Forensic Files

The investigation into the kidnapping and rape of an 18-year-old Ohio woman is aided when the victim returns hours after the incident occurred. With her help, the police are able to track the assailant, Craig Bailey, to his front door.

A look at the case of the River Park Rapist, who assaulted four women in South Bend, Ind., during 1996. Law enforcement officers arrested Richard Alexander, who was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 70 years in prison. In 2001, Michael Murphy confessed to one of the rapes for which Alexander had been convicted, and new DNA testing exonerated Alexander.

The murder of couple Raquel Rivera & Jay Johnson was first believed to be the result of a drug deal gone bad. However, no drugs are found in the house and the victims' blood isn't present on the clothing of the suspects. Evidence from the couple's dog eventually ties one of the murderers to the scene. This is one of the first cases where dog DNA was used.

A trio of unsolved murders that occurred in Wichita Falls, Texas during the 1980s, details how a fourth murder from the same time period provided the police with more than they realized. John Little, an investigator for the DA's office, picked up the cold cases years later. He soon connected the fourth crime's confessed killer to the other murders.

The disappearance of Philadelphia college athlete Aimee Willard is investigated after her car was found, still running on the roadside. When her body is found, the police find unusual marks on her body and DNA evidence that eventually lead to her killer, Arthur Bomar.

A pastor's wife appears to have committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. But as the investigation progresses, detectives discover incriminating computer files and learn that the pastor had been having an affair.

The owner of a car restoration company is ill and doctors cannot pinpoint the source of the illness. The businessman believes his business partner is trying to kill him.

The 1996 investigation into 48-year-old Martha Hansen's murder in Anchorage is helped by a legal requirement that bars have video cameras installed on the premises. Using video, hair and blood evidence, investigators determine that Evans Lee Curtis was the murderer.

The murder of 9-year-old Jessica Knott is investigated. Investigators use a garbage bag to connect suspect James Edward Crow, Jr. to the crime.

An investigation into the murder of Katie Poirier is stymied by the lack of a body, but they find a few charred remains including a tooth. The unique properties of the filling in the tooth helps investigators identify her remains. Further forensic evidence is then used to convict Donald Blom of her murder.

"Fire Proof" relates the story of Paul Kenneth Keller, a serial arsonist responsible for several fires that caused millions of dollars worth of property damage and the deaths of three people. More than 75 Seattle-area arsons are probed before he was discovered, partly through the use of forensic hypnosis.

A family in Dripping Springs, Texas seems to be living the perfect life, when suddenly their 3-year-old son develops a respiratory condition. The father later is shown to have signs of Alzheimer's disease. While boarding a plane, the father meets an investigator who later reveals that their ill health is due to a form of black mold in their modern home.

An elderly Georgia woman dies in a car fire. Police claim Shelia Bryan, the woman's daughter, is responsible. An expert fire witness shares an opinion on how the fire ignited that differs from the prosecution's theory and, if verified, would clear Bryan of any culpability.

Shari Smith, kidnapped and murdered in South Carolina in 1985, died about two hours after writing her last will, which her killer sent to her parents. The document itself enabled police to identify and convict Larry Gene Bell.

Emergency personnel were called to the home of Richard Alfredo, who was slumped over, dead of an apparent heart attack. No one thought foul play was a possibility until police looked into the odd behavior of his girlfriend Christina Martin. Controversy surrounded the case for almost a decade, which pitted competing teams of toxicologists against each other.

A woman is murdered in a Phoenix bar. 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. Based on this bite pattern, a local postman is charged, tried and convicted of murder, but he maintains his innocence.

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 forensic examiners the clues they need to thaw out the alibi of a cold-blooded killer.

A man tells police he shot an intruder who had attacked and murdered his wife. The husband paints a tragic picture of harassment, stalking and revenge, and is dubbed a hero for his valiant attempt to save his wife. Four years later, new forensic evidence leads police to re-examine the motives of this so-called hero.