Forensic Files

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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? via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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

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. via Knit

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

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

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. via Knit

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? via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit

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. via Knit