Desmond Runstedler and Philip Fraser: Danger on the Highway

[00:00:18] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young and this is Serial Napper, an international true crime podcast. I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep or perhaps to give you nightmares.

[00:00:32] There was a movement all across North America in the 60s and 70s that had people hitchhiking their way across the country. It was a way for young folks to get around economically while also being a little bit rebellious.

[00:00:47] There was an element of surprise and adventure because no one knew the stranger behind the wheel of the car that they were getting into. But for much of Western Canada, hitchhiking was so much more than that. It was an act out of necessity. There are stretches of highway

[00:01:04] where public transportation just doesn't exist. So unless you have a driver's license or access to a vehicle, getting around can be really difficult and expensive. So thumbing a ride might be the only option.

[00:01:19] But is it safe? Tonight we're talking about two hitchhiking stories and how too many have become victims of Canada's dangerous highways. So let's jump right in. On the evening of May 23rd, 1983, Desmond Joseph Runstedler, who was in his late 20s,

[00:01:38] was hanging out at a local campground in Lockleed, Alberta, which is located about 185 km southeast of Edmonton. That night there was a wedding reception happening, so he was drinking and celebrating with the wedding party and other guests who were staying on

[00:01:56] the campsite grounds. The alcohol certainly was flowing that night, which would make it really difficult for witnesses to report what they remembered later on. Desmond worked at the Lockleed Hotel, and he was known to run with the fast crowd. He was a really outgoing

[00:02:14] kind of guy who always had a really big smile on his face, so he'd make friends with guests who were staying at the hotel and would often find himself partying with them. Besides alcohol, Desmond was known to dabble in drugs, which ultimately meant that he wasn't always hanging

[00:02:31] around with the most upstanding group of individuals. But he was the kind of guy who was always up for a bit of fun, and he was said to be quite the ladies' man in his day. Because

[00:02:44] it was mid-May in Alberta, it was fairly warm throughout the day, but the evenings could drop to just above freezing temperatures. On this day in particular, it was quite cold, around 0 degrees Celsius. When the party ended, Desmond planned to hitch a ride back

[00:03:01] to his home, where he lived with a roommate. He left the wedding dance and was last seen hitchhiking on Highway 13, which is a 366-kilometer stretch of highway located just south of Edmonton. Desmond would not safely return home. Instead, he disappeared into the chilly May night,

[00:03:24] never to be heard from again. Because it was the 80s, meaning people weren't on social media posting what they were doing every single day and they weren't constantly tied to a cell phone, it wasn't immediately noticed that Desmond was missing. He wasn't particularly

[00:03:40] close to his family, meaning he didn't keep in contact regularly, so they didn't realize anything had happened to him right away. When he didn't show up for work and his friends stopped seeing him around town, they kind of just chalked it up to his somewhat transient

[00:03:57] lifestyle. It wouldn't be until almost six months later that the landlady and a postal worker would inquire about his whereabouts after noticing that the mail that was being delivered to Desmond's wasn't being picked up. It was all just sitting there, piling

[00:04:13] up untouched. That was highly unusual, so they decided to reach out to his parents, who lived across the country in Ottawa, Ontario. It was then that everyone began to realize no one had heard from Desmond in quite some time, and they reported him missing on January

[00:04:32] 10th, 1984. It's been 40 years since he first went missing, and his family, they're still looking for him. So my name is Curtis Runsteadler. I'm Desmond Runsteadler's nephew. He's my dad's brother. So it obviously had happened before I was born, but I heard a lot about it through my

[00:04:52] family, through my grandparents too. So it's something that's meant a lot to me. My grandmother passed away unfortunately in 2009, but she was very close to her son. Obviously he was the firstborn son. So I always kind of wanted to figure out what happened to him.

[00:05:06] As part of the investigation into what happened to Desmond or where he was, the police searched his home, but they found no clues pointing to where he may have gone. It didn't appear

[00:05:18] that he ever made it back home that evening. They also checked his bank account, but again, there was no activity. It's not a great sign to have a missing person not use their bank account for half a year.

[00:05:32] They spoke with the people who were at the campground party, with the consensus being that they believed that when Desmond left late that night, he was intending on heading home. There was a witness who last saw him trying to hitchhike down Highway 13, but beyond

[00:05:49] that, there was no trace of Desmond. To this day, Desmond has never been seen and he is likely presumed dead after so many years have gone by. Unfortunately, there just isn't a whole lot of evidence in this missing person's case. But there have been several theories.

[00:06:08] Initially, it was thought that Desmond had tried to hitch a ride home but was unsuccessful. The terrain around Highway 13 is unforgiving. There really isn't anywhere to find shelter from the weather or the cold. So the theory was that he may have died from hypothermia.

[00:06:28] Early extensive searches were done along the highway, but there was no body found. No trace of Desmond at all. Another theory was that while he was trying to catch a ride, he was hit by a drunk driver. The driver may have even panicked and moved his body off

[00:06:45] the side of the highway to avoid getting caught. The third theory regarding what may have happened to Desmond takes hitchhiking out of the equation altogether. It's no secret that Desmond had his own struggles with drugs and alcohol,

[00:07:00] and he dealt with problems that tend to come with those struggles. He lived a somewhat transient lifestyle. He would borrow money for drugs and then not be able to pay it back. So he had those broken relationships and people that he was just flat out avoiding. He hung

[00:07:18] out with a bad crowd. So did one of these acquaintances make him disappear? From what I heard, he owed a lot of money and he went out west to kind of escape from that too. You know, I heard stories about, you know, my grandfather getting annoyed too

[00:07:33] because they get calls in the night just with him. He was kind of mixed in with a bad crowd, so a lot of drugs and alcohol. As always, it's important to remember that people like Desmond, who may not have always

[00:07:46] made the best choices in life, they're still human beings and they're still very much loved and missed by their families. Even if they've made mistakes and gotten to trouble, they're still victims and they don't deserve whatever has happened to them. We can't have their

[00:08:02] faces overshadowed by their struggles. My aunt, however, she was a big fan of him. He was her big brother, you know, and she said he was quite a ladies man, very athletic, very kind of smooth, smooth talker, you could

[00:08:16] say. But he was kind of a gifted athlete. He never really had the kind of, I don't think motivation to kind of continue with his athletic studies, which is too bad because I feel like

[00:08:24] maybe that's something that maybe would have helped him. But he was very close with my grandmother too. You know, I heard stories, you know, he would dance with her in the kitchen around Christmas times.

[00:08:37] Desmond Joseph Runstedler has been missing for 40 years and his family still has no idea what happened to him that night that he tried to hitch a ride home. They are hoping to get answers someday, but they're up against a total lack of evidence, information and any

[00:08:53] witnesses. Desmond's story has not been widely reported on, but someone out there obviously knows exactly what happened to him. And they hold the key for solving this case. I think with a lot of cold cases too, there's just not much to base it on. I think, you

[00:09:09] know, the fact that he was kind of off the grid for a lot of the time too and kind of in with a bad crowd, you know, maybe that contributed to why it wasn't as widely reported.

[00:09:17] But like 20 years ago, a retired RCMP officer who really wanted to solve the case for the family reopened the case. And unfortunately, he didn't have a lot of leads. And I think he passed away since then, which is too bad.

[00:09:30] It's really hard. It's like taking a jigsaw puzzle and trying to find all the pieces still too. So there's not a lot of information to work on and I think go off. And I think that's why it's kind of remained kind of buried.

[00:09:40] And I think also, you know, in the 80s, too, there was just so many people going, as you know, there's so many people going missing and without a trace, too. And they end up as kind of grainy pictures on milk cartons, which is, you know, huge

[00:09:51] upset for their families. Hitchhikers aren't the only ones in danger on highways. What about those who decide to stop and give a stranger a ride with a hope and a prayer that that person they picked up isn't a psychopath? My next story involves exactly that.

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[00:12:34] His parents, Robert and Shirley, they were both accomplished doctors. And from a very young age, Philip knew that he wanted to follow the same path. He greatly admired his mom and dad and the incredible work that they did in the medical

[00:12:49] field. So he enrolled in a pre-med course at Evergreen College, which was located far away from home in the state of Washington. He could have easily flown to Washington, but instead he decided to take his car packed

[00:13:06] up with all of his belongings and go across Canada and into the States on a lengthy road trip. He was an outdoorsy and adventurous kind of guy, so he figured it would be just fine. He'd take lots of breaks and then just camp along the way.

[00:13:23] Plus, he absolutely loved his car, a 1983 black Volkswagen Jetta, and he wanted to make sure that he had it with him while he was away at school. Philip left his home in Anchorage on June 14th, 1988.

[00:13:40] His car was packed to the hilt with his belongings, including two legally owned and registered handguns. His journey started off rocky right from the get-go. He had car troubles that made him have to stop several times and put him behind schedule.

[00:13:58] When he finally reached the Canadian border, he faced even more difficulties. Though his two guns were perfectly legal in America, he could not bring them into Canada. Border Patrol agents confiscated the weapons before allowing him to pass into the country.

[00:14:15] Philip had no idea what awaited him next on his journey. A few days later, approximately 600 miles away from the border in British Columbia, a woman named Gaye Frocklage and her daughter Tina, they were working at a cafe called the 40 Mile Flat Cafe.

[00:14:33] A man walked in and he immediately made the hair on the back of their necks stand up. There was just something really off about him. First of all, he smelled horrible as if he hadn't showered in years and his teeth, they were rotting out of his mouth.

[00:14:52] Of course, you obviously shouldn't judge a stranger based solely on their appearances. I'm not perfect, but sometimes your gut, it senses something else that just cannot be picked up by the eyes.

[00:15:04] They would both later say that they felt really uneasy the entire time that he was in the cafe. Tina even commented under her breath that he may have escaped from a mental institution. She was joking, but she may have been right on the nose.

[00:15:20] The man ordered something to eat and both Gaye and Tina kept their distance as they waited for him to finish up. When he was done, he paid for his meal and he walked outside the cafe as Gaye watched

[00:15:33] from the window. There wasn't anyone else remaining in the cafe and she really just couldn't wait until he was gone. So she was watching patiently. According to Gaye, as this strange man stood outside the establishment, she saw a black Volkswagen Jetta pull in.

[00:15:51] The young man behind the wheel parked the car and he appeared to be searching for something in his vehicle. This is when the strange man walked up to the Jetta and asked the man in the car

[00:16:02] something. The car started to pull away and this man started to run after it, grabbing at the door handle, trying to get in. For whatever reason, the man in the Jetta stopped the car and actually allowed this stranger to get inside his car. Then they both drove off.

[00:16:21] Gaye found this interaction to be really strange because it appeared that the odd man who had been in the cafe had asked this young man in the Jetta for a ride. The man clearly initially said no and tried to drive away.

[00:16:36] But oddly enough, he seemed to change his mind. So did this strange man threaten him? We don't know why he did what he did, but the young man in that Jetta was Philip Frazier. And this one decision to pick up this hitchhiker, it would end his life.

[00:16:54] Later that evening, a married couple by the names of Eddie and Pauline Olson, they were driving down the highway on their way home when they saw a man on the side of the road who was trying to flag them down.

[00:17:06] When they stopped to see if he needed any help, he told them that he was having car troubles. Pauline will later say, quote, You could tell that he was nervous. But I thought, well, you know, he was just scared being out here this late at night.

[00:17:22] Didn't want to stay out here because it's kind of a remote area. And it's true. Just like I mentioned in the previous case, you do not want to get stuck on the side of a Western Canadian highway.

[00:17:35] They're dark and desolate with no shelter or reprieve from the elements. Because this was the 80s and before everyone carried around a cell phone, Eddie and Pauline, they offered to take the man back to their place so that he can stay the night

[00:17:52] and then he can call for a tow truck in the morning. Now, I don't know if this is a Canadian thing or because people were far too trusting back then, but it's really hard to imagine anyone being that generous and letting a stranger sleep at their home.

[00:18:09] But they took him back to their house, which was located in Kitwonga, and he spends the night in their basement. Now, I would have been sleeping with my bedroom door locked and my phone in my hand

[00:18:20] just in case. But lucky for Eddie and Pauline, nothing bad happens that evening. The next morning, Eddie and Pauline have a chance to chat with the man that they picked up the night prior. He says that his name is Philip Frazier and that he's from Alaska.

[00:18:37] He talks to them about his parents, how they're both doctors and how he's going to become a doctor one day after he finishes college in Washington, which is where he's headed. He also says that he's giving up on his car because it's caused him a ton of

[00:18:53] trouble already on his road trip. And he asks if Eddie will trade the car for a plane ticket. Eddie actually agrees to the trade, but it's the weekend and everything is closed. So he wants to wait until Monday when they can go through the proper channels to

[00:19:10] legally have this American car go through customs and import it into Canada. The man tells him that unfortunately, that's just not going to work. He can't wait any longer. So he'll try his luck with the car.

[00:19:24] As he's getting ready to leave their home, he goes to pull out his wallet and he ends up pulling out two wallets. This is when Eddie and Pauline say that he starts acting really strange. Who has two wallets anyway?

[00:19:39] He fumbles through one of the wallets and he pulls out an American $20 bill to thank them for their help. Then he calls a tow truck and he sets out to get his car from the side of the highway, which was still broken down.

[00:19:54] Eddie and Pauline wouldn't think too much about this encounter until a while later. Then the following day on June 19th, just five days after Philip Frazier first set out on his road trip to get to college, his burnt out Volkswagen Jetta would be found in a

[00:20:12] car wash located in Prince George, British Columbia, about a five hour drive away from Eddie and Pauline's home. Corporal Craig Gates of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP, would say, quote, the condition of the car after it was burned.

[00:20:28] It was almost totally gutted out on the inside due to fire and fire damage to the outside as well. Nothing was found in the car of any significance. There also weren't any witnesses who could say how the car got there or who it might

[00:20:44] have belonged to. Investigators would have to sift through the ashes. Inside the metal frame of the car for any evidence that might remain, which could point them in the right direction. A car that had been gutted like this was obviously cause for concern and the police,

[00:21:01] they believed that this could be a case of foul play. They were able to trace the VIN number back to Philip Frazier. But where was Philip? RCMP connected with the Anchorage Police Department, who then visited Philip's parents

[00:21:16] home. They were shocked to hear about their son's car and they had no idea where he was now. They hadn't heard from him since he called them when he was first experiencing car troubles shortly after leaving Alaska.

[00:21:32] It had been almost a week since they had any kind of communication with Philip, and now they were terrified at the unknowns of what had happened to their son. They had no idea how his car got there and why it would be burnt out.

[00:21:47] A full investigation and search was launched to try to find Philip Frazier. But with the lack of technology and cell phone towers back then, it was really difficult. And then about a month after the charred car was discovered, a body would be found in a

[00:22:03] gravel pit located just off the Glacier Highway. It was Philip Frazier. He had been shot to death with a pistol. When news of this gruesome discovery began to spread around the area, Eddie and Pauline

[00:22:19] Olson, the couple that had taken in that strange man, they were horrified as they kind of began to connect the dots. It is believed that the man that they picked up from the side of the highway was not actually Philip Frazier, as he had stated.

[00:22:35] This man was the hitchhiker from the cafe who had likely killed Philip, stolen his identity, and then set his car on fire in an attempt to destroy all evidence. Philip's credit cards, his passport and his wallet, they have never been found.

[00:22:54] Eddie and Pauline suddenly became all too aware of how their lives had been in very real danger when they let this man into their home. To this day, this man has never been identified. And Philip Frazier's murder, it's never been solved.

[00:23:10] The man has been described as a white male, about 5'9 tall, weighing 225 pounds. He had brown hair, brown eyes and again decaying teeth. Despite his poor physical condition, it's believed that he was a pretty young man at the time of the murders, in his early 20s.

[00:23:29] Today, he would be much older, in his 50s or 60s. There have been multiple sketches put together of this individual, but sadly, no one has come forward to identify him. It's likely that he was transient and never stayed in any one place too long, meaning

[00:23:47] there could be multiple victims across the country. He may even be connected to the Highway of Tears, which runs along Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia. If you're not familiar with the Highway of Tears, I'm going to be devoting an entire

[00:24:05] episode to covering the crimes against many missing and murdered Indigenous women that had taken place on this stretch of highway since the 80s. Because we can't talk about danger on the highway without talking about the Highway of Tears, so stay tuned for that next month.

[00:24:23] There have been multiple serial killers who have used Canada's isolated and remote highways as their hunting grounds. So a word to the wise who are thinking of thumbing a ride next time. Don't. That's it for me tonight.

[00:24:39] If you want to reach out, you can find me on Facebook at Serial Napper. Did you know I also have a Serial Napper true crime discussion group? It's called Serial Society and I'll have the link in my show notes.

[00:24:51] I would love to chat with you about this case and all other cases that I cover. You can find my audio on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. I post all of my episodes in video format over on YouTube, so go check it out.

[00:25:07] And if you're watching on YouTube, I'd love if you can give me a thumbs up and subscribe. I'm also over on X, formerly known as Twitter, at Serial underscore Napper, and I post things on TikTok. Serial Napper Nick, and that's all one word.

[00:25:21] Until next time, sweet dreams, stay kind, especially in the comments. Bye.