Forensic Files

Young Navajos on a reservation in the Southwest were dying at an alarming rate. CDC officials had never seen anything like it; the mysterious illness had claimed the lives of more than 20 people. The tribe's medicine men provided investigators with a critical clue which would lead halfway around the world to a most unlikely killer. Originally aired as Season 4, Episode 12.

For more than a decade, women in a small Louisiana city lived in fear of a rapist who becomes so experienced, he leaves no clues to his identity. But computer technology and behavioral science combine to give police a new forensic tool: geographical profiling. Police narrow their search to one man, local policeman Randy Comeaux. Originally aired as Season 5, Episode 1.

When Joann Katrinak is found dead with her infant son Alex next to her, the obvious suspect is the husband and father of the victims. But some insects found on the bodies reveal a vital clue, as does a blonde hair found on the victims which shares a commonality with the brunette hair of the husband's former love interest. Originally aired as Season 5, Episode 3.

A decomposed body is found stuffed in a barrel -- but the body had been placed in the barrel 30 years earlier. One of the few clues was an address book found along with the body, however, years of moisture had washed away the ink. Scientists desperately searched for a way to reveal the information written on the pages of the address book. Originally aired as Season 5, Episode 4.

A police investigation of a pediatrician, after the mysterious death of one of her patients, leads them to a Texas hospital where the pediatric mortality rate was higher than at any hospital in the country. The common link was nurse Genene Jones. Originally aired as Season 5, Episode 10.

In 1989, 4-year-old April Loveless was found dead in the backyard of her Texas home. Her mother, Debbie Loveless, and step-father John Miller told police that April was attacked and killed by the family dogs. Investigators did not agree and believed that April's wounds were not dog bites at all. Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 3.

In 1992, 22-year-old Dawn Bruce was brutally murdered in her Virginia apartment. The killer left very little evidence, but investigators did notice a blood smear on a pillow case that appeared to have been made by one of the killer's fingers. New technology enabled investigators to identify a fingerprint from the cloth surface of the pillow case. Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 9.

In 1995, California model Linda Sobek goes missing. Some vital pieces of information are found in a dumpster, which eventually led investigators to professional photographer Charles Rathbun. Rathbun claims Sobek died during a consensual sexual encounter gone wrong, but Sobek's corpse and some high tech digital imagery tell a more sinister story. Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 11.

For 15 months, a serial killer was strangling prostitutes in Florida, then taunting police by leaving the bodies in plain sight. The only clues were a tire impression and some threads. By the time scientists identified the source of these treads and the threads, police discovered that the killer James Randall was right under their noses the entire time. Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 14.

Dr. John Schneeberger is accused of sedating and sexually assaulting one of his female patients and his step daughter. DNA tests demonstrate that the doctor is innocent, but the patient still insists he's guilty. Years later, Schneeberger's lip balm is tested for DNA and it's a match. So, how did Dr. Schneeberger trick earlier investigators? Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 18.

In 1987, Susie Mowbray was charged for the death of her husband, Bill Mowbray, which had the appearance of suicide. Her son was so convinced of her innocence that he enrolled in law school, studied all of the evidence and, eventually, discovered the truth of what really happened that fateful night between his mother and father. Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 21.

In 1989, 19-year-old Lori Auker left her Pennsylvania home for work but never arrived. Police investigators viewed this case as a missing persons or possible homicide and focussed on her estranged husband, Robert Auker. It takes space-age technology, cat hairs and insects to pinpoint the image of the woman's abductor before the real story can be told. Originally aired as Season 6, Episode 27.

An examination of an unusual case in Texas, involving the 1988 rape and murder of Nancy DePriest, while she was at work at Pizza Hut. Chris Ochoa confessed and implicated Richard Danzinger and they were imprisoned. Eight years later, Achim Marino confessed to the same crime. DNA evidence cleared Ochoa while proving that Marino was the perpetrator. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 2.

The investigation into a brutal attack on two boys near a pond relies on evidence fished out of the murky water. It was the first case where Diatom evidence was used to place a suspect at the scene of the crime. The evidence helped in the conviction Christopher Green and Brian Davis. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 3.

In 1994, on Canada's Prince Edward Island, the body of Douglas Beamish's estranged wife, Shirley Duguay, was discovered. Authorities linked 20 cat hairs found on her jacket to a cat owned by Beamish's parents, with whom Doug Beamish lived. Scientists estimated that chances that the hairs came from another feline were one in 50 million. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 7.

The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack: Investigators uncover a plot to overthrow the government, after a unique strain of salmonella makes people ill. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 8.

Two sets of scientists, probe a woman's death. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 9.

Madalyn Murray O'Hair, founder of American Atheists, disappeared in 1995 along with one of her sons, her granddaughter and $500,000 in gold coins. The police honed in on several suspects, including David R. Waters, Office Manager for O'Hair's organization. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 10.