Forensic Files

The investigation of the disappearance of a woman leads police to a suspect. But police could not find the victim’s body. Finally, police discover a charred tooth. Superimposed images and a dental filling give investigators the proof they need. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

When a college co-ed vanished without a trace, her fellow students were concerned about her safety… and their own. Weeks later, the body of an unknown female was discovered 700 miles away in the ashes of a barn fire, and an alert police officer realized the two crimes might be connected. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

A young woman is found dead in her apartment.  There’s little evidence at the scene, leads don’t pan out and the case turns cold... until police discover a link between their prime suspect and an unsolved murder committed six years earlier in different state.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

How unlucky could one man be?  His wife had taken her own life, and his college sweetheart had killed herself in much the same fashion fourteen years earlier.  Investigators had to determine if this was a bizarre coincidence, or an attempt to get away with murder... twice. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

In 1984, a couple set off for a camping trip but got lost and fell asleep at a scenic overlook in Virginia See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

After he got into the home, the assailant used an axe to kill the husband and critically injure his wife. Nothing was taken, so this wasn't a robbery. A DNA profile from skin cells collected hundreds of miles away would reveal the killer's identity and his motive for murder. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

A chemist suddenly starts to suffer from foot pain, partial numbness, and hair loss, and eventually dies. Could he have been poisoned? See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The woman in the back of the truck was flailing her arms, screaming. They thought she was doing something dangerous for the fun of it. But when they found a jacket near a pool of blood, they knew what they'd seen wasn't a joy ride; it was an abduction.

Doctors don't know why the young scientist is gravely ill. When tests finally reveal the cause, it's too late to save him. Police hope that lab analysis of his hair - showing when attempts were made on his life and what was used - will lead to the killer.

When an 11-year-old girl disappeared from a small town in a remote area of Alaska, investigators wondered if she’d been attacked by a bear or become lost in the dense woods.  It turned out neither was true.  Her body was discovered 10 days later;  she’d been shot twice at close range, and sexually assaulted.  A tip from an eyewitness led police to a suspect, and trace evidence found at the crime scene convinced a jury of his guilt.

A nurse experienced flu-like symptoms. She visited the doctor for a check-up and learned she was HIV-positive. In the end, science was able to determine not only how she had been infected, but also by whom. The worst part: It wasn’t an accident.

A security guard disappeared from his post without a trace; his remains were found a year later in a remote camp site. More than a decade would pass before a phone call breathed life into the cold case, and a paint smear on the bottom of the victim's boot helped scientists determine what happened during the last hour of his life.

For years, a woman suffered from what appeared to be the unpleasant side effects of lithium, a drug prescribed to treat bipolar disorder. When she died, investigators had to determine if her death was due to natural causes, suicide, or murder.

Time of death becomes pivotal after a pregnant woman is found murdered in her air-conditioned bedroom. A similarity between her death and an HBO movie gives forensic examiners the clues they need to thaw out the alibi of a cold-blooded killer.

In 1984, hundreds of people in The Dalles, Oregon became ill with food poisoning.  Local, state and federal disease detectives slowly unraveled the medical mystery.  Along with a unique strain of bacteria, they discovered a religious cult's bizarre plot to overthrow the government -- using germ warfare.

The man suffered a slow, agonizing death over a period of days.  His wife maintained he killed himself, but police were skeptical... especially when they learned her first husband died when he was only 38-years-old, and she refused to consent to an autopsy.

When a dedicated, well-respected teacher disappeared, police had to determine if she’d gone on vacation without telling anyone, or if she was the victim of foul play.  Investigators turned to forensic science, hoping to find the answers they needed.

Between the years of 1967 and 1972 over 300 commercial airplanes were hijacked worldwide, with over 130 of those happening in the United States alone. This period would become known as "The Golden Age of Hijacking." American Skyjacker is the tale of a small-time crook named Martin 'Mac' McNally, who dreamed of the ultimate mile-high score: hijacking a plane and getting away with $500,000 in cash; but Mac's hijacking is just the beginning of a truly epic and incredibly wild true-crime saga.

A behavioral profile is helpful in a murder investigation, but it's not a road map to the killer.  One such profile caused the Baton Rouge Police Department to search for the wrong man.  They might not have made an arrest, had it not been for a DNA picture of the suspect, painted by a molecular biologist.

An Arizona surgeon is found stabbed to death. All signs point to a random attack until investigators uncover an unlikely suspect. Police work to unravel the mystery in a case of jealousy, rage and the almighty dollar.

The medical examiner ruled the death an accident, but the detectives investigating the case thought the evidence at the scene indicated otherwise. It would take three years, an exhumation and a second autopsy to determine who was right.

The autopsy on the badly burned body of Charles "Jack" Lynch led investigators to search for a couple of killers.

A couple embarks on a holiday but never return. Police suspect drugs are the reason behind their disappearance. Days later a random burglary breaks the case wide open. Police use ballistics and DNA to capture two unusual suspects.

A family interrupts a burglary in their suburban home.  The gunman kills two and wounds two more. Police suspect the crime is related to a string of thefts in the area, but a closer look at the crime scene reveals the real motive and killer.

Denise Johnson was found dead in an Arizona forest with little forensic evidence around her. Could history be made in a courtroom with the utilization of plant DNA as evidence?

A woman is murdered on a jogging trail in the middle of the day.  The leads from cell phone records and search dogs go nowhere.  Nine days later, a witness tells police about a chance encounter, and cigarette butts which may contain the killer’s DNA.

Twenty-four hours after her face-to-face meeting with a man she met online, the woman and her soon-to-be ex-husband were shot to death.  Only the computer had been taken from her home, and with it, the means to identify the killer.

Police discover a decomposed body had been stuffed in a barrel 30 years earlier.  An address book was found with the body.

The story of how a routine missing-person case became a murder inquiry involving a love triangle.

Forensic scientists provide authorities with evidence that a death deemed accidental 20 years ago was actually murder.

A mother was convicted for the death of her four-month-old.  An explanation for his death would come from his newborn brother.

A wealthy man and his wife were attacked by three men outside their luxurious Louisiana home. He was shot dead and she was forced to open their hidden safe. The woman could not describe the men because they wore masks. To solve the case, police would have to find out who knew about the concealed safe, and who would benefit from the crime.

The investigation of an exotic dancer’s disappearance led police to an isolated 75-acre site where someone had been shot and cremated.  The destruction of the remains was almost complete... almost, but not quite.   Soft tissue attached to a piece of a foot provided enough DNA for a genetic profile, and positive identification of the victim.

A man kills two people with bombs in an effort to get investors off his back and is sentenced to life with no chance of parole.

When a real estate developer is shot to death, his wife becomes the prime suspect.  Police have a wealth of evidence against her, but it’s circumstantial.  The case will turn on a .25 caliber bullet fired 20 years ago from the now-missing murder weapon.

A woman dies suddenly at home. Investigators are unable to determine the cause of death until they receive a call from the ex-wife of the dead woman’s husband. The sensitive nose of a toxicologist ends up sniffing out murder.

The victim had been stabbed more than a hundred times and her bedroom was soaked with blood. While her body was positioned in a suggestive way, she hadn't been sexually assaulted. Was this a sex crime, or the random act of a man with an intense hatred of women?

A 12 year-old is the only witness to her mother's death and is unable to provide many details. Little did they know 12 years later, forensic evidence would lead the investigation right back to where it started.

An investigation into threatening letters sent to a popular elementary school teacher.

There was no apparent reason for the young, healthy college student to be dead. But when the medical examiner found the tiniest of clues during the autopsy, investigators were able to unravel the mystery of betrayal and revenge.

The victim was a self-made man who never minced words. Perhaps he was murdered by a disgruntled client or employee. Perhaps the racy photos in his safe held the clue to solving the crime. Or perhaps with the help of the IRS, investigators could follow the money and find the killer.

The victim was brutally murdered.  Police learn her fiancé was having affairs with other women, and he becomes the prime suspect... that is until a man comes forward who not only believes he owns the murder weapon, he also knows who used it.

A serial killer was on the loose and police had to find him before he struck again. Their most promising lead was an unusual one: a bloody fingerprint on the body of one of the victims.

The victim was discovered in a landfill, stuffed into a suitcase.  She resembled another woman, missing for 18 months.  Sure they were dealing with a serial killer, police faced the daunting task of combing through 225,000 tons of trash to find her body.

The body of a young girl was discovered on isolated farm land near Delano, California. She had no ID, but police found mailbox and house keys in the pocket of her jeans. With no other clues, they checked the mailboxes of every apartment building in Delano… and their persistence paid off.

Peter Bogdanovich was a young cinephile who quickly rose to become one of Hollywood's top directors. But he soon found himself a victim of jealousy, hubris, public scorn – and a devastating crime.  Now, he looks back on a life of fame and failure, and through it all, an enduring love of the movies. A new seven-part documentary podcast from Turner Classic Movies. Subscribe today!

In little more than a month, two women who lived in the same apartment complex were brutally murdered. The similarities of the crime scenes led police to conclude they were dealing with a serial killer who harbored an intense hatred of women... and they had to find him before he struck again.

A mapmaker was surveying the grounds of a boy scout ranch when he came across a human skull.

Four young adults are brutally murdered in an affluent Texas neighborhood, and the crime scene yields little evidence. The next door neighbors see two young people dressed in black walking nearby, and their descriptions are used to create composite drawings which become a key element in solving the crime.

A couple is found dead in their Washington home and all signs point to a professional hit. A palm print and two distinct shoe impressions help police separate fantasy from reality and expose a fatal flaw in one state's inmate release procedures.

The woman hadn't shown up for work in two days, and her boss reported her missing. When her body was found, the evidence pointed to suspects who claimed they had nothing to do with the crime. The victim, herself, would help police to prove they were lying.

Hikers near Anchorage, Alaska discovered a body wrapped in sheets which were edged in orange stitching. Authorities hydrated the fingers and obtained a fingerprint, enabling them to identify the victim. Clinging to the sheet, they also discovered a tuft of red carpet fibers -- threads of evidence which led them straight to the killer.

For 18 years, a man who murdered his entire family eluded the FBI. Investigators used art and forensic science to find the killer.

When a teenaged girl goes missing, no one knows if she ran away or if she was the victim of foul play. Everyone's worst fears are confirmed when a body is found at the bottom of an isolated ravine. Police scour the crime scene, hoping to find enough evidence to identify the killer.

A woman was ambushed in her driveway and shot to death. During their investigation, police learned that a co-worker half her age was in love with her, and that she'd spurned his advances. They now had to determine if love had turned into obsession... and a motive for murder.

A possible false confession forces investigators to reopen the case of a missing six year old. A decade later, a fresh look at new evidence leads them to someone hiding in plain sight.

The bodies of three women were found floating in Tampa Bay. The water washed away any evidence, but police hoped a handwritten note found in the victims' car would lead to the killer - so they posted huge copies of the note on five highway billboards.

The victim had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death on the beach, just ten yards from the hotel where she was staying. A pair of men's tennis shoes was discovered near her body. Police were sure that if they found the man who fit the shoes, they would also find the man who committed the crime.

A mysterious computer crash pushes a thriving manufacturing company to the brink of collapse, jeopardizing the jobs of hundreds of employees. There is no apparent cause and no obvious clues. Forensic investigators must determine if the crash was the result of a computer defect, human error, or sabotage.

A Texas woman claims an intruder killed two of her sons but detectives question her story upon discovering inconsistencies.

When a young single mother was brutally assaulted and murdered, her brother promised he'd find out who was responsible and bring the killer to justice. It would take more than 30 years, but the young man kept his promise, and in doing so, brought closure to his family.

A young woman suddenly becomes critically ill; her symptoms worsen over time, eventually leaving her unable to walk. Then a bone marrow test reveals the cause; arsenic. Investigators now had to determine if the poisoning was caused by groundwater contamination or something much more sinister.

Now it's not only a fingerprint which can link a killer to a crime; a shoe print can be just as telling. Armed with little else, police hoped the show impressions found at a Lansing, Michigan crime scene would put their investigation back on track.

The woman had been sexually assaulted, stabbed repeatedly, and left for dead. She survived and gave police a detailed description of her attacker. When someone who fit that description practically turned himself in, police were sure they had their man... until the DNA evidence proved them wrong.

A man is found shot to death in his home. Determining the time of death becomes critically important to solving the murder, and in order to do so, investigators need to know when the victim ate his last meal.

A 13-year-old girl went missing from her Colorado home, and the only evidence the kidnapper left behind was three fingerprints on a window screen. Two years later, a latent print examiner, new to the county and the crime lab, changed the course of the investigation by sharing a little-known fact with his colleagues.

His daughter suspected something was wrong... and when she learned virtually everything had been removed from her father's home, she was sure of it. Even though she lived almost a thousand miles away, she took it upon herself to find out what happened and who was responsible.

A man tells police he shot an intruder who had attacked and murdered his wife. The husband is dubbed a hero for his valiant attempt to save his wife. Four years later, new evidence leads police to re-examine the motives of this so-called hero.

A young couple was murdered during what appeared to be a drug deal gone awry. The victims' dog eventually led police to the killer.

Abby and Libby - two young girls murdered. Investigators are searching for the killer using their biggest clue: a recording of his voice from one of the victims' phones ordering the girls Down the Hill. Almost three years later, it's a mystery that still haunts the small town of Delphi, Indiana...and the police say the killer may walk among them.

The crime scene was especially violent; A husband and wife had been shot to death in their bedroom. At first, investigators thought their 16-year-old daughter was lucky to have escaped unharmed... but after awhile, they wondered if the reason she was alive had more to do with careful planning than good fortune.

An investigator must think quickly to find a way to capture a shoe impression left to melt in the snow.

Police investigating the 1984 murder of a college student had plenty of suspects, but no conclusive evidence linking any of them to the crime. More than a decade later, sophisticated technology would breathe new life into a case grown cold with the passage of time.

A serial killer was strangling prostitutes then leaving the bodies in plain sight. The only clues were a tire impression and some threads.

The teeth had been removed from a human skull retrieved from a grave so the killer could keep the victim's identity secret. But did he?

Even though their daughter had run away before, she'd always come back. Her parents were sure this time would be no different... but they were wrong. Workers discovered the teen's half-naked body on the other side of the road; her throat had been slit. Police hoped the single foreign hair found in a defensive wound on her thumb would lead them to the killer.

When the wife of a noted doctor goes missing, authorities believe it may have to do with an allegedly shady adoption ring. But then her husband goes house-shopping with another woman claiming to be his wife, and a friend finds a strange pile of concrete in his backyard. Investigators use the concrete and the hazy recollections of a young child in an attempt to find the missing woman.

When a severed leg is found in a dumpster, investigators are faced with the challenge of identifying the victim.

A beautiful model goes missing. No one can clue to her whereabouts until a park employee discovers photographs in a trash dumpster.

A woman's body was found at the bottom of the stairs. When an investigator recreates the fall, the results are surprising. Was this just a freak accident, or murder by an angry spouse.

It was one of the most unusual cases in forensic history. Investigators had to find a way to solve a murder case with evidence which consisted of a squashed tomato found at the crime scene, and tiny, pinpoint reflections of light in a photograph. Would it be enough to catch a killer?

The news of a flight attendant's brutal murder prompted the son of a victim who had been killed five years earlier to contact police. The MO of both murders was remarkably similar, and analysis of the biological evidence from the crime scenes proved that these were serial killings.

A woman is shot to death but the case's prime suspect has a solid alibi: a video of his activities the day of the murder. Police asked a local professor to help them verify the tape, and he enabled them to see the killer hiding in the shadows.

Six-year-old Nicole Rae Walker was killed in a hit-and-run in her Ft. Lauderdale neighborhood. This was the first case in the United States where video animation was considered admissible to show to a jury.

The murder of a surgeon in an apartment community left police in St. Petersburg, Florida baffled. Cell phone mapping, wiretapping and a host of other forensic evidence would uncover a conspiracy, and bring the doctor's killers to justice.

A woman's death in Pennsylvania triggers a investigation into another woman's death in North Carolina. The similarities in the cases were striking, and medical examiners must determine if the suspect's story about accidental drowning is all wet.

A college senior was found raped and murdered near an unpaved footpath used by students to walk from one side of campus to the other. Five years earlier, a student was assaulted and killed in her off-campus apartment, and a year after that, another student was killed in almost the same way. Police feared a serial killer was on the loose and they needed to determine what - or who - these women had in common.

When a student is reported missing, police believe she'd turn-up a few days later. But when they discover blood in her boyfriend's bedroom - which someone had gone great lengths to hide - they know this case is going to be different.

A woman's dead body is found in a public park. When a knife through to be the murder weapon turned up, investigators had an opportunity which seldom occurs: to compare the microscopic marks on the weapon with the marks on the victim's body.

The crime scene was awash with blood. Analysis showed it had come from two people, one of whom was female. The male DNA was the victim's, which meant the killer was a woman. Leads dried up and the case went cold... until a suspect arrested for drug possession offered police a deal, and told a bizarre tale of an exotic dancer who listened to voices in her head.

The bodies of two women are found in the ashes of a fire, which appeared to have been set deliberately. Evidence found leads investigators to a suspect, but it would take a blood stain no bigger than the head of a pin to convict him.

Two different men telephoned 911 to report a woman had been murdered; neither knew the other had called. Examination of bloodstains, a discarded candy wrapper, and a few tiny seeds enabled forensic scientists to determine who committed the crime.

An aspiring model turned up dead, and the prime suspect was her boyfriend. When he was eventually cleared, investigators had to dig deeper to find the perpetrator. With the help of a forensic geologist, they identified the most unlikely suspects.

For seven years, a trio of men robbed one bank after another. They always got away before the police arrived, and they left no evidence behind. But the way they stood and the clothes they wore told a story... a story that could be read by forensic scientists.

Painstaking forensic analysis of a murder victim leads police to a suspect, who turned out to be the same person who made what he thought was an anonymous 911-call.

Two young women were brutally murdered in Napa, California on Halloween night. The killer left his DNA behind, and a groundbreaking test revealed his race and even the color of his eyes and hair. Technology was able to tell investigators what he looked like... now all they had to do was find him.

A woman's body was found on a deserted road outside of San Antonio. After years, the victim's family hired a private investigator who finds her personal diary and uses its entries to find the perpetrator.

A heart surgeon is found dead in his home. Police assume suicide, but further investigation reveals his new wife was out for money.

It appeared the victim had accidentally fallen and hit her head at the bottom of the stairs. But the odd position of her shows and the absence of blood splatter led police to suspect the scene had been stage... and Luminol proved they were right.

A woman who survived a deadly childhood fire sends police a letter charging her father killed her mother 30 years ago.