Forensic Files
Upcoming episodes
May 29th
1100a
Bio-Attack
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.
May 29th
1130a
A Shot in the Dark
When a woman is found dead of a gunshot wound, police conclude that she was murdered by her husband. Investigators theorized the couple had argued, and during the ensuing struggle, the husband shot his wife in the back and then staged the scene to make it look like a suicide. Forensic scientists were able to piece together the clues and determine what really happened. In doing so, they proved once again that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
May 29th
1200p
Without a Prayer
Madalyn Murray O’Hair was the head of the American Atheists group – and she was once called “America’s most hated woman.” When she and her two top lieutenants disappeared, there was no shortage of suspects. The full story of her abduction and the hatred and revenge which fueled it might never have been told, had it not been for the discovery of a headless, handless body, and the serial number on an artificial hip.
May 29th
1230p
A Clutch of Witnesses
While standing outside of a motorcycle gang’s clubhouse, two witnesses watched in horror as a truck intentionally ran over an unconscious man – not once, but twice. Fearing for their safety, the witnesses ran into the clubhouse; when they looked outside, both the truck and the victim were gone. The truck was finally located, but the forensics lab could not find a single speck of evidence in it. And the body didn’t turn up either.
Jun 1st
1100a
Scout's Honor
Police determine that the human remains found in a discarded box belong to one Edna Posey. But to find out when the murder took place, and whether the man accused of the crime is guilty, investigators turn to insects and the forensic entomologist who can interpret their behavior.
Jun 1st
1130a
A Touching Recollection
An eighteen-year-old girl is abducted at gunpoint from her home in Jackson, Ohio. Fortunately the victim returns hours later, and police hope the tire impressions and shoe prints at the crime scene will enable them to find the perpetrator. But the victim knew something about forensic science, and she was determined to prove she had been in the assailant’s truck. The clues she left behind, and her recollection of details, led police straight to a career criminal.
Jun 1st
1200p
A Leg to Stand On
When a severed leg is found in a dumpster, investigators are faced with the challenge of identifying the victim. Conventional methods – fingerprinting, comparison with dental records, reports of missing persons – are useless. Using anthropology, toxicology and DNA testing, police are able to determine who the victim was, and follow the trail of evidence to his killer.
Jun 1st
1230p
Partners in Crime
It takes a long time and a very hot fire to cremate a human body, and thus destroy any evidence of foul play. But the medical examiner 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.
Jun 2nd
1100a
Within a Hair
In the summer of 1996, in the River Park section of South Bend, Indiana, four women had been sexually assaulted and the perpetrator was still at large. After a few months, police arrested a suspect; he was identified by some – but not all -- of the victims, and subsequently convicted of the crimes. But the story doesn’t end there. Six years later, new developments in forensic science would uncover startling facts about the case – and change the lives of three men and the women who were attacked.
Jun 2nd
1130a
Chief Evidence
A young suburban couple was murdered during what appeared to be a drug deal gone awry. But police found no drugs in the home of the victims – and there were no traces of the victims’ blood on the clothing of the suspects. The victims’ dog, Chief, eventually led police to the killer.