Rhonda Richardson's case - A complete timeline of events

Rhonda Richardson is at the center of Cold Justice Season 6, Episode 21, as the case follows a 2019 death in rural Texas and the steps that shaped the file. Richardson, 59, left home to search for a missing dog and was found the next day along a narrow trail in the Sam Houston National Forest.

A re-air of Cold Justice - Trail of Terror is scheduled on Oxygen at 6:00 am ET on Friday, September 12. The hour revisits scene findings, early witness accounts, and later device work that supported an arrest.

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Cold Justice case background

Rhonda Richardson worked for more than two decades in corrections and lived alone with her dogs in rural Texas. On May 21, 2019, she went out to track a runaway dog and did not return. The next afternoon, a caller reported a body near an ATV trail, face down and clothed, with boots removed. Deputies documented tire impressions near the spot and secured the area.

A body was reported near a narrow trail in the Sam Houston National Forest. (Image via Pexels)

Because decomposition limited the findings, a forensic pathologist on the show said the pattern of head injury did not match common animal activity, which kept foul play in consideration, as reported by Oxygen. Early on, investigators focused on who last saw Richardson and who was with her near the trails.

A nearby registered sex offender, Robert Dale Clary, told deputies he had helped look for the dog and later came upon the body. He also photographed the scene before officers arrived, a choice that drew scrutiny, per Oxygen.

As the file grew, Cold Justice joined the review with former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and investigator Steve Spingola working alongside local deputies and the district attorney’s office. A preview noted a meeting with Richardson’s daughter and described the case as ‘hard,’ according to WKYC (March 2023).

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Timeline of events in the Rhonda Richardson Cold Justice case

May 21, 2019: Rhonda Richardson leaves home to search for a missing dog

Neighbors reported seeing Rhonda Richardson out on foot near the tree line, checking trails used by ATV riders. No clear conflict with former inmates or coworkers surfaced at this stage, per Oxygen (2023). Phone activity later helped anchor the route.

Rhonda Richardson leaves home to search for a missing dog (Image via Unsplash)

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May 22, 2019: Rhonda Richardson is found in the Sam Houston National Forest

A caller reported a body near a narrow trail. Deputies logged tire impressions and noted the boots had been removed. A forensic pathologist later ruled out typical animal feeding patterns based on the head wound description shared with the show, which kept homicide theory viable despite an undetermined cause, as reported by Oxygen (2023).

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2019: Rhonda Richardson case sees early interviews and a key phone photo detail

Clary told deputies he searched with her on a four-wheeler and later found the body. He took photos before law enforcement arrived. A search of his property and vehicles in 2019 did not produce physical evidence tying him to the killing, Oxygen reported.

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2020–2022: Rhonda Richardson timeline tightened by device data and witness accounts

A digital examiner tracked Clary’s device in the trail area later than he first claimed and confirmed his deleted scene photos were downloaded from cloud storage afterward. Location history from Richardson’s phone narrowed the window when her phone stopped moving.

A neighbor also said he saw her on the back of Clary’s ATV headed toward the woods. These points, taken together, advanced the file, per Oxygen (2023).

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October 31, 2022: Rhonda Richardson's investigation leads to an arrest

Deputies arrested Robert Dale Clary on a murder charge after a fresh witness and device records supported probable cause. A grand jury returned an indictment on January 20, 2023. Law&Crime reported the arrest and indictment details, including prior record notes and the cell-site findings the warrant cited (January 2023).

The case file was re-examined by local deputies with the Cold Justice team (Image via Pexels)

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March 11, 2023: Rhonda Richardson's case airs on Cold Justice

Season 6 Episode 21, Trail of Terror, first aired with the on-camera review of evidence and interviews. A separate preview described the family meeting and the “hard case” label, per WKYC Entertainment Tonight (March 2023).

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Where to watch Cold Justice

The re-air of Cold Justice Season 6 Episode 21, Trail of Terror, is scheduled on Oxygen for Friday, September 12 at 6:00 am ET. The episode centers on the search, the forest scene, and the digital work that framed the arrest step.

Full episodes of Cold Justice are available to stream on Peacock and the Oxygen app.

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