[Сезон 7] Forensic Files (2002-2003)
Forensic Files
Details the death of Walter Scott (Walter Notheis Jr.), lead singer for the 1960s band Bob Kuban and the In-Men, who disappeared in 1983. James H. Williams, Sr. was later arrested and convicted of murdering both Scott and his unfaithful wife, Sharon Williams.
An examination of an unusual case in Texas involving the 1988 rape and murder of Nancy DePriest, while at work at Pizza Hut. After suspect Chris Ochoa confessed and implicated Richard Danzinger and they were imprisoned, the case was considered closed. Eight years later, Achim Marino confessed to the same crime. DNA evidence cleared Ochoa while proving that Marino was, in fact, the perpetrator.
The investigation into a brutal attack on two boys near a pond relies on evidence fished out of the murky water. It was the first case where Diatom evidence was used to place a suspect at the scene of the crime and references the subsequent case from Season 2 Forensic Files episode Micro-Clues, which also used Diatom evidence. The evidence helped in the conviction Christopher Green & Brian Davis, who were both 16 years old and were tried as adults. Their accomplice Jason, who was a minor, was sent to a juvenile detention center.
In 1988, the body of a young woman was discovered in an Ohio river under ice. Most of the evidence found at the crime scene – hairs, fibers, & fingerprints-- had been washed away. But the victim's 6 year-old son unwittingly told investigators all they needed to know about the killer... and he did it without saying a word. The clue was in his genes.
In 1991, A high school girl vanishes, after attending a party. Her abandoned vehicle was found in a school parking lot, near her home. The prime suspect had not one, but two alibi witnesses for the night she disappeared. A solid alibi can often overcome much circumstancial evidence. But forensic evidence, is another matter .
In 1997, two years after a series of unsolved kidnappings and sexual assaults in California. One of the victims suddenly recalled an important detail of the crime which she had not told police. She left some forensic evidence in the assailant's vehicle, evidence that left quite an impression.
An examination of the first time animal DNA was used to solve a criminal case. In 1994, on Canada's Prince Edward Island, the body of Douglas Beamish's estranged wife Shirley Duguay was discovered. Authorities linked 20 cat hairs found on her jacket to a cat owned by Beamish's parents, with whom he lived. Scientists estimated that chances that the hairs came from another feline were one in 50 million. A jury later convicted Beamish of second-degree murder; he was sentenced to 18 years without parole.
1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack: Investigators uncover a plot to overthrow the government, after a unique strain of salmonella makes people ill.
Two sets of scientists, probe a woman's death.
The Madalyn Murray O'Hair case is related. The founder of American Atheists disappeared in 1995 along with one of her sons and granddaughter, along with $500,000 in gold coins. In time, the police honed in on several suspects, including David R. Waters, who worked as the office manager for O'Hair's organization. In 2001, he led authorities to her grave, located on a ranch near San Antonio.
Two eyewitnesses may hold the key to the death of a motorcycle gang member.
In Pennsylvania 1984, a passer-by finds the torso of a woman in a cardboard box. Investigators rely on insect activity analysis by a forensic entomologist to determine when the murder victim was killed. She remained unknown until a year later, when her sister called to report her missing. Eventually she was identified as Edna M. Posey, a local prostitute. Investigators then looked into Donald Ruby, whom Edna had asked to watch her 11-year-old son Randy. Investigators theorized that Donald Ruby had grown fond of Randy and killed Edna to keep her from taking her son back. Donald Ruby was convicted of her murder, but would further forensic entomology change the outcome?
The investigation into the kidnapping and rape of an 18-year-old Ohio woman is aided when the victim returns hours after the incident occurred. With her help, the police are able to track the assailant Craig Bailey to his front door.
The police investigate when a severed leg is discovered in the garbage. Conventional means of identifying the victim are impossible, leading investigators to rely on DNA, forensic anthropology and toxicology to identify the victim. The victim was identified as Norman Klaas and, through forensic investigation of his home, it was determined that local meth dealer Graham King was the murderer.
How Illinois scientists solved a 1992 murder case involving cremation. It takes a long time and a very hot fire to cremate a human body, and thus destroy all evidence of foul play. But the coroner who performed the autopsy on the badly burned body of Charles "Jack" Lynch found telltale clues. Not only had the victim been burned, he’d also been stabbed -- 24 times, with two different knives. Police knew that a person, acting alone, would probably use only one weapon. So investigators were on the lookout for a couple of killers.
A look back at the case of the River Park Rapist, who assaulted four women in South Bend, Ind., during 1996. Law enforcement officers arrested Richard Alexander, who was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 70 years in prison. In 2001, Michael Murphy confessed to one of the two rapes of which Alexander had been convicted and new DNA testing exonerated Alexander.
The 1996 Seattle murder of suburban couple Raquel Rivera & Jay Johnson is detailed. Investigators first believe the slayings were the result of a drug deal gone bad. However, no drugs are found in the house and the victims' blood isn't present on the clothing of the suspects. Evidence from the couple's dog Chief eventually ties one of the murderers to the scene. This is one of the first cases where dog DNA was used to convict. Kenneth Leuluaialii and George Tuilefano were sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The story of firefighter Michelle Baker is related. After meeting Dr. Maynard Muntzing, she became pregnant by him. After this news, she was ill whenever they were together. The coincidences led her to suspect that he was doing her harm, so she set out to prove it.
A look back at a trio of unsolved murders that occurred in Wichita Falls, Texas during the 1980s, details how a fourth murder from the same time period provided the police with more than they realized. John Little, an investigator for the DA's office, picked up the cold cases years later. He soon connected the fourth crime's confessed killer, Faryion Wardrip, to the other murders.
The disappearance of Philadelphia college athlete Aimee Willard is investigated after her car was found, still running on the roadside. When her body is found, the police find unusual marks on her body and DNA evidence that eventually lead to her killer, Arthur Bomar.
The investigation into the apparent overdose suicide of Reverend Bill Guthrie's wife Sharon. Detectives suspect foul play after they recover incriminating files from Bill's computer and learn of his infidelity.
The 1991 disappearance of Newport Beach, California resident Denise Huber stumps investigators. Three years later, Arizona residents call police to report John Famalaro, who has kept a Ryder rental truck in his driveway, which they suspect is stolen. Upon further investigation, police find a body within a freezer inside the truck, which they conclude is Denise Huber.
The 1987 disappearance of Houston resident Tracy Jo Shine is recalled. The investigation went cold until 2000, when a "cold case squad" learned that the woman's ex-boyfriend Michael Neal had bragged about killing her.
Doctors cannot pinpoint the source of a businessman's illness.
The disappearance of 6 year-old Michelle Lee Dorr is detailed. Although her father confessed to murdering her, the police soon poked holes in his story, leaving the case unsolved for 14 years. New suspect Hadden Clark was heard talking to himself, which gave investigators a clue where Michelle was killed.
The 1996 investigation into 48-year-old Martha Hansen's murder in Anchorage is helped by a legal requirement that bars have video cameras installed on the premises. Using video, hair and blood evidence, investigators determine that Evans Lee Curtis was the murderer.
A look at the case against Jack Reeves. In 1994, friends reported his mail-order bride Emelita Villa had disappeared. The police centered its suspicions on Reeves and, while pursuing leads, uncovered information linking him to the deaths of two former wives.
The Kowalczk/Thompson Murder case. The murders of an elderly couple leave stumped until, two years later, they receive a major break. A jeweler looking through old newspaper clippings recognizes a necklace the female victim wore as having been pawned in her own shop.
The murder of 9-year-old Jessica Knott is investigated. Investigators use a garbage bag to connect suspect James Edward Crow, Jr. to the crime.
An investigation into the murder of Katie Poirier is stymied by the lack of a body, but they find a few charred remains including a tooth. The unique properties of the filling in the tooth helps investigators identify her remains. Further forensic evidence is then used to convict Donald Blom of her murder.
The Janet Overton Case. The investigation into a suspicious death hits a dead end when the autopsy indicates that no foul play was involved. But a telephone tip and the sensitive nose of a forensic examiner indicate otherwise.
The suspect in a crime eludes arrest for 16 years because the police can't tie him to it. That changes, however, when investigators learn the culprit is left-handed, putting a new spin on old facts.
Forensic scientists work with the only clue recovered from a multiple-victim shooting: a 12-gauge shotgun. Scientists use unique methods to lift the serial number from the weapon in order to trace it to its owner, eventually discovering Gerardo Manso.
Relates the story of Paul Kenneth Keller, a serial arsonist responsible for several fires that caused millions of dollars worth of property damage and the deaths of three people. More than 75 Seattle-area arsons are probed before he was discovered, partly through the use of forensic hypnosis.
The use of the computers by law enforcement is detailed in this look at a series of crimes in St. Louis that stumped the local police and the FBI.
Details the case of the Center City Rapist and the murder of Shannon Schieber. Philadelphia authorities use an anonymous letter and geographic profiling to hone in on a suspect who attacks victims who live on upper floors of apartment buildings. When they hear of similar crimes in Colorado, they do further profiling to find Troy Graves.
A family in Dripping Springs, Texas seems to be living the perfect life when suddenly their 3-year-old son develops a respiratory condition in March 1999. The father later is shown to have signs of Alzheimer's disease, and while boarding a plane a month later, meet an investigator who later reveals that their ill health is due to a form of black mold in their modern home, which was based on the movie version of "Tara", the home of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.
A murder investigation in St. Petersburg, Florida, crosses jurisdictions from New York and Jamaica. The police rely on cell phone mapping, wiretapping and a host of forensic evidence to link a suspect to a murder.
The Jane Dorotik case. A man's body is discovered near his family's horse ranch. His wife claims he went jogging, but investigators doubt her story.
Details the case of the Beltway sniper attacks, a 3-week shooting spree which left 10 people dead in the Washington, D.C. area.
Georgia resident Sheila Bryan, who was convicted of killing her mother in a car fire, is granted a new trial. An expert fire witness shares an opinion on how the fire ignited that differs from the prosecution's theory and, if verified, would clear Bryan of any culpability.
Authorities track a kidnapper who allowed his victim, 17-year-old Shari Smith, to write a last will and testament on a note pad, then informed the family of her murder, as well as the later murder of a 10-year-old Debra May Helmick. A phone number written on a previous page left a lasting impression, which helped to convict Larry Gene Bell.