A Case So Cold: The Murder of an Idaho Game Warden

by Tony H. Latham

Game Warden Art Teed vanished on a smoke-choked August day in 1934, last seen pursuing wildlife thieves in the backwoods of Idaho. What followed was the largest manhunt in the state’s history–more than a thousand men scouring mountains, forests, and rivers for answers that never came. His wife and two sons lived out their lives haunted by a single Did he die in the line of duty, or did he choose to disappear? Nearly ninety years later, one unexpected phone call shattered the silence–and reopened a mystery everyone thought was buried–Idaho’s oldest cold murder case.

113 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2026

About the author

Tony Latham grew up hankering to be a game warden like his great uncle Hawley Hill in the 1950s and ’60s. His first career involved chasing wildfires in the interior of Alaska. (He claims to have caught one once.) After his fire career Tony spent 22 years pursuing wildlife thieves both in and out of uniform with Idaho Fish and Game.

Reviews

[Vale Dane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected this book to linger with me the way it has. From the opening chapter, I felt drawn into Art Teed's world, the smoky wilderness, the creeping sense that something was deeply wrong. What moved me most wasn't the mystery itself, but the quiet grief of the family left behind. The question of whether he died a hero or chose to vanish never fully left me. This is more than true crime, it's a meditation on loss, uncertainty, and a silence that never truly heals.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book unsettled me in the best possible way. Written with remarkable care and restraint, it reads less like a retelling and more like a lived experience. Long after finishing it, I kept thinking about his wife and sons, carrying that uncertainty for decades is something I can barely comprehend. When the case was reopened years later, I felt both hope and a deep, quiet sadness. It's a story that reminds you just how fragile truth really is.

[Dick Belva · Rating 5 out of 5]

What started as curiosity turned into something I wasn't prepared for. There's a particular kind of haunting that comes with a disappearance that's never resolved, and this book captures it without ever reaching for drama or sensationalism. It feels grounded, respectful, and human. The focus on the people behind the investigation, not just the facts. is what sets it apart. Every chapter carries the weight of time and questions that may never be answered.

[WENDY MAX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this felt like recovering a forgotten piece of history, one that had been quietly waiting for someone to pay attention. The mystery is gripping, but the atmosphere is what truly stays with you: the isolation, the danger, the eerie ease with which someone could simply disappear back then. The ending offers no clean resolution, but it doesn't feel dishonest for it. Some truths remain incomplete, and this book has the courage to say so.

[Widener Coover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a fast-moving thriller, but it doesn't need to be. It works its way into you slowly, steadily, until you're fully invested in people and events that actually happened. The empathy it builds, for everyone touched by this story, feels earned. The moment a single phone call, decades later, threatens to upend everything gave me genuine chills. It's a quiet, powerful book about justice, memory, and how long the past can reach.