When A Mother Goes Missing, Will a Psychic Crack the Case? The Disappearance of Kathleen Ranft

Welcome to another chilling episode of Box in the Basement, the podcast dedicated to shedding light on cold cases in Texas and beyond. Join Arlene & Leah, as they delve into the mysterious disappearance of Kathleen Ranft from Seguin, Texas in 1985.

In this episode, the navigate the unsettling vanishing of 29-year-old Kathleen, a tire shop employee and mother. Despite the immediate suspicion of foul play by the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office, Kathleen's whereabouts remain unknown nearly four decades later, leaving a void in the hearts of her family and friends.

Join us as we travel back to 1985, we explore the landscape of Seguin, Texas, at the time - a town transitioning from its agricultural roots into a more diverse economy. We discuss Kathleen's life, her family, and the peculiar circumstances surrounding her last known activities.

From the baffling return of her car to a local nightclub's parking lot to the perplexing behavior of her estranged husband, every angle of this case raises more questions than answers. We also examine the investigation's twists, including the involvement of a psychic and the frustrating lack of solid leads.

As we strive to honor Kathleen's memory, we also highlight our mission with the Box in the Basement podcast. We're committed to seeking justice not only for Kathleen but for all those forgotten in cold cases. 

Stay tuned as we discuss the possible theories behind Kathleen's disappearance, her last known whereabouts, and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to bring closure to her case.

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Transcript

Bree: 0:00

Please be advised this episode contains detailed discussions of violence and may not be suitable for all listeners.

Leah: 0:07

On April 5th. 1985. The Guadalupe county Sheriff's office in Texas received a missing persons report for a 29 year old tire. Shop employee named Kathleen ramp. Her employer called the Sheriff's office after ramp missed her shift and nobody was able to get in touch with her. The Sheriff's office immediately suspected foul play. But nearly 40 years later. Kathleen's body has never been recovered. And her friends and family have gotten no answers.

Arlene: 0:37

Hello, and welcome to box in the basement podcast. I'm your host, Arlene.

Leah: 0:42

And I'm Leah.

Arlene: 0:43

In 1996, my world was shattered when my uncle Leon Lorella is. Was shot execution style and a small town in Texas. To this day, his murder remains unsolved. And the pain of that injustice continues to haunt me, my family and Leon's friends and coworkers. Here at box in the basement. We want to shed light on the overwhelming number of unsolved murders and disappearances here in Texas and beyond. Ultimately, we want to get justice for Leon. And for all the victims whose cases are sitting, collecting dust in a box, in a basement.

1:22

1985 was marked by commercial airliner hijackings and the live aid concerts in Philadelphia and London. Mikhail Gorbachev became the last leader of the Soviet union. And the Colombian terrorist group executed 100 hostages at the palace of justice in Bogota. The Lakers beat the Celtics for the NBA championship. My Oklahoma Sooners would be the number one college football team. The Oilers won the Stanley cup. The 49ers won the super bowl. And this was Joe Montana. And Jerry Rice is 49ers by the way. And the Royals would win the world series. The week this incident occurred. Danielle Steele's family album was at the top of the New York times bestseller list. And the Cosby show was the number one TV show that will elicit a few cringes from the audience. Though in Texas, Dallas was probably more likely to be on any given TV set. Police academy too, was the top movie at the box office. One more night by Phil Collins was the number one on the billboard hot 100. And Kenny Rogers, top the country charts with crazy. Kathleen rant liked to go to country bars. So aside from that, Kenny Rogers hit, she was probably also listening to George Strait, Reba McEntire, Alabama. Merle Haggard, Conway, Twitty, and the Judds. Seguin Texas is a town of around 29,000 people located off Between San Antonio and Austin. Closer to San Antonio. It's near new Braunfels, Kingsbury that area. It's actually one of the oldest towns in Texas founded a little over a year after the Texas revolution started. It's just south of the hill country in what we call the south Texas Plains around here. It's hot and fairly humid in the summer and windy and the winter. In 1985, Seguin was smaller with around 18,000 residents. And was well into the process of diversifying its economy from mostly agriculture and oil to a mix of agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries. Violent crime and Seguin is kind of an issue today. I don't have data that goes back to 1985. But the trend in Seguin seems to be the opposite of the rest of the country, where violent crime rates have generally decreased since the 1980s. From what information I can find Seguin. Wasn't a really dangerous place to live and work in the 1980s. Kathleen Laura Atwood ramped was born on February 18. 1956 to Paul and Glenn Robinson. And April of 1985, Kathleen had just started a new job at the Olympia tire center. Under the supervision of Glen Phillips. Kathleen was married at the time to Dennis rant. But they were in the process of splitting up and Kathleen was moving out of their marital home into a new apartment. Dennis and Kathleen had two children together. Ages three and eight. And Kathleen had another son age 10 at the time from a previous marriage. Glenn Phillips Kathleen's boss told investigators. He last saw her at 5:50 PM on the evening of Friday, April 5th. As she was leaving work. Her husband, Dennis, till the Sheriff's department, he saw Kathleen. The night she disappeared. Somewhere between nine and 9:30 PM. According to the timeline we have available. Kathleen left somewhere around this time. Dropped her children off at a babysitter. And then headed to a local nightclub. Called the country cabaret. To go dancing. She was not seen again. The soon to be ex Dennis told the newspapers that he went to the Sheriff's office on Sunday after Kathleen failed to show up for an Easter dinner with her children. But he claimed that he was told he couldn't file a missing persons report until 72 hours had passed. This is a common theme in missing persons cases past and present. An individual particularly an adult. Falls off the radar. And the immediate assumption is that the person either left willingly. Or could possibly just be caught up in some minor trouble and will return soon. And I get it, especially in a small town. Resources and personnel are scarce. And it's difficult for law enforcement to chase down every single person that goes no contact. At the same time. I do wonder given what happens next. How often this is used as an excuse by people who know something are involved in the disappearance or who just can't be bothered for whatever reason. Glenn Phillips Kathleen's boss was the one who filed the missing persons report after Kathleen failed to show up for work on Saturday and Monday. Did Dennis really try and report his wife missing? Or was he just saying that. We can sit here and speculate and pick apart. Dennis's immediate reaction to his wife's disappearance, but that's all it is. In any case, it does look pretty bad for Dennis that he wasn't the one to report his wife missing. Especially since their relationship had been rather tumultuous at the time. To law enforcement's credit. They did not use the line of reasoning where we hear so often in disappearance cases. She's an adult she's allowed to go missing if she wants to. The Sheriff's department have recognized immediately. That this was probably a case involving foul play. She told people where she was going that evening. It wasn't a secret that she was taking her kids to a sitter and going to the bar. She was dressed for the occasion in a blue and white Western style shirt and jeans. Her car was found the next day in the parking lot. F a country cabaret. Though it is important to note that it was not present in the parking lot. When the bar closed at 1:00 AM. The owner of the bar told, please. He first saw the car in the parking lot at around 8:00 AM on Saturday morning. It hadn't been there in the wee hours. The interviews with Kathleen's husband, Dennis, right after her disappearance rubs me the wrong way. If I'm being honest. I don't know if it's my own internal alarm bells ringing. Or if it's my bias talking. But some of the things he says to reporters in law enforcement just seem like giant red flags. He said he had no idea what happened to Kathleen. Which is of course what you'd say, if you truly had no idea what happened. It's also what you'd say, if you did know what happened. One use paper said that Dennis remarked, that Kathleen was quote, unquote, very fond. Of her oldest son. And he doesn't believe she would have left without him. If she ran away willingly to start a new life. That just strikes me as weird. Kathleen had three children. And like most parents would be, she was probably fond of all of them. Or was this just related to Kathleen's plans to move out that weekend into her own apartment with her oldest son. Remember Kathleen's oldest was not Dennis's biological child. He was Kathleen son with her first husband. It could be nothing and it could just be awkward journalism. But it just struck me as an odd way to characterize the relationship between parent and child. Two other statements made by Dennis struck me as odd. And like you, Arlene, I'm not sure if it's just my preconceived notions or if something is truly wrong here. Dennis said he was surprised that the car was left behind. He mentioned that the 1980 Chevy citation Kathleen drove was paid off. So that made it extra puzzling. The quote from the paper goes, quote, I can't see anybody leaving a 1980 model car behind and quote. Again, it could mean nothing. But it just seems like old Dennis is trying too hard. Just me, maybe. The next thing he mentioned actually does bring up a good point. He noted that Kathleen was a regular at the country. Cabaret. And that she was wearing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. The night she went missing. Indeed. She'd been wearing her wedding band, which was yellow gold and had nine diamonds in it. Diamond earrings, a diamond pendant necklace, two other rings, NSA, go watch. Was this what Kathleen regularly wore to the club. If so, is it possible? She was the victim of a robbery gone wrong. Or is Dennis using this as a way to divert suspicion away from himself? If he was involved? I guess it just seems odd to emphasize in an interview about your missing wife, who was about to leave you in the dust that she was wearing lots of expensive jewelry. Once again, it seems like he's trying too hard. On the other hand, he could just be an awkward dude who thinks he's being helpful. When in reality, he had nothing to do with it. The police were fairly stern early on in the investigation that Kathleen succumb to foul play. And assumed early on that she'd been killed. They searched the area and earnest canvassing, the neighborhoods, questioning friends, family, and acquaintances. And looking in uninhabited locations and industrial areas alike. The lack of leads and evidence hampered, investigative efforts from the start. And in their frustration, the family brought in a psychic name, John Catchings versus dense. Catching suggested that police look at the nearby. Acme brick company. For her body. He claimed to have seen Kathleen's remains near the bottom of a clay pit on the company's property. Now, and now on psychics here. We aren't going to start a fight or discuss whether or not this stuff is real. But in this case, The psychic was given some sort of case file or access to information. He was an outsider, asked to give his perspective. And that is the part I think is important here. Right. I have quite a bit of experience teaching, critical thinking and analysis. And I think there is absolutely value in bringing in an outsider to take a look at a given situation with fresh eyes. Someone may make a connection that investigators deeply entangled in the case might miss. In this particular instance, I don't think it was psychic ability that led Catchings to his conclusion. It was pretty standard deductive reasoning. Dennis rant worked at the acne brick company. And would therefore likely have access to the clay pit on the property. So it made sense to look there for evidence or for a body. Catching said he believed Kathleen was struck on the head strangled and then put in the pit. This is also a reasonable assumption. Given that law enforcement felt she was the victim of foul play early on. Investigators at the Sheriff's department, brought in a search team, a backhoe and a bulldozer. And thoroughly combed through the clay pit and the surrounding area on the Acme brick company property. But no trace of Kathleen was found. It was slow going and difficult work. The slope of the pit was slippery and unstable. And had about a foot of water in it. And vehicles could only get within 20 to 30 yards of the pit searchers then had to get out and walk to and around the pit on foot.

Arlene: 13:15

So as this is a missing persons case. And not technically a murder case. Not yet. Anyway. There's always a possibility that Kathleen left willingly. I personally don't think this is the case. Kathleen had three children. Speaking as a parent. I know the situation would have to be extraordinarily dire for me to leave without a trace and not take my children with me. I would think that if Kathleen was getting out of Dodge to escape her husband and starting ULI, That she would have left her kids with her parents. Or another close family member or friend with instructions. And information about her plans. Kathleen's parents from what I can gather, we're not in Seguin when she went missing. They were in canyon lake which is about an hour Northwest of Siggy. Kathleen was very close to her parents. And her mother felt that if she was planning to leave or start over. She would have given them a heads up. Kathleen's parents traveled a lot. And Kathleen handled all their mail and business-related needs when they were on the road. Kathleen called her parents regularly. And her mother said that they never went more than three days without speaking on the phone. If Kathleen's mother says falling off the map without a word is uncharacteristic of her than I believe her.

Leah: 14:43

There's also the matter of the new apartment. As we mentioned earlier, Kathleen was leaving her husband. They'd been separated for some time at this point. She was planning on moving into her new apartment that very weekend she went missing. And had already put down a deposit and paid the first month's rent. Though she didn't seem broke or on hard times, it still seems very odd that she'd pay that kind of money just to turn around and leave town without a trace. Some would argue that's exactly what someone trying to cover their tracks and start over would do. But I sincerely believe that's not the case here. The article I found that talks about the circumstances surrounding Kathleen's disappearance. Mentioned that her purse and makeup were found at quote-unquote the apartment. I'm not sure if the article is referring to the new apartment or the home she shared with her husband, Dennis. I think they mean the new apartment, but I can't be 100% sure. Kathleen's keys and wallet we're missing.

15:44

However, which makes sense. Since her car was found at the bar, not at the apartment. Kathleen probably did like a lot of women do and just pocketed her wallet to take to the bar as opposed to taking her entire purse. She liked to dance and hauling around a bag would be inconvenient. I don't carry a purse, but Arlene, I know you do. And I know sometimes you'll either just take your wallet out of your purse or take whatever cards and ID you need. And leave everything else. So it's not necessarily strange that the purse was left behind. But you would think that if she was leaving for good, she would take it with her. And then you have the car. It was paid off. Dennis was correct. And it was only five years old. So, if you were planning to leave town, wouldn't you take that car with you? Unless Kathleen had a secret bank account or cash stash. And bought another car on the sly. I think she would've taken that car with her. And then there's the matter of the car showing up in the parking lot after the bar was closed. Remember the bar owner said it wasn't there when he closed up shop at 1:00 AM, but it was there when he returned at 8:00 AM. This is just weird. And doesn't fit with the narrative that Kathleen left willingly. Yeah, there's just too much for it to be a case of leaving to start over. The purse, the apartment, the car, and the kids. No, especially not the kids. Also, I don't know of any women that would leave their purse behind if they were going to move away. That just doesn't seem logical. Woman takes her makeup and her purse. And especially her kids, unless someone's chasing her with a gun and she can't get her kids. It's just not going to happen. That's my opinion. Anyway. There's also the matter of Kathleen's job. She had recently started working at a local tire center. And there were planning their grand opening. Kathleen spas is expecting her to show up to work on Saturday to help set up for that event. She told other people, she was planning on working that weekend. From all accounts, Kathleen was not an unreliable person. And it seems very unlikely. She would have ghosted her new employer in the middle of planning, something like a grand opening. She just paid on a new apartment and was in the process of leaving her husband. Doesn't make sense that she'd walk out on her job. It also doesn't make any sense to me that she would. Plan to have a new apartment, a new job that seems like she was starting over. Not leaving. Yeah, I agree. So, obviously we agree with the Sheriff's department that this is a case of foul play. So, what are some possibilities here? Was it an act of random violence that is possible. Maybe Kathleen met someone at the bar that night who turned out to not be a very good person. There was no sign of struggle in the car. So it could be that Kathleen left willingly with someone, and then that someone returned the car to the bar the next morning, in order to cover their tracks. It could have been a robbery gone wrong as Dennis rant seemed to suggest when he brought up the fact that Kathleen wore expensive jewelry to the club. But the car situation is really bothering me here. If it was a robbery, then where did the car go? Between the bar closing an 8:00 AM. Again, there was no sign of struggle in the car, which seems a little farfetched that this hypothetical robbery would have taken place somewhere else outside of the car. And then the thief returned the car. There were two cigarette butts in the ashtray inside the car. Along with a watch that was later determined to belong to one of Kathleen's children I think even in 1985, that a car would be worth more than some jewelry. So robbery doesn't seem like a very logical assumption to make. Why go to the trouble to return the car in any case? If you robbed or assaulted or accidentally killed someone, why not dump the car where you dumped the body? It's just strange to me. Yeah, I personally just don't believe anything that her husband's saying here. It just doesn't make any sense. So what happened here? Was this a premeditated murder? Kathleen didn't have any enemies that anyone you love. She was leaving her husband, Dennis. But he has never been formally named as a suspect or a person of interest as far as I can tell. That he was the last person to seek Kathleen alive. She was leaving him and moving out the next day. His kids were at a babysitter. And he knew where she was going to be. He said he tried to report Kathleen missing that night. And sources seem to indicate that the Sheriff's department backs him up. But again, he wasn't the person who made the actual missing persons report. The following Monday. Even if I were in a nasty breakup with someone. If they went missing, I would be standing on someone's desk at the Sheriff's office until I got someone to do something. Especially if that person was the parent of my children. I'd be banging on doors, getting my neighbors and friends to come help me look. I be blowing up everyone's phone. Just strikes me as odd, but that's just me and what I do. Like Leah said a few minutes ago. It's possible. This was an accident. Someone left with Kathleen. Things got heated. And she ended up dead. The killer panicked and dumped her body. And then took the car back to the bar. But again, moving the car seems like an unnecessary risk. If this was a situation like that. But as we all know, people in stressful situations make strange choices. Same with the robbery theory. Seems like too much trouble for some jewelry, especially considering the car was returned.

Leah: 22:00

So here we are. Nearly 40 years after Kathleen's disappearance. And law enforcement is no closer to an answer than they were in 1985. The Guadalupe county Sheriff's department has teamed up with the Texas Rangers to try and get some closure for Kathleen's family and friends. And maybe get some justice for Kathleen herself.

22:23

Kathleen ramp was 29 years old. When she disappeared in 1985, she would be 67 years old today. She was five foot six and around 130 pounds. She was white with blonde hair and blue eyes. And she was last seen wearing a blue and white flowered, Western style shirt, jeans, sandals, gold jewelry, and a Seiko watch. She has a noticeable scar on her abdomen. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Kathleen or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Please contact the Guadalupe county Crimestoppers at 8 7, 7. Four. Oh three tips. That's 8 7, 7, 4 0 3. 8 4, 7, 7. This podcast has a bigger purpose than Just providing information and the entertainment. The homicide victims, families rights act is a bipartisan bill that was signed into law by Congress in 2021. And we want to see it put into action. This law establishes a systematic process for reviewing case files. Related to cold case murders. The focus is on providing a mechanism for the families and friends of murder victims. To request a formal review of such cases. We need an attorney or teams of attorneys and legal professionals To take on the bold and brave fight against the system around the country. In our case, we need someone to fight for Leon to help not only put fresh eyes on the case. But to get his body zoomed, to search for evidence that was not collected the first time around. We and other families and friends need assistance with getting foyer requests. If you want to hear more about victim focused. Unsolved cases. And get updates about what we know. Please subscribe, like and share our podcast. Also visit our website. Justice for leon.com to donate to our cause to hire an attorney. You can also join our email list to stay current on developments on Leon's case and other cases. We cover as they happen. Thank you for spending time with us. If you'd like to support us, you can like, and follow our podcasts wherever you listen. You can like follow and share the justice for Leon Lorella is GoFund me and Facebook page. As well as following our box in the basement, Facebook and Insta pages. We have some wonderful organizations. We'd like to suggest where you can volunteer or donate. Which are season of justice uncovered and The looking out foundation. aLl who help victims and families. Thank you. Please be kind. Bye.