Unsolved Mysteries & Cold Cases · Pod Hour

Murder of Artemus Ogletree - Unsolved Mysteries & Cold Cases

·41 min·2 clips

Randolph Probst opens Room 1046 and finds Artemis Ogletree bloodied on the floor.

1. Unsolved Mysteries & Cold Cases centers on the Room 1046 case at the President Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. 2. Steve Matthews hosts the episode and frames the story as a search through unsolved crimes, interviews, and investigation. 3. The episode asks who Artemis Ogletree was, why he used a false name, and who killed him. 4. In January 1935, a young man entered the President Hotel and introduced himself as Artemis Ogletree. 5. Randolph Probst, the bellboy, noticed that the guest carried little luggage and looked over his shoulder often. 6. Mary Soptic, the hotel maid, saw a dark room, drawn curtains, and Ogletree sitting hunched on the bed. 7. On January 4th, Randolph Probst unlocked Room 1046 and found Ogletree bloodied on the floor. 8. The room showed blood on the walls, signs of a struggle, and a strong metallic smell. 9. Doctors at the hospital found a fractured skull, strangulation marks, and more than half a dozen stab wounds. 10. Dr. Harold Ferris and the medical staff tried to stabilize Ogletree while he remained conscious. 11. Detectives later learned that Artemis Ogletree was an alias and that the suit had been made for Roland T. Owen. 12. The name change shifted the investigation from a hotel mystery to a search for Owen’s identity and connections. 13. Hotel staff also reported silent phone calls from Room 1046 during Owen’s stay. 14. Owen was heard saying, “No, Don, I don’t want to eat,” which made Don a key mystery figure. 15. Detective John A. Johnson investigated Don, checked Owen’s belongings, and interviewed hotel staff for clues. 16. Investigators found a hidden paper in the phone stand with the words “Don Roam.” 17. A woman who gave the name Louise called the hotel multiple times asking for Room 1046. 18. The episode presents the tone as methodical and narrative, with Chapter headings and a steady move from clue to clue. 19. Listeners who like hotel-room mysteries and historical true crime will get the most from it. 20. Listeners wanting a fast, spoiler-light summary of the case may skip it.

As heard by us

A tense hotel case told with patience and atmosphere, keeping the mystery alive.

Room 1040 settles into a tightening chamber of dread as Unsolved Mysteries and Cold Cases follows the murder of Artemis Ogletree, later identified as Roland T. Owen, through hotel unease, chilling phone calls, a cryptic note, and the case's refusal to settle.

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Why you'd press play

You want a shadowy true-crime hotel mystery centered on Room 1046 at the President Hotel.

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