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September 17, 2025 25 mins
On June 6, 1972, the Gulf of Mexico gave back one of its secrets. The body of Randolph “Randy” Farenthold, 32 years old, oil money in his veins, and gambling smoke in his lungs, washed ashore on Mustang Island. His hands were bound, his body chained, his skull fractured. The brutal murder of the South Texas “sportsman” triggered one of the most intensive investigations in Nueces County history, pulling in local lawmen, Texas Rangers, and even the FBI.

But this was no simple killing. Randy had been scheduled to testify in a federal fraud case against men tied to shady financial schemes, leaving investigators to question whether his death was a mob-style hit meant to silence him. His movements in the final hours were traced from Corpus Christi’s nightlife to the waters he loved, yet every lead pointed to a tangle of gambling debts, betrayals, and organized crime connections.

Though suspects were named and one man, Bruce Lusk Bass III, eventually indicted and convicted, Randy’s murder remains clouded by unanswered questions. His violent end became one more curse in a dynasty already fractured by addiction, politics, and loss.

Randy’s death was only the beginning. Seventeen years later, the family would face another devastating silence—the disappearance of his younger brother, James Robert “Jimmy” Farenthold.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jimmy Farenthold, please contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-8939.

Sources: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, The Port Aransas South Jetty, The Houston Chronicle, The San Antonio Express-News, Texas Monthly, Texas Observer, texashistory.unt.edu, The Los Angeles Times

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Gone Cold. Podcasts may contain violent or graphic subject matter.
Listener discretion is advised. The Gulf of Mexico keeps its secrets,
but not forever. On the morning of June sixth, nineteen
seventy two, a fisherman wading the surf off Mustang Island
spotted something drifting in the water. At first, it looked

(00:24):
like a log, but as it came closer, the shape
was unmistakable. A man, face down, chained at the neck,
his hands bound behind him. For nearly two days, the
tide had carried him beneath the waves. Now the water
was giving him back. The man was Randolph Randy Farenthald,

(00:47):
thirty two years old, oil money in his veins and
South Texas power in his name. Known around Corpus Christie
as a sportsman, Randy split his time between gambling, haull nightclubs,
and the open Gulf. But the life that carried him
between those worlds ended with a blunt object to the head,

(01:09):
concrete blocks leashed to his body, and silence that stretched
from the shoreline to the halls of power. It marked
the beginning of a spiral that would drag the Fharenthold
family deeper into violence, unanswered questions, and eventually a disappearance
that would leave no trace. Randy Farenthald was known around

(01:56):
Corpus Christi as a high stakes gambler, offshoreman, and a
fixture on the city's nightlife. Randy moved fluently between those
familiar worlds. Two days before his body was discovered, he
was still present in those same circles, but on the
morning of June fourth, something changed. He was attacked, his

(02:19):
hands bound behind his back and heavy concrete blocks tied
to his neck with rope and chains. Then he was
thrown into the gulf. For nearly two days, the tide
carried him beneath the waves, the water keeping the secret,
albeit briefly. He finally washed up some one hundred feet

(02:40):
off shore, about a mile south of beach Access Road
Number one, about two miles south of the South Jetty
at Portoransas. The fisherman who found Randy's body, Cecil Butchert,
called the coast guard, but it was a county matter
and turned over to the sheriff. There was no id

(03:01):
on the body, and it was several hours after it
was discovered before a positive identification was made. New Ace's
County medical examiner doctor Joseph Rupp, confirmed it was Randy
through dental records, fingerprints, and articles found on the body.
Confirmation of the identity set off one of the most

(03:22):
intensive murder investigations in nue Ace's county history. Because of
where the body was found, the County Sheriff's office became
the prime investigative body, and the Corpus Christi Police Department
entered the investigation. Because of the possibility the crime had
been committed inside the city limits, the Texas Rangers joined

(03:44):
at the request of one of the other agencies, although
it's never been clear which. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
also threw their hat in the ring. A number of
out of town agents were brought in to assist the
local agents, but had little success. The attack on Brandy
Farenthald had been brutal. Preliminary autopsy findings showed he'd been

(04:09):
struck at least twice on the back of the head
with a blunt instrument, perhaps a pipe or a club.
Doctor Rupp noted that the body was badly deteriorated due
to exposure to warm salty water and required special treatment
before further testing could be conducted. The pathologist hoped to

(04:29):
determine whether Randy had still been alive when he was
dropped into the water, but acknowledged the question might never
be answered. He emphasized that the fatal head injuries, combined
with the restraints, made clear this was a violent killing.
Evidence suggested he had then been ferried across Corpus Christie

(04:50):
Bay by boat and dumped into the Gulf of Mexico.
Weighed down with concrete blocks. Investigators believed the wang of
Randy's body was poorly done. Sheriff's deputies speculated that multiple
blocks had originally been attached, but at least two had
come loose, allowing the body to drift into shallow water

(05:11):
and eventually wash ashore in the early hours following Randy's disappearance,
his nineteen seventy one Oldsmobile Toronado was discovered under suspicious
circumstances the day after the body was found, at around
three am on Wednesday, June seventh, nineteen seventy two. The

(05:33):
car was located at an apartment complex in the fifty
two hundred block of Costora's Road. Reports indicate that the
vehicle had first been noticed at the complex earlier at
around seven thirty pm on Sunday, June fourth, several hours
after Randy was last seen leaving Ciro's Galleon Theater, a

(05:54):
nightclub in Parkdale Plaza. Prior to the car's recovery, a
mind arriving at Randy's home on the two hundred block
of del Mar Boulevard found a set of car keys
just inside the screen door. This occurred on Monday morning,
June fifth, and roughly four miles from where the vehicle
was ultimately found. The keys belonged to Randy's oldsmobile. At

(06:19):
the time, the maid was unaware of the significance. The
apparent separation of car and keys raised immediate questions for investigators.
The circumstances suggested that someone had moved the vehicle and
later returned to the residence, perhaps searching for additional items,

(06:40):
and that the perpetrator had deliberately left the keys behind
to obscure the trail. Lawman noted the oddity of the situation.
The detail hinted at both premeditation and opportunism, adding to
the confusion in the case. In response, deputies began canvassing
the lexing Go apartments where the vehicle was found questioning

(07:03):
residents about any unusual activity or sightings related to the car.
Investigators spoke with dozens of people who knew Randy Farenthald,
some who'd been aware of his activities in the days
leading up to his death. Many recalled seeing him in
Port Ransas and Corpus Christie, but most couldn't account for

(07:24):
his whereabouts after he left a nightclub in Corpus at
around one forty a m. On the morning of June fourth,
nineteen seventy three. Within the next few hours, Randy was
murdered and his body disposed of in the Gulf, likely
in the deep water channel beyond the jetties at Port
Ransas waters he had frequented countless times while fishing for

(07:48):
big game. Earlier that night, he had visited two clubs. First,
he stopped at the Electric Eel, a venue known for
rock and roll bands and flashing lights. The club's proprietor,
Gary Minyard, stated that Randy did not behave unusually and
as far as he knew, left alone. Others reported his

(08:11):
behavior differently. From the Electric Eel, Randy went to Ciro's nightclub,
where he had one drink. An employee described him as
appearing upset and withdrawn, a departure from his typically jovial demeanor.
He seemed introspective, as though something weighed on his mind.

(08:32):
When he left CEO's, Randy was wearing a navy blue
T shirt, yellow and green checked pants, and white canvas
slip on shoes, the same clothing in which his body
was later found save one missing shoe. Randy's movements during
the few dozen hours before his death were well documented.

(08:53):
On Saturday, June second, he had breakfast with a friend
in Port Oransis and discussed repairs needed for the Lollipops
bent propeller, damaged during a fishing tournament in New Orleans
several days earlier. The Lollipop was Randy's prized thirty five
foot custom built fishing boat. The boat's captain, Bill Hart,

(09:15):
said they planned to take it to Billy Hughes's Yacht
Service on the l Head in Corpus Christie for repairs.
The remainder of Randy's day showed no signs necessarily that
anything was a miss until his time at the two
nightclubs he visited. Randy Farenthald left Port Ransis around noon Saturday,

(09:47):
June third, and traveled to Corpus Christi. That evening he
had a date with a young woman, but called her
in the afternoon to cancel. Between four and four thirty pm,
Randy voted in in the primary elections at the Ayers
Street Church of Christ. He spent part of the afternoon
at the local yacht club, then visited his two children

(10:09):
and their mother at their apartment. The children were preparing
to leave for summer camp and the former Missus Farenthald
mary Sue, invited him to dinner. He arrived around seven
pm and cooked steaks on a charcoal broiler outside the apartment. Afterwards,
they watched election returns on television. According to mary Sue,

(10:33):
it was a pleasant visit. Randy left the apartment at
around nine to fifteen pm without specifying his destination, and
later arrived at the Electric Eel. He remained there for
a couple of hours before leaving for Zeeros. At both clubs,
Randy appeared distracted and pale, according to some witnesses. A

(10:56):
patron at the Electric Eel remarked that he seemed with
something the witness had never seen before. At Zero's, he
paid a bill of twenty eight dollars and thirty cents
with a one hundred dollar bill and insisted on tipping
thirty dollars. He appeared sober, and when the waitress commented
on his downcast appearance, she assumed he was upset about

(11:20):
his stepmother losing the election. The primaries were presumably very
important for the entire Farreentheld family. Randy briefly discussed the
recent fishing tournament with the waitress as he exited the
club and returned to his car. He handed her a
cocktail glass he had carried out and drove away. That

(11:42):
was approximately one forty am June fourth, nineteen seventy two,
the last confirmed sighting of Randy alive. At first, detectives
felt robbery was a possible motive, but they couldn't get
the evidence to fit. Randy carried no money when he

(12:02):
was found, yet his expensive waterproof wristwatch remained untouched and
still ticking on his wrist. Gambling debts were reviewed, but
police noted that while Randy was known as a high
stakes player, he had a reputation for paying what he owed,
making unpaid gambling losses and unlikely cause. A third possibility

(12:27):
caught the attention of the FBI. Randy had been scheduled
to be the prime government witness against four men accused
of defrauding him. Randy's generosity often made him the center
of attention. That open handedness, however, left him surrounded by
people whose intentions were not always genuine. Friends observed that

(12:50):
he was often too trusting, quick to believe the best
in others, even when some of those around him had
questionable reputations. His good nature and loyalty meant he gave
people chance after chance, sometimes to his own detriment. In
the months leading up to his death, Randy had filed

(13:11):
a complaint against four men, two from Corpus Christi and
two from Louisville, Kentucky, accusing them of conspiring to defraud
him out of one hundred thousand dollars. According to the indictment,
the scheme involved mafia's skim money offered at a discount,
meaning they were to use Randy's business enterprises as a

(13:32):
means to launder cash. The transaction was arranged to take
place in a Houston motel room, but as the exchange began,
a shotgun wielding intruder robbed the group, leaving Randy to
realize he had been conned. Following the incident, Randy reported
the scheme to law enforcement, and he became a key

(13:54):
government witness in the federal case. His testimony was central
to the prosecute Usian's ability to pursue charges against the
four men. With Randy's death, the indictments against them collapsed.
About a month after Randy's body was found, deputies from
the Nuaces County Sheriff's Office discovered a vehicle containing hair

(14:18):
and traces of blood believed to match the man. The car,
a light green nineteen sixty nine two door Chevrolet, had
been seized in early July, approximately one month after Randy's
body washed up on the surf off Mustang Island. The
car had been in the possession of one or possibly

(14:39):
two suspects around the time Randy was believed to have
been killed. Investigators noted that the vehicle had been washed,
but blood stains were found on the fenderwell of the
trunk and hair was recovered from the trunk latch. Samples
were sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety Laboratory
in Austin, and samples were also sent to doctor Ruth Guy,

(15:04):
a blood expert in Dallas. According to DPS lab results,
the blood taken from the trunk of the car was
type OH, which matched Randy's blood type. Comparisons of the
hair recovered from the trunk with hair taken from Randy's
body and from a personal brush showed the samples to

(15:24):
be similar. The car remained impounded in a garage at
a local wrecking yard. Officers noted that the vehicle had
been used during the period of Randy's murder by a
group of local men with extensive police records, although the
manner by which these men obtained the car was not disclosed.

(15:45):
A hole was observed in the lower portion of the
right rear fender, which Nuece's County Sheriff Johnny Mitchell stated
he believed was created to drain water from the trunk
after washing, though its placement suggested it may not have
served this purpose. Sheriff Mitchell stated that the car and
forensic evidence represented a significant lead in the investigation, though

(16:10):
he did not speculate on potential arrests. Investigators theorized that
other individuals connected to the scheme, financiers, arrangers, or accomplices
who facilitated Randy's role in the deal might have had
a motive to prevent him from testifying. Despite the intensity

(16:31):
of the investigation, many questions surrounding Randy's death were never resolved.
None of his other personal effects were ever recovered. His car,
abandoned at the Lexington apartments, raised as many questions as
it had answered. Investigators never identified who had been driving it,

(16:52):
though they had their theories. Equally uncertain was how Randy's
body ended up in the gulf. He may have been
taken out by boat and dumped off shore, pushed from
the jetties at Port Ransas, or dragged into the surf
directly from the beach. If a boat was used, detectives
could not determine whether it departed from Corpus Christi or

(17:14):
Port Ransis. Witnesses confirmed that Randy was seen in his
Oldsmobile when he left the Electric Eel nightclub on the
night of June third, but no one ever reported seeing
him or the car After he left CIO's nightclub later
that night. Investigators suspected he may have been accosted as

(17:35):
he returned home, since one set of car keys was
discovered just inside the screen door of his residence. Another
set of keys remained missing, leading officers to believe that
his killers used them to move the car to the
apartment complex before abandoning it. The case remained open, unresolved,

(17:56):
and marked by unanswered questions that only deepened the sense
of unease surrounding his violent death. A couple years before
the murder of Randy Farenthald, on August second, nineteen seventy one,

(18:21):
forty five year old William Bill Richardson was gunned down
as he walked toward his Corpus Christie home. He was
struck by shotgun blasts fired from two directions. Richardson was
a wealthy oil man, a gambler, and a close friend
and skeet shooting champion of Randy Farenthald. Investigators soon charged

(18:44):
Sam Mena and Otis Hammond of fort Worth with Richardson's murder,
accusing them of being hired killers, but the key question
who hired them was never publicly answered. Nuace's County Sheriff's
Office Chief Deputy D. George Miller, who led the investigation,
said Richardson's killing and the later murder of Randy Farenthald

(19:07):
were connected facets of a broader investigation. At the time,
law enforcement dismissed mafia involvement as a factor, though both
murders bore the hallmarks of organized crime. In Randy's case,
prosecutors presented the testimony of three state witnesses to a
grand jury. Among that evidence were statements identifying Bruce Lusk

(19:31):
Bass the third as the man who strangled Randy on
June fourth, nineteen seventy two, while another assailant bludgeoned his head.
Another man named Theryl Smith, Bass's construction firm business partner,
was also implicated. Both blunt force, trauma and strangulation were
listed in the indictment as causes of death. In nineteen

(19:56):
seventy six, Bruce Bass was indicted for Randy's murder. Prosecutors
initially offered him a plea deal of twenty five years,
which he rejected. Weeks later, facing trial in Judge Wallace C.
Moore's Houston courtroom, moved there on a change of venue motion,
the state reduced its offer to sixteen years. Bass pleaded

(20:18):
no contest and was sentenced on June twentieth, nineteen seventy seven.
Special prosecutor Robert Bennett later explained that weaknesses in the
case and the cost of a lengthy trial led to
the plea deal. The bulk of their case relied on
the word of a jail house snitch, Robert Walters, who

(20:40):
claimed to have helped Bass and Smith dispose of Randy's body.
He also acknowledged that at least three other people were
believed to have been involved in Randy's killing, though no
additional arrests were ever made. Bass served only six years
of his sixteen year sentence. He was released least early

(21:00):
for good behavior, a decision that unsettled many observers given
the brutality of the crime. Within a year of his release,
Bass was involved in another violent incident in Jackson, Mississippi.
He was shot at a dispute at a bar and
hospitalized for a week. Police described him as attempting to

(21:21):
muscle in on or manipulate a local gambling operation. A
man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and connection
with the shooting two months later. Bass's violent trajectory ended.
On June sixth, nineteen eighty four, exactly twelve years after
Randy's body washed up near Port Aransas, Bass was shot

(21:45):
to death outside Club Robert, a bar in Corpus Christi.
He was forty five years old. The shooter, bar owner
b D. Bobby Horton, fired five times and later claimed
self defense. In nineteen eighty five, Horton was acquitted of
murder after a jury agreed it was During the trial,

(22:07):
a doctor for the defense described Bass as a psychopathic criminal,
while Horton's attorney likened his client's act to a rabbit
finally turning on a coyote after years of being hunted.
Bass's violent end closed one chapter, but left many questions
about Randy's murder and its ties to Corpus Christie's gambling

(22:28):
underworld unresolved. The Farenthalds were never just another Texas family.
They were the kind of dynasty that looked bulletproof from
the outside. Oil and land, money, political power, European titles,
and a name woven into the state's history books. But

(22:50):
behind the curtain, what really carried through the generations wasn't strength.
It was fracture, addiction, silence, a habit of burying pain deep,
though it still found ways to seep through to the surface.
Their tragedies stacked up like inheritance, a son murdered, marriages, undone,

(23:12):
children raised in privilege but starved of stability, and through
it all the Farenthals learned to put on a public face,
the polished, ambitious, camera ready version of themselves that played
well in Austin or Washington. The grief stayed locked inside.
But one member of that family couldn't fit into the performance.

(23:36):
Jimmy Farenthald, the surviving twin, the restless son, the black
sheep who carried both privilege and a wound that never healed.
He was charming and reckless, sweet and self destructive. He
wondered through jobs, families, treatment centers, and always seemed to

(23:56):
be on the edge of turning his life around until
the day he wasn't. In April nineteen eighty nine, Jimmy vanished.
No note, no trail, no explanation, just silence, and that
silence was louder than anything the Farenthalds had ever faced before.

(24:17):
Next time, on Gone Cold, Texas True Crime, we step
into Jimmy's world, a world of charm and chaos, of
addiction and fractured family ties, a world where every chance
at redemption was shadowed by loss and will follow him
right up until the moment he disappeared, a disappearance that

(24:38):
still hangs over the family and still raises the same
unanswered question, what really happened to Jimmy Farenthald. If you
have any information about the disappearance of Jimmy Farenthald, please
contact the San Antonio Police Department at two to one
zero two zero seven eight nine three nine. If you'd

(25:02):
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on unsolved homicides and missing persons cases, get the show
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(25:25):
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Thanks for listening, y'all.
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