The New Detectives

Some people will let nothing stand between them and their goals. In their tortured minds, raw desire replaces all reason, and homicide becomes a convenient means to an end. Blinded by love, torn by jealousy, or hungry for power, the obsessive murderer justifies his crimes and is capable of almost anything. While forensic investigators follow the physical evidence, psychologists study the muddled workings of the criminal mind.

Sometimes the scales of justice are balanced by just a few milligrams of evidence a couple of fibers, a tooth filling, or a smudge on a piece of tape. The biggest cases are often solved by the smallest clues.

George Orwell's concept of Big Brother remains in the realm of fiction. But as technology becomes more a part of our lives, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to make a move without leaving behind an electronic trace. Cell phones, surveillance cameras, and ATMs track virtually every move. When it comes to solving murders, this isn't such a bad thing.

Hiding a body can be difficult; it's sometimes easier to obscure or disguise the circumstances of the death, turning murder into suicide, or pinning the blame on someone else. The truth is told through subtle clues taken from the crime scene.

No matter how chaotic or how clean a crime scene appears to be, the culprit is bound to leave something telling behind. Occasionally, it's nothing more than a fingerprint or shoe tread. Sometimes that's all that's needed.

Men don't have a monopoly on murder, but it's still extraordinary when women kill. Though female killers are as deadly as males, they choose less violent methods. They're often more cunning, calculating; but thanks to forensics, no more likely to get away with it.

For a price, anything's possible. Contract killings arose out of the need to establish the perfect alibi. By hiring someone else to do the dirty work, a person can deflect guilt, at least in theory. Forensics is changing that, leading investigators from the killers to their employers.

Some people do get away with murder, at least for a while. Flush with their success, serial killers murder again and again. But each time they kill, they leave behind a few more clues, which ultimately lead to their undoing.

Poisoners are the most devious of killers, relying on stealth or their victim's trust in order to steal their lives. They're the most dangerous creatures in the world: smart assassins. And they usually don't stop at one kill.

Some cases simply can't be solved with current technology or with the evidence at hand. But that doesn't mean they'll remain unsolved forever. Over time, a witness may be ready to talk, a new DNA technique might offer more precision, an overlooked clue might be discovered. Forensic scientists reevaluate unsolved crimes and apply new methods to solving them.

Drug trafficking has spawned a violent and deadly criminal underground. It's providing a challenge to forensic investigators devoted to cracking drug rings.

Some of the best clues come from the least likely places. Baffling crimes have been solved and criminals betrayed through evidence provided by insects, beer bottles, and other seemingly meaningless objects.

They know as much about crime as any crime fighter, or any criminal. They're the crime writers, and through their eyes we see murder most foul. Combining perspectives of law enforcement, felons, and journalism, crime writers provide us with as near a first-person account as possible.

A good coroner provides what's necessary to solve a crime. A bad one can spoil an otherwise rock-solid case. Cyril Wecht and Henry Lee, two of the country's most respected coroners, share their cases and insights into crime solving.