded, Investigator Grandy got a break. He followed Donald Sigsbee and his wife to a restaurant. Grandy heard Sigsbee order a root beer and waited 45 minutes, hoping to collect the cup and straw. Finally, Sigsbee headed to the garbage can, and investigator Grandy had his chance.
Detective Ray Salvi
I'm sure he just thought I was another customer, which was to our advantage because I was able to reach in immediately, because he never even looked back.
Brooke Giddings
The cup and straw were bagged and sent to the lab, where the DNA could be collected, analyzed, and then compared to the sample of the killer. It was a match. Investigator Grandy was thrilled.
Detective Ray Salvi
Probably the best moment I've had on this job. 20, 23 years, almost 24 years. That was the best feeling I had on this job, without a doubt.
Brooke Giddings
Two weeks later, investigator Grandy visited Donald Sigsbee's house with a lab report in his pocket. He hid his excitement in an attempt to catch Sigsbee off guard.
Detective Ray Salvi
We didn't want to get him thinking that he was in any trouble. Just it was a routine thing so that he would, you know, be willing to give us a statement or at least talk to us.
Brooke Giddings
Donald Sigsbee sat at his own kitchen table and wrote and signed a statement saying he had never met Regina Reynolds and did not have sex with her. At that point, Grandy pulled out the lab report and asked if Sigsbee could explain how his DNA got inside of Regina's body.
Detective Ray Salvi
One of the words out of his mouth, one of the several little words were, how do you have anything to compare me with? And once he came up with that, I said, remember when you went to dinner about a week ago? Well, I happened to be the guy behind you. You picked up your straw and cup, and at that point, he was. He became adamant and asked us to leave and want you out of my house.
Brooke Giddings
The detectives left the house, but so did Donald Sigsbee, wearing handcuffs and headed to jail. Sigsbee was charged with the murder of Regina Reynolds in March of 2004. Almost 30 years after Regina was killed, Donald Zigsbee was on trial for her murder. District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick was the prosecutor.
Bill Fitzpatrick
As I said to the jury, you know, I said, folks, I've been trying cases for 25 years and I've always wanted to say to a jury, this defendant left his calling card at the scene of the crime. Well, here he did. He actually did leave his calling card at the scene of the crime.
Brooke Giddings
The business cards were an important piece of evidence that put Sigsbee at the crime scene, but it was the DNA evidence that connected him to the murder.
Bill Fitzpatrick
I mean, the other things were nice. The business cards were certainly a huge piece of evidence. The hinks in his story, the discrepancies, the. But it was essentially DNA. And my pitch to the jury was this is a no brainer.
Brooke Giddings
The jury deliberated for less than a day before returning a verdict.
Detective Ray Salvi
What is the jury's verdict as to.
Detective Dave Paul
The first count murder in the second degree?
Detective Ray Salvi
Guilty murder.
Brooke Giddings
Donald Sigsbee went to prison for murdering Regina Reynolds. But the investigators still wondered if he was connected to Martha Allen's death. Here's D.A. fitzpatrick.
Bill Fitzpatrick
What are the chances that you would check someone's Rolodex and there'd be not a single name on it, just a blank Rolodex except for one name, Martha Allen. And that's what happened with Sigsbee's case.
Brooke Giddings
Martha Allen's case was now in the hands of Ken Dentz, a state police investigator that grew up with Martha. He was even a pallbearer at her funeral.
Bill Fitzpatrick
It's strange. It's strange, but it helps a lot too, because you've got like an instant background on what happened, what she was like, you know, it helps out a lot.
Brooke Giddings
Martha was about the same age as Regina Reynolds and was also last seen hitchhiking on a rural road. Martha's body was also dumped in upstate New York. The swamp where Martha's body was found also destroyed any possible forensic evidence.
Bill Fitzpatrick
Cases that are this old, it's either loose lips or a conviction. Another case where somebody decides just to clean their slate. Something like that.
Brooke Giddings
New York State investigators have identified several murders from the 1970s that involved female hitchhikers in the area where Regina was killed.
Bill Fitzpatrick
There's very little doubt in my mind that he is responsible for the death of other women in central New York. He was 40 years old when he killed Regina Reynolds. My experience tells me that you don't start becoming a killer at 40, particularly the nature of this crime. Maybe when the appeal is done and he's reconciled in his own mind that he's been caught and exposed and that there's no further point to it. If there's any semblance of humanity left in him, maybe he could bring himself to give some peace and comfort to the other victim's relatives.
Brooke Giddings
Donald Sigsbee died on Oct. 26, 2009, in the Mohawk Correctional Facility. He was 74. He never confessed to Regina's murder or any other unsolved murders. His appeal was dismissed on December 30, 2009, two months after he died. Cold Case Files the podcast is hosted by Brooke giddings, produced by McKamey Lin and Steve Delamater. Our associate producer is Julie McGruder. Our executive producer is Ted Butler. Our music was created by Blake Maples. This podcast is distributed by Podcast one. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and is hosted by Bill Curtis. You can find me brookegames on Twitter and brookthepodcaster on Instagram. I'm also active in the Facebook group Podcast for Justice. Check out more Cold case files@aetv.com or learn more about cases like this one by visiting the AE Real Crime blog at aetv.com realcrime@ Pluto TV we're celebrating.
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Brooke Giddings
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Brooke Giddings
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Host: Brooke Giddings
Release Date: February 20, 2025
Source: A&E / PodcastOne
In the gripping episode titled "REOPENED: The Calling Card" from Cold Case Files, host Brooke Giddings delves deep into the harrowing murder of Regina Reynolds, a 19-year-old student whose case remained unsolved for nearly three decades. This detailed recounting not only explores the relentless pursuit of justice by dedicated investigators but also highlights the transformative impact of advancements in forensic technology.
Regina Reynolds, affectionately known as Reggie by friends and family, was a beloved student at Morrisville State College in 1975. On November 6th of that year, Regina embarked on what should have been a routine walk to campus. With hopes of hitching a ride, she accepted a lift from a stranger around 5 PM—a decision that tragically ended with her disappearance.
Brooke Giddings [00:00]: "Regina was murdered. Regina was missing for four days before her roommates called the police."
Despite thorough efforts, Regina remained missing for four days, prompting her roommates to report her disappearance. Investigator Jean Rifenberg was assigned to the case, with friends noting that Regina's unexplained absence from a planned dinner was highly unusual.
Bill Fitzpatrick [01:13]: "It was unusual to have a dinner date and then not show up... It just didn't make sense that she would just take off."
As days turned into weeks with no leads, investigators began to suspect the worst. On November 19th, Regina's body was discovered at Otisco Lake, 50 miles from her college. The circumstances of her disposal pointed to a calculating and indifferent killer.
Detective Dave Paul [02:19]: "You could tell at that particular time you're looking for a very serious killer just by the way he threw the body away."
The autopsy revealed a single stab wound to the heart and the presence of semen, preserved for future testing. Initial attempts to analyze the biological evidence were futile due to the limitations of forensic technology at the time.
Detective Ray Salvi's discovery at the crime scene became a pivotal moment. A plastic container containing several business cards bearing the name Donald Sigsbee and his company, Model Display Company, raised suspicions.
Detective Ray Salvi [03:25]: "When I looked down at the scene there, I saw this plastic container, which..."
Multiple cards suggested a deliberate act, indicating that Sigsbee might be directly involved rather than a mere customer.
Investigators focused their search on Sigsbee, beginning with his business address and then his residence. Surveillance efforts led to the discovery of blood-like substances in his van, which Sigsbee claimed were deer blood—a claim later confirmed by the crime lab.
Detective Dave Paul [02:48]: "All that would have done is knock it down to a couple million people if we got the blood typing."
Despite these findings, Sigsbee remained uncooperative, providing no incriminating information during lengthy interrogations.
Detective Dave Paul [10:55]: "You'd be in there for six hours and you'd be mentally exhausted after talking to him."
An unconventional strategy was employed: Sigsbee was released with a tape recorder to document his daily activities, hoping to find inconsistencies or admissions. However, this method yielded no substantial evidence.
In 1999, Detective David Krause revisited the cold case, armed with DNA technology that wasn't available during the initial investigation. While sifting through stored evidence, Krause discovered the preserved slide containing Regina's semen.
Detective Ray Salvi [14:04]: "As soon as I saw it, I said, whoever's responsible for this crime, this is probably their DNA right there on that slide."
Despite concerns about the sample's condition, the DNA extraction was successful, producing a viable profile that could link a suspect to the crime.
Detective Ray Salvi [14:45]: "Probably the best moment I've had on this job."
The DNA evidence catapulted investigators back into active pursuit of Sigsbee. Despite his continued lack of cooperation, strategic surveillance led to the collection of DNA evidence from a discarded cup and straw at a restaurant where Sigsbee dined.
Detective Ray Salvi [17:40]: "I'm sure he just thought I was another customer..."
The match was undeniable. Armed with both the business cards and DNA evidence, law enforcement arrested Sigsbee in March 2004.
Bill Fitzpatrick [19:39]: "The business cards were an important piece of evidence... but it was the DNA evidence that connected him to the murder."
At trial, District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick emphasized the irrefutable nature of the DNA match, alongside the circumstantial evidence of the business cards, leading to a swift conviction.
Bill Fitzpatrick [20:16]: "This is a no brainer."
Within a day, the jury returned a guilty verdict, and Donald Sigsbee was sentenced to prison for Regina Reynolds' murder.
Despite Sigsbee's conviction, questions lingered regarding his potential involvement in other unsolved murders, notably that of Martha Allen—a case from two years prior with striking similarities to Regina's abduction and murder. Investigators suspect that Sigsbee may have been responsible for multiple crimes during that period, though concrete evidence remains elusive.
Bill Fitzpatrick [21:05]: "There's very little doubt in my mind that he is responsible for the death of other women in central New York."
Further investigations into similar cases from the 1970s continue, but Sigsbee's death in 2009 leaves many questions unanswered.
"REOPENED: The Calling Card" underscores the relentless dedication of law enforcement in solving cold cases, even decades after the fact. Regina Reynolds' tragic story serves as a testament to the advancements in forensic science and the unwavering pursuit of justice. While Sigsbee was held accountable for Regina's murder, the episode leaves listeners contemplating the profound impact of unresolved cases on families and communities alike.
Bill Fitzpatrick [01:13]: "It was unusual to have a dinner date and then not show up... It just didn't make sense that she would just take off."
Detective Dave Paul [02:19]: "You could tell at that particular time you're looking for a very serious killer just by the way he threw the body away."
Detective Ray Salvi [03:25]: "When I looked down at the scene there, I saw this plastic container, which..."
Detective Ray Salvi [14:12]: "Whoever's responsible for this crime, this is probably their DNA right there on that slide."
Detector Ray Salvi [17:40]: "I'm sure he just thought I was another customer..."
Bill Fitzpatrick [19:39]: "The business cards were an important piece of evidence... but it was the DNA evidence that connected him to the murder."
The episode, produced by McKamey Lin and Steve Delamater with contributions from Julie McGruder and executive production by Ted Butler, offers a poignant exploration of a case that spanned decades. With evocative storytelling and meticulous attention to detail, Brooke Giddings brings Regina Reynolds' story to life, honoring her memory and the relentless quest for justice by those who refused to let her case go cold.
For more information on similar cases, visit the A&E Real Crime blog or reach out to the Cold Case Files team at coldcase@aetv.com.
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