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Southern Mysteries Podcast

Episode 186 The Marcia Trimble Murder

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In February 1975, nine-year-old Marcia Trimble vanished while delivering Girl Scout cookies in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood, shattering the sense of safety surrounding one of the city’s most affluent communities. Her disappearance and murder became one of Tennessee’s most haunting cold cases, marked by suspicion, unanswered questions, and a mystery that lingered for decades. Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTikTok @southernmysteriesInstagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Tennessean archival reporting on the disappearance, search, and investigation of Marcia Trimble (1975–2009): https://www.tennessean.com/ Nashville Banner historical coverage via Nashville Public Library Digital Collections: https://digital.library.nashville.org/ (digital.library.nashville.org in Bing) Metro Nashville Police Department public statements and case summaries related to the Trimble investigation: https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police (nashville.gov in Bing) Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals opinion in State of Tennessee v. Jerome Sydney Barrett (2009): https://www.tncourts.gov/ Davidson County Criminal Court filings and docket information for Barrett’s prosecution: https://sci.ccc.nashville.gov/ (sci.ccc.nashville.gov in Bing) Vanderbilt University archives documenting the murder of Sarah Des Prez and Barrett’s connection: https://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/speccol/ Belmont University reporting and campus safety archives referencing the February 1975 assault linked to Barrett: https://www.belmont.edu/ A&E Cold Case Files episode “The Girl Scout Murder” (Marcia Trimble case): https://www.aetv.com/shows/cold-case-files (aetv.com in Bing) Nashville Scene long‑form reporting on the Trimble case and the Womack investigation: https://www.nashvillescene.com/ Interviews with Jeffrey Womack published across multiple decades, including retrospective reporting by The Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/ Nashville Public Library Metro Archives: Belle Meade and Green Hills neighborhood development history, maps, and planning documents: https://library.nashville.org/research/metro-archives (library.nashville.org in Bing) U.S. Census Bureau demographic data for Nashville and Davidson County (1960–1980): Historical accounts of Belle Meade’s origins and incorporation as an independent city: https://www.citybellemeade.org/ Reporting on the 1979 grand jury indictment of Jeffrey Womack via The Tennessean archives: https://www.tennessean.com/ Coverage of the 2008–2009 DNA breakthroughs and Barrett’s prosecution from The Tennessean and AP News: https://apnews.com/ Academic research on investigative tunnel vision and wrongful suspicion in 1970s policing (National Criminal Justice Reference Service): https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs Oral histories and interviews with Nashville residents who participated in the 1975 search efforts (Nashville Public Library Oral History Collections): https://library.nashville.org/research/oral-history (library.nashville.org in Bing) Contemporary reporting on changes in Tennessee missing‑child protocols influenced by the Trimble case (TBI & state legislative archives): https://www.tn.gov/tbi Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm Shannon Ballard, and this is Southern Mysteries.

0:05.6

Before we get started, I want to say thanks to listeners who support the show on Patreon.

0:10.5

This is an independent podcast, and I handle the research, writing, recording, and production myself.

0:17.2

Your support helps cover the real-world cost of making the show.

0:21.6

Special welcome and thanks to new patrons, Sue Hunter of Franklin, Virginia,

0:27.2

Mary Mitchell of Richmond, Texas, Joe Lewis of Decatur, Tennessee,

0:32.0

and Dana Glenn of Roanoke, Virginia,

0:34.8

and to Sydney Buecker, Teresa Martin, and David Skiplen, who are supporting

0:39.9

from mysterious locations. Thank you so much. If you'd like to join them on Patreon, you'll get

0:46.6

access to the first three seasons of Southern Mysteries, which are only available there.

0:51.5

Plus, ad-free listening, and when you support as a much obliged member,

0:55.5

you get exclusive stories through my monthly patron podcast, Audacious. The show dives into

1:01.8

some of the most mysterious crimes and scandals in American history. You can learn more and join

1:08.0

today at patreon.com slash southern mysteries or search for Southern Mysteries podcast in the Patreon app.

1:19.8

In February of 1975, a little girl left home in one of Nashville's wealthiest neighborhoods

1:30.0

to deliver Girl Scout cookies.

1:32.5

And she never came back.

1:34.6

For more than three decades, her murder haunted the city, not only because of what happened,

1:41.1

but because the wrong person lived under suspicion for decades.

1:45.0

The truth was hidden in a case shaped by fear, class, and the dangerous power of assumptions.

1:53.0

Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring Southern history and true crime.

1:58.0

I'm your host, Shannon Ballard.

...

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