About the show
A look at how advances in technology have revolutionised detective work, as seen through a number of high-profile cases. Comprised of key witness testimonies, interviews, reconstructions, and archive footage.
TRACE OF EVIL
Upcoming episodes
Jun 7th
300a
The Fridge Killer
In February 1995, Police in Reno, Nevada were called to investigate a suspicious dumpster bin and made a startling discovery, the badly beaten body of a middle-aged female, tied up and wrapped in a sleeping bag. Detectives soon identify the deceased person as 45-year-old, missing school teacher, Kathy Powell. After a detailed investigation, Detectives track down her killer - an ex-cop with an extremely checkered history. As they probe his background further, they uncover horrific crimes that involve numerous victims.
Jun 8th
300a
Deadly Sleep
"On July 19, 2004, Salt Lake City Police received a frantic 911 call from Mark Hacking. His wife, Lori was missing. She had left that morning to go for a jog before work, in the Memory Grove and City Creek Canyon area, but she hadn’t shown up at work and hadn’t returned home. None of her colleagues or friends had heard from her either. Her car was discovered at the park entrance, but after a detailed search of the area, Lori was nowhere to be found. Could she have been abducted?A major investigation was launched with huge media appeals for information. 27-year-old Lori was pregnant and the story gained nationwide attention. However, the suspected abduction investigation was quickly upgraded to a suspected homicide investigation."
Jun 9th
300a
Greens Prairie Murder
December 1981, Police in Brazos County, Texas responded to a 911 call at a rural property in Bryan-College Station. As police moved around to the back of the property, they made a horrifying discovery, the battered body of Virginia Freeman, a well-known and liked real estate agent. Virginia, also known as Ginger, had been showing an unknown client the property at the time of her murder. For locals and the police there was a combination of shock and horror. Why had something like this happened to Virginia Freeman? And why in a quiet area like Bryan-College Station? Despite the best efforts of the local investigators the case went cold, until a revolutionary new forensic technology finally helped detectives make a breakthrough.
Jun 10th
300a
The Zombiecon Shooting
On Oct. 17, 2015 a shooter fired into the crowd of 20,000 attending Zombiecon, a halloween festival held in Downtown Fort Myers, Florida. Numerous people were injured and one person, Expavious Tyrell Taylor, was killed. Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) were faced with the incredibly challenging task of trying to identify the shooter in a crowd that was dressed as Zombies, many wearing masks and carrying fake, but realistic, looking weapons.
Jun 11th
300a
Conned to Death
April 2007, police in the quiet suburb of Pleasant Grove, Utah received a distressing 911 call. Local physician Martin MacNeill had arrived home to find his wife, Michele, unconscious in the bathtub. The police and autopsy reports concluded that Michele’s death was accidental and of natural causes, but Michele’s daughter, Alexis, believed otherwise.
Jun 12th
300a
Terror on Thanksgiving
When Kelsey Berreth vanishes on Thanksgiving in 2018, her mother calls police having not been able to contact her in more than a week. An extremely unusual occurrence for a family who talked almost every day. When police interview her husband, he tells them that he was looking after their daughter after they both agreed to separate. However, blood in her house and cell phone records indicate that there was more to Kelsey's disappearance than first appeared, as investigators turn to forensics to solve their case.
Jun 13th
300a
The Murder of Susannah Chase
On 21st December, 1997, a young woman was discovered lying in an alley in Boulder, Colorado, she had been the victim of a brutal assault and died within days from her injuries. A major murder investigation was launched, but in spite of solid forensic evidence recovered from the scene, no suspect was identified and detectives quickly ran out of leads.
Jun 14th
300a
Hitchhike Horror
August 2001, police in Jefferson County, Colorado received a call from a distressed woman. Her 19-year-old daughter had left for work that morning, but had never arrived. A search was launched and her body was discovered 5 days later in a local park, the victim of an extremely violent and sexual assault. The case gained huge media attention and the police received and followed up on numerous leads, however with no solid suspect the case went cold. In 2008, detectives reopened the investigation, in the hope of uncovering some new evidence, but it would be another 10 years until forensics advanced to where they needed it to be and they would get the answer they had been searching for.
Jun 15th
300a
The Rubbermaid Box
28th June, 2005, the Aurora Police Department in Arapahoe County, Colorado received an emergency call from a local resident, he found what appeared to be a skeleton in a Rubbermaid box in his backyard. An investigation was launched to identify the victim and her killer. Detectives quickly identified a suspect, but with a lack of evidence, could not charge him.
Jun 16th
300a
Moonlight Intruder
Around 1am on Wednesday 8th October 1986, emergency services in Chandler, Arizona received a call from Ronda Guzman reporting an attack. An intruder had entered her home while she was sleeping, threatened her life and sexually assaulted her. Local police started an investigation, but despite a few early leads, the case was eventually wound down and remained unsolved for 33 years.