Forensic Files

A retired police officer is discovered in his bed, dead of a single gunshot wound to the head. His wife first says the motive was robbery; then she tells police he committed suicide.

In the summer of 1986, Kathleen Lipscomb's body was found on a deserted road outside of San Antonio. Months passed, then years, and the crime was never solved. Then Kathleen's family hired a private investigator, who discovered her diary.

A healthy young man dies mysteriously in his sleep, and toxicology tests reveal a lethal dose of lidocaine in his blood. Investigators find a suicide note and presume he killed himself until a forensic linguist examines the note.

For six years, a serial killer prowled the streets of New York City. He wrote letters to the police and the New York Post, indicating he would kill twelve people, one for each astrological sign.

Just weeks before a witness is to testify against the man accused of sexually assaulting her, she is murdered in the front yard of her own home. Investigators immediately suspect her attacker, but they don't have enough evidence to prove his guilt.

When an 11-year-old girl disappeared from a small town in a remote area of Alaska, investigators wondered if she'd been attacked by a bear or become lost in the dense woods. It turned out neither was true.

A woman was found dead in a ravine, but crucial crime scene evidence had been washed away by severe thunderstorms. Twice, the trail turned cold. Almost 20 years later, an old hat and a chip of stainless steel brought the killer to justice.

For years, a woman suffered from what appeared to be the unpleasant side effects of lithium, a drug prescribed to treat bipolar disorder. When she died, investigators had to determine if her death was due to natural causes, suicide, or murder.

Police are dispatched to the scene of a shooting and discover the victim's husband is one of their own: a homicide detective who says his wife accidentally shot herself in the head.

A young TV news producer is raped and murdered in her apartment. Police identify two suspects, but both are cleared of any wrongdoing. The case stalls for more than a year, and then investigators turn to the Commonwealth of Virginia's DNA data bank.

With no forensic evidence inside a murder scene, investigators were baffled. But they suspected that the victim's dog had witnessed the crime. If she had, forensic scientists would have had to find a way to find out what the dog had seen.

Two men were murdered while sleeping in their beds. The next night, arson destroyed a family planning clinic. Investigators wonder whether some shards of glass, paint chips, and a chicken feather could link what appeared to be two separate crimes.

When firefighters found an entire family dead inside their home, it looked like a murder-suicide, but there were several inconsistent clues in the rubble. Could ballistics, a time card, and some secret audiotapes unravel the mystery?

A police officer accused of killing his estranged wife insists she committed suicide. Investigators say it was murder and that it was physically impossible for the woman to have shot herself.

A man tells police he shot an intruder who had attacked and murdered his wife. The husband paints a tragic picture and is dubbed a hero. Four years later, forensic evidence leads police to reexamine the motives of this so-called hero.

A union official was executed in his home not long after a strike by the union members. Neither his wife nor anyone in the neighborhood heard any gunshots. It would take a forensic sound test, an electron microscope, and a nightgown to explain why.

A man is found dead in his home, and his ex-wife has a perfect alibi. To determine the time of death, investigators need to know when the victim ate his last meal. An endocrinologist, a forensic botanist, and a short-order cook answer their question.

Police were puzzled by an obscure print found at a crime scene where one man had been killed, and two teenage girls were seriously injured. Neither of the girls could identify their attacker.

Time of death becomes pivotal after a pregnant woman is found murdered in her air-conditioned bedroom. A striking similarity between her death and an HBO movie gives examiners the clues they need to thaw out the alibi of a cold-blooded killer.

A 34-year-old nurse experiences a variety of flu-like symptoms. None of her doctors can discover the cause until she visits the gynecologist for a routine checkup. Then she learns it's something far worse than the flu.

A woman's death in Pennsylvania triggers a homicide investigation into another woman's death in North Carolina. The similarities in the cases were striking, and examiners must determine if the suspect's story about accidental drowning is all wet.

At a murder scene, investigators find a shoe print, several foreign hairs, and unknown fingerprints. But they believe the most telling piece of evidence is the bite mark on the victim's chest.

In 1993, the state of Florida was known for more than just Disney World. Worldwide attention focused on a rash of robberies that targeted tourists. Some vacationers were killed in these attacks, but some fought and survived despite severe injuries.

A woman is shot to death in her store just one day before she is to testify against the man accused of robbing her. The robber becomes the prime suspect, but he has a solid alibi: a time-stamped videotape of his activities on the day of the murder.