Forensic Files

A fire erupted in the Kings Cross Underground Station in London, killing 31 people and injuring dozens more. Arson investigators were able to pinpoint the cause of the fire, but it would take state-of-the-art computer technology and experts in the field of fluid dynamics to explain why it became a deadly inferno. Originally aired as Season 8 Episode 42

In 1993, the Amtrak Railroad experienced the deadliest train crash in United States history, when the Sunset Limited derailed while crossing Alabama's Big Bayou Canot bridge. Forty-seven passengers and crew were killed; scores more were injured. The clues to the cause of the crash lay etched in twisted steel and buried in the mud of the Big Bayou Canot. Originally aired as Season 8 Episode 41

It was supposed to be a routine motorcade for the Queen of England. But a car carrying three Secret Service agents collided with a car driven by a deputy from the local sheriff's office. Accident reconstructionists reached very different conclusions. It would take a court case and a judge's ruling to determine what really happened and who was responsible. Originally aired as Season 8 Episode 40

A high school gym teacher mysteriously leaves town without saying goodbye to anyone. He later sends letters to explain why. But a closer forensic look at those letters and a microscopic piece of tissue gives investigators an entirely different explanation for where he went and why. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 37.

The body of a rich businessman was found in his rental car. Teeth and bone fragments were all that remained of the body; miraculously, an engraved wristwatch and medic alert bracelet had survived the inferno. When the victim's wife filed a claim for $7 million worth of life insurance, investigators sought the help of a renowned forensic anthropologist. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 31.

Two men called police to report the same murder. Apparently, neither one knew that the other had called and the investigation uncovered even more unusual circumstances. But a few small seeds and a discarded candy wrapper will ultimately tell a story of revenge. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 30.

A suspicious fire burned down an apartment, killing two young women. The cause of the fire and the identity of the victims were unclear. However, a deeper look at the fire scene revealed something hidden in the ashes. Could gas chromotography, a burnt pair of eyeglasses and a half smoked cigarette solve the case? Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 29.

A retired police officer is discovered in his bed, dead. His wife first says the motive was robbery; then she tells police he committed suicide. It would take the tape from a bank surveillance camera and forensic textbooks found in the victim's home, to write the last chapter of this real-life whodunit. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 28.

Kathleen Lipscomb's body was found on a deserted street outside of San Antonio. Months passed, then years, and the crime went cold. Then Kathleen's family hired a private investigator who discovered a diary among her personal effects. Two of the diary entries helped police to piece together what had happened to Kathleen Lipscomb, and why. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 27.

Just weeks before a witness is to testify against the man accused of sexually assaulting her, she is killed in the front yard of her own home. Investigators suspect her attacker, but they don't have enough evidence to prove it. It would take fifteen years, and the incredible advances in forensic science to enable police to finally nail the killer. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 24.

A woman is found dead in a ravine near a jogging path. Significant crime scene evidence had been washed away by a series of thunderstorms. Twice, the trail turned cold. Then, almost twenty years later, an old hat and a chip of stainless steel no longer than a fingernail would finally bring the killer to justice. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 22.

For years, a woman suffered from what appeared to be the unpleasant side effects of lithium, a drug prescribed to treat bipolar disorder. Her search for help led her to severals doctors and hospitals and resulted in a 4000-page medical file. When she died, investigators had to determine if her death was caused by natural causes, suicide or murder. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 21.

Police are dispatched to the scene of a shooting and find the victim's husband is one of their own: a homicide detective who says his wife accidentally shot herself in the head. The detective claims he called 911 immediately, but the evidence seems to indicate otherwise. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 20.

A TV news producer is killed in her apartment. The case goes cold until investigators turn to the Commonwealth of Virginia's DNA Databank which houses profiles convicted felons and is the first of its kind in the country. A comparison of the crime scene evidence with the Databank profiles results in Virginia's first cold hit in a homicide investigation. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 19.

With no forensic evidence inside a murder scene, investigators are left puzzled. But they suspected that the victim's dog had witnessed the crime. If she had, forensic scientists would have to find some way to know what the dog had seen. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 18.

When firefighters discovered an entire family dead inside their home, it seemed like a murder-suicide, but there were many inconsistent clues in the rubble. Could ballistics, a time card and some secret audiotapes uncover the truth?. The killer, Earl Bramblett, was charged with the murders and was sentenced to death on April 9, 2003. Orginially aired as Season 8 Episode 16.

A union official is executed in his home not long after a strike by the union membership. Neither his wife, who was sleeping in the adjacent bedroom, nor anyone in the neighborhood, heard any gunshots. It would take a forensic sound test, an electron microscope and a nightgown to explain why. Orginially aired as Season 8 Episode 13.

A man is found shot to death in his home. Determining time of death becomes fatally important, and in order to do so, investigators need to know when the victim ate his last meal. An endocrinologist, a forensic botanist and a short-order cook try to solve their mystery. Orginially aired as Season 8 Episode 12.

Police are puzzled by a strange print found at a crime scene in Peoria, Illinois, where one man had been killed and two teenage girls were seriously injured. Neither of the girls could identify their attacker. But one simple, yet rarely found, clue will ultimately help track the footsteps of a killer. Orginially aired as Season 8 Episode 11.

A nurse has a variety of flu-like symptoms. None of her doctors are able to find the cause, until she visits the gynecologist for a routine check-up. Then she learns it's something way worse than the flu. She is HIV-positive. Science determines not only how she had been infected, but also by whom. They will discover that it wasn't an accident. Orginially aired as Season 8 Episode 9.

A woman's death in Pennsylvania triggers a homicide investigation into another woman's death in North Carolina. The similarities in the two cases are shocking, and medical examiners must determine if the suspect's story about accidental drowning is all wet. Orginally aired as Season 8 Episode 8.

In 1993, worldwide attention focused on a series of robberies, which targeted Florida tourists. Some vacationers were killed in these attacks, but some fought and survived, despite critical injuries. One of those injuries, a bite mark, would become the key piece of evidence used to convict a determinedly uncooperative suspect. Orginally aired as Season 8 Episode 6.

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 number one suspect, but he has a solid alibi: a time-stamped videotape of his outdoor activities on the day of the murder. Police authenticate the videotape and find the killer who has been hiding in the shadows. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 5.

A mother of two disappears after a shopping trip. Her body is found a month later. Witnesses saw the victim being forced into a car by an unknown person. Police learn that the car had been rented, but the signature on the rental agreement does not match that of their number one suspect. A forensic handwriting expert points to the murderer. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 4.