Forensic Files

In this classic episode of Forensic Files, the longest running true crime series in television history, a man and woman are found shot dead in car in a drainage ditch. The windows are broken and shattered glass should be everywhere, but it isn’t. A fingertip torn from a latex glove points investigators to both the crime scene and the killer. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 5.

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. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 6.

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. Police were able to find the vehicle. They impounded it, took it apart, and discovered evidence which would tell them what really happened that night. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 12.

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. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 16.

This robbery/homicide was unusual. The evidence at the scene proved that the perpetrator had been running out of the house, not breaking into it. Tiny clues on the victim’s body would tell police what happened that night, and who was responsible. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 18.

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. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 20.

Emergency Dispatch in Durham, North Carolina received a frantic call from a man who said his wife fell down the stairs; she was unconscious but still breathing. When paramedics arrived, they could do little more than pronounce the woman dead. The number and volume of bloodstains at the scene was greater than usual. Forensic scientists had to find out why. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 22.

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. A few seconds of a 911 call enabled them to determine not only who was responsible for the victim’s death, but also the motive for her murder. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 23.

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. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 25.

For ten years, the disappearance of a college co-ed remained a mystery. And then new scientific testing cast a different light on a man who had been a suspect all along. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 26.

For sixteen years, the death of woman was considered an accident; then someone called police to suggest her husband had murdered her. Before the investigation could begin, the tipster was found dead… in much the same manner as the wife. Was this an unfortunate coincidence, or the MO of a serial killer? Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 27.

His daughter suspected something was wrong… and when she learned virtually everything had been removed from her father’s home, she was sure of it. Even though she lived almost a thousand miles away, she took it upon herself to find out what happened and who was responsible. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 28.

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: the letters he wrote to frighten the victim and taunt those trying to protect her. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 30.

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, using a murder weapon so unique and leaving behind clues so blatant that police would have no trouble tracking him down. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 31.

She won $5,000 at the Blackjack tables. Three hours later, she was abducted; a month after that, she was found dead. Then the trail turned cold, until police got a call from a woman whose husband had a criminal past and a fondness for Chevy Berettas. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 33.

A small town in Colorado is on edge after a series of deadly bombings, and police race to find the culprit before he strikes again. Ultimately, it was the bombs themselves, along with the tools used to make them, which led investigators to the perpetrator. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 34.

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. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 35.

When a wealthy socialite died after falling down the stairs, the eyewitnesses said one thing and the evidence seemed to indicate another. To find out what really happened, investigators turned to forensic science, a physicist and an expert in accident reconstruction. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 37.

A young woman disappeared after working the late shift in a department store. Days later, her body was found in an isolated ravine. Tiny clues told police a great deal about the killer. He would own olive-colored carpeting, a white blanket, and distinctive bullets made from wax, not lead. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 38.

When a house burned to the ground and a woman’s charred remains were found in the rubble, investigators had to determine if it was an unfortunate accident, or arson and murder. Microscopic clues on a piece of pipe would give them the answers they needed. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 39.

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. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 40.

It was one of the most brazen crimes of the 20th century. Adolph Coors, chairman of the Coors Brewing Company, was kidnapped and held for ransom… prompting one of the most intense manhunts in United States history. Originally aired as Season 11, Episode 41.