Forensic Files

The woman could have lost control of her SUV on the icy road, and plunged down an embankment into a shallow creek. But there were footprints in the snow leading away.

A successful stockbroker told his wife he'd be working late, and when he didn't come home, she reported him missing.¾

The prime suspect had a criminal record, and his driver's license was found at the scene of a brutal double-homicide.¾

When a little girl got sick and died, investigators were stumped. Was it an accident, an unexplained illness, or murder?

When a car was found in a drainage ditch with two bodies inside, a fingertip torn from a latex glove would point investigators to both the crime scene and the killer.

A World War II veteran was found dead in his home, and the investigation ground to a halt when the prime suspect had a solid alibi. But a lucky break led to a shady character who wore distinctive boots and had a sweet tooth.

A woman who was known to have suffered from depression apparently took her own life. But her sister told police that, a year before her death, she said if anything were to happen to her, there was a note in the china cabinet.¾

An aspiring model turned up dead, and the prime suspect was her boyfriend. When he was eventually cleared, investigators had to dig deeper to find the perpetrator. With the help of a forensic geologist, they identified the most unlikely suspects.

When an off-duty policeman was shot dead, his fellow officers were determined to solve the crime. They needed clues to find the killer, and they discovered them in tiny fibers and an asthma inhaler.

One warm summer afternoon, the town of Verona, Wisconsin faced its first triple homicide. To solve the case, investigators had to delve into the world of high rollers and offshore betting.

The body of a young girl was discovered on isolated farmland near Delano, California. She had no ID, but police found mailbox keys in the pocket of her jeans. With no other clues, they checked the mailboxes of every apartment building in Delano.

The driver said he couldn't have hit and killed a pedestrian on a Harrisburg street. The Jeep Grand Cherokee he was leasing around that time had been sold months ago to a buyer in another state.

The medical examiner ruled the death an accident, but the detectives investigating the case thought the evidence at the scene indicated otherwise.¾

When a hit-and-run boating accident caused the death of a popular young man, investigators faced the daunting task of searching for one boat among 1200 others.¾

A woman was found dead on the bedroom floor of her apartment. The crime scene yielded little of value, and investigators wondered if they would find enough evidence to make a case, much less catch a killer.

A young man was killed in a mysterious car crash, but the evidence at the scene led investigators to believe it was not an accident. Forensic science revealed what really happened, and the truth devastated three families.

In 1993, 82-year-old Kathryn Bishop was found dead in her Pennsylvania home. Tiny clues on the victim's body would tell police what happened that night.

A wealthy man and his wife were attacked by three masked men outside their luxurious Louisiana home. He was shot dead and she was forced to open their hidden safe. To solve the crime, police would have to find out who knew about the concealed safe.

The bomb was constructed to cause as much damage as possible... and it did, killing the victim with deadly force and flame. A painstaking search yielded tiny clues, which identified the killer as surely as if he'd signed them.

A twelve-year-old girl claimed she had been abducted and sexually assaulted. She recounted what happened in such a flat, unemotional voice that police found it difficult to believe her. Fibers on her clothing would prove she was telling the truth.

When the number and volume of bloodstains at the scene was greater than usual, it was up to forensic scientists to find out why.

The wife of a respected police officer was murdered in her own home. The crime went unsolved for more than a decade, and then a newly formed Cold Case Unit took a fresh look at the evidence.

The victim had ingested a massive amount of cyanide. An unlikely clue _ a flaw on a mailing envelope _ exposed a murderer who was willing to kill innocent people.

They thought the fire would cover their crime. But one tiny clue, no bigger than a thumbtack, remained. It held all the information investigators needed to put a trio of cold-blooded killers behind bars.

In 1994, 19-year-old Shannon Melendi disappeared while at Emory University. For ten years, her disappearance remained a mystery, until new scientific testing cast a different light on Colvin 'Butch' Hinton.

In 1987, the death of Crystal Purcell was considered an accident. Then in 2001, Barbara Purcell called police to suggest that her estranged husband Willard had killed Crystal, who was her husband at the time of her death.

In 1994, Paul Gruber's daughter suspected something was wrong when she received birthday cards addressed from Gruber, on which the handwriting wasn't Gruber's.¾

The woman was dead. The man had been shot four times and survived. When the man's version of events was at odds with the evidence, investigators turned to forensic science, hoping to determine if this was a botched robbery, or cold-blooded murder.

How did the stalker obtain the security system code for his victim's home? How did he steal her personal photographs? Police needed answers, and they found them in the most unlikely of places.

After inspecting storm damage to a home in Tampa, the insurance assessor simply disappeared. Thirty hours later, her body was found in a nearby river. But the killer had been careless.

When a hit-and-run accident claimed the life of a high school athlete, everyone in town mourned his passing. Finding the killer was a long shot at best.

A murder trail turned cold, until police got a call from a woman whose husband, Gerald Powers, had a criminal past and a fondness for Chevy Berettas.

In 1991, Grand Junction, Colorado is on edge after a series of deadly bombings which has killed 2 and injured one more. Police race to find the culprit before he strikes again.

Lives changed in the 20 years following an unsolved murder, and so did forensic science. In time, a high-powered microscope and DNA profiling revealed not only a clue no one had seen before but also the identity of the killer.

A lifelong resident of the tiny town of Lefroy, Tasmania was murdered outside his own home. Robbery appeared to be the motive, but with no suspects, the investigation came to a halt.

When a wealthy socialite died after falling down the stairs, witnesses said one thing and evidence indicated another. To find out what really happened, investigators turned to forensic science, a physicist and an expert in accident reconstruction.

In 1997, Kelly Eckart's car was found with her belongings still in it, after working the late shift in Franklin, Indiana. Days later, her body was found in an isolated ravine.

In 1996, when Derrick Duehren returned to his Oregon home, it had burned to the ground and his wife Roxanne's charred remains were found in the rubble. Investigators set out to determine if it was an unfortunate accident or arson and murder.

A millionaire and his family were executed in their own home. For three years, the murders went unsolved and then a 30-year-old box of ammunition and some fluorescent fibers revealed the ultimate betrayal.

It was one of the most brazen crimes of the 20th century.¾Adolph Coors III, chairman of the Coors Brewing Company, was kidnapped and held for ransom prompting one of the most intense manhunts in United States history.

The development of technology could help solve a murder case that is twelve years old.